Written by C.A. Doehrmann
It feels like a lifetime ago that I read C.A. Doehrmann’s debut novel, The Kingmaster, which formed the first volume of Arc Legends of Ellunon. It was actually only about ten months ago, and if you’re keen to revisit my thoughts about that, you can do so here. Now I’ve provided the link, I’m just going to assume you clicked it, and saw my thoughts where I made comparisons to a children’s book, given the ease of reading and accessible nature to a multitude of age groups. Over these last ten months and the release of this second entry, Prince of the Fallen Kingdom, Arc Legends of Ellunon has matured. It’s still an accessible story, but Doehrmann has told a bigger, broader story in which the prose provides more colour to it.
At an estimated 261 pages on eReader (at the time of writing, I don’t have a hardcopy page count for the book), Prince of the Fallen Kingdom is slightly longer than its predecessor. While thirty-odd screens isn’t a huge amount of real estate, the author has packed a lot more into the story, expanding its world, adding more characters and increasing the scope of the story being told. The result is a book that is bigger in more than just its word count, with everything moving at a quick pace.
While the increased scope that Prince of the Fallen Kingdom brings to Doehrmann’s world makes for a story that I found more entertaining than the original (again, I assume you’ve read my review for The Kingmaster and know how entertaining I found that book), the largest improvement I found with Book 2 is in its prose. Where the first book struck an engaging tone, the prose was largely written in short sentences and paragraphs. This was charming and digestible, and helped the novel’s overall flow. In Prince of the Fallen Kingdom, the author’s prose improves upon this. Doehrmann has managed to strike a balance between a narrative that is just as digestible as its predecessor, but with far more flourish to the words. The world of Ellunon is a magical realm full of fantastic elements, and the prose conveys this beautifully, bringing a sense of magic and wonder to the world through its narration.
Not only does the prose represent an evolution from the original book; Prince of the Fallen Kingdom’s dialogue also improves upon the original’s. The characters sound natural, and the conversations throughout the book are entertaining to follow. The dialogue flows naturally between the characters, and each character’s voice feels distinct. The novel fits a fair number of characters who all have various discussions with one another, and these conversations simply click.
Despite the changes to the prose and dialogue in this sophomore outing, Prince of the Fallen Kingdom feels consistent with its predecessor. Although the returning characters and the familiar setting help in this regard, the novel captures and explores its characters in similar fashion. Every character is engaging, bringing a sense of fun and adventure with them in entertaining ways. I was a huge fan of Kyen and Adeya in the first book, and continued to love them throughout the second.
With its larger tapestry, Prince of the Fallen Kingdom brings with it a faster pace. A lot happens in the book, and it starts happening quickly. The author has balanced this pace with the increased world building nicely, without sacrificing the plot or its characters. It has been deftly edited, ensuring that its elements come together and serve the whole admirably.
Prince of the Fallen Kingdom’s plot is entertaining, and will be sure to keep the reader turning the pages. It enjoys playing in the sword and sorcery genre, and utilising the tropes fans expect from it. In a similar fashion to the first book, it doesn’t add many new elements to the genre, but much of the fun here is in how it brings out those elements.
Much like The Kingmaster before it, Prince of the Fallen Kingdom is firmly a PG-rated story. While it is absolutely packed with action, it is written in a largely non-violent manner, presented in a way that will excite the reader without any brutality appearing within the written word. The romantic elements work without depictions of sex, and the book is without profanity. The result is a book that is entertaining for adult audiences, but is perfectly suitable for younger readers, while providing plenty of fun for all ages.
As the second volume in the Arc Legends of Ellunon series, Prince of the Fallen Kingdom stands on its own two feet well. Readers who haven’t read The Kingmaster will be able to follow along with the story, and works as a standalone read. While the book hints at more adventures to come, it works as an entire story. With that said, though, I would certainly recommend reading The Kingmaster first, as it will colour this world for you, and the book will be all the more resonant for it.
Not only does Prince of the Fallen Kingdom continue the Arc Legends of Ellunon series, it improves upon its already enjoyable first volume. The author has taken everything that worked in The Kingmaster and improved upon the elements that didn’t work so well. As it continues the story, it does so in a more assured fashion, and is a better read for it. If you’re a fan of swords and sorcery fantasy tales, you’ll find so much to enjoy here.
Favourite Passage
A cosmos of light and darkness flowed through Kade.
Six fluxes of aura—like rivers bright, deep and tingling with energy—splayed out in different directions and divided his world. They flowed from the Nadir, a blazing orb at the heart of Ellunon; it emanated a relentless stream of power that filled the universe, coursing out as the fluxes, flowing to the edges of existence, and dissipating. Each flux spread a fan of smaller tributaries, many feeding into little orbs or fading into a whirl of eddies tinged in pinks, yellows, or periwinkle blues. From Kade’s vantage point, it seemed a vast net, studded with stars, breathing with color, light, and potential.
Prince of the Fallen Kingdom: Book 2 of Arc Legends of Ellunon, Chapter 3
Prince of the Fallen Kingdom: Book 2 of Arc Legends of Ellunon was provided by the author for the purpose of an honest review.
Prince of the Fallen Kingdom is available in paperback and Kindle formats, exclusive to Amazon.
Note: I do not post scores for reviews on this website, but do post them on my Amazon and Goodreads reviews:
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Interested in purchasing Prince of the Fallen Kingdom?
Please find a link below; please note I do not collect any proceeds from the sale.
Prince of the Fallen Kingdom: (Arc Legends of Ellunon Book 2)
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