The Ninth Avatar by Todd Newton

Title: The Ninth Avatar
Author: Todd Newton
Format: Paperback, 380 pages
Pub. Date: February 26th 2010
Source: Goodreads First Reads

★★★

Three stars.

I received this book through Goodreads First Reads.

The Ninth Avatar is a fantasy novel that follows a cast of odd characters in the timeless battle of good versus evil. Carrion soldiers- soldiers of other cities with horns & disfigurements forced to fight- far outnumber the other armies & destroy whatever they pass through. Starka is a priestess who's been outcast, that is until she receives a vision that shows her helping to stop the progression of this dark leader. Magic, dragons, jails, pirates, & a sprinkling of incest guide this saga, making it quite the adventure.

For a debut novel, I have to say this was pretty good. The plot is fairly classic, but good versus evil is always a plot that needs to be told. The writing was solid, the characters unique. It was very easy for me to visualize what was happening within the story. A huge plus with this work is the map included in the front. When I was unsure about something, I could just look there.

The cover is really cool looking & dark, & would have gotten my attention on a shelf. That being said, the font choice bothered me, & it was larger or smaller in random spots.

What I didn't like was the constant change in point of view. Two characters? Fine. Three? Okay. But I lost count of the perspectives that were shown. It gave the book a choppy, confusing edge to what would have been a great debut. Unfortunately, this was enough for me to mark it down.

All in all, I think there are a LOT of people who will like this book more than me. It overall just wasn't my type of story, but I can't stress enough that Todd Newton's writing was solid. If you like fantasy & magic, GIVE THIS A TRY. But if a large amount of characters & enough locations to fill a map will frustrate you, perhaps choose another.