Review for "Enden" by David Kummer
Alright my book lovers, strap yourselves in because after reading this book I. Have. Thoughts.
Ended is a fantasy novel centered around a singular boy (and make no mistake he is very much a kid) Jonathan, a seemingly unremarkable young fella living in a tiny, unremarkable village, spending his days doing unremarkable things. Now of course that’s not the whole story, otherwise this would be a very dull book, so of course he gets thrown into chaotic battles and political intrigue. It is him, yes the little peasant boy, who must save his kingdom and his friends from the evil that threatens the land. I’m obviously not going to spoil it, so you will all have to read the book to find out how that goes.
There are elves, there are swords and bows, and there are epic battles, and just enough hints of romance to add a more fulsome picture of a young man navigating a harsh and hostile world around him.
I hate to use the term “formulaic” especially since Krumner throws in a good amount of curveballs and plot devices, but ultimately the overall story is reminiscent of a lot of fantasy books that have come before it. Don’t get me wrong, I liked the book, and I am very much looking forward to reading the rest in the series (keep your eyes peeled for those reviews) but I felt like Krumner has the writing chops to have done more exciting things with this book. Additionally he spent a lot of time fleshing out certain parts of this literary world, and very little time spent on others, which left me feeling like I had half a story.
That being said, my biggest gripe is about the main character, Jonathan. I have never wanted to slap a character from a book more than this kid. He is the whiniest person you could imagine, but people are somehow drawn to him, desperate to help him. Now of course if I ever was in the position to be able to slap him, he would expertly and deftly avoid it and give me a thrashing. How would he be able to do that? Well for reasons….like being chosen perhaps? It’s not clear how he becomes an expert fighter, but he does.
But you know what, I’m not mad at this book, because there are some real gems in here, namely the other side main characters. They are interesting, flawed and compelling, and are a very big reason I’m looking forward to reading the rest of the books in this series. Also if we get some Star Wars level revelation as to why Jonathan is the super kid he is, then you will all get to read about me eating my words!
To learn more about David Kummer go to his website here.
To purchase "Enden" go here.
