The Eyes of a King by Catherine Banner

Genre: Fantasy

If I hadn't read that Catherine Banner was a teen author, I never would have guessed it. Catherine Banner shows much potential in the writing world by publishing The Eyes of a King, a novel addressing a few controversial topics such as teenage angst, military, deaths, and war. She has secured her place as a writer, and I look forward to seeing her progress.

However, contrary to popular opinion, I disagree that Catherine Banner can be called the next J.K. Rowling just based on this novel. Sure, she shows writing talent at a young age that should be honed before it's lost; I'm also eager to read her next books in this trilogy. However, there are flaws with the book.

Set in a parallel world called Malonia, The Eyes of a King is narrated by Leo North, the protagonist. The novel is actually a memoir of Leo; he describes the events that have happened to him ever from the day he picked up a mysterious, magical book one fateful, winter day. He soon discovers just how enchanting this book is; it not only writes by itself, he dreams about the events in the book when he's not reading it. Through the book, Leo familiarizes himself with the book's characters, including Anna, Aldebaran, and Ryan (the exiled prince of Malonia). The characters in Leo's book all live in England, a place Leo believes to be make-believe. In his own life, Leo has his own obstacles to deal with, and these obstacles eventually become too overbearing for him. As Leo becomes more absorbed in the book (though not by his own will), he realizes how connected he really is to the book.

The first half of this book was amazing. I loved Banner's use of descriptions; they were imaginative and enough for me to visualize the scenes. I also liked the idea about a parallel world and the prophecy about Ryan. However, the mood and tone of the story changes after a tragic event hits. Leo becomes more self-absorbed in his depression; his thoughts become less rational. He does things that seem out-of-character for him, as though he lost control of himself. I thought Banner did a great job of capturing about his feelings and actions, though I did not always agree with them.

What bothered me about the book were some plot holes. For example, Leo did do some drastic things that I thought he should have been punished for. It didn't make sense to me that he just got ran away without retribution and that nobody searched for him. Another thing is the connection between Leo, Ryan, and Anna seemed flimsy when I thought that should have been a strong point of the story. Though Leo knew all about them from his book, they don't seem to be as aware of his story. I did like how everything tied up together neatly by the end; everything was interconnected.

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Other bloggers who reviewed this book:
Mrs. Magoo Reads
The Story Siren