A Chance Beginning: Book One of the Shadow’s Fire Trilogy (Volume 1)

A Chance Beginning by Christopher Patterson is just what I needed! After my last few reviews, I was starting to feel a bit dejected when it was time for my nighttime reading. The last few books I’ve read have been… meh. But this is more like it! This book starts with a bang and you’re hooked. On top of that, the story feels like it’s moving at a good pace. I find myself saying, “One more chapter” almost every night. 

The writing has been refreshing as well. The dialogue is easy to follow, and the author paints a vivid picture of the surroundings/setting. The action sequences are also written very well. The main characters are young adults and this series fits well in that category. He reminds the readers that the main characters are young men who don’t know where they are (in life) and what they’re doing. This skews more adult over of Middle Grade, which I enjoy. I am pleased with this first book and will go ahead and start the second book here soon, even though the ending felt a bit abrupt. Yet, I understand the urge to entrap the audience in order to entice us for more!

I am glad I branched out and took a chance on this series. I didn’t have any background on the author or the story, but I thought it might sound like something I tend to write, and I wasn’t wrong. So far, so good!

C. L.