Review: The Midnight Throne by Audriana Christian
Category:
Rating:
Introduction:
Soren Kissinger has always been perfectly fine being human in a very non-human-centric world. By default, she has had a picture-perfect life in the Human Realm of Midengart. Soren has two parents who love her dearly, and she had a fantastic college experience where she met her best friend, Vana, and her toxic situationship, Willem. But on her 23rd birthday, Soren’s life as she knows it begins to unravel, thread by thread. In a twist of fate and the touch of a magical charm, Soren’s truth comes forth, and she realizes her entire life has been a lie. Soren was no human but a halfling. A prophecy outlines her fate and a dark one at that. The prophecy revealed three children who would change the world forever: A child born anew, A daughter of two worlds, and a child created. A dark queen and her even darker army have been hiding between the worlds, waiting for Soren to rise from her binding charm like a phoenix. The dark queen had turned the nine worlds upside down, burying the old gods as she went–and that was just the first part of her plan. Soren is the dark queen’s last key to taking control of the nine worlds, and the queen will not go down without a fight. Soren must face her fears, hone her newfound powers, and, unfortunately, be trained and guarded by the notorious and insufferable storm-wielding Rhone Hitori.
Rhone is loyal to no court, a warrior for whomever he sees fit, whenever he sees fit—a Royal High Fae castaway who likes to hide in the shadows, not accepted by his creature race for his violent past. So, it surprised the realms when he agreed to this implausible task. Soren and Rhone reluctantly work together, piecing together the hundreds of years old prophecy, discovering Soren’s abilities, try their best to ignore the chemistry between them and collect allies along the way: A Highland rebel spare prince, a forest nymph, and a long-lost cursed son of Odin whose secrets are more embedded into the prophecy than anyone could have imagined.
Every player is needed to fight the inescapable war dawning upon them, especially since Soren isn’t the only new creature bestowed upon the worlds.
Rising from Ashes & Stardust. Tied by the Fates. Tempted by Desire.
It’s a race to the end of the worlds. Who will get there first?
Review:
Reviewed by Dakota Watson
The Midnight Throne by Audriana Christian is a captivating blend of contemporary and fantastical elements sprinkled with Norse lore and mythology. Audriana’s debut novel skillfully weaves together Norse lore and mythology, creating a rich and expansive world that drew me in from the very beginning. One of the most appealing aspects of the book was its intriguing premise. From the start, I was hooked by the promise of a fantastical adventure set against a backdrop of modern day life. Audriana’s ability to seamlessly integrate these two worlds kept me engaged throughout. I was particularly impressed by Audriana’s prose. Her writing style is both descriptive and fluid, painting vivid images of the world she has created. It’s clear that she has a talent for storytelling, and I look forward to seeing how her writing evolves in the future.
The Midnight Throne certainly had its strengths as a debut novel, but it also had its shortcomings. From the outset, it was clear that Audriana Christian is an extremely organized person, much like the main character Soren. However, this sense of organization sometimes made the story feel rigid, lacking the spontaneity and charm that a little chaos can bring. While the book excelled in world building and providing detailed explanations of settings, the characters fell short for me. While they effectively moved the plot forward, they lacked depth and individuality. They felt somewhat wooden and lacked the substance needed for me to truly root for them. I appreciated the effort put into creating a rich and expansive fantasy world, but I found myself yearning for more development and complexity in the characters. A deeper exploration of their personalities and motivations would have added depth to the story and made it more engaging.
One significant shortcoming of The Midnight Throne was its lack of action. While there were occasional bursts of excitement scattered throughout the book, the majority of the narrative was focused on characters engaging in mundane tasks that didn’t contribute much to the overall story. As a result, my reading experience often felt dull and lacking in excitement. The sporadic action scenes were thrilling, but they were too few and far between to sustain my interest throughout the entire book. I found myself longing for more moments of intensity and suspense to drive the plot forward and keep me engaged.
The rigidity and lack of depth in the characters of The Midnight Throne left me feeling disconnected from the story as a whole. One glaring example of this was Soren’s non committal reaction upon discovering her true identity. Without giving away spoilers, I found her response lacking credibility. As a normal, average human girl suddenly confronted with a life altering revelation, there should have been more inner turmoil and questioning from Soren. Instead, her reaction felt subdued and lacking in the emotional depth that such a discovery would typically evoke. It was difficult for me to empathize with her journey when her responses seemed so detached from the gravity of the situation.
Also her instant attraction toward Rhone felt out of place. I understand the dude was hot AF but for crying out loud, we all encounter gorgeous men in real life and still manage to get through our days without hyperventilating in their presence, don’t we? And I honestly didn’t see a base for her to fall in love with him at all as Audriana’s didn’t provide enough relationship building or emotional development between them.
The lack of depth in character development also extended to Niklas as well. His introduction and the sudden flood of Norse mythology into the narrative felt disjointed and out of place. In the beginning, I had no idea Norse mythology would be a significant aspect of the story. For the first two-thirds of the book, the focus was on generic fantastical elements like fae, witches, and seers, along with various fantastical realms. Then, suddenly, with Niklas’s arrival, we were inundated with Norse mythology. This abrupt transition was disorienting and felt like it came out of nowhere. It disrupted the flow of the story and left me feeling confused rather than intrigued. If the inclusion of Norse mythology had been hinted at or woven more seamlessly into the earlier parts of the narrative, it might have felt more natural and integrated.
In conclusion, The Midnight Throne was a good book with some unexpected twists that kept me engaged. While it had its flaws, it still managed to deliver moments of excitement and surprise. I want to emphasize that my criticisms are meant to be constructive. If Audriana Christian ever sees this review, I hope she takes my comments as constructive criticism to continue honing her craft and in no way meant to discourage her or throwing shade at her. Despite the shortcomings, it’s clear she has the potential to be a great fantasy writer. With further development and refinement, her future works have the opportunity to shine even brighter.
Ultimately, The Midnight Throne serves as a promising debut for Audriana Christian, and I look forward to seeing how her writing evolves in the future.
Book Cover:
