Review: Three Floating Coffins

This upcoming weekend, I'm launching an Amazon campaign that will sell the Kindle version of Three Floating Coffins at a reduced rate. In honor of that, I'm posting my own review of my story.  Details on the deal below.


Title: Three Floating Coffins
Author: Rebecca Lang
Genre: Fantasy, Middle Grade Reader

Summary

What happens when you can no longer trust your family?

This is what 13-year old Odele wonders when she and her two older sisters are sealed in coffins and cast into the sea by their father, the King of the Seven Isles. A priest has prophesied that one of the princesses holds magic that will destroy the kingdom. Only Odele knows the truth. The priest is lying.

On the run and unsure of who she can trust, Odele undertakes a journey to find the one thing that may defeat the evil priest: a magical amulet her mother hid years ago somewhere in the Seven Isles. Hunting Odele are the priest’s twin daughters, witches who control dragons made of wind and water. With time running out, Odele must pry open the secrets of the past before she loses her family forever.

Review

Warning! This review is extremely biased, because I wrote this book. However, there's no reason I can't tell you what I liked and didn't like about it, even if my perspective is a little skewed.

I like stories with complicated plots, and this story delivered. Although it's relatively simple compared to my first novel, The Changelings, you're still following two main stories--Odele's quest to save her island from the priest and how her father unearthed magic in the first place. These stories weave together; as Odele learns more about magic, she better understands who the priest is and how she can defeat him. Also woven in are the stories of Odele's sisters and the two "witches" hunting Odele. The elements tie together at the end for what I hope to be a satisfying conclusion.

Personally, my favorite character is Melantha, one of the priest's twin daughters. She can create dragons out of water, which she uses in some creative ways. But although she is a dangerous opponent, she's not evil, and as you learn more and more about her life and backstory, you may find yourself sympathizing with her--I certainly did. There's a really great scene toward the end where you learn her backstory, which was one of my favorites to write.

Another favorite character is Damianos, the street urchin who is desperate to find a way to make his fortune, for reasons that become clear later on. Although at first he tries to turn Odele over to the priest, the two later become friends. Damianos is clever and resourceful, but also vulnerable. That's what I like about him. He and Odele complement each other and bring out their best.

If I had to write about the weak points of this or what I disliked, I'm not all that fond of the father. I find his character to be weak and it makes me feel less involved in his backstory, of which there is a lot. Some of the plot twists were not that all that surprising, and the conclusion was a little open ended.

On the whole, I think this is a fun, enjoyable story. I highly recommend it.

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Now that I've done my review, I'd like to hear what other people have to say. So please, write your own review! I'll be checking on them on Amazon. If you're not sure how to write a review on Amazon, check out this post here.

Starting Friday, August 24, 2018, I will be launching an Amazon Countdown deal. This means the Kindle version of Three Floating Coffins will be selling for 99 cents--but only for this one day. On Saturday, August 25th, 2018, starting at 6:00AM, the price goes up to $1.99. On Sunday, August 26, 2018, the price goes up again to $2.99. By noon on Monday, it reverts back to its price of $3.99. So, if you haven't done so already, Friday is a great time to pick up your Kindle copy.