Book Review: Invasion of the Ortaks: Book II The Defeat

Invasion of the Ortaks: Book II The Defeat by Sveinn Benonysson continues the saga of six kingdoms in the wonderful world of Esthopia. After the army left for Montania a few days earlier, Queen Jofrid of Serpenia decides to go to Borgholm to be with her daughter and granddaughters. Lieutenant Sebastian escorts Her Majesty on her trip along with her guards. The queen and maid occupy the royal wagon, but the sudden storm makes it hard to cross the overflowing river. As they finally come up the bank, the left rear wagon wheel breaks. The next thing the lieutenant and the guards know, the wagon gets dragged at high speed when the horses get startled by a lightning that struck a big tree. The queen and maid who are inside the wagon vanish into the road.

While Lieutenant Sebastian is on his quest to find Queen Jofrid, three kingdoms have united to defeat the Ortaks: Serpenia, Montania, and Eniktronia. Kings, princes, noblemen, and farmers battle with the Ortaks at Broad Valley. Will the three kingdoms prevail against the Ortaks? Or will the Ortaks rule over these three kingdoms?

Just like the first book, I finished reading this in a day. It’s a page-turner; the story instantly pulled me because the first chapter was compelling, and the succeeding chapters kept on getting better. There were no dull moments because it is fast pacing; every chapter has surprising incidents that give more thrill in reading the book.

There are many specific things about the story that made my reading experience enjoyable and these are just some of them: (1) Christmund’s fight with the beasts to save Amber and the other village people, as well as their journey towards the Great River gave me goosebumps, (2) There are many amazing and new characters that bring curiosity. An example would be Erentha. She has golden long hair, purple silk dress, and golden shoes. She just appears and disappears without a trace, (3) Axel’s expertise in archery is admirable. He shot a man on horseback at three hundred fifty meters and never misses a shot whenever he’s in combat, (4) The fluttering moments between Axel and Lisa as well as the other couple or would-be-couples in the story give balance to the story’s intense plot, (5) The constant bickering between Tania and Agnar then Queen Egny reprimanding them is amusing. And lastly, (6) Every character is interesting, and the places are hard to forget because of their rather catchy names. Aside from the impressive names of six kingdoms, other places in Esthopia are hard to ignore. Examples would be Alfheim, the home of the elves, and the amusing Pig Forest.

I can’t seem to think of something I don’t like about this novel because it’s the perfect fantasy story for readers who want to be entertained with suspenseful events and astonishing characters and places. Overall, I’m giving this 5 out of 5 stars though I need to limit my recommendation to mature readers due to its violent theme.