Death Warden

Morning guys, how are you?
It’s been a busy week here in Eastern England and I’m ready to delve into another review.

Today, I’m looking at Epic Fantasy novel Death Warden, by C. J. Shilling.

Intro

Death Warden, by C. J. Shilling is an Epic Fantasy novel, which was published in November, 2019.
The story follows Reen, a young woman who is desperate to have a normal life after becoming a Death Warden at a young age. Sick of her dark duties which have her questioning her role in life,
Reen begins to neglect her duties, leading to grim, unforeseen consequences.

Throughout the story, we learn about Reen’s past and how she came to be a Death Warden.
It was easy to empathize with her character, seeing all she’d endured at such a young age.

Meanwhile, two main conflicts are introduced: that of an ancient scourge supposedly returning to infect people, and that of a mysterious murderer taking out Death Wardens, one by one.

Specific Likes

There were many things I liked about this story. One element was the fantastic world-building.
I really got a feel for the places visited throughout the past and present moments of Reen’s life.
Subtle details helped to emphasize the often macabre mood that made this book a real page-turner.

I also enjoyed the third person narration, with entire chapters exploring crucial moments in Reen’s past. They helped me to understand how she’d turned out to be the bold character she is.

The characters, overall were striking and varied, each memorable in their own way. Reen’s own self-doubt over her position of power contrasted well with others who took pride in their power, to the point of endless corruption.

Memorable Quotes

There were lots of memorable quotes in Death Warden.
My favourite three, because I was unable to choose between them, were:

1) ‘You don’t have to do much to make a big impact, dear.
Sometimes, an avalanche is started by the smallest of stones.’

2) ‘Scared people tended to look for someone to blame, and blame violently.’

3) ‘Truth is not determined by he who argues the loudest.’

Each of these quotes has great relevance to our modern day era, what with the tense political climate we’re experiencing at the moment. Everyone insists that their way is the correct one, with nobody considering the perspective of their opponent. Scared people point the finger at whoever it is deemed acceptable to, their actions quickly impacting our society, for better or for worse.

Overview

Overall, I feel that Death warden, by C. J. Shilling is an imaginative and well-written novel that explores crucial universal themes such as death, corruption of power, and the very human feeling of self-doubt that resides in all of us.

I would definitely recommend this book to lovers of fantasy books with a dark twist.
My rating: 5 stars.

If you’d like to know more about the book, please visit its Goodreads page.
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/48644036-death-warden

Thank you for joining me for today’s review.
If you enjoyed it, please consider sharing it over social media, or perhaps leave a comment.

As always, have a wonderful week guys.
Ellie. xoxo (previously known as Dax.)