The Wayfinder's Apprentice by K. Dezendorf - A fantasy journey into another world with rich characters, descriptions, and story - 4.5/5!

Today, I am reviewing the Portal Fantasy novel The Wayfinder's Apprentice by K. Dezendorf. This book features Rose, a young woman who lives in an abusive household but once found her way into a magical realm known as the Umbra. With that secret held tight in her heart, she waits for the chance to return, cultivating a friendship (and romance) with some denizens of that realm who have found their way here to our world. A chance encounter upends her destiny...but is she ready for it?

I give this book a 4.5/5. Here is my breakdown.

Characters: 5/5. This is the biggest strength of this novel and one I greatly appreciated. Every character, from Rose to Macklass to Edward to Kyan, feels real and alive on the page. Dezendorf crafts her characters well, and they are people, with flaws and fallacious beliefs and agendas that make sense. Each interaction feels personal and genuine, and I loved watching Rose grow throughout the book.

Also: #teamedward, but Bal has piqued my interest :) 

Plot/Storyline: 4/5. The plot in this story is a setup for the full series, but serves more than that purpose. We establish quickly that Rose is special, with her poltergeist friend and relationship to some Earthbound elves, and we move to a bigger and grander realm-wide war very quickly. I found myself able to predict some plot points - which signifies only a good use of the Chekov's Gun principle - but I was engaged by the story the entire time and enjoyed it immensely.

Flow: 5/5. I feel like Dezendorf paced her story very well. It certainly has a classic three-act structure, and the amount of time spent with each character, on each scene, always feels just right. I applaud her mastery of this skill as it makes writing much more entertaining when the flow works well.

Spelling/Grammar: 4/5. I noted three minor errors. Nothing of consequence. Sentence construction was skilled and readable.

Overall: 4.5/5. Dezendorf has crafted a unique, entertaining, and deep fantasy world with compelling characters that I want to see succeed. The ones you hate and the ones you love are both nuanced, and it's so much fun to watch them play off of one another. I eagerly await the next entry in the series and I suggest that you pick it up yourself!

If you liked my review, check out my books over at my main site: www.jasonpatrickcrawford.com/bookstore.html

Thanks as always, and keep reading!