The Ale Boy's Feast by Jeffrey Overstreet
Reviewed by Lori Fox
"The Auralia Thread is easily as good or better than the majority of top Fantasy..."
House Abascar's people
are being led to a city of legend, of refuge, of their king's dream.
The path is perilous--deathweeds and beastmen still
roam the world, House Bel Amica's oppulence lures them back, and their
king is nowhere to be found. King Cal-Raven's hopes and faith have been
crushed. The creature of legend that he was taught to hope in was a lie.
Rescue, the Ale Boy, is missing and presumed dead, as is Auralia, the girl
who breathed new life into House Abascar through her colors.
The Seer's have lost their strongest influence, but their weapons still
roam the earth, and a new weapon is about to be unleashed. No one is
safe, and their last hope lies in the founding of a new House in the
first refuge of Tamos Raak, the man that escaped over the Forbidding
Wall to protect his children, and built the legendary city of Inius Throan.
The Ale Boy's Feast is the last thread in Jeffrey Overstreet's Auralia
Thread four book series. Book one, Auralia's Colors introduced us to
House Abascar and its selfish hoarding of all color. Book two, Cyndere's
Midnight, saw the people of House Abascar fleeing the destruction of
the city. Book three showed the danger of contentment as Abascar took
shelter within House Bel Amica's walls. And book four continues the journey
as Abascar leaves the relative safety and comfort of Bel Amica in pursuit
of a stronghold out of legend, Inius Throan.
While I've loved the entire Auralia Thread, I've loved some more than others.
I still have to say that the first book, Auralia's Colors is my personal
favorite. The writing and descriptions were poetic and beautiful, and
it was complete in itself. I kind of view the series as Auralia's
Colors followed by a trilogy. The last three books don't have the same mesmerizing
beauty, but they make up for it in adventure and story. In comparing
the Thread to other fantasy novels and trilogies rather than to Overstreet's
first novel, all of the books come out very strong. The Auralia Thread is easily as good or better than the majority of top Fantasy, and book
four, The Ale Boy's Feast, is my favorite of the books in the series,
not counting Auralia's Colors itself.
My only real disappointment is that there wasn't more of the Seers in The
Ale Boy's Feast. It's probably not normal to really get into the
bad guy parts in a novel, but the Seers are particularly interesting--kind
of cross between dementors and death eaters. Super creepy and disturbing,
but talking, manipulative, and have actual bodies.
There is a dark tone to all of the books in the Auralia Thread, but The
Ale Boy's Feast is the darkest yet. House Abascar is at the most critical
part of the journey, and the enemy has stepped up its game. All of the
old foes are still present and there is a new one, more vicious, dangerous,
and creepier than the others. Lets just say that walking around after
a storm hasn't been the same since I finished reading The Ale Boy's
Feast.
I highly recommend The Ale Boy's Feast, but I also strongly suggest reading
the first three books in the series before picking this one up. This
is a great book, but it isn't a standalone.
Lori Fox is
a freelance writer who is working on her first novel as well as writing reviews
for TitleTrakk.com. In addition
to writing, she enjoys reading, making jewelry, and taking as many trips to Walt
Disney World as possible with her wonderful
husband Kyle. Visit her online at her website.
