Fantasia Reviews The Rashade’

The Rashade’ by Rebecca Tran

Genre – Epic Fantasy

Published 1/9/2017

Ages 14+

About the Book – The Rashade’, A Tale of Murder and Revenge

“When a sinister mage murders Mara Coryanda’s father, she trades her privileged existence for one devoted to vengeance by any means necessary. Soon her tireless quest leads to frustration.
The mage proves to be a formidable opponent, who will stop at nothing to ensure his master plan comes to fruition…unless Mara locates the magical artifacts that could twist fate and help her raise an army to save her homeland.
Will her quest prove to be too much to bear or will fate intervene on her behalf?” – Publisher’s Blurb

The Review – A Slow Burn

The Rashade’ starts off a bit on the slow side. Some practice yard brawls, an awkward relationship, and little more. We found ourselves disappointed by the start. It’s not that it was bad, but it certainly was not a great as something that was compared to Game of Thrones. Fortunately, our disappointment was short lived. As Miss Tran picks up speed, The Rashade’ sheds its awkward interpersonal actions for a broad and sweeping narrative that is bold in its reach.

At the same time, it relies on many notable fantasy tropes, and while these don’t do much to diminish its successes, there is definitely room for improvement. On the whole, we are torn. On one hand, The Rashade’ is full of potential. Strong female characters grace its pages. It has the makings of a beginning of a great story. At the same time, it never seems to push much past its contemporaries and does only some willingness to do so.

The Brightside – Strong Characters in a Vast World

The Rashade’ is well worth the read. Miss Tran takes time to build her characters, and her world, up. Mara takes center stage as the protagonist, but Kess too gets plenty of time to shine. These strong characters help deepen the world she has built, as well, the minor characters are built up enough that they don’t feel flat or unnecessary. While this is Mara’s book, the other characters are given stories of their own, with their own motivations and intentions that add to the intricacy of the broad tale presented. Overall, Miss Tran presents a vibrant world and The Rashade’ is a fun book to read.

The Rating – B+

We loved The Rashade’. We feel confident that other readers will enjoy it too. Despite the slow start, once the pace picks up, it never stops. Mara learns and grows over the course of the read, which is something we always look for in our heroes along the way. We have but two gripes when it comes to the book: it is a relatively straightforward presentation of the fantasy genre and one small technical complaint on how blank lines are used to show the passage of time/change of scene. The nod is so subtle that sometimes we would miss it and have a moment of confusion before realizing what had taken place. Of course, if these are our only complaints, The Rashade’ is a great story and we look forward to reading the next installment.

Do you want to read The Rashade’? You can find it here.