Book Review: The Follower

The Follower by C.F. Barrows

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Amazon Summary:

Three hundred years ago, the Rhenor nation split into two, the Reshan and the Khanor. One dwells in the Outerlands, the other in the mountains - and although the nations have made peace, their people have not. One fateful day, two small patrols meet in an outer cave in Khanor territory. The youths, spurred by mutual distrust, brawl, and the ensuing cave-in cuts off their main routes back to both the Reshan and the Khanor civilizations. Their only choice is to join forces and follow the one remaining tunnel - one that runs through an area known simply as the Forbidden Regions - to find their way back to their homes. Along the way, the beliefs of every traveler are put to the test, and the secrets of a few may threaten the safety of all. For as they go, Lusefar, lord of the Saethen, sends his agents against them, licking his lips as a ravenous dragon.

My Thoughts:

This book was a complex story in a well-built world. I really loved Yannah, Sheth, and Kyra. But it felt like there were too many characters, and too many names of people and places, to keep straight. The constant changing between POVs and locations would have worked if there were fewer characters and/or locations to switch between, but the way it was written was confusing and hard to keep things straight for the first couple of chapters.

After the cave-in, the story was much more streamlined and easier to follow, and that's when I was really interested in the book. If the rest of the series is written like the beginning of the book, I probably won't finish it. But if it matches up with the latter portion of this book, I can't wait to read them. The story was gripping and the emotions ran high.  I give this book three stars.