Book Review #77: The Rise of Raidin by Susan L Markloff

Hello Dear Reader!

Happy New Year, and welcome to a brand-new book review on a self-published book called The Rise of Raidin by Susan L Markloff! I actually read this book last year, but wanted to hold off on writing the review for a bit because I felt a bit burnt out. BUT I’m back with both reading and writing, so let’s get started with this review!

But first, the back-cover summary: (from Goodreads)

Jennifer Monroe is an average eighteen-year-old girl, and she knows it.

Which is precisely why no one-least of all herself-would suspect anything extraordinary from the quiet, boring girl who only has a few good friends to call her own. But that all got flipped on its head about a year ago, when two imposing men, a complete goofball, a werewolf, and two large four-legged creatures barged into her life.

Now over a year later, Jen leads a double life. Mild mannered, quiet, high schooler by day; dragon slayer and raw-energy-wielding-warrior (in training) by night. Juggling SAT scores, papers, and mastering the art of flying, she's managed to keep her friends and family oblivious of her hybrid abilities and continue on a track for college. Everything was going swimmingly.

Until one normal, foggy, November morning, when a dragon crashed through the clouds, heralding a small army to descend on her high school.

All for little, forgettable her.

Making her realize that maybe there's a whole lot more going on than she originally thought.

On to the review!

Rise of Raidin follows the story of eighteen-year-old Jennifer Monroe as she refines the use of her powers and discovers just how great a role she plays in defeating a powerful enemy. This book is a great combination of action, great character development, and some heart felt moments between characters, making for a well-balanced read!

Jennifer is one of the most realistic main characters I’ve ever had the pleasure of getting to know. She’s quirky, awkward, a quick thinker, compassionate, and immature, but she grows into a more mature character by the end of the book, one of that is more level-headed and sure of herself. Her character growth was easily one of my favorites parts of this book.

Surrounding Jennifer is a whole cast of diverse characters both from planet Earth and a whole different realm! From other human-like individuals to humanoid animals to dragons and dragon hybrids, the fantasy elements of this book was well-fleshed out. I only wish I had pictures to refer to whenever a creature was mentioned, just so I could have a clearer image of what it looked like while I was reading. I’m also really looking forward to learning more about the lore of this other realm in future books!

While I really enjoyed reading Rise of Raidin, there were a few things that poked out at me while reading it. The biggest thing was that its story started in the middle. Much of Jennifer’s early training and meeting her Zaheri, or protectors, was cut out of this book. At the point the story starts, she’s already used to her powers, and the bonds built between her and her Zaheri are already forged. As a result, I felt really confused when I started reading, but the ride became smoother as the book went on. I still wish I was more exposed to the earlier parts of Jen’s story, but the characters, plot and twist ending made up for it, in my opinion.  

So, Rise of Raidin rating:

3.5/5 and highly recommend if you like a great twist on the fantasy genre, a balanced book with great action and character development, and an eyebrow-raising twist ending.

Thanks for reading!