The Vulture King - Nikki Turner - ★★★.¼

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AUTHOR: Nikki Turner
GENRE: Middle-grade Dystopian Fantasy.
PUBLICATION DATE: May 21, 2020
RATING: 3.25 stars.


The Vulture King is a dystopian fantasy thriller, having a eleven year old boy named Aram as its protagonist. Aram isn't an ordinary boy but a veldera, a magical being with special powers. But as he is orphaned at the age of 6 because of the vulture-like cechua birds of the Vulture King, he goes undercover and alone, moving from village to village to stay alive. In one such village he meets the brave human, Bayre, who changes the course of his life. There is also a brave little girl named Bina who plays an important part in the story.

The Vulture King is quite thrilling and would be a good option for children interested in fantastical stories with novel creatures. The eponymous vulture king, as the villain, has an indirect role for most of the story. It is mainly Aram, Bina and Bayre who drive the narrative ahead.

While it is quite a unique story to read for children, somehow it didn't make much of an impact on me. Some part of the writing such as the arguments between Tai and Aram was very abrupt and sometimes repetitive. Even the final battle seemed quite sudden and ended almost immediately. I do think Nikki Turner has a lot of potential and with experience, she'll create a much greater impact with her book. Full marks to her for a unique storyline.

I received a free copy of the book from BookSirens in exchange for an honest review.

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