Book Review: Arthas

Yeah, I read books based off of video games. Live with it.

THE BASICS: A mysterious plague has gripped the kingdom of Lordaeron and it's prince, Arthas Menethil, is sent to investigate it's origin and possibly find a cure. Horrified at what he discovers but still willing to pay any price to save his people, Arthas travels a road of terror and destruction to a path where death is only the beginning of the journey.

THE CHARACTERS: Arthas's transformation throughout the course of the book is nothing less than tragic and riveting. And despite the fact that the average person will never be faced with the prospect of practically selling their own soul to save their kingdom, the basic aspects of the situation are so easily adaptable our own troubles, that although it isn't you, it might as well be. Because when it comes down to it, Arthas was a normal guy trying to do the right thing thrust into a battle of morals that he couldn't have possibly been expected to win on his own. And he doesn't win (it's not really a spoiler to say so). Because he forsook his friends when he needed them most, he lost.

*A couple of Spoilers in the next paragraph, so just skip it if you don't want any*
And it's these friends, allies, and peers who suffer just as much, if not more so, because of his downfall. Many are killed by or because of him, and the few who escape that fate are so emotionally and/or physically wrecked that they might as well have been.

TECHNICAL STUFF: The writing is excellent. As I mentioned before, this book is based off of a video game so I already knew the basics of the plot. But the details and the additions to the dialogue and story were so rich that it kept me interested up until the tragic end. And then, on literally the second-to-last page, a plot twist so small yet so important occurred, adding the final touch to a near perfect novel.

THE THEME: Don't get so caught up in an event that you lost sight of the goal. Also, making deals with the devil will never work in your favor. (That's figuratively speaking, by the way. However, funnily enough, I have read books where that statement was literal.)

OVERALL: As if you couldn't already tell, I really love this book. It's one of the few that doesn't do anything on my "...Things I Hate..." list, including the infamous predictability. It's sweet, it's tragic, and filled with the occasional subtle humor. What more could you want?

GRADE: A

*Just to give everyone a general idea of what age group the books I'm reviewing are for, I'm adding a new feature to the reviews so that the "age of enjoyability/appropriateness" can be known.*

(For adults) Would I let my dad read it? Yes.
(For teenagers) Would I let my cousin read it? Yes.
(For children) Would I let my sister read it? No.