The Adventures of Benjamin Skyhammer

The Adventures of Benjamin Skyhammer by Nicole Sheldrake
Released: May 8, 2011
ISBN13: 9780987670700

2/5 Stars

Goodreads Synopsis:
Benjamin Skyhammer has more than his fair share of problems. He's a magic-less outcast, he's hiding a terrible secret from his best friend and the valuable Relic he found has been stolen. Just when he thinks things couldn't get any worse, he discovers that the human species believes he's a sorcerer bent on destroying their magic powers and they want him dead. Now he must hunt down the real sorcerer and discover the truth behind the threats to humans and their magic powers.

Benjamin Skyhammer's story is one of the ultimate underdog; there is really nothing particularly special or attractive about Skyhammer. And the world Nicole Sheldrake creates for him is just bursting with ideas and stories for the reader to experience.

The same goes for Sheldrake's characters; they're vibrant and complex living in an elaborate world filled with magic. Reading about these characters in such a world is thorougly enjoyable; but it can also become extremely confusing and complicated. I found myself wishing for more details about the other species and Skyhammer's past but few were given. When I started reading, it even felt like I had entered the middle of a story because so much had happened which I just didn't understand and the book didn't explain well enough.

The characters were lively, but Skyhammer was difficult to relate to. He had such tunnel vission and was really obsessive about his ideas, and this caused him to act so cold at other times. His reactions just didn't always feel...human, and about halfway through I didn't feel like I cared about what happened at the end. Higgins, on the other hand, was fascinating and I loved reading about her and seeing the part she played in the plot.

The development also felt slow, but when the plot went through its transitions they happened so quickly that I would have to stop and look over what had just happened. Without spoiling anything, I also wasn't pleased with the ending becaues it wasn't consistent with everything else we had previously been told about in the book, specifically one character who was described as being a cold, bitter individual but yet her actions at the end were supposedly self-sacrificing in order to save the rest of the world.

It's a decent read, and I did enjoy parts of it but I felt equally frustrated and disappointed at the same time and so  I didn't particularly like it. I do have to commend Sheldrake for her depth and imagination in creating Skyhammer's story.

Review copy provided from author in exchange for an honest review.