★★★★
He was oblivious to the fact that the person he had just killed was none other than the very hero of this story.
Griff, a young(ish) goblin, is attempting to cross the great unknown with his faithful companion, a warg (giant wolf) named Boldolf.
However, Griff is not the hero of this story.
The real hero, Arn, is far more qualified.
In the first place he was an orphan, and while this may not typically be a desirable lot in life, it is a universal truth that no one can ever aspire to becoming a hero with living, healthy parents getting in the way.
Arn lives with his uncle, aunt and younger cousins.
He helps with the pig farm, stands up for what is right and (above all):
His story, up until that morning, was an unremarkable one, and there was nothing telling about his history or upbringing that may have suggested there was anything remarkable about him.
Hence, a perfect hero.
Meanwhile, a band of evil-doers are chasing down a mage, his party AND their magic sword. Every minute the evil creatures are getting closer.
The smell of human soldiers hung thickly in the damp morning breeze…announcing the imminent arrival of his quarry.
And so the mage sends off the magic sword to (you guessed it) the most qualified hero-to-be in the local area.
Armed with a sword…Arn sets off…and is promptly replaced with Griff.
Grif was, despite his rather gormless appearance, deviously clever in an assortment of ways….
This foul-mouthed homeless goblin, just wanting to make a dishonest buck, is about to experience an adventure of a lifetime.
Could there ever have been a more unlikely hero?
“Please don’t hurt him!” she begged.
“Hurt him,” ordered Jacoby.
This book was a lot of fun!
I LOVED Griff – his sass, his snark, his wit – he wasabsolutely hilarious in just the right way. He truly brought the story up many notches.
And Boldolf the warg – oh my gosh. I loved the big brute.
His loyalty to Griff was one of the sweetest things I’ve ever read. (which (view spoiler)).
I also loved the buildup between Arn and Griff – and the “first meet” – I just about died!
The only thing that threw me off was the pacing.
We spend a good 2/3 of the book leading up to the hero switcharoo – which felt like too much time spent on the buildup thus leaving me with the impression that this book was more of a prequel than the start of this series.
I would have almost preferred for the swap to happen within the first few chapters and for the rest of backstory being told via flashback.
But other than that – I had an absolutely wonderful time with this book. This author has talent and I cannot wait to see where he goes with it!
Interested in this one from Richard Sparrow? Buy it here: Amazon
With thanks to the author for a free copy in exchange for an honest review
Miranda Reads 