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| Engulfed by B.C Doyle |
It isn't often that I’m faced with a new fantasy world, especially considering the
amount of novels I used to read in the genre when I was younger. Dragons can
talk, be companions, serve in the world’s military, or be savage beasts.
Vampires can be monsters, sparkle in the sun, or immortal beings with part of
an ancient spirit in their tissue. In a world of writers constantly writing, it
is hard at times to come up with something new.
When an author approaches the
subject of taking an idea and filtering it through their perspective, it is a
delicate task. As a writer, I've tried it a few times, and there is sometimes
the fear that someone won’t get it, or that it has been over explained, or it
just won’t work. I’m sure it is a fear that Naomi Novik could have felt, or
Stephanie Meyers, or any other fantasy writer. It comes with being a writer or
artist I think; a momentary lapse of confidence in your vision. Lucky for us
readers, there are enough writers able to overcome that lapse of confidence and
give us new takes on known subjects.
Angels and Demons is a subject
increasing in popularity in the young adult fiction realm and to shave it down
to Light vs. Dark is to approach a scenario similar to that you can see in
seventeen year old author B.C Doyle’s new book, Engulfed (Book 1: North Wing Trilogy).
The
path of Ebony Falls is important beyond words to the Light and Dark, however
the Healer assigned to protect her has left in the hands of a Handler. Driven
by snappy dialogue and character interaction, the journey that you take with
Ebony Falls towards learning her true identity features a good twist or two
along the way. As the story flips back
and forth between Ebony’s perspective and that of her guardian angel, Nicholas’,
the world of Healers and Handlers begins to take shape and develop itself.
Engulfed ticks the boxes of young adult
fantasy fiction with ease; apparent conflicts, relatable characters, a bit of
romance, and the supernatural element feels natural the more you work into the
novel. I certainly felt more involved with the story-line as the book went on,
and the great use of dialogue engaged me directly with the characters.
However
interesting the characters, I did yearn for a bit more description regarding
setting. I’m a highly visual reader so I love soaking up the atmosphere in
books, and though in some spots I felt a strong vibe from the setting and its
importance, I didn't quite relate to the setting as much as I did the characters and dialogue.
Relatable
characters and character interactions are certainly strengths in the novel and
the characters are both interesting and instrumental in the understanding of
the world of Engulfed. On one side
you have Nicholas, a Healer that is a bit too invested emotionally in Ebony to
keep closer to her, and on the other there is Caden, a Handler who is all too
much happy to be keeping Ebony close. Somewhere in the middle you have Ebony
who is fighting to understand what she is and what could be her purpose.
I
love seeing sarcasm, dark humor, and witty remarks in fictional conversation,
which is why I really enjoyed the tension between characters that seemed to
really work together. B.C Doyle certainly understands character dynamics and
how to work them.
After
reading up to my eyeballs in nonfiction over the past few weeks, Engulfed was definitely a nice way to
re-enter the fiction setting. I found it to be an easy and engaging read to
spend time with, and I can imagine it having success with readers who enjoy the
House of Night series, Lauren Kate
novels, and other series of similar content.
More about the Book:
Title: Engulfed
(Book One: North Wing Trilogy)
Author: B.C Doyle
Publisher: Bayou Brew Publishing
Genre: Fiction/Fantasy
General consensus: B.C Doyle has delivered a novel
with driving dialogue and relatable characters while exploring the conflicts of
light and dark.
More about the Author:
B.C Doyle is a young author of
seventeen with three book publications since age sixteen. She is from Upstate
New York and is currently preparing to enter college to study English
literature. Her lists of accomplishments are ever growing, and are sure to keep
doing so. She is an author with Bayou Brew Publishing.
(Sources:
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