'The Ale Boy's Feast'

Author: Jeffrey Overstreet
Series: The Auralia Thread
Genre: Fantasy
Publisher: Waterbrook

When I agreed to review this book, I didn’t realize that it was the last book in a series—a series of which I have not read the first three. As a result, I don’t have much to say about the plot, because it didn’t make much sense to me (I am definitely looking forward to finding and reading the first three, though!).

What did stand out to me about this book was the beautiful, vivid, multi-layered descriptions the author used to bring the story to life.

In a recent discussion with a friend, I heard the complaint that the vast majority of fantasy novels contain almost no animals except for the horses necessary for the plot, a few dogs and cats, perhaps, many rats, and that’s all. Not the case with this book!

From vawns to gorrels and a host of unusual creatures in between, The Ale Boy’s Feast is full of colorful, fascinating, and sometimes unnerving creatures of all shapes and sizes.

The scene settings were another aspect of the story that intrigued me. From desolate mountains to ruined cities and underground rivers, the story is an ever-changing journey into realms the likes of which you’ve never seen before. I have no idea how Jeffrey Overstreet does it—which, for me as a writer, is infuriating—but he leaves you feeling like you’ve been there, seen it, felt it, taken part in it.

One thing I didn't particularly like was the feeling of general darkness that seemed to pervade the story, but not having read the first three of the series there could be something extremely important that I'm missing, so don't pass judgment based on that alone. : )

The Ale Boy’s Feast is well worth reading, if for no other reason than just to experience the vivid and mysterious fantasy world that Jeffrey Overstreet has created in The Expanse.

I received this book free of charge from Waterbrook Multnomah in exchange for my review. A favorable review is not required; Waterbrook is committed to gathering honest opinions about the books they publish.