Dave’s Review: The Amber Isle by Ashley Capes

I read this novella as part of the Secret Scribes judging group in the SFINCS competition. These are

my own personal thoughts and not the thoughts of Team Secret Scribes as a whole.

The Amber Isle is a fast paced adventure that never lets ups. Never.

There are schemes, adventures, moments of horror, and some witty lines mixed in. There’s a lot to love in Never, the main character, who has a wit that reminds me of a

Michael J. Sullivan character. He’s a joy to follow, and the pace moves briskly.

However , I really struggled with his name.

Lines with beginnings like “Never watched” or “Never knelt” kept throwing me off.

Another issue I had was with pacing. There was so much happening that, at times, I wanted the characters to calm down and take a breath. In the first twenty pages, we jump through several different scenes, and unfortunately, none of them really connect to the main plot of the story. There are several characters who pop in for a scene, are promising, and then never return again.

All in all, this was an enjoyable read, and one that I would recommend to those looking for a fast-paced adventure novella.