Book Review: Moment of Kairos by N. J. Burns

   Because my review earlier this week was for April Fool's day--as hopefully you guessed?--I figured I owed you guys a review as soon as possible.
Cover Blurb:

Four worlds. Four ages. Four struggles through deserts, demons, criminal underworlds and overwhelming odds. Elian searches for answers to the mysterious blackouts, led forward by his only clue: an encoded diary. Ben stalks the streets at night in search of horrific creatures not of this world. Alexander hunts down criminals, always intent on doing the right thing whatever the cost. And Prometheus tries to save his village without dying in the process.

Separate but intertwined, they press on, linked somehow to the mysterious John, who watches and waits - for it seems each of the four is part of something much greater than they could ever have imagined.

   Since it danced through several worlds, there were four sets of characters to keep track of in total, and I found this a bit confusing at first. But soon I fell into the swing of things and found it kept me from getting tired of any one character. Most of the supporting characters blurred together, but the main characters were satisfactorily individual. And though sometimes dry, they were each unique to their circumstances.

Characters: 3.5 Stars

   I really enjoyed the dystopian thread of the plot and found myself sometimes skipping ahead to read those sections. It was unnatural and unnerving if slightly unrealistic. I also enjoyed Prometheus's point of view. Ben's and Alexander's tales were somewhat stereotypical and didn't snag my interest. But the thing that cinched it and kept me reading until the very end was the mysterious John's point of view. He tracked all the characters through their lives and seemed to know everything. The book ended in a cliff-hanger, and I expect things will really pick up in the sequel, Arcanus: The Hidden City.

Plot: 4 Stars

   I didn't enjoy the style so much. The wording was sometimes awkward and there was a lot of unnecessary explanation. Many sentences were in the passive voice when they could have been active. However, I did appreciate that, while information was withheld to keep interest in the story, it wasn't a disappointment when revealed. (Unfortunately I've been burned several times in this regard, and from a few of my favorite authors, too)

Style: 3 Stars

Rating: 3.5 Stars

Source: From Author From Review

Genre: Urban Fantasy/Dystopian/Adventure

YA Fiction