As an avid fan of the Fantasy genre, I was excited to dive into Zephyr: The West Wind. There is nothing I love more than immersing myself in a new world and meeting the characters who live there. We meet Zephyr, a boy who has been treated as an outcast since his birth. All his hopes lie in making a place for himself in the village and redeeming his family name.

I liked Zephyr as a character. He was proud, strong, and unwilling to give up despite ridicule. That's why I was saddened that I wasn't given more of a chance to know him. While it was nice to see a slow unveiling of his background, I still felt less attached to him than I would have liked. R.J. Tolson populates his world with many characters. The downside is that some of them aren't as fleshed out as they could be.

On the other hand, the world itself is gorgeously rendered and easy to become immersed in. Tolson has mastered the art of descriptive writing, and it is easy to conjure an image of what Zephyr and his companions see. It was easy for me to transport myself to the vivid landscapes that they wandered through. I think my favorite part of reading Zephyr: The West Wind was the opportunity to visit a new world.

In terms of story line, I honestly feel it could have been slightly shorter. Fantasy books are known to be rather lengthy, but I admit that there were parts that felt very slow. Despite any issues I might have had though, I ultimately enjoyed my time spent with Zephyr: The West Wind. I see great things coming down the road from R.J. Tolson. With a little more polish, I truly believe that he has the potential to weave even more magic for his readers. ( )

I was amazed to discover, having finished this book, that author R. J. Tolson is just eighteen years of age. Zephyr’s story is a complex one, one of loss, vengeance, greed, and ancestry. It is a true credit to the author.

Having finally completed his three trials into adulthood, seventeen year old Zephyr is sent on a special quest, which leads him to discover new friends and foes. R. J. Tolson’s first person narrative is friendly and holds a personal tone, as if Zephyr were confiding in the reader like a friend or journal, holding nothing back. Their style is descriptive, yet does not waste words.

I enjoyed the plot and found it fast-moving, with plenty of twists and turns, in addition to deadly secrets. The characters were well-rounded and for the most part, likeable. We see Zephyr develop from a shy young outcast, into a strong and courageous young warrior that will stop at nothing to save what he holds dear.

What I liked most about Zephyr’s story was the imagination behind the complex magical system. I found myself willing magic to be real once more as I did back in my childhood. The principles and inner-workings of the magic were easy to understand and beautifully described.
I was also particularly taken with the idea of a soul mirror, a paradise where a few hours in real time can be weeks within the mind.

As far as dislikes, I had but one. I hated Leon’s character from the start and never grew to like him.

Overall, this was a thrilling tale by a talented young author. I would recommend this to any book lover, no matter what your preferred genre.

I rate this novel 5 stars. ( )

This review can also be found on my blog acascadeofbooks.blogspot.com

Rating: 2.5/5

I received an ebook copy of this novel in return for an honest review.
This book promised a lot, the front cover and the blurb suggested a great fantasy novel with hints of greek mythology, but the novel didn't deliver.
The writing style frustrated me as the novel would change from Zephyr's point of view to Leon's with no prior warning. I found myself reading into a chapter before I realised that the point of view had changed. I also found that the writing didn't flow very well, it felt jumpy. The narration of the novel also changes, it begins with Zephyr addressing the reader, then it changes to him narrating what has happened, with occasional chapters from Leon. However the author's descriptions of people and places were good. He also wrote some really good fight/action scenes throughout the novel, they were fast paced and held my attention nicely.
There was a romantic relationship that ran through this novel, between Zephry and Autumn, but to me it felt unnecessary, and didn't really add anything to the plot or the characters.
The main character in this novel is Zephyr, and as with the other characters I didn't feel particularly attached to him. Leon is another main character in this novel, and again he felt a little one dimensional, and I didn't really have any feelings towards him. He belonged to the "dark-side" and was a contrast to Zephyr who belongs to the "good-side". This felt a little cliched and predictable, that the characters were labelled in such a way.
Zephyr believed in gaining power to protect the people he loved, and he appeared to have good morals, but he left the tour guide unconscious at the castle. This didn't seem to fit with his character at all. Also the fact that this same tour guide came back as some evil nemesis seemed strange.
Zephyr started having visions of Autumn as she was coming to join them, and I thought this was interesting, I hoped it would add a twist to the novel, but these visions weren't mentioned again.
Overall I didn't really enjoy this novel, and I probably won't continue the series. ( )