Book Review: Exiled by M.R. Merrick

Title:  Exiled, Protector Series #1

Author:  M.R. Merrick

Rating:  3.75 Stars

Genre:  YA Fantasy

Synopsis:  Chase Williams was raised as part of the Circle, a group of supernaturally gifted demon hunters. On his fifteenth birthday, Chase entered the ceremony to claim his elemental power and join his father in protecting the innocent from demons, but his power never came.

Disgracing the Circle and his father, Chase is exiled to live among the mortals, where demons continually attack him and his hunter affiliation. After a run-in with an ex-hunter working with a witch and a terrified demon being ruthlessly attacked by hunters, Chase begins to question his former home and their intentions.

Once Chase learns about a plan to unlock a portal and bring stronger demons to the human world, he must put aside his prejudices and work with the demons he was raised to hate in order to save the innocent people of Earth.

My Thoughts:  This is one of those books I didn’t want to put down. On the first page we find Chase in mid-battle with a demon. And our protagonist finds himself in fight after fight. The action is definitely the strength of Exiled.

I highly enjoyed the different creatures as well. Merrick gives us some traditional monsters, ones that feel almost forgotten from old lore, those with a slight twist, and completely new creatures (at least, ones I’ve never heard of).

Exiled does have its rough spots though. Much of the early dialogue feels forced and a little awkward. Description is also a little on the sparse side in the early pages. But as the novel progresses, the descriptions get better and the dialogue seems to flow a bit more naturally—though, not completely yet. With the improvement visible in the novel, I have no doubt that the sequel, Shift,  will show even more improvements in these areas.

I was also able to figure out what the Circle was after fairly early in the novel, and couldn’t figure out why the other characters couldn’t see it—especially since much of the clues were done in dialogue. One character has suspicions, but again, why not act on them in some way?

Overall, I had a blast reading Exiled. It was an action-filled fantasy that I devoured in about a day. If action and demon fighting sounds interesting to, go check it out!

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What are your thoughts on Exiled? Tell me in the comments below!