Brayden Rider lives in a small medieval village on the outskirts of a great forest in the middle of endless countryside. Only ten-years-old and with his father missing, his life promises to be one of endless toil and struggle. Or does it?
A great storm brings with it a young knight carrying a cryptic message. A message that may point Brayden to those who have imprisoned his father, and who are now hunting Brayden, for what, he has no idea.
For Brayden embarks on a journey to the great castle, where he’ll have to adapt to the life of a page, make new friends and unravel the mystery of who or what is after him. In this coming of age story, Brayden will confront all the danger and intrigue of life in the medieval age, while starting down the path to his destiny.
BRAYDEN RIDER: TALES OF A MEDIEVAL BOY by C.L. Barnett is the first book in an upcoming series. Barnett is an independent author and this is his first book. He doesn’t have the other books out yet, but I’m excited about it.
As the title states, this book is about a boy in the Medieval times. When I first started reading it, I was having a bit of trouble. It was because though Brayden is the main character, the first chapter was centering on the friar Bernard. The book is not written in only Brayden’s viewpoint, but also in two other characters: Bernard and Caelan, the knight. This is important to know so that the reader doesn’t have the brain fart I did. (I don’t know why I assumed the first chapter would be about the boy first, I just did.)
That said, the book is awesome. There is an intricate mystery in the book that leads onto a bigger mystery for the rest of the series. Barnett cleverly gives the reader tidbits of what is happening. For instance, you find out right off that Brayden’s father is a Knight Templar and is on his way to be arrested for heresy. For those who don’t know, the King of France had ordered the arrest and deaths of many Templar Knights on a Friday the 13th. It was said he did it to obtain all of the riches the Knights had secreted (National Treasure the movie hints at it), but legally speaking he had them arrested for heresy and witchcraft (which doesn’t make sense for a Christain military force. I favor the treasure theory).
Anyways, Barnett uses this fact and delves into the story of a young boy, the son of one of those knights. As if that isn’t enough, there is a group of bandits trying to kidnap the boy. You don’t know the full story until about 75 to 80 percent in. I found myself trying to figure things out, question who is good and who is bad. My theories were not successful, but the outcome of the book leaves me wanting more.
I would say that this book is good for middle school and up. There’s action, mystery, and a bit of history. Though, you may not know that the history is there. Definitely something to pick up and read. I’m seriously going for the second one once it’s out.
Casia's Corner 