The Dagger of Apollonia by Oren HefetzMy rating: 5 of 5 stars
A wonderfully written story by a very talented author...
The Dagger Of Apollonia by Oren Hefetz is a wonderfully written and richly descriptive novel with brilliantly drawn settings and characters. The author weaves a well-crafted historical fantasy that will captivate the reader’s attention from the start. Skillfully constructed, this fantasy will have you turning the pages from beginning to end. There’s plenty of imagery in the writing style that makes you feel like you are right there in the story, and that’s something I really look for in a good book.
The book description gives a sneak preview: ‘Georgios, a young Roman man, receives an unexpected gift from his father, a mysterious dagger acquired during his travels to faraway lands. The weapon sparks his untamable curiosity and sets him off on an extraordinary journey, full of surprising revelations.
Georgios accidentally finds himself amid political intrigues, messianic machinations, and supernatural powers, which threaten to disrupt the existing order of life.
1800 years later, Tal, a young university student, during a walk along the Israeli coast, discovers a mysterious new reality. Soon, he becomes the leader of an ancient order, responsible for preserving the delicate balance of powers in the Middle East.
Would Georgios and Tal accomplish the mission of a lifetime and defend everything they discovered, or is the entire region on the brink of entering a new, dangerous reality?’
Now, if that’s not enough to get your curiosity juices flowing, I don’t know what will. But if you want to find out what happens, you’ll just have to turn the pages for yourself! However, I will say it was well worth the read. It’s my first time reading this author and I was very impressed.
This was a captivating read that had me engrossed from the beginning. The story flowed from scene to scene with ease, and the author shows exceptional ability when it comes to storytelling. I enjoyed the story, character development, and dialogue. There were plenty of intriguing moments that I didn’t see coming and that added to the book’s mystique. When I stopped reading to work, I found myself wondering what happened in the book, and replaying parts of the novel in my head to see if I could figure more out. It has been a while since I enjoyed a book this much.
It’s one of those stories that come along occasionally that makes you want to read it non-stop until you get to the end. I’m giving nothing further away here. And this, I hope, will only add to the mystery and enjoyment for the reader.
I’m a big fan of historical fiction, so this for me was a phenomenal read. It’s one of those books that stayed with me for several days after I finished reading. The vivid descriptions of the settings, situations, and the people were stunning and realistic. The author’s use of genuine dialogue further added to the overall atmosphere of authenticity.
I’ll be looking forward to reading more from Oren Hefetz in the future. I would recommend this book and would add that it has a distinctly cinematic feel to it. Highly recommended reading and a well-deserved five stars from me.
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