The Adventures of Lok’Toria: The Boy Finds a Crown

FANTASY:  Awaking from a ten-year sleep, Lok’Toria, an Orc, must regain her strength and cope with the loss of her beloved prince. However, with her powers as oracle, she soon discovers that her Prince William is still alive! As it becomes clear that they had been spelled and the last ten years were a lie, the Orcs prepare for battle. As Orc, human, and dragon-kind unite in the hopes of rescuing Prince William and Lok’Toria’s younger brother, Asla’Gun, they must overcome the force of an evil being set to create unrest and divide the allies. When a powerful druid is involved, it becomes difficult to know what is true and what is false. 

M.L. Cook and B. Cook’s world uniquely brings Orcs, an often-villainized race, to the forefront as loveable, heroic protagonists with whom human readers can truly empathize. The use of Orcish language for titles, occasional words, and names can at times cause mild confusion as it seems expected that one is already familiar with the context. It is possible prior books may hold some crucial information as to the history of the world and the characters to allow the readers to truly understand and connect. Within this installment, the character development is relatively light, creating likeable, but not fully dimensional, characters.  However, the plot itself is engaging, well paced, and believable. Overall, the Cooks create an interesting world with likeable characters the reader wishes to succeed—and an ending that leaves them hoping for more adventures to come. 

Shailyn Rogers