NINETOES VS. BEARSHIRT #1: ARMY OF THE DARK QUEEN

Ninetoes loves his sword and sorcery, so what does he think of GW Thomas’s Bearshirt?

TITLE: Bearshirt #1: Army of the Dark Queen

AUTHOR: G.W. Thomas

GENRE: Fantasy

PAGES: 196

FORMAT: Ebook

PRICE: $5.99

Hey there, book lovers! It’s your old pal, Ninetoes, coming to you from Ninetoes Loves Books Headquarters. Today, I am looking at G. W. Thomas’ Bearshirt #1: Army of the Dark Queen. I have coffee in my system and my thinking cap on, so let’s get to it!

Arthan the Bear Man is happy living by himself in his forest. But then his beloved forest is invaded by mysterious bee creatures. Arthan and Natali, his love interest, are captured by the Bee Queen’s mysterious army, along with the village they are in. The villagers are forced to drink a dark liquid that turns them into bees to fight for the Bee Queen. Arthan and Natali escape, but the threat remains. If Arthan is going to find peace in his forest, he must find a way to destroy the Bee Queen. To do so, he will have to make alliances with people who despise him for being a lycan, a were-bear. Can past hatreds be put aside for a common goal? Can Arthan defeat the Bee Queen? Is there something darker behind the Bee Queen?

As the story goes, it is a good one. It could have been better, but then again, it could have been a lot worse. I did have a problem with the mechanics in which Arthan changes into a bear, and then back into human form. The first time I encountered it, Arthan was tired from the transformation and became hungry. Nothing gobbling a dead dear in bear form could handle. BUT then the transformation happens like flicking a switch. No pain from the transformation, just being tired. As a bear, he can do anything, and it really pushed the limits of my imagination. Oh, he gets hurt, but quickly recovers. It is almost too fast. Imagine Superman as a bear, and you pretty much have Arthan.

The biggest problem I have with this book is spelling and grammar mistakes. These mistakes are nothing that running the book through an editing program could take care of. Just a simple, free-to-use editing program would have helped tremendously. The grammar felt like the book was written by someone from the Soviet Union who was just learning English. These mistakes bogged down the flow of the book, and I had to do some mental gymnastics to make sense of what I was reading. I am hopeful that the second book in the series fares better.

I would say there is great character development, but there really is not. What you see in Arthan is pretty much what you get. As stated before, he is pretty much superhuman, and it feels like the author just leaned back on that. IF there is any progression, it is in his love for Natali, and the problems that this could entail between a witch and a lycan.

If you are into Sword and Sorcery novels, this book would be worth your time to look into.

Happy Reading!

Darren “Ninetoes” Perdue is a book and media reviewer. When he is not reading, he is watching true crime shows, cooking for his family, or working on a plan for universal domination. If you see him on his porch, say hi. He does not bite…much.

PLEASE NOTE: The views and opinions of the staff of Memento Mori Ink do not necessarily represent those of Memento Mori Ink or Crystal Lake Publishing. Thank you for understanding.