Book Review: A Stellar Intro into the Faerie Knight Series by David Niemitz.

David Niemitz is a master writer, and it so clearly shows in the first outing of the "The Faerie Knight" series, also titled that.

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The Faerie Knight by David Niemitz is a fantasy novel down to its very core– from the way its world is designed, to its overarching storytelling elements. And it's immediately clear how much love and energy David has poured into it. But before we dive more into my thoughts, what exactly is this book about?

As taken from the book’s synopsis:

Trist will be the strongest knight of the age... so long as he keeps sending souls to the Faerie King.

Trist's older brother, Percy, was better than him at almost everything - except for swordplay. Percy was their father's heir, and Trist was perfectly content with his future as a Knight of Narvonne, supporting his brother and protecting their family's land.

In a single night, a beautiful faerie of the Court of Shadows shatters everything Trist took for granted.

Now an Exarch, Trist must Tithe souls to Auberon, the Faerie King. Trading those souls grants Trist power, and he'll need it. Three Hundred years ago, an ancient evil nearly destroyed humanity in a Cataclysm. Now, that evil is rising again, and Trist will have to confront it if he wants to protect the people he loves.

And if you want to buy a copy of the book, you can do by hitting the button below.

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Now, if you’re unfamiliar with how I set up these book reviews. I split it up into four main parts, focusing on: The Characters, Plot, Writing, and World-Building. After that, I give my final score, and then speak about any additional thoughts I have

With that out of the way, let’s get into the nitty-gritty.

David is a masterful writer, and the way he handles each character (and their development), is intriguing and compelling. I feel drawn to learning more about each one, the “bonds” they share, and so forth.

One example of this is Sir Trist’s relationship with his faerie– which isn’t as it seems. Watching Trist’s feelings– whether they’re ones of distrust or admiration and so forth– take shape is interesting, and you genuinely feel sorry for him.

But as he grows, you get to also admire his new confidence and courage as a Knight. This role is something he embodies well, and you can’t help but root for him in the end.

While in some points it feels like you’re following the protagonist of a hack and slash video-game, the plot takes wild turns which really pull you in. During my time with the novel, I was surprised to find myself so vested into the plot and story.

This is all complemented by the other sections of this review, but it’s clear how much passion David has for this genre. The story had phenomenal exposition, setting up the main conflicts the main character would go through.

And it often felt as if Dave were a transcriber from the time period the novel is set in, writing everything down so he can tell Trist’s story. It’s absolutely incredible.

I just want you all to know I absolutely use these book reviews as an opportunity to gush. No, I’m not ashamed about it whatsoever– it’s fun! And good books deserve to receive such praise!

And I already said it in the last section, but it really does feel like David is there beside Trist as everything is going on– and noting down the events as they happen. It’s uncanny his ability to write such a beautifully crafted and intense story.

Something that adds to this is the pieces of prose or poetry at the beginning of each chapter, often giving further context to the world or events unfolding in the book. I really enjoy seeing authors do things like this, because it immerses me even further.

This is perhaps one of David’s strongest areas, which is saying a lot considering the high marks I’ve already given him. But his ability to shape the world and keep it interesting is amazing. You can feel how much time, effort, and research he’s put into everything.

And fantasy worlds can be difficult to build up in ways that are compelling and well done, but David has absolutely nailed it. His understanding of his human cast, and their history with other species or spirits feels fluid and natural.

I could go on and on about it, but honestly I’d rather you just read the book and see it for yourself.

And that brings us to my final scoring for this book. Which– let’s just jump the gun here– is a whopping 5/5 from me. I really enjoyed my time with this book, and can’t wait to get into the sequel. And if you like books with faeries and demons and sort of middle earth vibes, I think you’ll get a huge kick out of this.

If you enjoyed reading through this post, consider subscribing to the blog to receive updates on new posts. I try to get stuff out regularly, from poetry to spotlights to book reviews like this, so there’s plenty to look forward to! And if you had any thoughts about this review you’d like to add, feel free to relay them in the comments below. I’d love to hear them!