Book Rating: ★★★★☆ (3.75 / 5 stars)
Welcome back to Chicago’s Psychic Scene: now, instead of three waring gangs, a new King has risen from the ashes, causing a wake of disarray in his path. Daniel Cavanough is back again trying to set things right, all while trying to uncover the truth about the mysterious “Rose”. Can Daniel stop the disarray? Or will he be forced to make choices he cannot begin to fathom?
Once again Patrick D. Kaiser shows us his ability to strike a narrative in verse. We’re brought back to Daniel Cavanough’s world in well written poetry that exuberates both emotion and storytelling. We’re brought back into the world of the “minds” – psychics that have insurmountable power – and understand the role of the Black Dog amid Kings and others in charge. A story in verse seems perfect for a story about psychics; everything is very internal, even the battles, that trying to describe it in typical prose might be difficult.
Actually, I would like to give props at this point to how well Kaiser wrote the battle scenes. Sometimes, battle scenes can be overwritten, or authors fail in portraying the disarray. But poetry, using beats and rhythms, really shows the pace of a battle. It’s fast; it’s suspenseful; it’s confusing; Kaiser shows all of this in his verse thriller.
Once again, my critiques of verse thrillers are similar to what I wrote in my review of Crimson Minds. We did not get the same amount of character exploration or description in the verse thriller, and that is to be expected. The verse thriller also made it somewhat difficult to recall what happened in the first book in the trilogy. Often in sequels, you get some recap as to what happened in the previous book. Verses make this more difficult, especially when we also don’t get as many defining characteristics regarding the cast’s ensemble. But this by no means is a critique on the author or the book, but more so on the genre as a whole.
Crimson Crown also fell into the fatal “middle book syndrome”. The book was fantastic, but it definitely did not have the same “razzle-dazzle” as Crimson Minds. Why? It’s clearly building up to a great finale that I cannot wait to pick up! While I anticipated the twist regarding Rose’s identity (which was due to Kaiser’s own wonderful storytelling ability to leave clues along the way), I am anxious to see if Daniel can finally bring peace as the Black Dog!
I’ll be picking up the final book in the trilogy very soon, but until then, if you want to check out a fun verse thriller…check out the Crimson Mind Trilogy! It’s definitely worth it!
What’s it about?
The war for the city is heating up, the vacancy left by the three Kings burning it from within. Rose plots from the shadows as The Black Dog is no closer to finding the answers needed to achieve equilibrium. Everyone toils away, while a certain figure has returned and is planning his own vision for the city – A former King, putting the old guard on edge & gunning for The Dog to either join or die.
There’s a reason his crown is crimson.
This book is a thriller told in verse. Action, emotion and suspense – All wrapped in one uniquely written package! It’s a guarantee, you’ve never read a book quite like this!
E.S. Barrison 