⭐⭐⭐/5 Stars.

Echo of the King By T.C. Aucutt

As my apparent luck would have it, I was able to read this book before its publishing and then its polished version afterward. It seems to be a slowly increasing event now and I always gain an even greater appreciation for an author's work because of it. Aucutt is no different in that regard. Still, it's the book itself that must sway me in one direction or the next. And well...sway it does.

Take Blake's character, for example. His introduction, although with minor details to the audience, lacks the scenes and time to feel an attraction to his character. He plays more of a role as the story goes on, but it doesn't match the amount of care that went into introducing all the others in the previous installment. Rocky, Zack, Talune, Diemas, Jessica and Amy, etc. This never changed by the time the book hit the shelves. I wondered if it was supposed to introduce mystery, but in the end it only became a noticeable dip. It would have been nice if he wasn't tossed in a few sentences here and there and then made to simply exist as part of their entire journey. It made for less interest. And I was hoping the "reveal" surrounding him would not have been as obvious. Perhaps it is easier to guess excatly because of the difference in his introduction compared to most of the other characters?

I still believe, however, that it was a nice touch to have a much less reactive character around even if the times he was carrying the weight of comedic relief were met with a dropped ball. Part of the reason essentially revolves around the mysterious reveal mentioned above (yep, no spoilers people), but it did make Jessica and Amy feel more tolerable while they traveled. Mainly as their reactions can seem more exaggerated throughout the story.

Although, I personally felt there were not many surprises, at times unnecessary incidents and scenery feel overexplained (that, coming from a person who normally adores these details), there are yet again moments that the characters overlap in personality, inconsistencies with how time/their time limit affect character decisions and susequent events, Amy's unfortunate night through the swamp and swamp water feels like a bit "cheat and copy" of her being dragged under water and back again like with the first book, and the fact that the overall pacing still feels off to me, there were other things I could enjoy.

Coronth and King Rovan were the most memorable of these even after another read through. It was a good idea to help the girls along and get them rested while setting up one of the main conflicts of the story, not to mention, introduce Princess Vaela. I expect her role to grow with the series. Revisiting a couple notable places from the first book, Talune's very creative use of the family pet (this one actually got a chuckle out of me) and the epilogue were also high on my list.

That being the case, I also would not like to mislead any readers. I noticed it in the first book of The Tale of Candles series, but wanted to give the benefit of the doubt. This time, I am certain that the story was what I've now taken to call "AI-assisted" (written/created with considerable use of A.I). Unfortunately, there are areas that sound more mechanical and inorganic because of it, but there are still several layers, if you will, of human thought, effort and edits underneath.

The fact that it is presented as otherwise, however, became a deciding factor in the lesser rating as well.

Would I still read it knowing what I do now? Yes. If the author were honest about it. Even though I don't agree with the use of artificial intelligence beyond planning, research and advancing scientific technology, I'm not opposed to giving my opinion about stories in general. That would include an occasional AI-assisted story, too. Of course, that does not mean it would be my preference nor my go-to, but much more than that dictates my thoughts/rating on another's work.

I remain, despite the nature of its creation and what other lingering thoughts I have about what else doesn't add much to the story, with questions. Questions concerning Amy, her friends, their struggles, and which details (obvious or otherwise) will create the next book in the series. Which in itself, means that the story accomplished some of Aucutt's goals regardless...