The Fragment of Water-review

Intro:

The Fragment of Water by Ben Hale is a series I got into because of the audible plus catalog. Unfortunately, the basic premise didn’t hold much water (lol) for me to put money down. However, I think that will change soon, and I hope to explain why.

Writing

Ben Hale’s deft characterization of a daunting cast of characters is excellent and what I think helps him stand out in a crowded market. The Fragment of Water is about a cast of five fragments of a single person. He was born from Draeken, a guardian whose soul was shattered in a tragic accident. Each possesses a power (water, shadow, light, etc.) and personality. With the help of the Hunteress, these fragments act as mercenaries for hire, solving problems and taking names for the kingdoms. The worldbuilding is dull and generic, nothing you haven’t seen since Tolkien. That is not what Ben Hale is good at; he is really at character voice; from the childlike playfulness of Light to the stern seriousness of Fire, all the fragments of interactions and personalities pay off one another like that of siblings.

This strength in writing engrossed me in the text; I loved the mischievous personality of Shadow and how his mother figure (The Hunteress) disciplined him. I find a humanity to Ben Hale’s writing endearing and engaging. I love the banter between the Hunteress and one of her ex-lovers, playful but also haunting, as she struggles with the fact that while she and the fragments continue to live as immortals, everyone doesn’t. None of these are new, but Ben Hale can execute familiar topics and characters with a warmth and reliability that other authors struggle to express. While compelling with fantastic fight scenes, the plot has the problem of being the first in a series. As a result, the story comes with unresolved plot threads that may or not be resolved; however, unlike with specific other authors I will not mention, the series is complete, so I am confident this will not be an issue from now on.

Conclusion

The Fragment of Water is a fun and enjoyable read, while it suffers from the problem of unresolved plot threads, which doesn’t matter much here. However, I want to read more cause I find the Fragments intriguing as characters, their individuality remarkably showcased within a single book. I think that is a testament to Ben Hale’s strength as a writer.

Acknowledgments

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