Official Review: Beyond the Code by Kelsey Rae Barthel

[Jgideon]

[Following is an official OnlineBookClub.org review of "Beyond the Code" by Kelsey Rae Barthel.]

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3 out of 4 stars

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Luna, a brave knight who was loyal to her master, never thought that a day would come when people who were meant to be loyal knights would destroy her world. Damon Lexus, acting upon her selfish whims, acquired several knights who vowed to be loyal to her all their lives. Like all evil-filled leaders, Damon turned her knights into assassins to eliminate anyone who threatened her presence and the progress of her selfish desires. Cole Iver, Luna’s master, was one of the people in Damon’s hit list. Could his trusted knight save him from the claws of Damon’s evil knights?

Beyond the Code by Kelsey Rae Barthel is a fiction novel that follows the life of Luna. She has to face insurmountable challenges to save her skin and that of the people who have proven to be loyal to her. Here’s the catch: Luna acts against several corrupt leaders and knights. She is, by all means, outnumbered but she is willing to face her opponents and to save the vulnerable people caught up in the dirty web.

One of the aspects that I really enjoyed about this novel is its strong female lead. Luna knows that she is up against powerful evil knights. She also knows that she does not stand a big chance at winning the war, yet she gives it all she can. I loved that the author brought this aspect right from the first chapter where Luna goes ‘hunting’ for a drive that is supposed to contain information that would give them (Iver and Luna) an upper hand in the war. Although her master was deeply worried about whether she would be able to return to him safely, Luna proved her abilities in a very impressive manner. Her combat skills made her a hard target for the enemy.

Here comes the second thing that I liked about Beyond the Code. Every knight had two identities/personalities: their normal (real-life) personality and knight personality. I enjoyed watching Luna switch from one world to the other with a high level of perfection. The two worlds were very different yet she played her roles perfectly. I must commend the author for her ability to pull these two worlds and portray them in such a beautiful manner. Another interesting character was Ranger (a knight) aka Ethan Chang (a college professor). I am sure every reader who loves such twists will have a beautiful ride with this book.

Towards the end of the book, I got a rather nasty surprise. One of the knights, Ravenous, portrayed characteristics that were extremely inhumane and vampire-like. I am sure if he had entered the scene at an earlier point, at either the beginning or midway, I would have stopped reading the book. In my opinion, the book would have produced its desired impact without the extreme portrayal of evil by Ravenous.

Beyond the Code needs another round of editing. 3 out of 4 is my rating for the book. I did not give it a higher score because of the errors and the extreme evil portrayed by Ravenous. Readers who enjoy books in the C/T/M/H zone will love it. I recommend it to them. It contains some gruesome murders. Therefore, readers who are easily triggered by such should avoid it.

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Beyond the Code
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[ashley_claire]

While reading your summary of the book, the presence of strong female knights immediately jumped out at me. You don't come across many books where the females are portrayed as the main warriors. Sounds intriguing!

[Erin Painter Baker]

Sounds like the author created a really interesting world, though like you, I wouldn't be a fan of the horror element brought in at the end. Still, it sounds intriguing enough that I might have to give it a try.

[adamgreenrock]

Sounds like it could be a fun read for the main character alone. Though since you mentioned some side characters, I'm double intrigued. Thanks for the review!

[Salma_asa]

Reading your review, the book seems intriguing. Plus fantasy fictions are my favourite. Eager to read this book. Great job with the review!

[Ogoskino]

Can Luna save his master from the claws of Damon’s evil knights? I really cant wait to see. Thanks for this insightful review.