It has been a while sine I have read a fantasy book, but something about the synopsis seemed to call out to me. I am glad that I gave this book the time to read, it was well worth my time.

We follow a young lad called Argo and his dog called Wander. The main premise is that this village has been guarded over by a ‘rider’ who guides everyone in the village through the forest when it is their time to die. Young Argo receives his letter, and his response to it is the driving force behind the story.

The writing style was certainly interesting. It has been a while since I have read a novel like this, I throughly enjoyed getting sucked into the story. I found it a very easy read that young adults would easily be able to read.

An interesting read that I think deserves a reread.

*Thanks to Netgalley, I received a free arc copy of this book in exchange for an honest review*

This book reminds me of, if I Am Legend got mixed together with LotR as a book, especially with the high fantasy aspect of it, as well as the side companion dog, who by the way, is very lovable. I feel like this is a great book for a young teenager, who's trying to tackle the what-ifs of impending adulthood. Not everything can be a cakewalk, but at the same time, stay true to yourself, and what you desire. I would recommend this book to a friend, if they liked the fantasy genre.

A heartwarming but equally wrenching story about Argo, a lovely lad in a village where all is not so lovely.

This is a tale about facing one's fear and apparition head on. Whilst the other villagers succumbed to their fate, Argo stands up to fight.

Truly an inspirational message many young folks need today.

The Riders Bane is a 10/10 fantastic read that I would recommend to anyone. This author had me hooked from the very beginning.

This is an epic high fantasy novel that is mainly plot driven. Lovers of LotR will likely enjoy this story. The book is about our main character Argo who is given a letter from the book’s grim reaper character, called The Rider, that his days are numbered. Everyone in Argo’s town knows they will be moved from their current life to the after life by The Rider, but no one knows when their time will come. Argo doesn’t want his time to be up and decides to go on an epic quest to confront The Rider. I REALLY liked this book. The first 30% is fairly slow paced as the main plot of the story is fleshed out and some of the basic world building is presented. With that said, there is MINIMAL dialogue after that first 30%. This book takes you on a fantastic quest and once the roller coaster starts moving it’s high speed! In just 210 short pages the author moved you from one point to the next. The only feedback I feel is necessary to mention is the writing style. At one point the book reads “and Argo reflected on everything that needed reflection” (paraphrased). Other than that, the world Acebo builds is dream worthy and easy to imagine. 4.5 stars!!

I received this book as an ARC in trade for an honest review from netgalley.

please remember this is my personal opinion and you should give the book a chance even if I personally didnt enjoy it. This book has potential but I didnt enjoy the writing style. The description, the cover and everything is captivating and wonderful however I did not finish because I perosnally didnt like the writing style. I believe this book is still good. just not what i expected.

The Rider’s Bane is the story of a boy named Argo, who lives in a village where death is never unknown. Members of the village receive a letter, with instructions on when to meet The Rider, an imposing creature who takes them into to Hallowed Woods to die. There is no violent or unexpected death, but with the loss of unknown death, the village also has lost their desire for anything more. They live, waiting to meet the rider, then go with him when their name is called.
But when Argo receives his letter, he can’t bring himself to just give up. He decides to meet the rider head on.

The concept of this book is so cool, and of course I loved that the main character had a lovable dog sidekick. I was hooked by the premise right away. I love that the author decided to take such a heavy topic. Death is not an easy thing to cope with and the concept of the decision to live rather than just wait for your time if such an important conversation to have.

I got 30% of the way through but the writing style just was not for me. I felt like it was trying so hard to be deep and metaphorical that it lost me. There were times that a metaphors went on for more than a page, and by the time I got to the end of the thought, I couldn’t remember what it was a metaphor for.

There were also a few weirdly redundant or contradictory statements that just pulled me from the story. Things like describing chats haters as “skinny and thin” or “she had an indescribable beauty….” But then proceeding to deceive her beauty with 3-4 adjectives.

I think the writing in this book was obviously wellt thought out, but for me it was too much, the dialogue didn’t feel natural, and the main character did not feel as young as he is described. He spoke like a much older man. I won’t be finishing this one.

3.75/5 stars! I have complicated feelings about this book. It has an extremely lovable dog and gives off a lot of I Am Legend end of days vibes, which I loved. I felt like the writing was extremely well-done and I wasn't bored while reading it. However, it really had a heavy undertone of teaching a moral lesson, which kind of took me out of the story. But overall, a good meaningful book.

I received an advance review copy for free through NetGalley, and I am leaving this review voluntarily

Goodreads review in link. Thank you for the book!

It was a little slow in the begining, but it really picked up and once I got into it, it was hard to put down. There were some structure errors and some of the sentences were choppy but that was about it. I really enjoyed this book. My favorite character was Wander.

I really enjoyed reading this and enjoyed the idea of someone living peacefully through death and into the afterlife. It worked well as a story and I was invested in what was going on in the world. It does a great job in telling a young adult novel. The characters worked well and I'm glad I got to read this. Jacob Acebo was what I was hoping for and it worked well.

"You’ve made the choice to make this life uniquely your own, which as a father, is a fine gift to see. I don’t know what you’ll find in those woods or what fate awaits you. I know that there is no life for you in remaining here, and against my own wishes, I could never ask you to stay.”He patted his son on the back. “Go, my son, and show the same bravery to The Rider. Show him life.” He pulled Argo in, and Argo sank into his father’s arms and closed his eyes."