In a society where power, status, and freedom are only given to those with magic, Kellen has a problem. Despite being from a powerfully magical family, and with only days to go before he either demonstrates his powers or is enslaved, Kellen’s magic has yet to appear.
It’s not a great situation to be in, and his personal problems pale into insignificance compared to the increasingly unstable political situation – an internal power vacuum, spies from a hostile kingdom, and the re-appearance of an extinct enemy. Kellen has little time(and even less power) to fix anything, but apparently it’s all his responsibility.
The setting is non-standard – it’s low fantasy but with more magic than normal, displaying little technology but with aesthetics somewhere between Arabian Nights and Westerns. It’s difficult to place the world against an equivalent mundane era, or tie it to a specific mythology. There’s a definite Eastern influence, but not to the exclusion of all else. I like things like that – it takes longer to work out what’s going on, but the creatures and magic are fresh.
Vampires have existed alongside humanity since the dawn of time – a separate, nocturnal race of predators, building vast hives in service of their queen. For millenia, mankind has waged war against the vampire menace, and now, for the first time in history, there is peace.
John Wick is a grieving widower who also happens to be a deadly, albeit retired, assassin. When gangsters kill his dog, a final present from his dead wife, he un-retires himself to ensure that they understand the grievous nature of their error. 
Tarantino is a director who, in my opinion, tends to be very hit-and-miss. Reservoir Dogs is fantastic, as are parts of Pulp Fiction. Kill Bill, on the other hand, leaves me cold – it’s meaningless, self-indulgent violence with no redeeming features. At his best, Tarantino is very, very good. At his worse, he seems almost like a parody of himself.
Inconsistent Pacing 