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4.1 AVERAGE
4.1 AVERAGE
adventurous
challenging
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
adventurous
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
sad
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Great read. Really slow, so don't expect action or plot development every chapter.
The first half was great.
Once we were stuck playing the political games in the second half this got really boring. So much political drama was going on but we had no one on the inside, it was all second-hand information which was boring to read.
adventurous
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
adventurous
funny
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
When picking up this tomb of a book, I was not sure what to expect. Robert recommended the series to me and I trust his judgement implicitly. This book did not let me or him down. Full of high fantasy law and politicking, war and proclamations of love, its all I could have wanted in a book to bring me back into the fantasy reading vibe. I loved the development of the Princess Carline, adore Martin Longbow with my whole heart, and found Kulgan one of the funniest old men to grace the pages. It was the right mix of everything I love in a fantasy book, though I could not give it a coveted 5 stars as there was just something missing - I guess I'll know it when I find it in the series.
I am really on the fence on this one. While I did enjoy reading it, it was just too much of a fantasy cliche for most of time.
You have Elfs, Dwarfs, Dragons, Magic, the evil Uncle, Dragons, Princesses etc.
Since it was written in the early 80s i think this is OK for the most part.
What really works in this book is the rapid advancement in time in places, in the flip of a page you are 6 years later in the story.
Overall a good read, but could have cut short by 150 or so pages without losing anything.
You have Elfs, Dwarfs, Dragons, Magic, the evil Uncle, Dragons, Princesses etc.
Since it was written in the early 80s i think this is OK for the most part.
What really works in this book is the rapid advancement in time in places, in the flip of a page you are 6 years later in the story.
Overall a good read, but could have cut short by 150 or so pages without losing anything.
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
I barely know what to say! I have enjoyed this book so much. The characters were all so intricate and intriguing, making me care about them without even realising it. The plot also was incredible and detailed, and I actually really enjoyed reading about all the intricacies and politics (wow did I really).
I have laughed and cried, cringed and rolled my eyes, but most of all I have loved. Loved the book as a whole and the characters individually.
If you like intricate fantasy, this is the book for you. I don't regret reading a single page.
I have laughed and cried, cringed and rolled my eyes, but most of all I have loved. Loved the book as a whole and the characters individually.
If you like intricate fantasy, this is the book for you. I don't regret reading a single page.
hopeful
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
Damn, my opinion on this book really did a full 180 after the first 300 pages. Up to that point, I was feeling very ‘meh’ about it. After that….boy, oh boy. It completely blew me away. 300 pages is quite a lot. I didn’t think my opinion could change so drastically. After the halfway point (around 400 pages) I was so confused, because the last 100 pages had left me speechless, while I really wasn’t feeling this book before. I was almost gonna dnf it. I’m unbelievably glad I didn’t.
At first, I felt really disconnected from the characters because of the omniscient narrator. I didn’t feel fully immersed because I didn’t feel like I was experiencing the events of the book with the characters. Instead, it felt like I was being told a story about the events of the book by someone else.
Then, after not reading anything for a couple of days, I jump back into the book and I couldn’t stop reading. I devoured the rest!
I grew to love all of the characters so much. Whenever they felt conflicted about something or got upset, I, in turn, also got really upset, because they suddenly started feeling like real people to me.
I also loved that we got to see both sides of the war. At first, the Tsurani invaders seemed purely evil and extremely off-putting / alien. After getting to know a few characters on their side, though, I started understanding them better. It made them seem way more human, all of a sudden.
This first book almost read like a standalone. It wraps up the story pretty nicely. Still, I can’t wait to see where the sequels will lead!
The last 65% of the book make me want to give it 5 stars. I can’t forget those first 300 pages (more than a third!). Even though it pains me right now, I can’t possibly give it 5 stars. Technically the 4.5 star rating is probably also way too high, considering the rough start, but I can’t help it. I loved the rest so much!
At first, I felt really disconnected from the characters because of the omniscient narrator. I didn’t feel fully immersed because I didn’t feel like I was experiencing the events of the book with the characters. Instead, it felt like I was being told a story about the events of the book by someone else.
Then, after not reading anything for a couple of days, I jump back into the book and I couldn’t stop reading. I devoured the rest!
I grew to love all of the characters so much. Whenever they felt conflicted about something or got upset, I, in turn, also got really upset, because they suddenly started feeling like real people to me.
I also loved that we got to see both sides of the war. At first, the Tsurani invaders seemed purely evil and extremely off-putting / alien. After getting to know a few characters on their side, though, I started understanding them better. It made them seem way more human, all of a sudden.
This first book almost read like a standalone. It wraps up the story pretty nicely. Still, I can’t wait to see where the sequels will lead!
The last 65% of the book make me want to give it 5 stars. I can’t forget those first 300 pages (more than a third!). Even though it pains me right now, I can’t possibly give it 5 stars. Technically the 4.5 star rating is probably also way too high, considering the rough start, but I can’t help it. I loved the rest so much!