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3.7 AVERAGE
3.7 AVERAGE
DNF @45%. I am really having to slog though this. My brain is just in the right place at the moment to deal with the prose. I know that’s the reason a lot of people like this author, but it’s just not working for me. The pace is glacial, yet I feel like I don’t know any of the characters very well—the story skips around and doesn’t feel like it really goes into any depth about them. It skims along the surface. Some people have commented that the first book is setting up the books that follow. That may be, but this is an awful lot of setting up.
adventurous
challenging
emotional
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, War, Injury/Injury detail
My review is here in full: https://youtu.be/4ZGCJopAwoM
Essentially, this book is excellent - but for other people. For me, it was just okay.
Essentially, this book is excellent - but for other people. For me, it was just okay.
The overall plot was fine, basic hero needs to save the world. The world was ok, I might have liked it better seeing it through the eyes of better characters. But the huge problem that dropped it to one star is that it would have been a better book if the two main characters had killed each other in the first chapter and been replaced by someone I could have any interest in whatsoever. Even a "Hero" I wouldn't like would have been better than these two non-entities that I had to force myself to pay attention to. It's the first book in 20 years I couldn't bring myself to finish(got to page 443), which is very sad, because I loved this author's co-op books with Feist - [b:Daughter of the Empire|589979|Daughter of the Empire (The Empire Trilogy, #1)|Raymond E. Feist|http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1333694595s/589979.jpg|2960453] and had such hopes for this. I won't let it stop me from looking at other books by her, but next time I borrow them first!
challenging
dark
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
I'm finally done with this book. I wanted to DNF it several times, but I have a bad habit of not doing that, and it definitely worked against me this time. I wish I could say I enjoyed this, but other than a couple of parts, I didn't.
The story is straight-forward enough with two brothers having opposing powers who must come together to defeat the Mistwraith that has been cursing the land for 500 years. There is actually a fairly interesting beginning here, and I was looking forward to what was coming. Unfortunately, once the actual journey begins, it is long and drawn-out to an almost painful degree. Most of the trip involves traveling to a location and talking with nothing significant happening in-between. We are told everything instead of being shown, and while the prose can be good at some points, it's often unnecessarily excessive.
I can deal with a story with not having a lot of action in it as long as it has interesting characters, but sadly, this isn't the case here either. Both Arithon and Lysaer are incredibly bland with no distinguishable personalities other than Arithon likes music. Again, we are told what their personalities are rather than shown, and their mood in every situation changes almost line by line. As for the Mistwraith itself, it's basically just an energy with no personality, motivation, or purpose.
It's been a long time since I struggled through a book like I did this one. I kept wanting it to get better, because I planned on reading the entire series, but it just wouldn't until the very end, where the battle is genuinely written very well. I just wish that kind of writing permeated through the entire story. I might give the second book a shot down the road, but if this kind of storytelling continues there, then I will most likely drop the series. There's no way I can continue this for 11 books.
The story is straight-forward enough with two brothers having opposing powers who must come together to defeat the Mistwraith that has been cursing the land for 500 years. There is actually a fairly interesting beginning here, and I was looking forward to what was coming. Unfortunately, once the actual journey begins, it is long and drawn-out to an almost painful degree. Most of the trip involves traveling to a location and talking with nothing significant happening in-between. We are told everything instead of being shown, and while the prose can be good at some points, it's often unnecessarily excessive.
I can deal with a story with not having a lot of action in it as long as it has interesting characters, but sadly, this isn't the case here either. Both Arithon and Lysaer are incredibly bland with no distinguishable personalities other than Arithon likes music. Again, we are told what their personalities are rather than shown, and their mood in every situation changes almost line by line. As for the Mistwraith itself, it's basically just an energy with no personality, motivation, or purpose.
It's been a long time since I struggled through a book like I did this one. I kept wanting it to get better, because I planned on reading the entire series, but it just wouldn't until the very end, where the battle is genuinely written very well. I just wish that kind of writing permeated through the entire story. I might give the second book a shot down the road, but if this kind of storytelling continues there, then I will most likely drop the series. There's no way I can continue this for 11 books.
adventurous
emotional
reflective
sad
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Updated to 5 stars: Wow what a difference a re-read makes. Maybe I was just better prepared to read this, or it just hit better, but this was fantastic. Reading my previous review I disagree with a lot of what I said. The characters are really well written, especially Arithon and Lysaer. Dakar, Asandir, Halliron, Elaira, and I could continue naming characters I loved.
I purposefully slowed myself down when reading to savor every bit of writing, and it is so worth. Wurts has incredible prose, which in itself is worth reading this book for. The events of the book all landed way more with me, and I often felt myself getting completely swept up in the story and the world.
This is just such a stellar book. I can't wait to continue!
Original Review (3.5 stars): This was a tough one for me. At the start I couldn't really connect with any of the characters and found the book hard to get through. Most of this had to do with the writing style. This book uses omniscient voice which isn't always my favorite. The writing style itself was something I had difficulty with as well.
Halfway through the book I started to get into it more. Parts of the story really moved me, especially the ending. I got more attached with some of the characters, but for me that area still leaves to be desired. All in all, it is a decent start to the series and I am curious to read more. I feel like upon a reread this book will be better for me.
I purposefully slowed myself down when reading to savor every bit of writing, and it is so worth. Wurts has incredible prose, which in itself is worth reading this book for. The events of the book all landed way more with me, and I often felt myself getting completely swept up in the story and the world.
This is just such a stellar book. I can't wait to continue!
Original Review (3.5 stars): This was a tough one for me. At the start I couldn't really connect with any of the characters and found the book hard to get through. Most of this had to do with the writing style. This book uses omniscient voice which isn't always my favorite. The writing style itself was something I had difficulty with as well.
Halfway through the book I started to get into it more. Parts of the story really moved me, especially the ending. I got more attached with some of the characters, but for me that area still leaves to be desired. All in all, it is a decent start to the series and I am curious to read more. I feel like upon a reread this book will be better for me.
I first read this back in the mid-90s. I enjoyed it then but upon re-reading it now, almost 3 decades later, I think I love it now!
It's not for everyone. The pace can be a bit slow, and the prose isn't the easiest to read, but these things give the book a very distinct tone that is the start to one of the most epic journeys in fantasy fiction.
Definitely well worth giving a chance to if you are prepared to invest.
It's not for everyone. The pace can be a bit slow, and the prose isn't the easiest to read, but these things give the book a very distinct tone that is the start to one of the most epic journeys in fantasy fiction.
Definitely well worth giving a chance to if you are prepared to invest.
Beautifully written, but not for me. I could not finish the last bit because I no longer cared for the characters.