Scan barcode
bookishgoblin's review
3.0
I read this to try and prolong my time with the characters really, I’ve got one more book left in the trilogy and I just don’t want it to end! This short piece is set before the events of the trilogy and it’s just so refreshing to see them up to their “normal” lives before the series began
llmacrae's review
5.0
A great short story following Wydrin and Seb prior to events of The Copper Promise. They are sell-swords and this follows a job where they visit a supposedly cursed island to find a wayward princess. Not everything is what it seems, and there is action, tension, and emotional moments a plenty in this short read.
I ADORE the way Jen Williams writes and it is a style I am always inspired by!
Love it!
I ADORE the way Jen Williams writes and it is a style I am always inspired by!
Love it!
antonism's review
2.0
2 / 5
Sorrow's Isle is a very short story, probably serving as an introduction or tiny prequel to Jen Williams' Copper series. I've read many short stories serving as intros for various series and I was a bit disappointed from this one. I understand that for such a short story, word-count and story size is limited and as such many things have to be cut down, but even then, there are some things that should be expected.
Characterization was severely lacking; we get two names, one of them has two daggers (oh two more names...) and the other a sword and a cloak and that's that. It ends there, honestly, I'm not kidding!!!
Plot is as basic, bare and bland as it can get. No adventure hook, no motivation, no real justification behind any action. The action was dull and trite. The descriptions were nothing to be impressed over. The resolution was disappointing. The world-building... oh ok, we actually get no info about the world other than a short tale of a King, which may or may not be true.
I really really hate being so negative in my reviews but I feel that my remarks point out things that should not be excusable for professional authors, especially experienced ones. Was writing this a contractual obligation for Williams? Was she so totally restricted or unwilling to produce something more worthwhile ? In any case, this story hardly serves any purpose I'm afraid. I'm not left wanting or needing more, and definitely none the wiser about the characters, the overarching plot, the world... or anything at all.
If you can somehow read or get this story for free, then I suppose there's no reason to hold back, seeing it will not take more than half an hour to read it. But barring that, I definitely do not recommend this one. I suppose the books are better... but those will have to wait for a later review!
2 / 5
Sorrow's Isle is a very short story, probably serving as an introduction or tiny prequel to Jen Williams' Copper series. I've read many short stories serving as intros for various series and I was a bit disappointed from this one. I understand that for such a short story, word-count and story size is limited and as such many things have to be cut down, but even then, there are some things that should be expected.
Characterization was severely lacking; we get two names, one of them has two daggers (oh two more names...) and the other a sword and a cloak and that's that. It ends there, honestly, I'm not kidding!!!
Plot is as basic, bare and bland as it can get. No adventure hook, no motivation, no real justification behind any action. The action was dull and trite. The descriptions were nothing to be impressed over. The resolution was disappointing. The world-building... oh ok, we actually get no info about the world other than a short tale of a King, which may or may not be true.
I really really hate being so negative in my reviews but I feel that my remarks point out things that should not be excusable for professional authors, especially experienced ones. Was writing this a contractual obligation for Williams? Was she so totally restricted or unwilling to produce something more worthwhile ? In any case, this story hardly serves any purpose I'm afraid. I'm not left wanting or needing more, and definitely none the wiser about the characters, the overarching plot, the world... or anything at all.
If you can somehow read or get this story for free, then I suppose there's no reason to hold back, seeing it will not take more than half an hour to read it. But barring that, I definitely do not recommend this one. I suppose the books are better... but those will have to wait for a later review!
2 / 5
More...