Reviews

This was a very solid start to a series! I feel like with most fantasy nowadays you really get a whole "chosen one, destined for this" vibe and while that can be fun, it's also fun for the protag to be someone who was just dropped into this whole situation and is trying to do their best. Karigan was more determined and stubborn than I think anyone in that position would be expected to be but that's probably what makes her the protagonist, right?

The world was set up fairly well and, while I wonder what they're going to do with the antagonist after this book's ending, I will be picking up at least the next book to find out! The magic system wasn't discussed very much in this book but it seemed interesting, so I hope they go more in-depth with it sooner rather than later. The Green Riders remain mysterious despite them being heavily involved in last ~12 chapters in the book and I'm excited to learn more about them as well.

I'm also interested in the hints of romance that were set up here. It kinda seems like it's leaning toward a love triangle, which I'm a bit leery of, but I'll withhold judgement until we get into the thick of it. At the very least this seems like the type of series that would prioritize plot over romance, so even if the love triangle goes badly it won't detract from the book too much, I'm hoping.

I'm definitely picking up book 2!

yenabao's review against another edition

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adventurous medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? N/A
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.5

Overall a very good book with a great adventure, but a few things dragged it down for me.

Numerous times the multiple points of view seemed unnecessary, almost as if the author was desperate for padding (especially the parts where a certain old character swooning over his much younger attractive aide). Plot points were also revealed too early due to these POVs, so there really wasn't a hint of mystery. This caused the readers to know much more than the characters, which proves certain parts of the story to be frustrating to read.

The main character, Karigan, felt like two different characters conjoined. At times she's a young naive girl thirsting for adventures, other times she seemed wise beyond her years and can judge the characters of those around her. Her background also doesn't fit what we witness of her character. She's a merchant daughter, but she barely knows a hint of the politics around her or the happenings around her country, or how to read people except when the author wants to show off that she's a merchant daughter (like I said it's like a switch on or off).

I also didn't expect love interests when I decided to delve into this book, and while it's not a in-your-face type of romance, I prefer not to have it at all. It came out of nowhere after meeting the characters once or twice, then boom, blushing, stammering, come back to me sort of nonsense.

These are just the things I didn't like, which dropped it down from a 5-stars favorite book to a 4-stars that I will still recommend to others who are in search for a comfy adventuring book on a rainy night.

nat_json's review against another edition

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adventurous dark mysterious medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.0

As a horse girl this book has been sitting on my shelf for awhile now. I kept passing it over because I honestly didn’t know much about the book. Now that I’ve read it I absolutely love it! The world is wonderful and the writing is simple enough to where I didn’t get lost but still convened everything it needed to. I honestly didn’t know how long this series is but I’m excited to start it. I will say the horse on the front cover is a bay and not a chestnut which does bug me but I can get over that.

jmaxey's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging dark emotional funny inspiring mysterious tense fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

5.0

anyoneb's review against another edition

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adventurous emotional fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix

4.0

zmorris1923's review against another edition

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4.0

I loved that the narrator actually sang in this. The singing as well as the way the narrative is followed felt very much like the Hobbit which made me disappointed as the series continued on because it felt different and obviously that's necessary but also sad lol.

There was great characterization here: the father, the wolf at the beginning. I felt at first that the character wasn't super independent--things kept happening TO her and not because of her own actions, but eventually she took more charge for herself. The characters also kinda reminded me of those in Ranger's Apprentice by John Flanagan which I loved in Middle School.

I think this book had more to it that the rest of the series lacked. Great scenes with mythical creatures like the spiders and the birds, as well as the witch sisters who seemed mysterious and wonderful. The second book missed all of that and it makes me not want to continue.

krimsonraine's review against another edition

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adventurous medium-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

5.0

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