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3.88 AVERAGE
3.88 AVERAGE
adventurous
funny
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
adventurous
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Loveable characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
adventurous
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
What a treat! I devoured this book, it was the perfect blend of well-crafted fantasy with just the right amount of romance, and the plot kept twisting in unexpected directions, much to my delight. The cat and mouse game between Shea and Fallon played out far differently from how I anticipated, and I relished their every interaction. Shea herself was a fascinating character, I really admired the author's ability to progress Shea's character trait of 'stubborn' into something tangible that she was able to learn lessons from - her annoyance with dismissive men not doing as she says nicely balanced by her unwillingness to communicate reasons behind her commands (girl, I can relate!). There were lots of plot threads left dangling and lots more conflict in store for Shea and her warlord and I am here for it.
However, it would be remiss of me to not level the same criticism of this book that I made about Kingdom of Exiles. Once again, despite the Trateri apparently including female warriors, Shea is the lone female in a sea of menfolk who grow to admire her, and one who has the hots for her. The romance worked better for me in this book, grumbly claims of ownership aside, but it's still a huge shame that Shea didn't have any positive female interactions. The only other developed (ish) female character turns out to be a villain motivated by envy and a sore ego from being spurned by Fallon, it was a shame that this otherwise excellent book fell into a pet peeve trap.
Still, I loved this book a lot and I will definitely be reading the next book. Hooray for well written fantasy romance, my absolute favourite genre.
However, it would be remiss of me to not level the same criticism of this book that I made about Kingdom of Exiles. Once again, despite the Trateri apparently including female warriors, Shea is the lone female in a sea of menfolk who grow to admire her, and one who has the hots for her. The romance worked better for me in this book, grumbly claims of ownership aside, but it's still a huge shame that Shea didn't have any positive female interactions. The only other developed (ish) female character turns out to be a villain motivated by envy and a sore ego from being spurned by Fallon, it was a shame that this otherwise excellent book fell into a pet peeve trap.
Still, I loved this book a lot and I will definitely be reading the next book. Hooray for well written fantasy romance, my absolute favourite genre.
adventurous
mysterious
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:
Yes
The world building and writing was average, with a fair amount of telling instead of showing.
Fallon was full of the standard alpha-male romance novel cliches, so I didn’t enjoy the romance.
I wasn’t certain if all the Mulan references were intentional or not, but I kept singing the song “Be A Man” in my head.
However, I absolutely loved Shea and the theme of found families.
Fallon was full of the standard alpha-male romance novel cliches, so I didn’t enjoy the romance.
I wasn’t certain if all the Mulan references were intentional or not, but I kept singing the song “Be A Man” in my head.
However, I absolutely loved Shea and the theme of found families.
This was such a pleasant surprise! Usually I'm not a fan of the whole trope of 'girl disguises herself as a boy', but this was well done and relatively believable. I liked that Shea is competent but not without personal faults. Also, not everyone loves her, in fact most people don't trust her. The romance aspects of the story are there but happily doesn't completely overpower the story, this is mainly about how Shea grows as a person. I’d even say the eventual romance is sadly the weakest part of the story (with the villains coming in second place). Luckily the rest of the story and characters makes up for it. I'll read the next one in this series.
I forgot I’d already read this one. That does not mean it’s a forgettable book - it’s just me and how my mind works. Or umm… doesn’t work. I speed read it again to bring myself up to date on the story and still enjoyed it. Now on book two, which sadly enough I seem to have already read as well! Dammit. Wonder if or when I’ll encounter one I haven’t read yet. :)
adventurous
challenging
tense
slow-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:
Yes
Ratings - completed series:
#1 Pathfinder's Way (this book): ★★★★☆
#2 Mist's Edge: ★★★★☆
#3 Wayfarer's Keep: ★★★★☆
#1 Pathfinder's Way (this book): ★★★★☆
#2 Mist's Edge: ★★★★☆
#3 Wayfarer's Keep: ★★★★☆