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theliteraryapothecary's review against another edition
fast-paced
3.5
Book 1 in the Winds of Change series
What a fun YA fantasy read! It read easy enough for YA but left areas open where I wanted more (possibly the adult fantasy reader in me), which lends well to future books.
CAWPILE Breakdown:
Characters: 6.5 - They were good; it just felt like we were skimming the surface of these characters. Character development was there but it felt like it moved too fast - I wanted this slowed down and explored more. I liked where they went, I just wanted to ride that journey with them.
Atmosphere/Setting: 7.5 - I wanted just a little bit more atmosphere. But the setting was really well written. I could imagine all of the places that our characters travelled as I was reading.
Writing Style: 7 - I liked Knowlton's writing style. It was easy to follow. Quick moving, sometimes too quick for my like. I just wanted more of a lot of things: characters, atmosphere, magic, intrigue... I'm hoping that we get more of all this in book 2 - if we get a book 2.
Plot: 8 - Simple yet effective plot. It took us on some tangents but ended up at the finish line in the end.
Intrigue: 5 - I had less intrigue, more wonder and curiousity. In my mind, those are different than intrigue.
Logic/Relationships: 6.5 - Logic, yes. Everything made logical sense - even if we didn't see it all on the page. Although our relationships did develop, I wanted to see more of the developing. It felt like we jumped from A to M without letters B-L.
Enjoment: 7 - Despite wanting more of almost everything, I still really enjoyed Seekers.
CAWPILE Total: 47.5/7 = 6.7 = 3.5 stars
coopdeforce's review against another edition
4.0
Thanks to Troy Knowlton and NetGalley for access to the paperback/e-book ARCs.
Seekers: the Winds of Change is a very promising debut novel that straddles the line between Young Adult and Adult Fantasy. Featuring an enjoyable cast of characters, this novel excels at creating impactful and emotional character relationships. Although I would definitely consider this a Young Adult novel, Troy Knowlton wasn't afraid to delve deeper into some more adult and darker tones.
Read for:
- Well developed and interesting characters with meaningful relationships
- High stakes action scenes
- Enjoyable dialogue
- Fresh setting and well-built world
- Exploration of anxiety, trauma, identity issues, and more.
Can't wait for a sequel, and will definitely be picking up a hard-copy upon release.
Seekers: the Winds of Change is a very promising debut novel that straddles the line between Young Adult and Adult Fantasy. Featuring an enjoyable cast of characters, this novel excels at creating impactful and emotional character relationships. Although I would definitely consider this a Young Adult novel, Troy Knowlton wasn't afraid to delve deeper into some more adult and darker tones.
Read for:
- Well developed and interesting characters with meaningful relationships
- High stakes action scenes
- Enjoyable dialogue
- Fresh setting and well-built world
- Exploration of anxiety, trauma, identity issues, and more.
Can't wait for a sequel, and will definitely be picking up a hard-copy upon release.
tezzarudge's review against another edition
4.0
3.5 rounded to 4, as my per my scoring spreadsheet.
This book was a good introduction to a new fantasy series. With some excellent characters, a dynamic world and an enjoyable story.
I really enjoyed the dialogue between the characters in this book. The exchanges made me feel like I was part of the conversation and involved in the action. It also helped that the narration was excellent
I felt the story wasn't hugely unique and the main plot lines were similar to some others I've read, but I did appreciate the way the author created a dynamic world , which was believable.
The pacing of this story will really work for those who like quick, action packed novels. For me, it did at times feel a bit frenetic.
I do think this book will land brilliantly for a lot of readers and will hopefully do well in spfbo9
This book was a good introduction to a new fantasy series. With some excellent characters, a dynamic world and an enjoyable story.
I really enjoyed the dialogue between the characters in this book. The exchanges made me feel like I was part of the conversation and involved in the action. It also helped that the narration was excellent
I felt the story wasn't hugely unique and the main plot lines were similar to some others I've read, but I did appreciate the way the author created a dynamic world , which was believable.
The pacing of this story will really work for those who like quick, action packed novels. For me, it did at times feel a bit frenetic.
I do think this book will land brilliantly for a lot of readers and will hopefully do well in spfbo9
reliablepat's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
emotional
inspiring
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
fast-paced
4.0
kyraliagal's review against another edition
adventurous
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.5
A quest fantasy following two protaganists, Oren and Tyras, as they journey to try and unravel a plot of intrigue that is kickstarted with the failed assassination of their master.
What worked for me?
The characters were fun and, for the most part, easy to become attached to. They were definitely the highlight of the book.
There was some interesting world building, with the introduction of different countries, races and creatures.
The potential. This book is definitely the introduction book into what I hope will be a much wider world and plot with higher stakes.
What irked me?
Particularly in the earlier chapters, the dialogue can come across as clunky and awkward. Some spoken sentences just didn't quite feel natural and this would sometimes take me out of the story.
The characters at times are just way to trusting and take everything at face value.
Overall?
A solid enjoyable first book. I'm looking forward to seeing what the author brings us next.
What worked for me?
The characters were fun and, for the most part, easy to become attached to. They were definitely the highlight of the book.
There was some interesting world building, with the introduction of different countries, races and creatures.
The potential. This book is definitely the introduction book into what I hope will be a much wider world and plot with higher stakes.
What irked me?
Particularly in the earlier chapters, the dialogue can come across as clunky and awkward. Some spoken sentences just didn't quite feel natural and this would sometimes take me out of the story.
The characters at times are just way to trusting and take everything at face value.
Overall?
A solid enjoyable first book. I'm looking forward to seeing what the author brings us next.
tythereaderguy's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
A great YA intro to multiple pov fantasy. Perfect for those looking to get into epic fantasy but are hesitant due to the mass and scope the genre tends to carry. Likable characters, solid plot, desert landscapes, and killer worms. What more could you ask for?
jennthebookwyrm's review
adventurous
emotional
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.5
datafox's review against another edition
4.0
I was lucky enough to receive an ARC for this debut novel, and I’m so glad I got the chance. This book has it all, from humor to an intricate plot that simmers when it needs to and rages like a wildfire when you want it to. Mr. Knowlton put all his heart into this book, and it absolutely shows. A minor complaint was the spacing of the paragraphs threw me until I got the hang of it and just told myself it was a quirk like Cormac McCarthy or e.e. cummings. I’ll be glad to continue giving Troy my time and imagination whenever I see something new of his is on the horizon.
keandrews95's review
4.0
If you're looking for an adventure story that has twists and turns, killer worms, and hunt for artifacts, this is the book for you. The sands of this world obscure many truths and it's hard to figure out what will happen until the very end. I enjoyed many aspects of Knowlton's world and the desert vibes of many of the towns. The author does a great job of creating lush and dark landscapes. I enjoyed the opening descriptions that really grounded me in the world. Squall and Mobius were some of my favorite characters, alongside Oren and Laverna the Red, surprisingly. The epilogue leaves a whole new world to explore and things to uncover in the next book.
However, I struggled to pin this book down. It says YA and the characters act like teenagers at times although they are first seemed a bit older. I didn't like Tyras as much as I tried. As a senior Seeker, I found him too quick to complain and struggle to do his job at times. His decisions at times didn't make sense and almost gets him and his friends killed. Pretty early on he seems to lose sight of his mission, which didn't seem to quite fit with his job as a Seeker. He and Serana felt a bit entitled at times, which didn't endear me to them. I wanted to see more of Oren, especially his friendship with Tyras, and I felt that their split in the beginning happened too quickly for me to really understand their relationship. While there was some cool lore nuggets buried in this stories, I wanted to know more about the world, the role of the sovereigns, and the conflicts of the different nations. The Seekers especially were interesting to me, but I wanted to know more of their history and besides the two brothers, we don't see many others. I found the dialogue to be too long winded at times and didn't quite fit the mood of scenes, almost like a mix of Shakespeare and a dramatic play (one theory I had was that this was a tale being told to a group and that's why some of the language was embellished the way it was).
The plot twists did surprise me and I was very interested in the epilogue. The deaths at the end did grip my heart and I really felt for Oren at the end.
I rate this a 3.5/4 out of 5
However, I struggled to pin this book down. It says YA and the characters act like teenagers at times although they are first seemed a bit older. I didn't like Tyras as much as I tried. As a senior Seeker, I found him too quick to complain and struggle to do his job at times. His decisions at times didn't make sense and almost gets him and his friends killed. Pretty early on he seems to lose sight of his mission, which didn't seem to quite fit with his job as a Seeker. He and Serana felt a bit entitled at times, which didn't endear me to them. I wanted to see more of Oren, especially his friendship with Tyras, and I felt that their split in the beginning happened too quickly for me to really understand their relationship. While there was some cool lore nuggets buried in this stories, I wanted to know more about the world, the role of the sovereigns, and the conflicts of the different nations. The Seekers especially were interesting to me, but I wanted to know more of their history and besides the two brothers, we don't see many others. I found the dialogue to be too long winded at times and didn't quite fit the mood of scenes, almost like a mix of Shakespeare and a dramatic play (one theory I had was that this was a tale being told to a group and that's why some of the language was embellished the way it was).
The plot twists did surprise me and I was very interested in the epilogue. The deaths at the end did grip my heart and I really felt for Oren at the end.
I rate this a 3.5/4 out of 5