Reviews

It took me a while to get into this book, but I don't think it was entirely the book's fault, as I was pretty busy when I started reading it. Once I did get into it, I really enjoyed it. It's set in a world reminiscent of Tolkien (helpful giant eagles, anyone?) with a few things that struck me as Star Wars-esque

lightsabers and force chokes

, but the story and magic system are fairly unique. I found the last third or so hard to put down. Kristen Britain also, in my opinion, did a good job of leaving clues for some major reveals without making the book too predictable, at times I picked up on a clue, but wasn't sure right away if I was on the right track.

I also liked that one of the "elves" was the main bad guy, despite them having the positive/mystical healer reputation they often have in fantasy books. It was a more nuanced view than we typically get, in my opinion.

(One comment, though: Why didn't Jendara and Torne read the message? I would have even accepted a fairly weak explanation, like maybe Karigen hid it somewhere, and they never found it.

Content Warnings

debs82's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging dark emotional tense slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? No

5.0

Good in depth fantasy

archaeomancer's review against another edition

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I like traditional fantasy, and I know there tends to be a lot of lead up for the main character. But dang if this girl didn't spend every chapter getting captured. It happened like 4 different times in the first half of the book? She can't go 10 miles without someone or something nabbing her. And she usually has to get some sort of help to escape. Elves even show up at one point to help her then leave her. I just wished she'd do more and get captured less.

tedy608's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging medium-paced

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

5.0

subparcupcake's review against another edition

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3.0

3.5 stars. A good start to a traditional type fantasy series. Nothing new or revolutionary here, just good old hero/quest/coming-of-age fantasy.

This has been on my radar for a while, and I'm glad I finally picked it up. Last month I was looking for an old school traditional fantasy read, but I decided to pick up [b:The Baker's Boy|29137|The Baker's Boy (Book of Words, #1)|J.V. Jones|http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1167966079s/29137.jpg|29606] instead of this. I was less than impressed by BB... But I'm happy to say that I found what I was looking for with Green Rider. Like I said, nothing revolutionary.. But I'm looking forward to continuing in the series, and I'm hoping that it only improves with time.

That's about all there is to say about this one.. An unlikely hero, a mission, magic, a battle... Nothing new, but enjoyable nonetheless.

liz410's review against another edition

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adventurous medium-paced

4.0

annie_lawrence's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging mysterious medium-paced

5.0

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