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aroush's review
adventurous
dark
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Rape and Violence
bradders_ladders's review
adventurous
dark
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Content Warnings
Minor: Rape
acreadsbooks's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
2.75
Really wished I would’ve liked this book more… started out good, the story gripped me but the way women are written and talked about in this book is just plain misogynistic. Plus fantasy or not, I cannot deal with virginity and getting your period being talked about as “flower” and “flowering” so annoying, and the sheer number of mentioning of men’s “seeds” and “seed pods” make me insane.
& don’t even get me started on the orientalism / the way the isolated city in the middle of the desert is described as middle eastern and villainized- truly, I thought we were done with this.
Plotwise: The pacing felt off at times, felt like there could’ve been spend more time on their training - like how did Arlen suddenly become superhuman?
Also trigger warning and spoiler:rape is yet again being used by a male author without it having any affect on the plot or development of that character, which frankly pisses me off. Like do better.
& don’t even get me started on the orientalism / the way the isolated city in the middle of the desert is described as middle eastern and villainized- truly, I thought we were done with this.
Plotwise: The pacing felt off at times, felt like there could’ve been spend more time on their training - like how did Arlen suddenly become superhuman?
Also trigger warning and spoiler:
Content Warnings
Graphic: Emotional abuse, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Sexual violence, Fire/Fire injury, War, Incest, Rape, Sexual harassment, Child abuse, and Islamophobia
ceejeffe's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.25
I enjoyed this story very much! As fantasy goes, it’s very quick to read and accessible. The idea isn’t all that original and the story is pretty predictable, though a fun journey. The character development and plot seemed like young adult but I wouldn’t at all consider this YA. The female characters are pretty two dimensional and the depictions of r*pe (more than one) and inc*st were totally unnecessary. It’s also treated like a common beating or mugging by the author after it happens to one of the characters which seemed disingenuous and like it was the easiest trauma the author could think of to happen to a young female character. I plan to read the others but I’m not expecting to love the stories.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Xenophobia, Rape, Incest, and Religious bigotry
corgicolossus's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
2.0
This is a strange book, wrapped in a story that is just interesting enough to make you think it will improve; and then it ends.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual harassment
Moderate: Rape and Sexual assault
skala's review
adventurous
challenging
dark
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.25
Content Warnings
Minor: Rape
readguy25's review
adventurous
dark
emotional
hopeful
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
2.25
The Warded Man is a thrilling fantasy book that scratches all the itches you'd want while reading fantasy. I had a great time enjoying the story and characters, and wouldn't be opposed to continuing the series.
Starting the book, I was reminded of Malice by John Gwynne, mainly due to the same humble beginnings of the protagonists in each respective books. I was wary at this moment, because I felt as though I was in for another cliche 'chosen one' story. However, The Warded Man shares something more complex and more exciting than Malice could ever produce. While this book still feels like a retread of a familiar story, it stays fresh throughout.
Arlen's growth in the novel is front and center. His values are entrenched early on in the book, and he never wavers from his destiny. The path to reach said destiny is filled with trials and tribulations, and created tension in more ways than one, whether it be through combat, romance, or discovery. I was excited to read his story, and it delivered fully.
Leesha and Rojer's stories, while not the main focus, provided more depth to the world created in the book, and were necessary for a book as ambitious as this one. Through them, you learn about other walks of life outside of messengers in this world, while creating story lines that become entwined with each other eventually. Everything felt natural (for the most part), and their journeys felt seminal to Arlen's as well. I will note, I thought that the way Arlen, Leesha, and Rojer finally met up with each other felt a bit forced, but I'll accept it regardless.
The wards as a magic system were fascinating to read. From their introduction, I wondered just how powerful they could be, and Arlen surely made full use of his mastery. He served as a great teacher for the reader to discover the endless possibilities with these wards, and the book highlights this well.
One thing I wish the book detailed better were the specifics of how the wards worked. I felt as though the magic behind these wards was largely unexplained, and I would've appreciated a chapter or two explaining the differences between the wards (For example, what makes a ward offensive or defensive? What are the differences between each glyph?) I understand this is book one of a series and this information might be divulged later, but since this is the introduction to wards as a concept, I feel this book would've been the best time to go into the details of the magic.
I finished reading The Warded Man pleased with the fun tale that was presented. I will say, don't go into this book expecting it to broach upon higher-level concepts, rather, expect a fun 'turn your brain off' story (as much as I hate using that phrase). I rate this similarly to other beach reads I've enjoyed: take this book at face value, and you'll be satisfied, much like I was.
01/13/24 EDIT, TW: RAPE
Okay, I went back on my initial advice and I thought more about the book, and it lowered my feelings toward this book. Admittedly, this book made me feel like a dumb ass after my revelation.
Last year, I read Stormfront by Jim Butcher, which I thought was terrible for multiple reasons. One of those reasons is how the author wrote women in that novel. I thought the main character sucked because of his misogyny, and it was hard for me to ignore while reading. Now, after reading through The Warded Man, I realize that Stormfront is more or less a parody of that kind of writing, and I respect it ever so slightly more now (keep in mind, I still don't like the book for other reasons, but the main characters misogyny is more acceptable once you realize the parody).
This relates to The Warded Man due to how Leesha's story was told. I now realize that this book is a true example of men writing women, unironically. In essence, Leesha's main conflicts revolve around her lack of a husband, her virginity, and rumors of her promiscuous that follow her throughout her life. This is already a surface level understanding of what a female character can be, but when you compare it to another protagonist in Arlen, it becomes even more jarring. Arlen's story line is a story of bravery and serving a higher purpose, and is told with minimal superfluous sexual details, comparatively. Leesha's story is essentially the opposite. Look no further than each characters introductions, where Arlen is simply described as a 11 year old kid, Peter Brett goes into detail on Leesha's appearance in a semi-sexual way when she is 13 years old:
"Just shy of thirteen summers, Leesha was an exceptionally pretty girl, with long, wavy black hair and sharp eyes of pale blue. She was not yet flowered, and thus could not wed"
...
"Her own breasts had only just started to bud, and had a long way to go before they matched her mother's."
This type of description is not present for Arlen. This is a clear double standard, and shows that the author's understanding for writing a woman character is low. If this stopped here, I wouldn't be writing this addendum to my original review. As stated above, Leesha is defined by her sexuality throughout the book in a way no other main character is.
Near the end of the book, these problems come to a head, with a pretty horrifying gang rape scene. To make this a big plot point for your one woman protagonist in your book speaks volumes. Even worse, not a day after being gang raped by a group of burglars, she is trying to have sex with Arlen. Pretty ridiculous, downplaying what would be a serious and severe event for anyone in such a way. Peter Brett is truly the ultimate 'men writing women' author I've seen in my life, and these problems rear their head throughout the book.
I'm very conflicted about this book still, because I truly did enjoy reading through this book at the time. It's only when I forced my feet to the flame that I recognized the deeper issues of this book. I think this book will end up being around 2.25 stars out of 5, just due to the pure entertainment value outside of Leesha's story. This book can be summed up in these few words: Don't think about it too much.
I feel like a complete idiot after writing that first review, but I'll keep it up. Let it serve as a lesson for me for future readings, and a warning about writing reviews immediately after finishing a book.
Starting the book, I was reminded of Malice by John Gwynne, mainly due to the same humble beginnings of the protagonists in each respective books. I was wary at this moment, because I felt as though I was in for another cliche 'chosen one' story. However, The Warded Man shares something more complex and more exciting than Malice could ever produce. While this book still feels like a retread of a familiar story, it stays fresh throughout.
Arlen's growth in the novel is front and center. His values are entrenched early on in the book, and he never wavers from his destiny. The path to reach said destiny is filled with trials and tribulations, and created tension in more ways than one, whether it be through combat, romance, or discovery. I was excited to read his story, and it delivered fully.
Leesha and Rojer's stories, while not the main focus, provided more depth to the world created in the book, and were necessary for a book as ambitious as this one. Through them, you learn about other walks of life outside of messengers in this world, while creating story lines that become entwined with each other eventually. Everything felt natural (for the most part), and their journeys felt seminal to Arlen's as well. I will note, I thought that the way Arlen, Leesha, and Rojer finally met up with each other felt a bit forced, but I'll accept it regardless.
The wards as a magic system were fascinating to read. From their introduction, I wondered just how powerful they could be, and Arlen surely made full use of his mastery. He served as a great teacher for the reader to discover the endless possibilities with these wards, and the book highlights this well.
One thing I wish the book detailed better were the specifics of how the wards worked. I felt as though the magic behind these wards was largely unexplained, and I would've appreciated a chapter or two explaining the differences between the wards (For example, what makes a ward offensive or defensive? What are the differences between each glyph?) I understand this is book one of a series and this information might be divulged later, but since this is the introduction to wards as a concept, I feel this book would've been the best time to go into the details of the magic.
I finished reading The Warded Man pleased with the fun tale that was presented. I will say, don't go into this book expecting it to broach upon higher-level concepts, rather, expect a fun 'turn your brain off' story (as much as I hate using that phrase). I rate this similarly to other beach reads I've enjoyed: take this book at face value, and you'll be satisfied, much like I was.
01/13/24 EDIT, TW: RAPE
Okay, I went back on my initial advice and I thought more about the book, and it lowered my feelings toward this book. Admittedly, this book made me feel like a dumb ass after my revelation.
Last year, I read Stormfront by Jim Butcher, which I thought was terrible for multiple reasons. One of those reasons is how the author wrote women in that novel. I thought the main character sucked because of his misogyny, and it was hard for me to ignore while reading. Now, after reading through The Warded Man, I realize that Stormfront is more or less a parody of that kind of writing, and I respect it ever so slightly more now (keep in mind, I still don't like the book for other reasons, but the main characters misogyny is more acceptable once you realize the parody).
This relates to The Warded Man due to how Leesha's story was told. I now realize that this book is a true example of men writing women, unironically. In essence, Leesha's main conflicts revolve around her lack of a husband, her virginity, and rumors of her promiscuous that follow her throughout her life. This is already a surface level understanding of what a female character can be, but when you compare it to another protagonist in Arlen, it becomes even more jarring. Arlen's story line is a story of bravery and serving a higher purpose, and is told with minimal superfluous sexual details, comparatively. Leesha's story is essentially the opposite. Look no further than each characters introductions, where Arlen is simply described as a 11 year old kid, Peter Brett goes into detail on Leesha's appearance in a semi-sexual way when she is 13 years old:
"Just shy of thirteen summers, Leesha was an exceptionally pretty girl, with long, wavy black hair and sharp eyes of pale blue. She was not yet flowered, and thus could not wed"
...
"Her own breasts had only just started to bud, and had a long way to go before they matched her mother's."
This type of description is not present for Arlen. This is a clear double standard, and shows that the author's understanding for writing a woman character is low. If this stopped here, I wouldn't be writing this addendum to my original review. As stated above, Leesha is defined by her sexuality throughout the book in a way no other main character is.
Near the end of the book, these problems come to a head, with a pretty horrifying gang rape scene. To make this a big plot point for your one woman protagonist in your book speaks volumes. Even worse, not a day after being gang raped by a group of burglars, she is trying to have sex with Arlen. Pretty ridiculous, downplaying what would be a serious and severe event for anyone in such a way. Peter Brett is truly the ultimate 'men writing women' author I've seen in my life, and these problems rear their head throughout the book.
I'm very conflicted about this book still, because I truly did enjoy reading through this book at the time. It's only when I forced my feet to the flame that I recognized the deeper issues of this book. I think this book will end up being around 2.25 stars out of 5, just due to the pure entertainment value outside of Leesha's story. This book can be summed up in these few words: Don't think about it too much.
I feel like a complete idiot after writing that first review, but I'll keep it up. Let it serve as a lesson for me for future readings, and a warning about writing reviews immediately after finishing a book.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Rape
sofiemelaniedahl's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
sad
tense
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? It's complicated
5.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Violence, Incest, and Rape