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rudyw's review against another edition
adventurous
reflective
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
0.5
ryanklynn's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
hopeful
inspiring
tense
fast-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? Yes
5.0
barriojm's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.25
Very good typical high fantasy that is over 800 pages. Strong world building and sense of brotherhood that lends to good character development. My only complaint is that the author writes fairly one dimensional female characters, and the guys' interactions with women are awkwardly written and not relatable from a female reader's perspective.
arlena_priscilla's review against another edition
5.0
The internet did not lead me astray on this one; this is a masterpiece and definitely top 5 fantasy books that I’ve ever read. The characters are nuanced and all a shade of grey with levels to them and the story is your classic quest storyline but so, so much more. I don’t think I let out a breath in the last 100 pages.
samuelson_obi's review against another edition
4.0
I’d heard about “The ember blade” near a year ago and from the then early reviews I waited with anticipation for its release on audible.
I’d previously been introduced to Chris Wooding’s work when I read “Poison” nearly 10 years before; so, I already knew that he could write fantasy.
Now onto the book, the first instalment in the “Dark water legacy”.
To describe my experience in one word, I’d use, unexpected.
To start with it seemed to follow the common fantasy staple. Main character has it all, sort of. Main character is rich, sort of, things are going well, characters are having adventures, a land under occupation. Then a catastrophic event happens to turn things upside down.
These are not spoilers by the way. From that point onward, I was kept on my toes. Rather than just following the main, or should I say first characters we are introduced to a few more. A noble knight, a mysterious druidess, a warrior full of vengeance and hate.
Each character had their own motivations, their own past and their own secrets.
There were journeys through abandoned fortresses, plenty of lore, a shamanic type of magical system and a heist for a sword that could be used as a rallying point for the resistance.
The threat of the dread-knights dogging the character’s steps, served to create that sense of urgency and looming danger. I had no clue as to where this journey was going to take me.
This novel made me doubt motivations, made me wander and question, made me fear for the safety of those I rooted for and had me gasping in surprise and cheering our heroes’ triumphs, as well as wince in sympathy at their failures. I experienced the characters grow incrementally and possibly glimpse who they would or could become. The ending was satisfying, leaving some questions unanswered for the next instalment in the series. Can’t wait.
The fantastic narration by Simon Bubb suited this epic rich world, with a diverse character voice and accent repertoire, I never felt confused as to who was who.
This was a 4 stars for me; I really liked it.
If you enjoyed “The memory, sorrow and thorn” trilogy, I think you would enjoy this one to. But with a twist of lemon.
I’d previously been introduced to Chris Wooding’s work when I read “Poison” nearly 10 years before; so, I already knew that he could write fantasy.
Now onto the book, the first instalment in the “Dark water legacy”.
To describe my experience in one word, I’d use, unexpected.
To start with it seemed to follow the common fantasy staple. Main character has it all, sort of. Main character is rich, sort of, things are going well, characters are having adventures, a land under occupation. Then a catastrophic event happens to turn things upside down.
These are not spoilers by the way. From that point onward, I was kept on my toes. Rather than just following the main, or should I say first characters we are introduced to a few more. A noble knight, a mysterious druidess, a warrior full of vengeance and hate.
Each character had their own motivations, their own past and their own secrets.
There were journeys through abandoned fortresses, plenty of lore, a shamanic type of magical system and a heist for a sword that could be used as a rallying point for the resistance.
The threat of the dread-knights dogging the character’s steps, served to create that sense of urgency and looming danger. I had no clue as to where this journey was going to take me.
This novel made me doubt motivations, made me wander and question, made me fear for the safety of those I rooted for and had me gasping in surprise and cheering our heroes’ triumphs, as well as wince in sympathy at their failures. I experienced the characters grow incrementally and possibly glimpse who they would or could become. The ending was satisfying, leaving some questions unanswered for the next instalment in the series. Can’t wait.
The fantastic narration by Simon Bubb suited this epic rich world, with a diverse character voice and accent repertoire, I never felt confused as to who was who.
This was a 4 stars for me; I really liked it.
If you enjoyed “The memory, sorrow and thorn” trilogy, I think you would enjoy this one to. But with a twist of lemon.
saraubs's review against another edition
5.0
4.5 stars.
What a wonderous surprise this was! I had included The Ember Blade in a video about underrated books, and as it was billed as "Lord of the Rings made modern", I wanted to dive in right away! From the other side, I can confidently say that while this isn't the second coming of Tolkien, it is very much worth reading.
The Ember Blade follows Aren and Cade, best friends and socially distinct members of the colonized Ossian people. Aren lives a life of privilege, looking up to the ruling Krodans and trying his best to assimilate to their way of life, while Cade bears witness to the struggles and frustrations of his lower-class parents, who remember fonder times before Krodan occupation. When family tragedy leads to Cade's and Aren's imprisonment, their friendship is tested and their respective worldviews begin to fundamentally shift.
Rounding out at nearly 900 pages, this book covers a lot of ground. The story, which I assume had been written to serve as a standalone if the buzz wasn't quite enough to extend into a series, is ambitious in its execution. Not only does the cast of characters expand greatly after the first 200 pages, we follow individuals with completely different belief systems, histories, and goals, and this leaves Wooding with a lot of dangling threads to weave together. While we begin the novel following Aren and Cade in what seems like typical coming of age fare, this quickly escalates into a political thriller/heist situation; while I do think that Wooding is ultimately successful in creating a mostly-cohesive narrative, the various arcs do feel somewhat episodic. Still, while the this pushing together of narrative threads leaves the pace somewhat erratic, I never once felt like I'd rather be reading something else.
And truthfully, while I really enjoyed the plot that Wooding has devised, where The Ember Blade truly shines is in its characters. It's hard to delve too deeply into analysis without spoilers, so I'll just stress that each of these characters - from Aren and Cade to those who show up in the novel's final act - feel so incredibly real. He manages to navigate well-worn tropes with a fresh perspective, and you're never quite sure what decisions the characters are going to make. Loyalties and values are never fixed and this maintains an incredible note of tension right to the final chapters. Setbacks, betrayals, and losses will have a profound impact (they certainly did for me!) and the ending is one to be mulled over long after finishing.
While I will be overjoyed to hear any news of a sequel, I think that The Ember Blade stands well on its own. Would highly recommend giving this one a chance, especially if you love classic fantasy tropes and well-drawn characters.
What a wonderous surprise this was! I had included The Ember Blade in a video about underrated books, and as it was billed as "Lord of the Rings made modern", I wanted to dive in right away! From the other side, I can confidently say that while this isn't the second coming of Tolkien, it is very much worth reading.
The Ember Blade follows Aren and Cade, best friends and socially distinct members of the colonized Ossian people. Aren lives a life of privilege, looking up to the ruling Krodans and trying his best to assimilate to their way of life, while Cade bears witness to the struggles and frustrations of his lower-class parents, who remember fonder times before Krodan occupation. When family tragedy leads to Cade's and Aren's imprisonment, their friendship is tested and their respective worldviews begin to fundamentally shift.
Rounding out at nearly 900 pages, this book covers a lot of ground. The story, which I assume had been written to serve as a standalone if the buzz wasn't quite enough to extend into a series, is ambitious in its execution. Not only does the cast of characters expand greatly after the first 200 pages, we follow individuals with completely different belief systems, histories, and goals, and this leaves Wooding with a lot of dangling threads to weave together. While we begin the novel following Aren and Cade in what seems like typical coming of age fare, this quickly escalates into a political thriller/heist situation; while I do think that Wooding is ultimately successful in creating a mostly-cohesive narrative, the various arcs do feel somewhat episodic. Still, while the this pushing together of narrative threads leaves the pace somewhat erratic, I never once felt like I'd rather be reading something else.
And truthfully, while I really enjoyed the plot that Wooding has devised, where The Ember Blade truly shines is in its characters. It's hard to delve too deeply into analysis without spoilers, so I'll just stress that each of these characters - from Aren and Cade to those who show up in the novel's final act - feel so incredibly real. He manages to navigate well-worn tropes with a fresh perspective, and you're never quite sure what decisions the characters are going to make. Loyalties and values are never fixed and this maintains an incredible note of tension right to the final chapters. Setbacks, betrayals, and losses will have a profound impact (they certainly did for me!) and the ending is one to be mulled over long after finishing.
While I will be overjoyed to hear any news of a sequel, I think that The Ember Blade stands well on its own. Would highly recommend giving this one a chance, especially if you love classic fantasy tropes and well-drawn characters.
christopher_dilts's review against another edition
5.0
Wow! After a summer of mostly lacklustre reading, I burned through this 800-page book in less than a week. What an amazing find.
This book has it all: action, intrigue, politics, the unknown, romance, mystery and more. The scope and depth of this book was impressive, although admittedly it starts out a bit slow. Wooding does dark fantasy right. In fact, it was nice to see a fantasy novel with Game-of-Thrones-level of tone and concepts without excessively and flamboyantly using tropes of adult literature: incessant swearing, graphic sex, and overly descriptive violence. That being said, there are some adult concepts in this novel, but it feels like the thematic choices and development of the characters is supported and enhanced by these choices, which don't seem to be made arbitrarily.
I see this novel as a more contemporary Fellowship of the Ring, and Wooding's worldbuilding, characterization, and use of Lovecraftian horror to describe all the beasties in his story are impressive. Even some of the plot tics are similar to LoTR, and the dynamic progression of the protagonist is believable and authentic. 2023 isn't over, but I am confident this will be my favorite novel of the year. For any fantasy reader, read this book NOW.
This book has it all: action, intrigue, politics, the unknown, romance, mystery and more. The scope and depth of this book was impressive, although admittedly it starts out a bit slow. Wooding does dark fantasy right. In fact, it was nice to see a fantasy novel with Game-of-Thrones-level of tone and concepts without excessively and flamboyantly using tropes of adult literature: incessant swearing, graphic sex, and overly descriptive violence. That being said, there are some adult concepts in this novel, but it feels like the thematic choices and development of the characters is supported and enhanced by these choices, which don't seem to be made arbitrarily.
I see this novel as a more contemporary Fellowship of the Ring, and Wooding's worldbuilding, characterization, and use of Lovecraftian horror to describe all the beasties in his story are impressive. Even some of the plot tics are similar to LoTR, and the dynamic progression of the protagonist is believable and authentic. 2023 isn't over, but I am confident this will be my favorite novel of the year. For any fantasy reader, read this book NOW.
shelly97's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
sad
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
4.0
aij's review against another edition
adventurous
inspiring
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
xgongshowj03's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
hopeful
inspiring
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5