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3.95 AVERAGE
3.95 AVERAGE
I enjoyed this book. Almost four stars, felt perhaps one twist too many. Interesting characters and world.
I believe I'm in the minority with this one. I love a good high fantasy novel. And the first couple of chapters of The Emperor's Blades had me hooked. But the pacing slowed over the next 300+ pages and I became less engaged in the characters and the plot. I even *gasp* skimmed quite a few pages.
The story follows three children of the newly deceased emperor -
1) Kaden - first in line to the throne, who was sent to a monastery for 10 years
2) Valyn - second in line, who is training to be an elite soldier
3) Adare - the sister, who remains at home and has no claim to the throne
I enjoyed Kaden's story the most. But even his "lessons" with Tan became tedious over time. Valyn was an admirable character and his Kettral trials were quite exciting. Adare, sadly, had a bit part until the very end.
What aggravated me the most was the lack of urgency around retrieving Kaden when the emperor's death was revealed. I know the plot had to be uncovered first, but I felt like I was teased with an exciting introduction only to be dissatisfied with what followed. While the last 100 pages finally came together for me, I'm not sure I'll continue with this series.
The story follows three children of the newly deceased emperor -
1) Kaden - first in line to the throne, who was sent to a monastery for 10 years
2) Valyn - second in line, who is training to be an elite soldier
3) Adare - the sister, who remains at home and has no claim to the throne
I enjoyed Kaden's story the most. But even his "lessons" with Tan became tedious over time. Valyn was an admirable character and his Kettral trials were quite exciting. Adare, sadly, had a bit part until the very end.
What aggravated me the most was the lack of urgency around retrieving Kaden when the emperor's death was revealed. I know the plot had to be uncovered first, but I felt like I was teased with an exciting introduction only to be dissatisfied with what followed. While the last 100 pages finally came together for me, I'm not sure I'll continue with this series.
More like 3.5 stars. Engaging story and characters that are mottled down by pacing hindered by gratuitous info-dumping. I felt like there was more "telling" than "showing".
adventurous
dark
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
I had a hard time putting this book down (figuratively since I'm listening to the audio book). The world is fascinating, the mysteries intriguing, and the protagonists at least emotionally relatable. The narrators are the three children of a murdered king, each living under completely different circumstances (the crown prince learning important lessons at a monastery, his brother training to join the most elite units of the military, and his older sister learning to operate the political system at the capital knowing she can never rule the kingdom.
Technically this is another entry in the grimdark genre. I did not find it as audacious in scope as Game of Thrones, or as weighty as the absolutely brilliant (but emotionally draining) First Law trilogy by Joe Abercrombie. In this first book at least I've been able to mostly skip past the dark parts and enjoy the humor and become engrossed in this very well paced and well structured plot.
Technically this is another entry in the grimdark genre. I did not find it as audacious in scope as Game of Thrones, or as weighty as the absolutely brilliant (but emotionally draining) First Law trilogy by Joe Abercrombie. In this first book at least I've been able to mostly skip past the dark parts and enjoy the humor and become engrossed in this very well paced and well structured plot.
I don't really like fantasy-books for adults, because most of the time they are -in my opinion- too long and have so many details (that I will mostly forget within the next pages). This book, however, was fantastic. Not only the characters but the WORLD-BUILDING. Sheez, the world-building was fantastic. The differences between the monks, court, and Kettrals -they all have their own teaching ways.
And the Chrestiim o_0
We still haven't seen them in action, but the stories are enough to give me the creeps. They have no emotion. They can feel pain, and they want to learn new things, but they don't feel, love, hatred, sadness, and that's what makes them so dangerous. Thay can kill without regret and they DO kill without regret.
I will definitely read the next book! ^^
And the Chrestiim o_0
We still haven't seen them in action, but the stories are enough to give me the creeps. They have no emotion. They can feel pain, and they want to learn new things, but they don't feel, love, hatred, sadness, and that's what makes them so dangerous. Thay can kill without regret and they DO kill without regret.
I will definitely read the next book! ^^
adventurous
dark
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
adventurous
dark
fast-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
Excellent storytelling, weaving 3 perspectives that come together at the end. Some nice twists to keep the pages turning and fun world building help make this one a delight to read