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4.1 AVERAGE
4.1 AVERAGE
adventurous
dark
emotional
slow-paced
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
adventurous
dark
emotional
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
adventurous
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
inspiring
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
adventurous
dark
emotional
medium-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
adventurous
dark
medium-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
mysterious
reflective
slow-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
Not a bad book at all, but it's not what I'm in the mood for at the moment. I feel that when I'm ready to jump back into a big, epic fantasy, it won't be this one, unfortunately. I didn't vibe with some of the prose choices and the editing was quite bad. It feels like reading an unpolished early draft at points. But the ideas are great, and I can tell the story is building to something interesting, but it's not what I want at this moment. I'm glad I borrowed it from the library instead of buying it.
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
informative
inspiring
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-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
Characters: 4⭐️
Setting: 4⭐️
Plot: 3.5⭐️
Themes: 4⭐️
Personal enjoyment: 4⭐️
Emotional Impact: 4⭐️
Overall rating: 4.25/5⭐️
A slow burning dark-epic fantasy with masterful world building. I was fully immersed in this rich fantastical world RJ Barker wrote. With intense battle scenes to keep the reader hooked. A world with warriors, gods, prophecy, and a forest full of monsters. This is everything I love when reading a fantasy book.
My only critique is the very dense vocabulary requires the reader to be patient and just continue reading despite not fully understanding all of the terminology the author is throwing at you. Especially early on in the book. There is no glossary so you have to just go with it and trust the process. Definitely not for an entry level fantasy reader.
You can certainly tell this is setting up for a bigger arc being the first book in a trilogy. I’m excited to start book 2.
Cahan is the chosen one and a warrior, but is now known as the forester. He has been cast aside as a new chosen one has emerged and lives in exile. Cahan is drawn back into the world by Udinny, a monk who serves the goddess of the lost. Udinny seeks Cahan as her guide into the Wyrdwood forest to find a missing child. Into the forest they go where betrayal, redemption, monsters and destiny awaits.