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3.63 AVERAGE
3.63 AVERAGE
Picked this up because it was included on audible and a brief skim of the synopsis sounded decent. This ended up catching me off guard and was heavier than I expected. There were some odd choices in the direction of the plot, but it fit the world building and atmosphere. I enjoyed it and I’ll stick around to see what happens next.
adventurous
dark
funny
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
This book was a lot of fun and really came at a good time for me - there have been a lot of books I started this summer and did-not-finish and I began to worry that the problem is me, not the books. To be fair, I've been reading for so long, and I've read so many awesome books, that I just don't have the same patience for mediocre books any more. But I like discovering new authors, so I keep trying new books and new authors, but I kissed a fair few frogs this summer. This book actually turned into a prince for me! It had an old school vibe, and was a fun mash-up of detective noir in a low magic, fantasy setting and it was adult, grounded, and serious enough to appreciate the story but fun enough to enjoy as well. To fair, it's probably a 4 to 4.5 star read - it was good enough to make me want to read a sequel right away, but it's also not LOTR or Game of Thrones. But it was solidly enjoyable and I'm definitely reading the next in the series.
Enjoyable, if breezy. The end felt a bit deux ex machina for my tastes, so I was going to rate it a bit lower, but then I had to admit I couldn't put it down, so - 4 stars it is. Some people seem to complain that the cover image depicts a scene never in the book, but of course it does - *not really spoilers* - it is obviously the often-referenced memory the protagonist has of trying to save a princess while younger. Odd to put a memory rather than a main scene on the cover, but then again it's a life-changing moment for the character, that arguably turns him into the guy in the book, so it's certainly not out of bounds.
I am sure that some will find fault in this book for modern expressions being used in a sword wielding fantasy world, but it worked for me. It fit well with the tone tone of the book. The main character, and incidentally the writing style was a quite devil-may-care.
The story follows the exploits of Eddie LaCrosse, a sword-for-hire with an interesting path. Hid adventure is full of mystery, swashbuckling, and a bit of mayhem.
The sum total was a fun fantasy romp. At some point, I'd like to read further into the series.
The story follows the exploits of Eddie LaCrosse, a sword-for-hire with an interesting path. Hid adventure is full of mystery, swashbuckling, and a bit of mayhem.
The sum total was a fun fantasy romp. At some point, I'd like to read further into the series.
I'm in a group that does a monthly challenge. For April the challenge is to read the books I’ve been saving for a rainy day, with the intent being that I find something I love. So far this hasn't happened, but at least I've checked several of them off my list.
I wanted to like this because I enjoyed the mystery and fantasy combo but this was disappointing. There were several times I wanted to quit, but I stuck with it to the end.
I dislike the way women are portrayed in general in this book, and I suspect all the author's books will be the same. One part in particular that annoyed the heck out of me, was a character alluding to the fact that horses are a sexual thing to women. This kind of crap thinking is why it took women so long to be able to ride astride a horse, instead of on those dangerous side saddles. It was a tiny blip of a conversation in the book, that most people will probably read and move past without much thought, but it struck the wrong nerve with me. There are lots of other examples of the way the female characters are treated in this book that just didn't sit well with me. None of them had any real good substantial roles in the book, not even Epona. It was always about sex or abuse in some way.
Then there's Eddie, who didn't come off as very likable to me. I wanted to like him, but he never really let me. I especially disliked the way he treated Rhiannon near the end when he wanted to see the mark on her thigh. He had her thinking he was going to rape her. There was no need for that.
Of course, I'm sure you've guessed that I will not be continuing with this series.
Review also posted at Writings of a Reader.
I wanted to like this because I enjoyed the mystery and fantasy combo but this was disappointing. There were several times I wanted to quit, but I stuck with it to the end.
I dislike the way women are portrayed in general in this book, and I suspect all the author's books will be the same. One part in particular that annoyed the heck out of me, was a character alluding to the fact that horses are a sexual thing to women. This kind of crap thinking is why it took women so long to be able to ride astride a horse, instead of on those dangerous side saddles. It was a tiny blip of a conversation in the book, that most people will probably read and move past without much thought, but it struck the wrong nerve with me. There are lots of other examples of the way the female characters are treated in this book that just didn't sit well with me. None of them had any real good substantial roles in the book, not even Epona. It was always about sex or abuse in some way.
Then there's Eddie, who didn't come off as very likable to me. I wanted to like him, but he never really let me. I especially disliked the way he treated Rhiannon near the end when he wanted to see the mark on her thigh. He had her thinking he was going to rape her. There was no need for that.
Of course, I'm sure you've guessed that I will not be continuing with this series.
Review also posted at Writings of a Reader.
adventurous
funny
fast-paced
adventurous
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes