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3.82 AVERAGE
3.82 AVERAGE
Basically Feist's usual coming-of-age story he keeps rewriting over and over, only this time it's grimdark. Full review: https://fakegeekboy.wordpress.com/2011/09/19/the-reading-canary-the-serpentwar-saga/
I just finished the audiobook and man did I enjoy it!
Again, Raymond E. Feist proves why he is my new fave author.
However, this book isn't my usual read so I'm pretty sure that had I not listened to it, i wouldn't have enjoyed it as much just because it was quite heavy on the war and there was less magic than before.
Anyway, I loved it and that's it :D
Again, Raymond E. Feist proves why he is my new fave author.
However, this book isn't my usual read so I'm pretty sure that had I not listened to it, i wouldn't have enjoyed it as much just because it was quite heavy on the war and there was less magic than before.
Anyway, I loved it and that's it :D
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
5 star - Perfect
4 star - i would recommend
3 star - good
2 star - struggled to complete
1 star - could not finish
4 star - i would recommend
3 star - good
2 star - struggled to complete
1 star - could not finish
adventurous
dark
emotional
tense
medium-paced
Again, I had read this before, but I'm rereading it for a Feist reread.
I liked this book much better on a reread than when I first read it. The Kingdom is a very different place without Arutha, and following non-noble protagonists for the first time brings a completely different, less fantastical feel to things. It's somehow grittier and real. Erik and Roo are more flawed than any of the previous protagonists we meet (except maybe the twins) and we see them grow a lot in this story. It is important to note that the feel is completely different from the 5 books that came before though. If you aren't expecting that change in tone, it can be jarring.
I wish Miranda was fleshed out as a character more, but part of her allure I guess was how mysterious she is. We get to know all the other new characters fairly well, but for how big Miranda will eventually be in the series, I feel like I never really got to know her very well at all. It's a pleasure to see James as the Duke of Krondor, and seeing how as an adult, he is influenced by so many of the people he had met/known as a boy.
I liked this book much better on a reread than when I first read it. The Kingdom is a very different place without Arutha, and following non-noble protagonists for the first time brings a completely different, less fantastical feel to things. It's somehow grittier and real. Erik and Roo are more flawed than any of the previous protagonists we meet (except maybe the twins) and we see them grow a lot in this story. It is important to note that the feel is completely different from the 5 books that came before though. If you aren't expecting that change in tone, it can be jarring.
I wish Miranda was fleshed out as a character more, but part of her allure I guess was how mysterious she is. We get to know all the other new characters fairly well, but for how big Miranda will eventually be in the series, I feel like I never really got to know her very well at all. It's a pleasure to see James as the Duke of Krondor, and seeing how as an adult, he is influenced by so many of the people he had met/known as a boy.
The start of a new branch of The Riftwar Cycle, The Serpentwar Saga, Shadow of a Dark Queen follows the story of Eric Von Darkmoor, the illegitimate son of a Baron, who is pulled into the kingdom's fight against the Pantatheons.
I found this book to be much more interesting plot-wise and there weren't any distracting romances that tends to be cringey.
I found this book to be much more interesting plot-wise and there weren't any distracting romances that tends to be cringey.
Not a bad read, but definitely not up to the quality of some of Feist's earlier work. The main character Erik is agreeable enough but I didn't feel particularly drawn to him. Nakor makes another appearance in the series in this book and is as quirky and enjoyable as ever.
Despite not being drawn into the plot all that much, I am interested to see how Pug (still one of my favorite characters created by Feist) fits into the story.
Despite not being drawn into the plot all that much, I am interested to see how Pug (still one of my favorite characters created by Feist) fits into the story.
adventurous
dark
funny
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
This is a military book with some fantasy and magic sprinkled here and there. A lot of the book is spent on an army unit and their quest travelling across the land to complete a mission. Unfortunately, I wasn’t the biggest fan of that.
It’s well written for the most part. What is given is enjoyable writing and descriptions with a few weak spots here and there (a rape scene within 20 pages of the protagonist losing their virginity? Okay then) and plot points that are incredibly specific that would only work in the situations provided by Feist (The big camp gathering about 60% into the book). There was some hint towards moral ambiguity near the end but it didn’t reeeally deliver like I was hoping.
A number of characters feel incredibly weak in the story, so much so that I found I could likely swap them out with each other and not have much change in the narrative or story. Nakor came into his own a bit later, becoming a Sho Pi 2.0. Better in basically every way. Hatonis, Jadow, Praji and Luis could all be removed from the story and I doubt I would remember any of them - I only know their names because I wrote them down. Having more depth in these side characters other than a different name would have been a welcome addition.
When the military stuff took a pause for the magic stuff to happen, that’s when I enjoyed it most. Hell, even then I was still waiting for something cool to happen and was only rewarded in the last 100 or so pages.
With this said, there are some glowingly fantastic moments throughout: the gallows walk, the execution of the climax, the giant demon during the prologue (sans lore drop)? All master class moments of tension and keeping the reader interested throughout the section.
It’s just a shame it’s so military based because I don’t think I enjoyed it as much as I was hoping. Let’s see how book 2 turns out.
It’s well written for the most part. What is given is enjoyable writing and descriptions with a few weak spots here and there (a rape scene within 20 pages of the protagonist losing their virginity? Okay then) and plot points that are incredibly specific that would only work in the situations provided by Feist (The big camp gathering about 60% into the book). There was some hint towards moral ambiguity near the end but it didn’t reeeally deliver like I was hoping.
A number of characters feel incredibly weak in the story, so much so that I found I could likely swap them out with each other and not have much change in the narrative or story. Nakor came into his own a bit later, becoming a Sho Pi 2.0. Better in basically every way. Hatonis, Jadow, Praji and Luis could all be removed from the story and I doubt I would remember any of them - I only know their names because I wrote them down. Having more depth in these side characters other than a different name would have been a welcome addition.
When the military stuff took a pause for the magic stuff to happen, that’s when I enjoyed it most. Hell, even then I was still waiting for something cool to happen and was only rewarded in the last 100 or so pages.
With this said, there are some glowingly fantastic moments throughout: the gallows walk, the execution of the climax, the giant demon during the prologue (sans lore drop)? All master class moments of tension and keeping the reader interested throughout the section.
It’s just a shame it’s so military based because I don’t think I enjoyed it as much as I was hoping. Let’s see how book 2 turns out.