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kittyg 's review for:
The Forgetting Moon
by Brian Lee Durfee
I picked this one up on audiobook when a fellow reviewer, Petrik (see his review HERE) gave it a really great score and said anyone who loved fantasy a lot should try it. Now, having read it, I can see why he gave it such a glowing review and I have to admit that whilst it's a chunky tome it's one with a lot of the good old fun tropes I enjoy, and some more modern twists (e.g. not all the women are just damsels in distress - YAY).
This is the story of the Five Isles and the final place which remains unconquered, Gul Kana. We follow a whole host of characters from both sides of the upcoming war, and they are all equally fascinating and horrific all at once.
*TRIGGER WARNING for TORTURE, GENOCIDE, RAPE & MURDER etc...usual fantasy warnings but pretty graphic at times*
I won't go into too much detail on the specifics of everyone, because that would take a while. but some of the key characters of note to me were Nial, Ava-Shay, Talia and Jondra-Lynn (ignore all my guesses for the spelling if incorrect, I audio-booked). I have to admit, I didn't always like all of them, as they are pretty frustrating and make some bad decisions, but then again they are all relatively young adults and teens and therefore they are bound to make mistakes.
We also have the Angel Prince, Gault, Spade and more on the opposing side as the conquerors. I have to say their conquering is BLOODY and GROSS and not nice to read about, but it was also one of the most realistic torture scenes I have read and for that the author has to get credit.
In terms of the world building there are plenty of things to get excited about because we span a large range of terrains and cities, villages, mines and beyond. There is nothing too 'original' but it is handled nicely throughout and I found myself enjoying seeing the journey between these places as we follow the characters on their adventures.
One element which I liked a lot was the secret missions that Talia ends up doing. I think this added a little more mystery to the story than some of the other plots and although she sometimes comes across as pretty young and naive I do enjoy her plot.
I also liked seeing the strife in Gul Kana between the King and his siblings as there is a lot of discord which leads his sisters down dark paths and to do dramatic things.
There is a big reveal at the end of the book and it feels very climatic which I liked after such a long read, but it is a bit of a slow starter and mainly this story is the foundation for what will come later in the series. With that being said I do hear very good things about the later books and I think I will have to go on to book 2 soon :) 4*s from me!
This is the story of the Five Isles and the final place which remains unconquered, Gul Kana. We follow a whole host of characters from both sides of the upcoming war, and they are all equally fascinating and horrific all at once.
*TRIGGER WARNING for TORTURE, GENOCIDE, RAPE & MURDER etc...usual fantasy warnings but pretty graphic at times*
I won't go into too much detail on the specifics of everyone, because that would take a while. but some of the key characters of note to me were Nial, Ava-Shay, Talia and Jondra-Lynn (ignore all my guesses for the spelling if incorrect, I audio-booked). I have to admit, I didn't always like all of them, as they are pretty frustrating and make some bad decisions, but then again they are all relatively young adults and teens and therefore they are bound to make mistakes.
We also have the Angel Prince, Gault, Spade and more on the opposing side as the conquerors. I have to say their conquering is BLOODY and GROSS and not nice to read about, but it was also one of the most realistic torture scenes I have read and for that the author has to get credit.
In terms of the world building there are plenty of things to get excited about because we span a large range of terrains and cities, villages, mines and beyond. There is nothing too 'original' but it is handled nicely throughout and I found myself enjoying seeing the journey between these places as we follow the characters on their adventures.
One element which I liked a lot was the secret missions that Talia ends up doing. I think this added a little more mystery to the story than some of the other plots and although she sometimes comes across as pretty young and naive I do enjoy her plot.
I also liked seeing the strife in Gul Kana between the King and his siblings as there is a lot of discord which leads his sisters down dark paths and to do dramatic things.
There is a big reveal at the end of the book and it feels very climatic which I liked after such a long read, but it is a bit of a slow starter and mainly this story is the foundation for what will come later in the series. With that being said I do hear very good things about the later books and I think I will have to go on to book 2 soon :) 4*s from me!