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A review by aggressive_nostalgia
Mystic and Rider by Sharon Shinn
5.0
A fabulous novel. I read and enjoyed several of Shinn's books for teens, and I came across this at a nonlocal library and pounced on the chance to read it—and loved it.
I really liked Shinn's choice to start off the prologue from the viewpoint of a character who was neither a hero nor villain nor random passerby—intrigue, oolala! Even if he never returns to the story, it added an extra level of depth to the universe without seeming totally arbitrary or unnecessary.
The plot, even with only very vague structure, an unremarkable premise, and a rather predictable ending, never lagged. I couldn’t put it down. It had a good balance of action and intrigue, was generally well-paced, and left plenty of room for character development. All the characters are very vibrant and individualized, carefully nuanced, interesting, powerful, and still completely human. They’re a bit archetypical, and you don’t get inside everyone’s heads, but there are clearly defined personalities and they do develop over the story’s course. I think Cammon and Donnal are my favorites. Again, I am very impressed with Shinn’s ability to build a gripping book off character development, without depending on plot alone to hold the reader’s interest. I have so much respect for that kind of writing.
Even though the ending wasn’t a cliffhanger as such, I will without a doubt read the subsequent books in the series. I am very excited to see where it will lead, and have the chance to get inside some of the other characters’ heads.
I really liked Shinn's choice to start off the prologue from the viewpoint of a character who was neither a hero nor villain nor random passerby—intrigue, oolala! Even if he never returns to the story, it added an extra level of depth to the universe without seeming totally arbitrary or unnecessary.
The plot, even with only very vague structure, an unremarkable premise, and a rather predictable ending, never lagged. I couldn’t put it down. It had a good balance of action and intrigue, was generally well-paced, and left plenty of room for character development. All the characters are very vibrant and individualized, carefully nuanced, interesting, powerful, and still completely human. They’re a bit archetypical, and you don’t get inside everyone’s heads, but there are clearly defined personalities and they do develop over the story’s course. I think Cammon and Donnal are my favorites. Again, I am very impressed with Shinn’s ability to build a gripping book off character development, without depending on plot alone to hold the reader’s interest. I have so much respect for that kind of writing.
Even though the ending wasn’t a cliffhanger as such, I will without a doubt read the subsequent books in the series. I am very excited to see where it will lead, and have the chance to get inside some of the other characters’ heads.