A review by kiiouex
The Riddle by Alison Croggon

3.0

I'm finding I'm really indifferent to this one, which is unusual for me. It is very long and very slow, but after the first one that's kind of what I was on board for; it's book two of a quartet, so obviously it's going to take it's sweet fucking time doing anything. But the countryside of the long rides is nice; it's a very undemanding read, because it's so tropey and familiar. Maybe I should dislike it more for the pacing, but it means when anything interesting or dramatic does happen it stands out more.

Anyway, I was quite on board with this one, until near the end -

Spoiler

I do not understand how Maerad was actually in love with Arkan? Sincerely, no witchcraft? Why??? That just - confused me.

And for all that I don't mind the slowburn quest and romance, I flicked ahead to reviews of the third and fourth books, and since the third one isn't about Maerad, and

Spoiler

Cadvan and Maerad's romance supposedly barely pays off

, I think I might hop off this train here instead of slogging through another thousand pages. I don't need to find out if Light defeats Dark, actually, because I have the strangest premonition that it will. Cadvan and Maerad were the part of the first one that really held up, and that's... not as prominent as I'd need, as the carrot to get me to the end of this series. No ill will, these books are just dense.