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A review by barb4ry1
Valley of Embers by Steven Kelliher
3.0
Valley of Embers was recommended to me on r/fantasy. People around there seem genuinely thrilled by it. Was the hype justified?
Not really.
Once upon a time, there was a community that lived in the desert. Some of them had the power to control fire. They were called Embers and they have been the last line of defense against the nightmare creatures from the World Apart. When evil came, King of Embers leads his people to the Valley that was supposed to guarantee them safety. If it worked out, there would be no book, so obviously things went wrong. The Ember King and the White Crest –a Sage – left the Valley to tear down the evil nad while doing so they blocked the passage out of the Valley.
Fast forward few generations and we meet Kole Rayna – an Ember who has little faith in Sages, prophecies and legends. As the story progresses his beliefs stop to matter as he needs to help others fight the Night Lord.
Apart from Kole, there are other important characters, namely Linn, Baas, Iyana, Ninyeva. We learn more about them throughout the story. However, we don’t learn enough to make me care for any of them. It’s rather plot oriented story and characters serve the author to lead the reader through story arcs.
It’s actually difficult to explain the plot and all the twists without drawing complicated diagrams and hundreds of words. Let me just say it’s not really a straightforward and clear story. It’s more like an overly complicated set of puzzles that don't reveal anything thrilling. I found it difficult to get into the book and, truth be told, I never really succeeded. There were moments I enjoyed, there were good ideas and nice descriptions. There was also a lot of info – dumping, slow and unexciting world – building. The pacing was uneven, some chapters didn’t resolve anything. They just made the plot more confusing. If you enjoy patchworks, you may approve this kind of narration. Personally, I find it tiring.
As mentioned above I didn’t make friends with any of the characters. They all seem moderately convincing. The relationships between them lack emotions, there’s not a lot of character development, there’s little insight into protagonists minds. One example is the relationship between Kole and his father Karin. The bond between them is unnoticeable, and their interactions are rather distant. Sure, it may be rooted in Kole’s backstory (his mother death) but we don’t learn more about it.
And that’s a problem because when I can’t relate to at least one of characters, even the best story won’t be enough to keep me connected and engaged.
The prose is poetic and rich and some of the descriptions are excellent (places, Dark Kind, magic spells). It complements well the scenery and story arcs. While it works well for places, it doesn’t work that well in battle descriptions. Some of them are slow. It’s subjective and you may well enjoy this slow-motion effect. I didn’t. It’s especially evident In final Wight. They talk, they fight, I look at the watch and await the end impatiently.
Overall, I believe this book will appeal to many readers. For me, it was lacking some linear direction and better, clearer, structure. At times the things were way too slow and I had a hard time getting into the story. Actually, in order to appreciate events more, you would do well to have a pen while reading it and writing down who is who and what does it mean in this world.
The world is undoubtedly creative and I like the idea of Embers, Dark Kind threat and some of the twists. What puts me off though are characters that lack, well, character.
I won’t be reaching for the sequel but I think it’s a book worth trying. If you look for a book with complex lore, intriguing magic/power system and nice poetic descriptions, chances are you’ll enjoy Valley of Embers. Bear in mind that it may take some time to engage you and there’s a risk it won’t succeed.
Not really.
Once upon a time, there was a community that lived in the desert. Some of them had the power to control fire. They were called Embers and they have been the last line of defense against the nightmare creatures from the World Apart. When evil came, King of Embers leads his people to the Valley that was supposed to guarantee them safety. If it worked out, there would be no book, so obviously things went wrong. The Ember King and the White Crest –a Sage – left the Valley to tear down the evil nad while doing so they blocked the passage out of the Valley.
Fast forward few generations and we meet Kole Rayna – an Ember who has little faith in Sages, prophecies and legends. As the story progresses his beliefs stop to matter as he needs to help others fight the Night Lord.
Apart from Kole, there are other important characters, namely Linn, Baas, Iyana, Ninyeva. We learn more about them throughout the story. However, we don’t learn enough to make me care for any of them. It’s rather plot oriented story and characters serve the author to lead the reader through story arcs.
It’s actually difficult to explain the plot and all the twists without drawing complicated diagrams and hundreds of words. Let me just say it’s not really a straightforward and clear story. It’s more like an overly complicated set of puzzles that don't reveal anything thrilling. I found it difficult to get into the book and, truth be told, I never really succeeded. There were moments I enjoyed, there were good ideas and nice descriptions. There was also a lot of info – dumping, slow and unexciting world – building. The pacing was uneven, some chapters didn’t resolve anything. They just made the plot more confusing. If you enjoy patchworks, you may approve this kind of narration. Personally, I find it tiring.
As mentioned above I didn’t make friends with any of the characters. They all seem moderately convincing. The relationships between them lack emotions, there’s not a lot of character development, there’s little insight into protagonists minds. One example is the relationship between Kole and his father Karin. The bond between them is unnoticeable, and their interactions are rather distant. Sure, it may be rooted in Kole’s backstory (his mother death) but we don’t learn more about it.
And that’s a problem because when I can’t relate to at least one of characters, even the best story won’t be enough to keep me connected and engaged.
The prose is poetic and rich and some of the descriptions are excellent (places, Dark Kind, magic spells). It complements well the scenery and story arcs. While it works well for places, it doesn’t work that well in battle descriptions. Some of them are slow. It’s subjective and you may well enjoy this slow-motion effect. I didn’t. It’s especially evident In final Wight. They talk, they fight, I look at the watch and await the end impatiently.
Overall, I believe this book will appeal to many readers. For me, it was lacking some linear direction and better, clearer, structure. At times the things were way too slow and I had a hard time getting into the story. Actually, in order to appreciate events more, you would do well to have a pen while reading it and writing down who is who and what does it mean in this world.
The world is undoubtedly creative and I like the idea of Embers, Dark Kind threat and some of the twists. What puts me off though are characters that lack, well, character.
I won’t be reaching for the sequel but I think it’s a book worth trying. If you look for a book with complex lore, intriguing magic/power system and nice poetic descriptions, chances are you’ll enjoy Valley of Embers. Bear in mind that it may take some time to engage you and there’s a risk it won’t succeed.