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books_with_benghis_kahn 's review for:
The Emperor's Blades
by Brian Staveley
3.5 stars rounded down but excited to continue. This was a strange read for me -- one of the POVs clicked very much, while the other main one never quite worked. I ate up everything to do with Kaden in the Buddhist-style monastery on the mountain, and became pretty attached to him and just about every side character there.
However, while Valyn's chapters were never a chore to read or unengaging, something always just seemed a bit off with the whole scenario on the Kettral training island. I will chalk this one up to the book being a debut, needing to do set-up, and an author writing a scenario around an elite military unit that maybe he didn't have much personal experience with. It never felt like there were enough people on the island, whether other cadets, older Kettral, or locals--with the result being that a lot of it felt like a YA plotline about a protagonist and his friends/love interest vs. a bully and his cronies -- and I'm not a fan of that kind of plot, but it just seemed out of place particularly in this training environment. The character of Ha Lin in particular really grated on my nerves, and
As far as mysteries and twists and turns, I was satisfied that I couldn't predict much of anything and was kept on my toes til the end. I'm very intrigued by the lore and history of the world, and I'm a big fan of this kind of epic fantasy with a good bit of grit.
Ultimately I am happy I read it and am hopeful that this can become a great series, since Staveley writes in what is probably my most preferred genre and accessible writing style.
However, while Valyn's chapters were never a chore to read or unengaging, something always just seemed a bit off with the whole scenario on the Kettral training island. I will chalk this one up to the book being a debut, needing to do set-up, and an author writing a scenario around an elite military unit that maybe he didn't have much personal experience with. It never felt like there were enough people on the island, whether other cadets, older Kettral, or locals--with the result being that a lot of it felt like a YA plotline about a protagonist and his friends/love interest vs. a bully and his cronies -- and I'm not a fan of that kind of plot, but it just seemed out of place particularly in this training environment. The character of Ha Lin in particular really grated on my nerves, and
Spoiler
can't say I was at all upset when she got surprisingly murdered--never a good sign when one of the good guys dying is a huge sigh of relief for my enjoyment of the rest of the series!As far as mysteries and twists and turns, I was satisfied that I couldn't predict much of anything and was kept on my toes til the end. I'm very intrigued by the lore and history of the world, and I'm a big fan of this kind of epic fantasy with a good bit of grit.
Ultimately I am happy I read it and am hopeful that this can become a great series, since Staveley writes in what is probably my most preferred genre and accessible writing style.