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A review by kristinakaldenbach
The Ember Blade by Chris Wooding
2.0
Oh boy, do I have things to say about this book. I don't understand how so many people are giving this 5-stars.
First off, it's about 500 pages too long. This sucker is 800 pages thick and so much of it could have been condensed down and still conveyed and got across what was needed. There were so many descriptions that were way too long about side characters and stories that just weren't necessary.
I also did not like the main character, Aren. He was like 15 years old and I think it would have been much better if he was older. Some of what he did just didn't make sense for a 15-year-old. He grew up as a Kroden, with no patriotism to Osia at all, then all of a sudden that completely flips around? Didn't make sense. And his and Cade's relationship was so odd to me. It felt like the author was forcing us to look at this as a deep friendship but I just didn't get that from them. I felt it for Gerric and Keel, but Cade and Aren's friendship just didn't make sense to me.
Also, people who say this book is not filled with the common cliches or tropes that other fantasy novels are filled with are straight-up lying. I saw things coming a mile away because they've been done time and time again. It was not new or innovative. Who the champion was from Vika's dream was so obvious from the start and I did not like it.
I really liked Grub and his character arc. I also enjoyed Gerric and his backstory as well as Vika and Ruke. The reveal of Aren's father's past was really good, I thought, and not what I was expecting. My favorite part of the book was when they were going through Skavengard. I thought that part was very interesting.
Overall, this was just way too long. Especially for being the first book in a series. And I just really didn't care about Aren, at all.
First off, it's about 500 pages too long. This sucker is 800 pages thick and so much of it could have been condensed down and still conveyed and got across what was needed. There were so many descriptions that were way too long about side characters and stories that just weren't necessary.
I also did not like the main character, Aren. He was like 15 years old and I think it would have been much better if he was older. Some of what he did just didn't make sense for a 15-year-old. He grew up as a Kroden, with no patriotism to Osia at all, then all of a sudden that completely flips around? Didn't make sense. And his and Cade's relationship was so odd to me. It felt like the author was forcing us to look at this as a deep friendship but I just didn't get that from them. I felt it for Gerric and Keel, but Cade and Aren's friendship just didn't make sense to me.
Also, people who say this book is not filled with the common cliches or tropes that other fantasy novels are filled with are straight-up lying. I saw things coming a mile away because they've been done time and time again. It was not new or innovative. Who the champion was from Vika's dream was so obvious from the start and I did not like it.
I really liked Grub and his character arc. I also enjoyed Gerric and his backstory as well as Vika and Ruke. The reveal of Aren's father's past was really good, I thought, and not what I was expecting. My favorite part of the book was when they were going through Skavengard. I thought that part was very interesting.
Overall, this was just way too long. Especially for being the first book in a series. And I just really didn't care about Aren, at all.