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A review by ketreads
Prelude of Fire: The Gailean Quartet, Book 1 by Christine E. Schulze
adventurous
hopeful
tense
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.5
This is an indie published book that i was approached to read by the lovely author, Christine E. Schulze. It being described as a high fantasy adventure with a found family had my attention!!
SPOILER FREE:
Christine does a fantastic job of introducing us to a vast array of characters. Her nuanced depictions of what it's like to be thrust into a hero's journey are both thoughtful and well done. I enjoyed the balance of characters and the rich world they lived within. As the book went on and we were introduced to many new locations, I found myself wishing that we got more vivid descriptions of the places these characters visit. We often saw just snap shots of creative and fantastical lands that the author has clearly put a lot of thought and effort into. The author refrains from more intricate descriptions of people, places, rooms, or objects, especially after these have been introduced or described once. I felt on the cusp of being fully immersed in the world only to have a minor detail be pointed out by a character, instead of being able to focus on these details before the character.
The characters spend so much of the book journeying from lavish location to the next that we don't get to see much of their day to day relationships develop. So much of the first half of the story characters like Ashlai and Aryl are on "not speaking terms" from various confusing arguments that they never really feel like friends. We're constantly told how characters feel about one another but aren't shown it. This is solved in the later part of the book, but I kept feeling like I should have cared about these characters sooner.
For all its imperfections, Prelude of Fire manages to make you truly come to care for each and every character. Nearing the end, I found myself tearing up more than once. Schulze's is a thoughtful author with a clear passion and creative mind to go along with it. While this book isn't perfect, there's so much potential in her writing that I'm excited to see where she takes us next, especially if it involves these characters. 🤩
SPOILER FREE:
Christine does a fantastic job of introducing us to a vast array of characters. Her nuanced depictions of what it's like to be thrust into a hero's journey are both thoughtful and well done. I enjoyed the balance of characters and the rich world they lived within. As the book went on and we were introduced to many new locations, I found myself wishing that we got more vivid descriptions of the places these characters visit. We often saw just snap shots of creative and fantastical lands that the author has clearly put a lot of thought and effort into. The author refrains from more intricate descriptions of people, places, rooms, or objects, especially after these have been introduced or described once. I felt on the cusp of being fully immersed in the world only to have a minor detail be pointed out by a character, instead of being able to focus on these details before the character.
The characters spend so much of the book journeying from lavish location to the next that we don't get to see much of their day to day relationships develop. So much of the first half of the story characters like Ashlai and Aryl are on "not speaking terms" from various confusing arguments that they never really feel like friends. We're constantly told how characters feel about one another but aren't shown it. This is solved in the later part of the book, but I kept feeling like I should have cared about these characters sooner.
For all its imperfections, Prelude of Fire manages to make you truly come to care for each and every character. Nearing the end, I found myself tearing up more than once. Schulze's is a thoughtful author with a clear passion and creative mind to go along with it. While this book isn't perfect, there's so much potential in her writing that I'm excited to see where she takes us next, especially if it involves these characters. 🤩