A review by znorgaard
The Summer Tree by Guy Gavriel Kay

3.0

This book definitely falls in the "like not love" category.

There are a lot of over used tropes present. People from earth go to a different magical world where they're crucial for saving the realm. Ancient dormant evil is reawakening/escaping and making its presence known. There's a nomadic horse riding people.

Spoiler

Dwarves got greedy in their mining.

There's a super serious military leaning prince and a capable but flirtatious prince. There's a christ figure. There's a mysterious and elusive immortal people that live in the forest. So. Many. Tropes.

There are some interesting bits. While some of these are tropes, I haven't seen them used quite as often. Taking a page from ancient Rome/Greece, gods are more involved in the mortal realm and there are children of gods, meaningful sacrifices, etc. The tapestry and lives as threads being woven in is a big deal. There are two types of magic. One wild and untamed. One relying on a partner giving their power to fuel spells.

Overall, it's an interesting world that feels uninspired in a few places. A few characters get some development in this book, but I'm hoping we see more from some of the others in the next two books. The villains are a little too plainly evil for my liking as well. I tend to enjoy Kay's writing so I'm hoping I'm in for a surprise in the next two books.