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A review by kalervonpoika
Silent Hall by N.S. Dolkart
4.0
There may be slight spoilers, but no major plot points or character histories.
I picked up this book and read the first chapter and I was interested in Narky. Then, other characters came in, particularly Criton (the general idea of the race of whom I have had some creative dealings with myself), and I became more interested. Alone, each main character has a compelling background that I like; the problem is when they all come together. I had really hoped that the party would warm up to Narky and actually treat him like one of the "pack". Instead, they kept thinking to themselves "well maybe he's not that bad" one day and then the next yelling at him for criticism that no one else in their party would have been so berated about. Overall, the character dynamic is where I felt this book felt short for my tastes, but it has wonderfully great potential, especially near the end when Narky's big secret seems like it will be revealed soon. I hope in the next book he gets more respect. Psander was disappointing to me in a good way. It is far too easy for a fantasy writer to create a nearly all-knowing magical character and let the story go as they direct, but Psander isn't really like that, and I appreciate it; this has made me reevaluate my own usage of such characters.
Other than the character concerns that I had, the plot was really wonderful. Like any story, there are slow bits and fast bits, but the slow bits were just as interesting as the fast bits for me. I actually like the Elves and the nods to the Gaelic mythos when introducing them whereas if the Elves had been described to me without the context, I may not have felt so. I also like the constructed world in and of itself. I would have loved a map, but it's also easy to depend on that and "and so they traveled to x city" and let the reader look for themselves; this may have made the journey more relatable for me since I felt as lost as they may have been during their more lost stretches of narrative. I like the landscapes described and it is fairly easy for me to see them and enjoy their splendor. I cannot wait for more of the lore to be revealed in the next book! This was another thing that kept me hooked.
Overall, I rated this book with four stars because of the plot, the world, and the individual characters. The character dynamic just didn't agree with me, although I realize conflict is essential; this is another point of reevaluation for me. I really enjoyed the book and will definitely read the next (and the next if one is in the works)!
I picked up this book and read the first chapter and I was interested in Narky. Then, other characters came in, particularly Criton (the general idea of the race of whom I have had some creative dealings with myself), and I became more interested. Alone, each main character has a compelling background that I like; the problem is when they all come together. I had really hoped that the party would warm up to Narky and actually treat him like one of the "pack". Instead, they kept thinking to themselves "well maybe he's not that bad" one day and then the next yelling at him for criticism that no one else in their party would have been so berated about. Overall, the character dynamic is where I felt this book felt short for my tastes, but it has wonderfully great potential, especially near the end when Narky's big secret seems like it will be revealed soon. I hope in the next book he gets more respect. Psander was disappointing to me in a good way. It is far too easy for a fantasy writer to create a nearly all-knowing magical character and let the story go as they direct, but Psander isn't really like that, and I appreciate it; this has made me reevaluate my own usage of such characters.
Other than the character concerns that I had, the plot was really wonderful. Like any story, there are slow bits and fast bits, but the slow bits were just as interesting as the fast bits for me. I actually like the Elves and the nods to the Gaelic mythos when introducing them whereas if the Elves had been described to me without the context, I may not have felt so. I also like the constructed world in and of itself. I would have loved a map, but it's also easy to depend on that and "and so they traveled to x city" and let the reader look for themselves; this may have made the journey more relatable for me since I felt as lost as they may have been during their more lost stretches of narrative. I like the landscapes described and it is fairly easy for me to see them and enjoy their splendor. I cannot wait for more of the lore to be revealed in the next book! This was another thing that kept me hooked.
Overall, I rated this book with four stars because of the plot, the world, and the individual characters. The character dynamic just didn't agree with me, although I realize conflict is essential; this is another point of reevaluation for me. I really enjoyed the book and will definitely read the next (and the next if one is in the works)!