Scan barcode
A review by mxsallybend
Valley of Embers by Steven Kelliher
3.0
This was a book that wasted no time getting straight to the action, showing (as opposed to telling) the reader the dangers of The Valley. There's a lot of very cool world-building and info shared throughout, but it's all delivered via the story, free of info-dumps or long-winded lectures. This is a complex world of darkness and monsters, where fire itself is a legitimate magic. There's also an interesting history behind it all, a sort of post-apocalyptic high fantasy.
While the characters were nothing special, with only a few really standing out in my mind, there was nothing wrong with them. They were entirely serviceable, with both strengths and flaws, but I felt some of them could benefit from a little more personality. Similarly, their dialogue sometimes felt a little stilted or forced, without the easy rapport of natural conversation. The storytelling itself, though, was well done, with a style and a pacing that lends itself to a quick, easy read.
Originally reviewed at Beauty in Ruins
While the characters were nothing special, with only a few really standing out in my mind, there was nothing wrong with them. They were entirely serviceable, with both strengths and flaws, but I felt some of them could benefit from a little more personality. Similarly, their dialogue sometimes felt a little stilted or forced, without the easy rapport of natural conversation. The storytelling itself, though, was well done, with a style and a pacing that lends itself to a quick, easy read.
Originally reviewed at Beauty in Ruins