A review by mpatel66
The Wilding by C.S. Friedman

3.0

I read In Conquest Born four years ago; there's not much I remember about it, but I distinctly remember it being excellent. Even the blurb makes me want to read it again! Perhaps my tastes have changed over the course of four years, but as I was reading The Wilding, instinctively, I knew that this would not break through to the coveted 5* rating.

Friedman's prose is sublime (the words flow seamlessly from page to mind), and her world-building is meticulous. As usual, the main plot of the novel resolved itself, but the next stage in the development of that world's history is left ambiguous --a Friedman trademark Friedman that leaves the reader simultaneously satisfied but yearning for more.

Friedman usually offers complex and compelling characters, and these were present in the book, but as minor characters. The two major characters just didn't quite hit the spot for me...Tathas was not quite dark enough and lacked logical consistency in his behaviour, displaying empathetic qualities unsuited to a Braxin. The main female character was so spineless that I can't even be bothered to pick up the book to lookup her name.

Overall, a fun and quick read, but the characters were not to the standard that I expect from Friedman.