neilsef's reviews
285 reviews

Mark of the Hunter by A.E. Rayne

adventurous dark mysterious sad tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

5.0

This book relates the harrowing retreat of Hakon Vettel and his men back to Slussfalls after their defeat at Ottby by Reinar Vilander and his men, who now look to repair the damage done to the fort before attacking Slussfalls with the help of Ake Bluefinn's men, to eliminate the Vettel's once and for all.

Alys, Eddeth and Stina set out to find Alys' children, but are once again drawn into the conflict between the Vettel's and the Vilander's.

As with the previous book, there is a lot of action as problems beset the Vettel's retreat, which mixes magic, spirits and Gods for a tense and gripping tale. It also starts to reveal Alys' past, which turns out to be full of surprises.

Along with the entertaining and engaging action, there is a wealth of characterisation, with wonderful dialogue and interactions between all the various characters, one of many being Eddeth, who is just bursting with personality.

This is just as engaging as the Furyck Saga was,  so if you have read that, read this. 

Eye of the Wolf by A.E. Rayne

adventurous dark mysterious sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

This series is set in the same world as the Furyck Saga, but in the land of Alekka, with a whole new cast of characters, though a few who were in the saga do make an appearance here.

The main protagonist is Alys, who together with most of the women of her village are captured during a raid by the men of Ottby, who intend to sell them as slaves so they can pay warriors to help defend Ottby from the aggression of Hakon Vettel, who is intent on taking the fortress in his attempt to overthrow Ake Bluefinn and become the King of Alekka.

The timeline of events in this book is more compact than those in the saga and has an intensity to them that is immediately engaging. The diverse and interesting cast of characters includes some who are likeable from the start, while others take a while to figure out what sort of personality they have.

As with the Furyck Saga, there is an enthralling mixture of action sequences, up to and including large-scale battles, magic in the form of dreamers and their spells, plus interpersonal interactions and conflicts which keep you fully engaged in the story.

This is an excellent start to the new series, one I am looking forward to reading in the following books. 

Deadhouse Gates by Steven Erikson

adventurous challenging dark mysterious sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A

4.0

These books seem to be notorious for being a challenging read, with many people DNFing them after just a few chapters, as they struggle to comprehend what is happening since you are just thrown into a series of events with no explanation as to what has gone before, and this is where I found myself with this book for the first couple of hundred, or so, pages. However, rather than DNF it, which I am loath to do with any book, I looked at it as a problem to be solved, since the immediate events being told were interesting, trying to solve the problem of how these and the events from book one fitted together was the hook that kept me engaged.

There are lots of individual characters that are the focus of the book, at least a dozen, which are spread over several groups, with some shifting between groups as events unfold, with most of them trying to achieve the same objectives, and all changing in some manner because of the events they are involved in.

It's also a book that has attrition as a major theme for one of the groups as they try to beat insurmountable odds to achieve a goal, with some interesting consequences for those involved, along with some very harrowing scenes and strong emotional moments.

It has been a challenging book to read, taking me three times as long as I would normally take for a book this length, but at no point has it been uninteresting, so if you have read the first book in this series I am sure that you will certainly enjoy this one too. 

Kings of Fate by A.E. Rayne

adventurous tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? N/A
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.0

This prequel to the Furyck Saga is set a year or so prior to those events,  and includes all the main characters from the first book.

It relates events happening to both Jael and Eadmund. Jael's story revolves around the visit of the father of the boy she killed in her teens who killed her dog, and Eadmund's story is regarding the visit of the King of Alekka, one of his Lords, wife and his daughter.

If you have read the saga then it's worth reading this as it is interesting and engaging, but it does not fill in any gaps or answer any questions that might have arisen in the saga, it's just a couple of enjoyable adventures that took place prior to the start of the saga. 

The Lies of Locke Lamora by Scott Lynch

adventurous dark emotional lighthearted mysterious sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.0

The first half of this novel was one of those where the writing style is just that subtly bit different from most other novels that it wasn't an easy or flowing read, which in turn, for me, stops it from becoming as engaging as it otherwise could be, as I spend a lot of time rereading what I have just read as it hasn't quite made sense. The second half was much more engaging, having gotten used to the style, though I still had to reread occasional sentences.

That's not to say the book wasn't an enjoyable read, it was, with interesting characters that were nicely developed. It also had an intriguing plot and dialogue that was witty, but also for some of the characters, had a sarcastic and self-deprecating edge to it that I invariably find engaging and entertaining.

The plot for the first half of the novel has two threads to it, the setting up of a con by the Gentlemen Bastards, and the threat of the Grey King who is murdering underlings of the crime boss of the city. In the second half, these threads get flipped and twisted together introducing several interesting twists and surprises, though these are scattered throughout the novel anyway. Intermingled amongst these are tense confrontations and events, plus humourous and emotional scenes, making this an enjoyable read. 

The Wise Man's Fear by Patrick Rothfuss

adventurous lighthearted mysterious relaxing medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

This starts on the second day of Kvothe relaying his life story to Chronicler, which encompasses his next term at the university, along with adventures in Severen and Ademre, as well as several places in between. This sees his knowledge and skills increase in several different areas, along with his reputation and the stories about him as they become more widespread.

This is equally as fascinating and engaging to read as the first book, and is written in the same style of beautiful prose that remains easy and enjoyable to read.

I've seen several posts on social media by people who say they will not read these books because the last book has not been published yet. Personally, I would advise you to ignore those comments, as you would be missing a story that is well worth reading. These books are like a biography of Kvothe's life, so it is a series of stories that all combine to create a whole, yet can be enjoyed as they are written since they all follow chronologically from one another. 

Vale of the Gods by A.E. Rayne

adventurous dark emotional lighthearted mysterious sad tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

Having totally enjoyed the previous books in this series, I was looking forward to reading this, as well as hoping it was equally as good and would bring the series to an exciting and satisfying conclusion.

It did. Every aspect was up to the same standard as in the previous books, with fantastic characters, appropriate and natural humour, heartbreaking emotion, fast-paced action, and several interesting plot twists, the epilogue was just the icing on the cake, bringing a smile to my face and rounding everything off perfectly.

Having read many fantasy series I can safely say this is one of the best I've read. 

The Raven's Warning by A.E. Rayne

adventurous dark emotional mysterious sad tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

5.0

This series has been engaging straight from book one, with a diverse cast of wonderful characters who are full of personality, coupled with a plot that has been both exciting and enthralling, and this book was no exception. 

At the start of this book Jael and Aleksander take refuge in a small town while waiting for Thorgils to recover from his wounds that were inflicted by Eadmund. Meanwhile, Draguta starts to use the Book of Darkness to launch a series of devastating attacks against 
Andala, and against Jael as well.

This is probably the most emotionally moving book of the series so far with powerful scenes scattered throughout, several of which left me more than a little bit misty-eyed.

I have now started the final book in this fantastic series having moved it up my TBR list by several places, having not wanted to wait to start it. 

Hallow Wood by A.E. Rayne

adventurous dark emotional lighthearted mysterious tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

5.0

This series has been a joy to read, with each book being well written, engaging, and full of excitement, mystery and tension, plus they are packed with characters that you are soon emotionally invested in, and this book delivered on all fronts.

The story picks up where the previous book left off, with the Alekkans attacking Oss, and Jael desperately trying to get back there in time to help Eadmund fend off the attack. After that is settled, events are divided between Hest and Andala, as the newly resurrected Draguta starts to use her powers to solidify her position, hunt for the Widow and attack Andala and Jael. Meanwhile, Jael is trying to find ways to defend her people from those attacks.

The book is written in such a way that it heightens the tension of the events unfolding, giving you very few moments in between for you to catch your breath before diving into the next. 

As a fan of David Gemmell, these books are some of the closest to his style of writing that I have come across, with superb action, fantastic characters, and an emotional punch that few authors achieve. 

Everafter Song by Emily R. King

adventurous lighthearted sad tense

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

I was hoping this would be an improvement over book two, and thankfully it was, though it did still suffer from the same problems of the writing style having a somewhat stilted and sing-songy cadence and the in-universe logic being a bit iffy at times.

Fortunately, it wasn't as distracting as in the second book, which together with the plot made this more engaging and enjoyable to read.

I found the characters were still lacking any real personality so I didn't develop any emotional attachment to them, though they are generally quite likable individually.

The conclusion of the story could have been a disaster as it telegraphed what was likely to happen quite early on, but I actually think it was perfectly handled and was a well-written and satisfying conclusion.

The overall trilogy has its highs and lows, book two for me being the low point, but it's been an interesting read, especially spotting all the homage paid and references made to classic fairytales.