Author: paynthomas

Genre: Fantasy

What I liked about this book:

The scope of the worldbuilding here, like many fantasy novels, is very impressive. The structure of the armies and the races of people that inhabit this world are well fleshed out, and I feel that there is a very deep lore here. It felt a little like reading an encyclopedia of a world than a fantasy novel.

What I did NOT like about this book:

I am quite sure that some people will really like this book. However, I did not.

I found it extremely dry, dull, and difficult to read. Entire paragraphs of description were given to events such as Jass using mana to light a fire, or Aren sitting under a tree. I understand that the author is trying to give out world details, but it all just sorta smears together into a colorless blur for me.

There is an interesting tidbit of story in the ten or so chapters I read, with the attacks coming, and I am curious what that Shadowmerian are exactly and why everyone hates them so much...but it's lost in all this incredibly dry, boring prose that I found it hard to slog through in order to get to the interesting bits. I actually had to go back and reread pieces of it before I wrote the review so I could remember which details were relevant.

For once I think this may be a me problem rather than a problem with the book. I just don't like books like this.

Overall:

Not my taste.

Rating:

I'm going to be generous and give it a 4/10 because I think the problems I have with this piece are my problem instead of the piece's. But I didn't enjoy it.