Review: PetRead
Rating: 3 out of 5
Date: 09 14, 2012
(This review is also posted in goodreads.)I've never read of a male main character who has fainted several times (I stopped counting after his third collapse)... and that's just about 30% into the story. Not that there isn't a valid reason for each fainting spell... but still. It just goes against the grain, to read about someone who faints a lot, and the character in question is not even a female...it's sexist and it's petty, I know.. but hey this is fantasy--I just want to read about a hero who doesn't lose consciousness after a big fight.Moving on. Frozen Prospects was a fuzzy read for me. The snowy mountain village setting was new, the socio-political structure unique, and the whole business of the Guadel secret society quite confusing. I could not get a hold of the story and was afraid it would be that way till the end. It all started to click into place and marginally made more sense after the the first half of the story. The women recruited into the Guadel have the ability to work magic-- by healing, by using gemstones for heat & light, and by linking minds with their husbands to make them a stronger warrior than normal. On the other hand, the Guadel men become members of this privileged group if they can withstand the mind invasion that's necessary for the augmentation of their fighting skills. This elite group is responsible for keeping the peace among the different villages. But Guadel families are being ambushed and their number diminishing. The main character Va'del, though a new recruit, is caught in the middle of this conflict, while battling his own personal insecurities and darker tendencies.The characters here take more time to be understood and appreciated, but they are all solid enough to be memorable. My favorite part here is the transformation of Va'del. The outcast orphan finds very few people who supports him, let alone treat him kindly. But eventually he has stepped up to embrace the role of a protector, and his good character and potential earn him a much needed ally in his journey to become a full pledged Guadel. Great training and skirmish scenes abound in this book peppered with thick political parley. The pace turns urgent towards the end, and the closing chapter marks Va'del as one with exceptional and unprecedented ability who is destined to do great things.