Review: A Promising Start
Rating: 4 out of 5
Date: 05 5, 2014
There's a lot to like about this first novel, with its intriguing setting and strong hints of a yet-to-be developed potential.  There is little to dislike, although the story still has some way to go, and it will be the second book that makes the series or breaks it.  It's definitely a set-the-scene type of novel, introducing the readers to the characters and to the world, and as far as those go, it's pretty good.I've got a lot of hope for this series.  I've got some concern, too.Ean is an interesting character, particularly in light of the power that he has had from an early age and his ability to keep it from the rest of his small village.  I thought that his motivations were generally believable and reasonable.Jaslen is a shallow character, but I got the feeling that it was deliberate.  She seems more like an early crush for Ean, somebody that he thinks he has strong feelings for as a result of her kindness to him.  I'm guessing that as he experiences the outside world, Ean will find a real relationship with someone better.Bran also seems like he is going to change significantly on reaching the outside world.  Indeed, the seeds have been planted with his surly and inconsiderate behavior and his drunken stupidity.  He would make a good villain if properly developed.  I didn't like him; but I'm not certain that he was there to be liked.And Zin . . . he's still pretty much of a mystery.  I generally liked him, but there's clearly more to him to be revealed and he's definitely using Ean's ignorance to manipulate him.There are a lot of seeds that have been planted in this novel, and while I would have preferred for some of them to be developed further, the author has been clear that this is the introductory novel to a two-book series.  There are some really good parts.  I liked the monster in the mine, and the fact that he seems to be more than just a pointless Grue.  I liked the descriptions of the Heroes fighting the monster.  I thought that the bandit raid on the village was extremely well done.  Some other parts are a little bland, but I don't remember feeling like I was dragged down at any pointThe editing is actually excellent.  At no point did any spelling or grammatical errors tear me away from the story.  The dialogue doesn't sparkle, but it's reasonably competent.All of this being said, it's definitely a four-star book - and the series could go either way.  If the author chooses to develop the deeper aspects of his characters and setting, it could be excellent.  It has a tremendous amount of potential.  But with great potential comes great downside, to paraphrase Uncle Ben.Disclaimer:  I received this book as a gift.