Review: An exciting return to Windemere
Rating: 5 out of 5
Date: 08 7, 2013
So, I read the first book in this series and enjoyed it, and I sort of thought this one would be a simple continuation of that, but it isn't, exactly. This book gives far richer details about the setting of Windemere and the lives of the colourful cast of characters you will come to love when you get to know them. There are also a lot of underrated characters in this story that i have a feeling will become major players later in consecutive books.I enjoyed this book for many reasons. Firstly, I love Fizzle. Everyone should have a Fizzle in their life. He is the kind of character that adds a bit of goofy humour right when the book needs it the most. He is also a valuable character which I truly appreciate because often times the side character that is responsible for comic relief is useless in nearly every other way. I love you Fizzle. Really.Next, There is a pretty decent amount of action in this story. The varied personalities of the characters all tend to work around the character Nyx, who is very strong in and of herself. I thought she was a good heroine to lead a major part of this story. She is interesting, has a lengthy history that the author can expand upon and is a formidable enemy to face. She is still tough even when things do not go her way and she finds herself somewhat limited. Her emerging relationship with Luke is a little strained and kind of awkward and this adds another dimension of tension to the atmosphere of the story. It will be interesting to see where that goes, although I somehow can't really see them together.I personally am not as excited about the relationship between Luke and Kira. This could just be me, but I don't see it lasting forever, yet another secret that the author holds in his mind that us readers will have to wait to discover in future books. It isn't that I don't think they work well together, it just seems like the meeting between them was too easy and that it doesn't have the flair and drama I would expect between two characters that are destined to be together. This could just be my penchant for reading romance novels way too often drifting across the lines of genre.Hands down, my favourite part of this book is the showdown between Luke and a demon in the city square. It was not at all what I was expecting, and I felt it really worked well for a relief of some very tense scenes that had happened right before. Often, it is these unexpected scenes that make or break a book for me and this one was classic.Something I find unique about this fantasy novel that I don't often find in others, is that the hero, Luke Callindor is rather of the unlucky variety. He does not get everything he asks for, he stumbles, falls, gets knocked down (literally)and taught lessons as he goes. This is helping him to grow into the hero that was promised in the first book. He is learning new things with every adventure and his flaws are they type that all good main characters should have. He has already changed a lot from when we met him in Beginning of a Hero, where I rather thought of him as a spoiled prat for the first half of the story. It is nice to see an author take growth of his characters seriously.The Lich is another character that is high on my list of reasons to love this book. He is evil, and yet respectful in a way of the endurance his enemies have. I think this gives him more personality that a lot of the other hellbent characters I have seen in many books. He can step back and send in people to do what he would like to have done, or he can take matters into his own hands and you are never sure what he is going to do. Also, he seems to really enjoy evil. I do too.The group of individuals that Charles Yallowitz has chosen travel together are unusual, fun and work off of one another as a real group of friends would. It is easy to feel like you are one of them whilst reading his work. Plus there are griffons. Who doesn't love griffons?The world of Windemere is being shaken up by evil forces and there are so many different things happening in the various places that only time will tell how it is all going to end. I am happy that I have been able to be with these characters from the start and looking forward to seeing what they do next.Visually, I felt this book was much more detailed than the first. You get a real sense of what the layout of the lands are like and it is a much more sensory-filled experience than previously. I especially enjoyed the scene with Bessaria and Fritz on the ship. I love it when an unlikely hero saves the day and in this case, I did not see what happens coming at all. It is the unlikeliness of the group in general that makes this story so much fun.I would recommend this book to those who like fantasy/adventure stories where they can come to know a group of characters and stay with them throughout the duration of their adventures. This book is a lot of fun and long enough to keep you reading for hours of enjoyment. Pick up your copy as soon as you can.