Review: A read that is enjoyable and compelling
Rating: 4 out of 5
Date: 09 1, 2013
When I start a story like this, I get concerned that it will be another Lord of the Rings or similar questing adventure with weak characters showing the typical flaws or unbelievable abilities wrapped around a familiar story that has nothing new or is not well thought out.This one was a very good surprise.  The characters were not typical, had weaknesses that were not expected and strengths that were not evident at the beginning.  There were some characters with traits that were somewhat predictable, but not to the point that I felt that they were the same characters as any other book with a new name.I found the story to be fun and enjoyable, and kept me engaged and wanting to continue with the story.  With a good book, you don't read the book, you live the story with the characters.  This is one of those books.Often times with books of this nature, the author gets caught up in describing the world they have created to the point that it interferes with the story, and I wind up skipping paragraphs of description that really do not add anything to the story.  In this case, the author has a well defined world (with some really strange things in it), but doesn't need to spend paragraphs describing the world in minute details that don't matter.  The area/world is described to the point that you understand the setting, then moves on with the story.  This was a very pleasant surprise.Another issues with books in this genre is that their is a tendency to think "more is better", meaning that if the book isn't at least 1000 pages and the story is not part of a 5+ book series, then something must be missing.  Again, this author has told a complete story that is enjoyable and compelling with great characters without creating a monster of a book that is so long that I got bored with it and put it down.Overall, I would recommend this book without hesitation to anyone who enjoys this type of reading.Now, I want the prequel to this book.