Review: Great Start to a Trilogy
Rating: 4 out of 5
Date: 04 24, 2012
What a great start to a trilogy! I enjoyed Wind-Scarred immensely, though it did have a few hiccups, including a meandering plot and a romance that lacked finesse. But the overall story was good, the concept unique, and the characters incredibly well-developed. I'm looking forward to reading book 2, Water-Seer.Characters: ***** 5 StarsEzra is brainy yet courageous, a scientist born into a family that controls the knowledge of worm-hole technology. Swept into a secret society, Ezra handles himself with aplomb, but he's still young, and a bit naive, especially in the ways of women. Galois "Gal" Doe arrives on scene as a party girl, but ultimately recruits Ezra to become an agent. She's spunky and fun, and I wish we'd seen more of her throughout the story. The other characters, including Ezra's "research team" each had their own personalities, which came through beautifully in the novel and added to the warmth and camaraderie in Ezra's world.Plot: *** 3 StarsThe author did a great job tying together science fiction and fantasy themes, creating a complex world with multiple moving parts, including layers of foreshadowing that carry through the entire novel and into book 2 (I hope, anyway!). Unfortunately, that's also the story's downfall, as the plot lacks focus. Some parts seemed to drag, while in others I wanted more detail. There were several sections that didn't seem to be necessary to advance the story, leaving me feeling like I just had to get through them. However, the action, when it occurred, was well-drawn and kept me engaged, and the overall story was interesting and fun.Setting: **** 4 StarsI really liked the juxtaposition of the futuristic city with the rural anti-technology countryside. It made for a very unique story and helped pull through the dead periods of the plot.Romance: ** 2 StarsI loved the characters of Gal and Ezra, and they could have been a fun couple. Unfortunately, the romance was significantly under-developed. Gal and Ezra are thrown together, and for a very long time I thought that Gal was just toying with Ezra for some political, or even nefarious reason. She's flirty and coy, but it felt, at best, like a surface infatuation, and the romance fell flat.Genre - Futuristic Fantasy: ***** 5 StarsWIND-SCARRED is a unique cross-genre novel that does a great job bringing together both science-fiction and fantasy themes. I loved the "elementals" and the conflict between the futuristic technology and the rural, almost medieval, outside world.