Review: Good but not as good as it could be....
Rating: 3 out of 5
Date: 02 27, 2011
I LOVED the universe J.C. Owens created for this little book.  The entire concept, that a boy/man who had been raised in an enemy land, never knowing who his true people were, was wonderful.  The idea that, in a warrior society, men have lasting, sexual and loving relationships was fabulous.  The concept of an older/wise male training a younger one made for a terrific plot line, as well.  That said, I had some reservations about this book and its predecessor.I wrote in my review for "Gaven" that the two "Gaven" books really should have been one longer book.  Given the cost of each book, especially so.  I'd expect installments to be less expensive.  "Gaven" was just too short - it read more like Part I and this book like Part II.  So for twice the price of a single book, I got one book.The first problem I had with both of these books was the narrative.  Told in first person from Gaven's POV, it mixed more archaic language (not quite thee and thou fare, but close, mind you) with modern expressions that were just jarring to me.  I'd rather the entire story have been told in modern language than the mishmash of both.The second problem, which really only is applicable to this book, since it addresses the growing relationship between Gaven and his mentor, was that the transition from distant mentor to love-of-my-life was abrupt.  One day Gaven is just the mentee, the next, he's Vlar's soul mate.  Boom.  I loved the angstiness that ensues after this revelation, but I wanted SO much to see what was going on in Vlar's mind.  Instead, because the perspective is only Gaven's, we never really learn how the powerful and immortal Vlar comes to terms with the fact that Gaven is his bond mate.  That was the biggest disappointment for me.So, bearing in mind these flaws, I'm only giving this a 3 star (since 3.5 isn't an option).