Review: Very Enjoyable
Rating: 4 out of 5
Date: 07 4, 2013
I received a free copy of Dragon Killer in exchange for a non-reciprocal review. I enjoyed this book a lot. It's very fast-paced and tightly plotted, but it still makes time for world-building, which is always one of my favourite aspects of the fantasy genre. The tales of the old gods were intriguing and I liked how the author showed how religion and superstition would work in a world where the gods had died. I loved the picture of life he gave us, about how the society worked and the economics and even how people in this world gamble, and how it was all relevant to the plot.The story was well-structured. The first chapter of each part is devoted to a flashback, until the last part, when the climaxes to both stories are told simultaneously and they complement each other well. I liked the characterisation of all the characters, each were given distinct personalities, although the stand-outs were Kalinda and Darklaw. Kalinda especially was a protagonist that I could identify with and root for. The villain was surprisingly nuanced, I say surprisingly because at first he seems a typical power-hungry villain but then we are given a backstory which engenders some sympathy.As I said before the story is very fast-paced and there's a lot of action, but it never feels confusing or repetitive and the climax to the flashback story is particularly visceral. My only complaint is that I feel the romance was underdeveloped. It was quite brief and it seemed to come out of nowhere, and I think if it had been developed more it would have given certain events more emotional impact. But overall it was a very enjoyable read and I have no hesitation in recommending it.