Review: Two (One-Armed) Thumbs Up, Excellent Book!
Rating: 5 out of 5
Date: 03 27, 2013
I bought this book thinking I would get around to it over the weekend in an effort to read more books. Once I pulled up the first page, I ACTUALLY read this start to finish in the same sitting. That doesn't happen often!I was immediately very happy with the main character, Carison. He has more personality than other fantasy heroes who just exist to be shirtless and powerful.Carison is smart, witty, and sarcastic... but can definitely back it up with ability as he's a (mostly) successful dragonslayer by trade.My favorite part of this series is the female lead character Raven, a sorceress. Women don't often get great roles in books, but Raven is beautiful, understated, and smart. She's powerful, unlike the too-often-found weak girls just wrote in to be pretty love interests. She plays a major role in the book and uses her femininity in a way that is smart and classy while still seeming a little dangerous.The storyline is intensely good and wastes no time leaping into action. The writer is very skilled at describing action sequences and made me feel like I was there with Carison smelling and feeling the battle with the dragon.It has a very enjoyable romance plot that isn't too girly at all - this is a fantasy novel that knows and understands its reader.The villains are dark, but complex; their motives are explained very well and leave the reader open to make their own decisions on whether to hate them.The ending was perfect! I am scrambling to buy the rest of the series now to find out more about the mysterious ending. I want to be right there along with Raven as she learns to control her intense powers and Carison as he figures out how to go about life with one arm.If you like fantasy novels, give this one a try! The book was absolutely a 5-star experience and definitely on par with my other favorite fantasy series, Sword of Truth. I will be coming back for more!