Review: Could have been so much better
Rating: 2 out of 5
Date: 04 24, 2013
This book had the potential to be an epic fantasy, but fell way short. While the writing was competent, there was misuse of words ( bemused actually means to be confused or puzzled, NOT amused), overuse of redundant phrases such as retreat back (one can't retreat forward), I could have gotten past all that but for the fact that there is absolutely no world building. Characters exclaim things like "Eru's halls" (I may have gotten that wrong) and you have nothing to connect it to, who is Eru? Is Eru a god? A king? A prophet? This happens throughout the story, and it's a bit like looking at something with your peripheral vision cut off, you never truly connect. There is some token explanation towards then end, but by that point, the reader has drawn their own conclusions. The characters are OK, somewhat humourous, but the baddies are cardboard cutouts. There is tons of action and I kind of liked the overall story, but the absence of a world is frustrating, and for that reason I won't continue the series. If you don't care about a fully fleshed out world where you feel as if you're actually there, then go for it. If you do, then this isn't for you.