Review: Rolicking read in a well-imagined world
Rating: 5 out of 5
Date: 09 17, 2013
I thoroughly enjoyed this fantasy of 600+ pages (for those who tire at 300 pages, beware!). Personally, I loved the length, which gives the reader a chance to become immersed in the crafted world. Our heroine is a young woman with yearnings suited to her station in life; all too suddenly she is plunged into a nightmare and thereafter is kept off-balance as she struggles to cope with things larger than she ever imagined. The writing is good (almost no copy editing mistakes!), the characters are believable (even the nasty ones because we see their motivations), and we see enough of what's happening outside the small kingdom to feel assured the author will take us back for further adventures.I was so happy to see complexity arise, rather than a simple good vs. evil motif. Not only does this lend realism, but will give readers things to ponder long after they put the book down. The pacing is good, with brief respites from fast-moving action (usually through description that further enriches the tale). The romance is handled very well, with both our heroine and her beloved beset by easily understandable doubts. I'm definitely looking forward to reading the next installment of the saga.