Review: Reviewed for Red Adept Reviews - 4 Stars
Rating: 4 out of 5
Date: 03 10, 2011
Plot/Storyline: 4 StarsThe story is fairly standard fantasy: evil warlock must be defeated by small group of heroes.  At the same time, it's done in such a charming way that I found myself really pulling for the group.  Several times I'd find myself laughing out loud at something that was said or done, and the whole romp just never really took itself all that seriously, but in a good way.  Think Alan Rickman's performance in Robin Hood.Another thing that I found interesting was the setting.  As near as I can tell, it takes place in England, probably in the 1600s.  It's a fairly small world setting (or at least the part that we get to see) - a handful of villages and a couple of actual cities.  The smallness works for the story, though, as does the pseudo-realistic medieval world.Characters: 3 1/2 StarsThe characters... on the one hand, they annoyed the bejeezus out of me.  It was, after all, a group of teens, written as teens - "Don't make me pull this book over!"  On the other hand, they still managed to retain charm and likeability.  Part of what had me giggling (in a good way) throughout the whole book was the absurdity of some of the character flaws.  One of the group is a beautiful spiderling (elf) who's a picture of perfection until she opens her mouth.  That lisp of hers tends to cause some problems.  Then there's Romy, a beautiful, yet child-like demon who decorates her pitchfork with ribbons.  Add to that the three Thistle siblings, and you have a troupe of misfits.  None are overly complex characters, but yet they still hold appeal.Writing Style: 4 1/2 StarsDaniel Arenson has a very smooth writing style - for the most part, the writing fades to the background.  In almost all cases, that's a good thing.  An exception I can think of would be Marjorie Liu whose writing is almost lyrical, but not everyone can, or even should, write that way.  Overly elaborate writing can get in the way of the story, but a good writer won't let that happen.  Thankfully, Arenson is a good writer.  His story-telling was very comfortable, like curling up in a quilt while you read.That said, I am going to take a moment to rant about one thing that bugged the ever-living daylights out of me.  Romy the demon.  Romy had hair of flame, and that hair did not burn like fire would, but was, instead, soft and warm.  That's not what irritated me, though.  What burned me (har, har) was the fact that almost every time Romy was mentioned, so was her hair.  And every time her hair was mentioned it was also said that her hair was made of fire.  Oh, and the part about it not burning.  ARRRGH!  I got it.  Truly, I do.  For the record, I liked Romy, I just was ready to shave her bald by the end of the book.*********************************************Eye of the Wizard is a quirky kind of book.  There are a lot of "On the one hand..." type observations I have.  Yet as a whole, it really comes together.  If you're in the mood for a "serious" fantasy, I wouldn't suggest this.  If, on the other hand, you want something fun and relaxing that will just let you kick back - grab this.  I just finished up winter quarter at my university this week, and this was the book I chose to unwind with.  It did not disappoint and was just a great, fun little romp.