lyrrael's review
3.0
Gavril has no idea what he’s up against. In one day, he goes from being a talented, but commonly born peasant with little knowledge of his parentage painting (and falling in love with) the local nobleman’s daughter, to being kidnapped and told his father’s not only the king of a foreign country, but that he’s dead and Gavril’s the heir to a monstrous legacy. Not exactly a good day, but it gets worse from there.
Lord of Snow and Shadows is really a book about being a victim of fate; not only being a victim, either, but railing against fate and trying to make the choices that aren’t easy, even when other people would give in considering the odds against them. It’s not only Gavril that faces these incredible circumstances, but also his mother, the nobleman’s daughter, and even a serving girl in Gavril’s castle. Most of these people live up to that challenge and come out the other side stronger and better people for it, despite the fact that easy exits are provided for them along the way and they are provided with every motivation to quit.
I was really looking forward to this book for a couple of really foolish reasons – but every girl can be a little foolish once in a while without hurting anything. I really liked this cover. From the standpoint of looking at this cover, it just looked like an amazing book, and I was excited about it.
The second reason is that this book is billed as epic fantasy, and honestly, I really don’t feel like it lives up to this standard; epic fantasy tends to have elaborate plots and sweeping story arcs, but this book was far too straightforward to fit into that category. I really think it was unfair to class this as epic fantasy. If it had been categorized as regular fantasy, just a normal story, I wouldn’t have had such a sour taste in my mouth at the end of it. I also feel like the plot was a little neglected at times, considering that it could have been so much better, in favor of rushing off to do one thing or another. Considering that I also think that the characters were neglected, I sort of want to blame an overzealous editor who wanted to keep the book small. This could have been done in a much better way.
This is not to say that the book isn’t interesting. Having it in a Tsarist Russian setting was unique and gave it a flavor not unlike Paula Volsky’s A Wolf in Winter, a book I very much did enjoy and does indeed deserve to be categorized as epic fantasy, but with a writing style that is much more like Mercedes Lackey and Robin Hobb.
All in all, I’m slightly disappointed. It was a good read and I enjoyed it for that, and I definitely enjoyed Ash’s approach toward her characters and their methods of dealing with the hands they were dealt, but I wouldn’t feel like I’d broken my heart if I sold the book to a used bookstore. I will definitely not be reading the follow-up novels.
Lord of Snow and Shadows is really a book about being a victim of fate; not only being a victim, either, but railing against fate and trying to make the choices that aren’t easy, even when other people would give in considering the odds against them. It’s not only Gavril that faces these incredible circumstances, but also his mother, the nobleman’s daughter, and even a serving girl in Gavril’s castle. Most of these people live up to that challenge and come out the other side stronger and better people for it, despite the fact that easy exits are provided for them along the way and they are provided with every motivation to quit.
I was really looking forward to this book for a couple of really foolish reasons – but every girl can be a little foolish once in a while without hurting anything. I really liked this cover. From the standpoint of looking at this cover, it just looked like an amazing book, and I was excited about it.
The second reason is that this book is billed as epic fantasy, and honestly, I really don’t feel like it lives up to this standard; epic fantasy tends to have elaborate plots and sweeping story arcs, but this book was far too straightforward to fit into that category. I really think it was unfair to class this as epic fantasy. If it had been categorized as regular fantasy, just a normal story, I wouldn’t have had such a sour taste in my mouth at the end of it. I also feel like the plot was a little neglected at times, considering that it could have been so much better, in favor of rushing off to do one thing or another. Considering that I also think that the characters were neglected, I sort of want to blame an overzealous editor who wanted to keep the book small. This could have been done in a much better way.
This is not to say that the book isn’t interesting. Having it in a Tsarist Russian setting was unique and gave it a flavor not unlike Paula Volsky’s A Wolf in Winter, a book I very much did enjoy and does indeed deserve to be categorized as epic fantasy, but with a writing style that is much more like Mercedes Lackey and Robin Hobb.
All in all, I’m slightly disappointed. It was a good read and I enjoyed it for that, and I definitely enjoyed Ash’s approach toward her characters and their methods of dealing with the hands they were dealt, but I wouldn’t feel like I’d broken my heart if I sold the book to a used bookstore. I will definitely not be reading the follow-up novels.
mrssoule's review
3.0
The whole time I was reading this I wondered if I'd have liked it better when I was younger. I couldn't connect with any of the characters.
wafflesplat's review
adventurous
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
4.0
i really enjoy the uniqueness of this book, and it’s a really good story. I’ve read it 3 times, possibly 4. Mainly because i always plan to read part 2, then years go by and i decide “i’m finally going to finish the series”, so i read book 1 again to refresh my memory, and the same thing happens. But it is so good i dont mind repeating it.
cjdawn236's review against another edition
2.0
My husband has been begging me to read this book for months and I finally gave in. It wasn't terrible. It has an interesting premise, blending the ideas of Dracula and dragons, and setting it within a Russian-style culture as opposed to the traditional European fantasy. However, some elements felt a little too modern for this type of fantasy (such as the use of "carbines"). And overall the story just felt about as cold as the landscape where most of it takes place - I didn't really feel invested in the plot or the characters.
la_bibliofille89's review
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
mewsie's review
5.0
This is book one of the Tears of Artamon series, which is about Gavril Andar, a painter living with his mother in the sunny paradise of Smarna. One day, after the murder of the father he never knew, Gavril ascends to the throne of the snowy and barren land of Azhkendir. What he does not know is that to rule as the country's leader, he must become Drakhaoul, a human possessed by the spirit of an evil deamon dragon. The Drakhaoul is an incredibly powerful being that can fly and burn its enemies to a crisp but at a very high cost: to retain his human appearance, he must consume the blood of innocent girls. Gavril is not willing to force this type of sacrifice and attempts to find the cure that his father had been working on before his death. While all this is going on, Prince Eugene of Tielen, a neighboring country, wants to invade Azhkendir and place his own puppet on the throne. Gavril is forced to make the toughest decision of his life: save his own humanity or the lives of his people.
This book was great. At first, the names confused me a bit but once I got into the story I was sucked into it. I truly felt sorry for Gavril throughout the book (but not in a "he's pathetic" sort of way) and understood the conflict going on inside of him. Also, Ash does a beautiful job of describing the different localities throughout the book. I'm looking forward to reading the second book in the series now.
This book was great. At first, the names confused me a bit but once I got into the story I was sucked into it. I truly felt sorry for Gavril throughout the book (but not in a "he's pathetic" sort of way) and understood the conflict going on inside of him. Also, Ash does a beautiful job of describing the different localities throughout the book. I'm looking forward to reading the second book in the series now.
raven_acres's review
4.0
Took me awhile to get into it, and figured i'd put it down, except I was at work and didn't have another book to get into. Finally picked up about halfway through and was an enjoyable read.