jelenar620's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.5
j_j_catcrazydragon's review against another edition
4.0
Brillant!!
Think R. E. Fiest, but grittier, David Gemmel, but more character involvement.
Strong diverse characters, both male and female. It's a book for all to read and enjoy.
Think R. E. Fiest, but grittier, David Gemmel, but more character involvement.
Strong diverse characters, both male and female. It's a book for all to read and enjoy.
justjoel's review against another edition
5.0
I am so glad I picked up this book when I did. I had started and DNFed three or four books in a row (unusual for me) and was getting more than a little irritated trying to find something that didn't make me want to pitch it across the room after 25 pages.
This book is familiar in a lot of ways. If you have read The Name of the Wind by Patrick Rothfuss or Assassin's Apprentice by Robin Hobb, there will be some recognizable elements to the opening novel of this fantasy trilogy.
Vaelin al-Sorna is the young son of a realm's battle-lord who is entrusted to the "care" of, for lack of a better term, battle monks who train young boys in the Faith of the realm, and to become loyal soldiers.
There is a "school" element to the training and the brothers who teach the boys, so fans of fantasy school settings should be appeased. There are a lot of mysteries to be solved here. It begins simply enough: with Vaelin feeling abandoned and not understanding why his father left him. But as time wears on and Vaelin begins discovering truths about his family, other mysteries with far wider implications are revealed and begin to slowly unfurl.
I always enjoy when an author manages to surprise me, and that happened a couple of times in these pages. I was positive I had a major plot twist figured out, but was horribly wrong and was okay with that because the reveal made sense.
While it didn't bother me, people who have issues with UK spelling might be put off by this book.
All in all, it was a better-than-average fantasy coming-of-age tale with a fair amount of sword and sorcery, but heavier on the sword. I'll definitely be continuing this series at some point.
This book is familiar in a lot of ways. If you have read The Name of the Wind by Patrick Rothfuss or Assassin's Apprentice by Robin Hobb, there will be some recognizable elements to the opening novel of this fantasy trilogy.
Vaelin al-Sorna is the young son of a realm's battle-lord who is entrusted to the "care" of, for lack of a better term, battle monks who train young boys in the Faith of the realm, and to become loyal soldiers.
There is a "school" element to the training and the brothers who teach the boys, so fans of fantasy school settings should be appeased. There are a lot of mysteries to be solved here. It begins simply enough: with Vaelin feeling abandoned and not understanding why his father left him. But as time wears on and Vaelin begins discovering truths about his family, other mysteries with far wider implications are revealed and begin to slowly unfurl.
I always enjoy when an author manages to surprise me, and that happened a couple of times in these pages. I was positive I had a major plot twist figured out, but was horribly wrong and was okay with that because the reveal made sense.
While it didn't bother me, people who have issues with UK spelling might be put off by this book.
All in all, it was a better-than-average fantasy coming-of-age tale with a fair amount of sword and sorcery, but heavier on the sword. I'll definitely be continuing this series at some point.
brontesaurus84's review against another edition
2.0
More of a 2.5. Well written fantasy but just didn't grab me. Different characters, even major ones, felt pretty imperceptible a lot of the time. A shame as I'd looked forward to it and maybe bit at some of the favourable reviews.
chellski's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
shaxx's review against another edition
5.0
Moje recenze na Fantasyi: http://fantasya.cz/clanek/na-poli-fantasy-zazni-fenomenalni-pisen-krve
eososray's review against another edition
5.0
I really loved this story. Coming of age tales don't often appeal to me like this one did. They are usually just a means to an end, a little background before getting to the good stuff. But this one had me fascinated right from the start. I found myself invested in the characters and storyline with the world and magic system being a mystery that I hope to see more of in the next books.
hlizmarie's review against another edition
4.0
I received this book via a First Reads giveaway and am thrilled that I did. After reading the Codex Alera series from Jim Butcher (and loving every minute of it) I've been looking for series in a similar vein. I loved the Night Angel trilogy from Brent Weeks and now this. I was completely hooked on Vaelin's story from the first few pages and just didn't want to put the book down until I heard it all. The way he recounts the tale of his life "for the record" is fascinating and gets even more so when we learn he's kept certain experiences, feelings and actions out of his recounting. He's constructing the tale he wants told to protect his friends and himself but we're always in on the secret. I enjoyed all of the supporting characters in the book and saw his relationships with them tell us more about Vaelin himself. The Dark is a great way to demonize things in the world that are unknowable and therefore a perceived threat to those who don't possess similar abilities. I'm anxious to see how Vaelin's song continues to develop and who/what this evil power is that keeps showing up. There is much to this tale still to go and I'm certainly on board for whatever comes next.
mermaid42's review against another edition
5.0
Amazing debut novel. I couldn't put it down. Loved all the mystery and intrigue and the payoff was worth it at the end.