Reviews

Battleaxe by Sara Douglass

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marineb09's review against another edition

2.0

... I don't know what to say ... this book was so disappointing.
It was said to be an epic fantasy - a must read - bla bla bla ... I never felt so drained by a book before haha

It was weird and fast and not structured (at least from my point of view).
"Oh hey you girl, you are part of the prophecy, come with us deep into the forest - you know the people you never met before, come we tell you the truth.
"Okay"

WHAT the F... ?

The characters are so truth worthy, they take everything they are said to be the truth and oh well I don't know why I would think for myself now ^^

The part they are on has some test of sort but are amazing characters pass them without a scratch. And ouspi I am already where I want to be. And oh don't get me started on love at first sight and I pledge my life to you even If I learn your name, like 2 minutes ago... Argh

I read and read because I hate to DNF a book and I was hoping for it to be better ...
The unnerving part in all of this : I still want to know what happens ^^ but I am sure won't read the reste of the series ... it will be too painful ...

novelheartbeat's review against another edition

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5.0

This book received my prestigious Hail to the King Award!

Before the gushing starts, let's first have a serious moment. Words cannot express how much this book means to me. It is very special, because it was my first for a lot of things. It was my first long series, as well as my first favorite series, my first favorite author, my first Adult book, the first book I read with sexual content (even though there's not much), and more importantly, the first book I remember reading for pleasure alone and not because I had to for school. When I first read this book, I was still in high school and I was 16 or 17 years old. (I can't remember whether I started it in my Junior or Senior year.) It has been 10 years since I read it, and even still, I remember almost everything. There is no other series that I can say that about. This series has stuck with me like no other book I've ever read. It holds a certain sense of nostalgia that gives me warm fuzzies whenever I think about the world and the characters. (Two of my furbabies are named after characters in this series, just so you know *winks*)

For weeks I have been obsessing over this series, wanting to do a re-read but fretting over how much time it would take. (There are six books in this series, and every last one of them is at least 600 pages long!) I was dying to re-read so badly that it was all I could think about! I actually sat awake at night, unable to sleep for thinking about it. I've never had that problem before! Thus, here I am.

I love this world, you guys! I love it so much! It felt so amazing to dive back in. Reading this book again was like visiting a long lost friend! Although, I wish I could wipe this series from my mind so that I could read it for the first time all over again. There are so many secrets, so many hidden gems! Knowing all of the twists and shadows of this series, though, is like sharing a delicious secret with a dear friend. I found myself smiling knowingly at many parts, and often gasping and exclaiming because I remembered who the unrevealed character (or secret) was.

Reading this book the second time, I'm amazed at the significant differences in the characters. I never realized how innocent and naive Faraday was in the beginning! The character arcs are incredible!

Sara Douglass's world building never ceases to amaze me. It's so intricate, with many plot lines and character arcs! Every character has their own backstory, and you can tell that she put a lot of thought into the world's history. The world is so vivid and alive in my mind that Sara almost has me convinced that it's a real place. (I wish it was!)

There are things in this book that may have bugged me if I'd read it for the first time in present day, with as critical as I am. The relationship between Faraday and Axis is pretty much instalove - they had only interacted a few times before they were mooning over each other and talking about love. But, still, it didn't bother me. Not even the second time around. Their relationship is so heartbreaking!

Spoiler

It kills me that Faraday had to pretend not to love Axis and marry Borneheld to save him. Reading this book again is like watching a train wreck - you know it's going to end in heartbreak and tragedy, but you just can't stop staring! I know that this series is not always a happy one, and that many of the characters make great sacrifices. Seeing the beginning of those paths that they had to take was very difficult to observe :(

I also might have been bothered by the fact that Yr is kind of....ah, saucy, and that SunSoars marry their own cousins. Yes, that last bit sounds scary. But - for some reason, it works. They are nothing like humans, and the fact that they have strange (and appalling) customs makes it believable. To them, it's not strange or appalling.

This review was originally posted on Novel Heartbeat. To see a breakdown of my assessment, please visit the full review here.

jemcam's review against another edition

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3.0

A very addictive series - the first book is the weakest. Very strong women characters.

lifeisodd's review against another edition

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adventurous dark emotional tense

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

littlepanda's review against another edition

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3.0

This book was okay to read. I liked the fantasy lore of the book and the plot in general. However I thought the characters were a bit under developped but otherwise it was a good first book. I don't think I will read the others.

farkasam's review against another edition

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I lost interest in the characters and the plot. Things were happening and I just didn't care.

I can sum up this book in one sentence: There is a Prophesy and it must be fulfilled!!

I'm fine with prophecies being in stories, but there are two kinds of stories. One I like to read and the other I don't. The first one, and the one I like, is the one where there is a Prophesy and then as the story progresses the prophecy is fulfilled. The second, which I don't like to read and I would classify this one as, is the kind where there is a Prophesy and the characters know there's a Prophecy and you can't go against the Prophesy and it's all Fate...and the Prophesy then becomes the driver of the adventure almost to becoming a checklist of characters and situations. If the Prophecy is going to drive the adventure instead of the adventure happening and fulfilling the Prophecy then there's no point in reading the book. Nothing new, extraordinary, or exciting will happen past when I've read the entirety of the Prophecy.

Content Warnings