andrea4's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
mysterious
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? It's complicated
5.0
Amazing book, read it many times before. I love the whole series
paperbackjedi's review against another edition
5.0
I very much enjoyed this book. It's was a nice blended fantasy with lots of adventure, intrigue, and a little bit of romance. One of the better fantasy series I've been introduced to. I suggest this book to any fantasy lovers out there.
catholicamanda's review against another edition
5.0
I love this book to pieces! My copy is almost falling apart I have read it so many times. Everyone needs to read this book. That is how much I love it.
I first read this book in seventh or eighth grade and fell in love with it. At that time, only Green Rider and the sequel First Rider’s Call were out. In high school I convinced my friend to read them and we totally fangirled together. My friend designed Green Rider broaches in art class and we both read the third book, The High King’s Tomb, as soon as it was released. Then Blackveil was released when I was in college and Mirror Sight just came out a year ago. Yeah, I am kind of addicted to this series and not at all ashamed of it.
Green Rider begins with Karigan G’ladheon waking on the road after running away from her school, Selium. She ran away because of an unfair suspension which was the result of a fight with an aristocrat. Her plans are just to get home and talk to her father since she believes he can make anything better.
Then a charging horse and rider are upon Karigan. The rider is dying, impaled with two black arrows in his back. He, F’ryan Cobblebay, asks Karigan if she will take a message to King Zachary in Sacor City for love of her country, a message that could mean life or death. Karigan agrees. The messenger has Karigan take his broach and tells her to “beware the shadow man.”
Now Karigan is on an extremely dangerous mission that she is not really prepared for. She is riding across the country with an important message that some want never to be delivered. One messenger is already dead and now they are after Karigan and The Horse.
Along the way to Sacor City, Karigan encounters strange things, things of legend: monsters from Kanmorhan Vane and the Shadow Man for starters. She is chased by more than just Mirwellian soldiers. Karigan needs to rely on every instinct she has for survival if she wants to make it to the king in time.
Karigan is such a strong character. She is a young woman who runs away from school, not exactly someone trained for anything she will encounter. Yet Karigan is stubborn and willing to do anything to keep her promise to F’ryan Cobblebay. She will reach Sacor City no matter what. If there is a way, Karigan will find it.
I love this book to no end. Everyone should read it because there is something for everyone in it. There are horses and monsters. There is magic and sword fighting. There are kind old ladies and those stirring up trouble. There is a spunky girl and a power-hungry man. Really, I think everyone could find something to love in this novel.
This review first appeared at Orandi et Legendi.
I first read this book in seventh or eighth grade and fell in love with it. At that time, only Green Rider and the sequel First Rider’s Call were out. In high school I convinced my friend to read them and we totally fangirled together. My friend designed Green Rider broaches in art class and we both read the third book, The High King’s Tomb, as soon as it was released. Then Blackveil was released when I was in college and Mirror Sight just came out a year ago. Yeah, I am kind of addicted to this series and not at all ashamed of it.
Green Rider begins with Karigan G’ladheon waking on the road after running away from her school, Selium. She ran away because of an unfair suspension which was the result of a fight with an aristocrat. Her plans are just to get home and talk to her father since she believes he can make anything better.
Then a charging horse and rider are upon Karigan. The rider is dying, impaled with two black arrows in his back. He, F’ryan Cobblebay, asks Karigan if she will take a message to King Zachary in Sacor City for love of her country, a message that could mean life or death. Karigan agrees. The messenger has Karigan take his broach and tells her to “beware the shadow man.”
Now Karigan is on an extremely dangerous mission that she is not really prepared for. She is riding across the country with an important message that some want never to be delivered. One messenger is already dead and now they are after Karigan and The Horse.
Along the way to Sacor City, Karigan encounters strange things, things of legend: monsters from Kanmorhan Vane and the Shadow Man for starters. She is chased by more than just Mirwellian soldiers. Karigan needs to rely on every instinct she has for survival if she wants to make it to the king in time.
Karigan is such a strong character. She is a young woman who runs away from school, not exactly someone trained for anything she will encounter. Yet Karigan is stubborn and willing to do anything to keep her promise to F’ryan Cobblebay. She will reach Sacor City no matter what. If there is a way, Karigan will find it.
I love this book to no end. Everyone should read it because there is something for everyone in it. There are horses and monsters. There is magic and sword fighting. There are kind old ladies and those stirring up trouble. There is a spunky girl and a power-hungry man. Really, I think everyone could find something to love in this novel.
This review first appeared at Orandi et Legendi.
soneerae's review against another edition
1.0
DNF'd at page 114, and that was after at least 3 months of having the book. Just not a compelling story. It has great potential but not well executed. The main character is the wrong side of a bumbling idiot who has zero redeeming qualities and no characterization to speak of. Nothing for me to invest in. The Horse has more personality than she does.
vayar's review against another edition
adventurous
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Good, but not mind-blowing. Not as standalone as I thought it would be. I'll probably continue the series once it's finished.
mithrandir24601's review against another edition
adventurous
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.5
zanosgood's review against another edition
adventurous
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
duskbladedrow's review against another edition
4.0
This one has some of the standard YA Fantasy tropes, especially the one where we have a special character who has great powers but is in denial, while being much pursued by potential lovers. However, seeing as the author could have published this book before that was even a well-used trope (I'm not sure when it became heavily used and this was published in 2000 according to GR), and she did a pretty decent job of keeping it unique and interesting, I enjoyed my reading experience.
foggy_rosamund's review against another edition
2.0
- Why do so many American fantasy authors write about saving a monarchy? This novel includes lots of ideals I would associate with American society, such as building oneself up from nothing, a distrust of old money, individuality being more important than society, etc, and yet the whole novel is about preserving a good king, and derides those who do not support the monarchy. It feels tonally incongruous to, on one hand, be sceptical of inherited wealth, and yet celebrate a monarch.
-This book contains NO WINGED HORSES. Very disappointing. I knew it was about a girl and a horse, and it did deliver on that score, but I think it's false advertising when a book has a winged horse on the cover and doesn't include any real ones. I wanted some flying! This probably isn't the author's fault though.
-The writing is very patchy -- a lot of the ideas feel inspired by The Lord of the Rings, but are clumsy in execution. The giant eagle acting as a deus ex machina, for example: even when Tolkien did it, it felt a bit clumsy, but Britain really can't make it feel believable. Plus the elves, the Disney's-Mary-Poppins siblings, the giant woodsman -- it's all a derivative mess.
-There is a LOT of galloping in this book and I do enjoy galloping. Plus a strong female character at the centre - unsubtle but enjoyable. It's not terrible, it kept me going for almost 600 pages, but it's not very good.
-This book contains NO WINGED HORSES. Very disappointing. I knew it was about a girl and a horse, and it did deliver on that score, but I think it's false advertising when a book has a winged horse on the cover and doesn't include any real ones. I wanted some flying! This probably isn't the author's fault though.
-The writing is very patchy -- a lot of the ideas feel inspired by The Lord of the Rings, but are clumsy in execution. The giant eagle acting as a deus ex machina, for example: even when Tolkien did it, it felt a bit clumsy, but Britain really can't make it feel believable. Plus the elves, the Disney's-Mary-Poppins siblings, the giant woodsman -- it's all a derivative mess.
-There is a LOT of galloping in this book and I do enjoy galloping. Plus a strong female character at the centre - unsubtle but enjoyable. It's not terrible, it kept me going for almost 600 pages, but it's not very good.
krejdar's review against another edition
2.0
DNF 25%
I just couldn't bring myself to care about the plot, Villains motive or the MC. The only character I cared about was the Horse and he didn't even "talk" like a Ranger horse.
Doing a quick skim ahead, my guesses are correct on any "plot twists", and that's not saying much.
I don't understand perspective hopping before we can form any emotional attachment to the true MC, it just makes it overwhelming and tedious.
150 pages of getting herself into one dodgy situation after another (I counted 4?) and basically Deus Ex'ing out of each one got stale super fast.
MC's need supporting characters /on their side/, with them on their journey, before this far into the book. Conversations are so, so important to plot, character insights, etc and when she's basically talking to herself for 100+ pages. . . At 25% she /still/ doesn't have a verbal companion. Ouch.
Tl;dr good concept, weak execution
I just couldn't bring myself to care about the plot, Villains motive or the MC. The only character I cared about was the Horse and he didn't even "talk" like a Ranger horse.
Doing a quick skim ahead, my guesses are correct on any "plot twists", and that's not saying much.
I don't understand perspective hopping before we can form any emotional attachment to the true MC, it just makes it overwhelming and tedious.
150 pages of getting herself into one dodgy situation after another (I counted 4?) and basically Deus Ex'ing out of each one got stale super fast.
MC's need supporting characters /on their side/, with them on their journey, before this far into the book. Conversations are so, so important to plot, character insights, etc and when she's basically talking to herself for 100+ pages. . . At 25% she /still/ doesn't have a verbal companion. Ouch.
Tl;dr good concept, weak execution