A review by mallorypen
Reforged by Seth Haddon

adventurous emotional tense slow-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

2.75

I really wanted to like this book more - there was so much promise in the world building, and in the relationships between the paladin/king, king/siblings, nation/nation. But the overall pacing really drained away from the experience - in several instances throughout the narrative, I would find myself feeling bored despite an arguably action-packed scene. Additionally, I couldn’t quite parse out what story the author was trying to tell: individual scenes felt fully fleshed out and pointed in a particular direction, but there wasn’t a strong through-line that connected them all together in a cohesive story arc.

For example:
Zav and Bailen traveling alone together right after the initial attack felt like it positioned Bailen as a cocky hotshot who just had his certainty taken away, and Zav as a young Royal who wanted to be anything but a king. Then, scoot forward to the plot against Zav’s life at the ball - Zav was more concerned about the political implications of keeping peace than being worried about the weight of his crown, and Bailen was shown as a deeply insecure character who had struggled with doubts of his own worth and value.
Those ideas aren’t impossible to connect, but the way they were written made them feel dissonant instead.

Lance and Mallet - fantastic characters. I did find their arc a little dissatisfying, given that there was an opportunity for a training montage that ultimately didn’t even come up again.

The ambassador - this could have been touched on more vibrantly in the second half of the story,
but once she leaves, the impact of Bailen and Zav saving her life/working towards peace/deifying rulers into gods was NEVER brought up again.


Alec and Lester - I was never convinced about Bailen’s love for either of these characters. I think I was meant to see Alec as a brother who was jealous of Bailen’s promotion but ultimately On His Side, but
Alec’s betrayal and death didn’t really surprise me or pack an emotional punch like it was meant to. And honestly, I didn’t feel like Lester NOT being a traitor delivered on the relief and joy angle either.


In a word: underwhelming.



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