First Impressions - No Spoilers
The first pages of the book have a few maps and a prophecy offered in a lyric sort of form with not much explanation which doesn't seem overly relevant when I move onto the prologue. The next few pages are spent outlining the world the books are set in and a brief touch on the peoples it is populated with. It doesn't feel like a clinical set up, the information is delivered in an easy to digest manner: I don't get bored, that's a good sign. Not much detail is given about the initial character we meet, and this makes me curious about her story, but I also wonder if it's because she isn't to last very long due to the incredibly rough weather and the fact that she's alone in the wilderness and heavily pregnant. Are we are being protected from getting too attached? Who knows. I will admit it took me a little bit of forced reading to get through the first half of the book. Some parts moved a little slowly, sometimes the characters were exasperating, occasionally the prophetic portion of the plot becomes a liiiiiittle bit too cliche for my taste... Once the pace starts to pick up however, and the choices that the characters make or aren't allowed to make start to affect eachother, things do get interesting. Douglass has a writing style that is descriptive but not so much that the writing gets bogged down by detail. But can I mention here that the main character has changed his last name three times? Make a decision, mate. At this point in time I am a chapter away from the end of the book and I'm a bit on the fence about continuing the series. I am aiming to finish off more half-read books before I start any new books, so I'm not sure what will happen once I've cleared that pile - will I pick something else or borrow book two? How cliffhanger-y will the last chapter be? Only one way to find out... After chapters upon chapters of impossible odds, this book ends with hope. No cliff hanger really, as there's a clear direction in which the characters have to go and a purpose for each of them to strive towards. Cliff hangers make me greedy for a next book but I am a sentimental little nutter and it's probably pretty likely that I'll finish the trilogy at least. Final Verdict 6 out of 10 It was ok. There's definitely better fantasy out there, and if I were to recommend a fantasy series in the Epic Fantasy vein I'd probably suggest something classic like Raymond Feist or David Eddings if I were to look beyond the obvious. (Lord of The Rings, Robert Jordan.) All in all, it was good enough for me to feel as though I haven't wasted my time, I did enjoy it and it was immersive enough that it did the trick of pulling me out of my own reality. One book down, seven half finished novels to go.
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