Helpful Score: 13
Fantasy novel focussing on a young noble named Kelios with some very unusual powers, who is going to a place of learning for magic. A very big part of her life is a memory of her mother's death and a vendetta against her mother's murderer. I picked this up because I was interested to see Hamilton's earlier work. This has a very different voice from the paranormal/urban fantasy novels Hamilton is famous for. It's a straight fantasy, and the writing is in an easy to read style, but this book feels like the second book of a trilogy rather than the standalone it is - there are a lot of references to an adventure the heroine Kelios had before that sounds like it deserves it's own novel, and a lot of references to terms I had to guess at. For instance, I believe Kelios is both an Enchanter and a Sorcerer, but Hamilton doesn't explain the difference. It also felt like a third book could have come after this one because of left over plot strings, plus only towards the end do I feel that I am beginning to get into Kelios's character and a couple of other characters. Leaves me wanting. On top of that, there is a lot of battling and fighting in this book and very little explaining. I'd recommend this as light reading but with a warning that you may feel unsatisfied.
Helpful Score: 5
Is there another one after this book? Cause this one just dropped you off at nowhere! With as slow and hard as it was too read, it still should have been more at the end then that. There were several times I almost put it down but each time I came back and read the other reviews so I thought it might get better. It just got slower! But now that it just dropped off, I would like to know what happens to so many that they just said were missing in the end. That just sucked, you don't just drop a reader like that, even on a good book unless there is one after it.
I have read the entire Anita Blake series by this author and short of too much sex in some of them, they are really good. So to get my hands on this one and to expect the same was disappointing. She never even said what happend to the dragon teacher let alone if anyone else survives the keep attack, who does that?
I have read the entire Anita Blake series by this author and short of too much sex in some of them, they are really good. So to get my hands on this one and to expect the same was disappointing. She never even said what happend to the dragon teacher let alone if anyone else survives the keep attack, who does that?
Helpful Score: 2
Debut novel of the author of the Anita Blake series.
Not entirely horrible, but not as well-written as the more famous series. Hamilton's "noir" style doesn't work as well for sword-and-sorcery.
Not entirely horrible, but not as well-written as the more famous series. Hamilton's "noir" style doesn't work as well for sword-and-sorcery.
Helpful Score: 2
Definitely an early attempt by Hamilton. I enjoy her more experienced work more.
Helpful Score: 1
"In an epic battle of good versus evil, of enchanted swords and shapeshifting dragons, of unquenchable hatred and unlikely love, Keleios must battle her own demons before she can earn the most important power of all- the power to forgive."
