On the plus side: I liked the writing style, the story, the imagery, and the main character. I liked the lack of foul language (in a culture that cremates the dead, Bury it! is their worst cussing), lack of descriptive sex (although we know it still takes place), and (and this is a little backhanded) the way that when truly terrible things happen, we don't get a blow by blow description.
On the negative side: some truly terrible things happen, including the torture of men, children, and animals. We know it's done, and for the sensitive it might be disturbing, but the action is not described. The evil characters are a little overdrawn and truly evil. There was also some angst in places and I couldn't understand why. I would go back and reread a paragraph, and still not know what prompted the running & weeping & misery. 12-year-olds sometimes act this way, but we were dealing with grown-ups.
One last note, religion features heavily in the plotline all the way through the book. A goddess is worshiped, prayed to, sung to, implored for help, and shows up here and there. Much action takes place in temples & shrines. The bad guys have their own deities they occasionally invoke.
On the negative side: some truly terrible things happen, including the torture of men, children, and animals. We know it's done, and for the sensitive it might be disturbing, but the action is not described. The evil characters are a little overdrawn and truly evil. There was also some angst in places and I couldn't understand why. I would go back and reread a paragraph, and still not know what prompted the running & weeping & misery. 12-year-olds sometimes act this way, but we were dealing with grown-ups.
One last note, religion features heavily in the plotline all the way through the book. A goddess is worshiped, prayed to, sung to, implored for help, and shows up here and there. Much action takes place in temples & shrines. The bad guys have their own deities they occasionally invoke.
Amy Sterling C. (asterling) reviewed The Singer's Crown (Singer's Crown, Bk 1) on + 7 more book reviews
A fantasy tale of a singer whose life was ruined, almost like Hamlet, by a wicked Uncle. Full of details that traditional fantasy readers will enjoy. My only quibble is the extreme tiny print!
