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neilsef's reviews
248 reviews

Dragon Forged by Dan Michaelson, D.K. Holmberg

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

3.0

This started very well and I was looking forward to an engaging, interesting, fast-paced story, which to be fair, for the most part,  it was.

The concept of gaining powers incrementally as you consume Firewater, which is water imbued with Dragon essence, and as such is a very rare substance, is fascinating, especially as the scope and range of those powers are revealed as the story progresses.

I liked the characters, especially Rob and his Grandmother, who are the most fleshed out. The plot is on the whole it is straightforward to follow, and even the limited world-building gives you a good sense of the environment where the story takes place.

However, it does have some serious problems in consistency and continuity, as well as a fair number of grammatical errors, and its over-reliance on several phrases, which are repeated every time certain actions are taken. The result is a story that gets quite irritating at times and baffling at others, which is a shame as there is a decent, interesting story underlying it all that has the potential to be highly enjoyable.

If the next book in the series came up in the Kindle monthly deals for 99 pence, then I would buy it and hope most of the issues listed above have been resolved, otherwise, I don't see myself reading any further in this series.
Conqueror's Blood by Zamil Akhtar

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adventurous dark mysterious tense medium-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? Yes

4.0

Though this is the second book in this series, it could be read as a standalone novel insofar as while this takes place after the events of the first book, the events are not linked other than a few names, places and events that happened in the first book are mentioned. One previous character who appears is Kevah, but his involvement is minimal and he is portrayed differently than in the first book.

The two main protagonists in this tale are Zedra, the concubine to the crown Prince of Alanya, and Cyra, who is the daughter of a tribe leader, who was kidnapped and then given to the Shar of Alanya, who subsequently became fond of her and ended up treating her like a daughter. Both wield magical abilities that draw from the same source but are utilised in different ways.

As with the first book this has a similar theme, with religion being the catalyst for the events, but in this case, it's the same religion, but with two different interpretations of the teachings that are causing the conflict.

Again the book has a brisk pace, swapping from one character's point of view to another's with each chapter, and is written in the first person. There are many additional characters, all with varied and well-written personalities, but quite interestingly, none of them are portrayed as evil or bad, except from the viewpoint of the other characters.

There are also several interesting plot twists and mysteries which are deftly handled, all of which enhanced my overall enjoyment of the story and kept me entertained right up to the last page. 
The Priory of the Orange Tree by Samantha Shannon

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adventurous mysterious sad tense 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? Yes

4.0

Like most of the books I buy, it is the cover that first draws my attention, and this is an eye catching cover. I had also seen several posts on Facebook from a Fantasy book club I am a member of praising this book, so when it was included in the Kindle monthly deals, I grabbed it.

The story draws from facets of various mythologies and histories to weave a wonderfully engaging tale that while not fast-paced, effortlessly holds your attention because of its fantastic characters, its world-building and the mysteries that are revealed and that it slowly unveils.

For Dragon lovers, this is a delight, as both Western and Asian dragon types, plus a host of Wyverns and related draconic beasts are weaved into the story.

The only flaw in the tale, as far as I am concerned, was the conclusion to the final battle, with the description of the climatic event actually being anticlimactic. If you read the story, and I certainly hope you do, when you get to this point you might see what I mean. Other than that, all the threads are tidied up in a satisfying manner, while still leaving scope for further novels.
The Bone Ships by RJ Barker

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adventurous mysterious tense medium-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

4.0

The setting for this tale is primarily aboard ships, ships made of bones from sea dragons, which is fairly unique and a refreshing change from the more traditional settings.

This is a slow burn of a story, with the characters' personalities being slowly revealed and built up as the story progresses, the same being true of the plot, so the further you read, the more interesting it becomes.

For me, it was not a page-turner in the traditional sense, but it was a book that kept me intrigued enough to keep coming back to read a bit more, and more so the closer to the end I got.

This is a good series opener and one that has me tantalised enough to get the next book on the series to see what happens next. 
Chronicles of the Black Company by Glen Cook

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adventurous challenging mysterious sad medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Plot
  • Strong character development? No
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.0

 I found the first book in this set to be a challenge to get through due to the writing style, which was very much in the style of a chronicle, rather than a story, with minimal character development or any real depth of detail to the events described, which if it had been a standalone novel I wouldn't have decided not to continue with the series.

However, the second and third books changed to a more normal storytelling structure, with a subsequent improvement in the characters and the overall engagement of the story, though both were still lacking, but improving.

The most developed characters are probably Croaker, from whose perspective most of the story is told, and One-Eye and Goblin, who are old sorcerers who show their affection for each other by almost constantly playing pranks and bickering with each other.

Each book does improve on the previous one, so if like me you find the first one hard going, at least try the second, hopefully, you will be as pleasantly surprised as I was. 
Eve of Snows by L. James Rice

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adventurous challenging dark mysterious medium-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? Yes

3.0

Unfortunately, this just did not click for me, which was due primarily to the writing style that I found challenging, especially the first half of the book, and distracting due to the phrasing of a lot of the sentences.

There is quite an interesting story lurking in the pages of this book, with some engaging characters, if only you can cope with how it is structured, which was not to my taste, so i will not be continuing with the series.
The Furyck Saga by A.E. Rayne

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adventurous dark emotional lighthearted mysterious sad tense fast-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

Having read Winter's Fury a couple of years ago and given it a five-star rating, I was looking forward to seeing how it stood up in a reread as part of this three-book box set.

I was still blown away by the story, the characters, the world-building, the action and the suspense, which had me devouring this book, and the following two in this set at a phenomenal rate (for me).

There is a lot of action and suspense in these books and it unwinds at a fast pace, but for me, it is the characters and their personalities that are the highlights together with their interactions, which can be quite blunt and colourful, is such a delight to read.

My favourite author is David Gemmell, and these books remind me so much of his writing style with the action and characterisation, that I would enthusiastically recommend them to my fellow Gemmellites. 
Lesser Evil by Timothy Zahn

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adventurous informative mysterious tense fast-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

4.0

 I read the preceding books in this series last year, so it took a few chapters for me to remember what was going on and who all the various characters were, but once I had reached that level this was another enjoyable and engaging Thrawn tale.

The events and action are well written as are the characters, which all build to a satisfying conclusion to this enjoyable trilogy, as well as setting up the circumstances that lead into the Thrawn trilogy of books. 
Sword of the Squire by Jonathan Moeller

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adventurous mysterious tense 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

4.0

This is a well-paced and plotted tale set in a world similar to Earth, but in which magic exists. It is a world inhabited by Orc, Elves, Dragons and other mythological beings as well as humans, who are the descendants of people from the time of Arthur Pendragon, who came to this world through a portal.

The tale follows several squires, who are training to become Knights, two of whom deeply dislike each other, but whose fighting styles complement each other in a battle, which as the events unfold happens more often.

I read the Malison books not long ago and was disappointed with those due to their shortness and the resulting lack of time to build events and character personalities, this book corrects all those faults and is therefore much more enjoyable and engaging.
Of Blood And Fire by Ryan Cahill

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adventurous dark mysterious sad tense fast-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? No

4.0

I'm always a little bit wary when reading a book by an author I haven't read before, especially when the majority of the reviews are praising the book, however, the upside of that is when I find the praise is warranted, which in this case it most certainly is.

There were multiple scenes and characters in this book that reminded me of other series I have read, The Wheel of Time (Robert Jordan), The Sword of Truth (Terry Goodkind) and The Banned and the Banished (John Gwynne), though whether they influenced the author is Impossible to say without knowing if he has read them, but if you have, and enjoyed them, then you most likely will enjoy this.

The writing style is relaxing and easy to read, the characters are interesting and likeable for the most part and are nicely developed as the book progresses. The plot, which is engaging, mysterious, and intelligently thought out, instantly gripped me.

This is an excellent start to a series that I hope will deliver on the promise shown in this first book.