The Reaver

The Reaver (The Sundering #4)

Richard Lee Byers

ISBN# 9780786964581

February 2014

4 Stars

*I received this uncorrected galley from NetGalley*

Stedd Whitehorn, a young boy Chosen by a God thought to be dead, has a big price on his head. In order to perform the miracles that will end a famine that has plagued the land and preach the messages of his god he has to journey far while evading many enemies.  Anton Marivaldi, a reaver with a checkered past, captures Stedd in hopes to claim a bounty from the undead pirate captain Evendur Highcastle who serves the god Umberlee. Anton finds himself caught in a war that he didn’t expect to be a part of and Stedd has to find a way to complete his mission despite it all.

The one complaint that I have is that there were times I felt that it was cluttered. I found myself back tracking some to make sure I wasn’t missing anything. I have read the previous books in the series and the one thing I really like is that it’s not necessary to read them in order. That could change at some point but for now the books seem to be stand alone. I would have to say that this book is probably the most fun, so far.  There is a lot of action, pirates, wizard, vampires and even zombies.  At times I was on the edge of my seat and even though I wanted to get to the end to find out what happens I wanted the adventures to continue. The protagonists are great. When an author can make me like someone that I was against liking in the beginning I get excited. These characters have a depth that can be hard to find on the first introduction in this genre.

Overall I really enjoyed this novel.  This was my first experience with this author but I will be reading more of his work in the near future. I will gladly recommend The Reaver.

 

The Adversary

The Adversary (The Sundering #3)

Erin M. Evans

ISBN: 9780786963751

December 2013

4 Stars

*I received this uncorrected galley from NetGalley*

Farideh is taken by Netherese agents and imprisoned along with other Netherese enemies. It doesn’t take long for her to realize that her fellow prisoners are something more than what she expected. These captives have powers or abilities that their captors will use or destroy so the race is on for her to find a way to release them. Farideh has allies within the camp but one is an old adversary who she’s not sure she can trust. While she works tirelessly on her plans Farideh’s sister and friends are on their own seemingly impossible journey to attempt a rescue that magic and politics could destroy before they reach the camp.

This series is my first introduction to these authors and I am so excited to read more from them.

My complaints always come first so I will get that out of the way. In some areas it felt cluttered and I had moments of feeling overwhelmed by the number of characters. It was mostly in intense action scenes where I was trying to keep track of the major characters plus the minor ones.  Otherwise everything moves smoothly and the pace has a nice balance.  The characters (I know other readers have had more experience with them than I have) are also very balanced. Having conflicted and complex characters really works well in this genre.  Farideh is a good example of this and I can’t wait to read more of her adventures. I stayed up late a few nights to read this and that’s a good sign for me because I love my sleep and am an early riser. I can easily recommend this one to fantasy fans or anyone looking to get a start in fantasy. So far I don’t see a reason why this series has to be read in order.