Janice Y. (jai) reviewed on 8/22/2007 + 310 more book reviews

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.

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