by David Green
Really not what I expected.
Obviously, by the photo, I listened to this one too. This book is totally not what I expected going in, although, I’m not certain what I did expect. It has all the things that epic fantasy should have: multiple races, war, a journey, and characters with deep and interwoven backstories. However, I really struggled to connect with the book for the first 5 hours of the 6h 18m-long book.
The perspective was really distant (farther away from the main characters than I prefer), and that made it hard for me to connect with Calene or Zara until the last 1/5 of the book. It felt more focused on all the things going on in the world rather than the connection with mother/daughter.
I have the same struggles when trying to get into Brandon Sanderson’s books, so I’m probably in the very small minority here. Perhaps listening wasn’t the best way to read this book.
Oh, and by the way, can we please minimize the substitute word for the f-bomb? Perhaps in reading with eyeballs it isn’t annoying, but in audio form, it was super annoying.
In the end, the way it came together brought my rating up quite a bit. And yes, that ending hits you right square in the gut.
Plot and Characters
The plot in this is tight. I didn’t really understand what the key focus of the book was though until the last fifth of the book. This (I think) has to do with the omniscient or near-omniscient POV.
Romance Elements
Swoonworthiness
None.
Heat
None
Fantasy Elements
Worldbuilding
The world is everything a fantasy reader should expect. And the way it’s delivered was very well-done.
Magic & Magic Systems
Adored the sparker and dark sparker concept, and I am intrigued by the level of resistance by the banished.
Writing and Narration
I think this is my biggest hangup. I think I simply do not like the distant POV. I want to get closer to characters and really feel their individual story goals as a part of reading their POVs. I am fine with switching POVs, but keeping it so objective also keeps me disconnected.
The narration seemed to also need some additional editing and less background noise. The voice was smooth, but the quality was a bit lacking.
Synopsis
The tides of fate are shifting.
The Banished have returned, and they have set their eyes on the walls of Solitude.
Zanna Alpenwood, a powerful mage, and two hundred aged and forgotten Sparkers are all that stand between the Banished and the nation of Haltveldt. With time running out and the world at stake, Zanna is forced to reach out to her estranged daughter, Calene, and set her on an impossible quest.
Calene quickly learns that enemies make unlikely allies as she teams up with both friend and foe on her journey to save her mother and Haltveldt. Forging their way over land and sea, uncovering dark plots and secret societies, Calene is forced to decide between her masters and her own conscience.
Will they arrive in time to save the fortress of Solitude from destruction? Only one thing is certain; Ruin is assured if Solitude falls.
In Solitude’s Shadow, is only book one in the epic planned trilogy.
Path of War – Pre-order on sale now – coming June 2022
My Ratings
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About the Author
David lives in Co Galway, Ireland and grew up in Manchester, UK. A lover of the written word since childhood, David always harboured ambitions to write and is finally doing it. He has a passion for all genres and is an avid fan of fantasy, sci-fi and horror in particular. After studying film, David’s writing has been described as visual and vivid, with readers able to clearly picture scenes in their minds.
David admires noir, and tries to add that flavour to most of his work, finding the ambiguity it lends to be a thrilling aspect of creating a story. He has published works across a number of genres, and will continue to write until he can physically no longer do it.