Review: The Eye of the World by Robert Jordan

Title: The Eye of the World

Author: Robert Jordan

Series: The Wheel of Time #1

Publisher: Orbit

Publication date: 2006

Format: Paperback | 800 pages

Genre: Epic Fantasy | Adult

Goodreads

There is a world of light and shadow, where good and evil wage eternal war. It is the world of the wheel of time. The greatest fantasy epic ever written.

The Wheel of Time turns and Ages come and go, leaving memories that become legend. Legend fades to myth and even myth is long forgotten when the Age that gave it birth returns again.

But one truth yet remains, and what mortal men forget, the Aes Sedai do not…

What was, what will be, and what is, may yet fall under the Shadow.

My thoughts:

Goodness this took me so long to finish. Well worth the time it took though.

I love epic fantasy. I love it, but I can only read it in small doses. It seems to take everything out of me every time I finish a book like this. I don't know if it's because of how long it takes, the complexity of the writing or just the fact that so much can happen in one book that it feels like I've read five in one sitting. I have to just put everything down afterwards and do nothing. 

I think what got me most about this read was the writing. I mean, just read the summary of the book - the writing is just something else. Sometimes Jordan gets all philosophical and it just blew my mind how his words got sucked into my soul to be reflected for hours until I just shake it off and get back to the story. His writing is just…I can't even.

The characters are also extremely loveable. I did have a hard time with Mat for a while but that was understandable. Rand and Perrin have to be the most loveable characters I've ever come across in epic fantasy. They were honourable and the were sweet. I don't think they have a bad bone in their body. 

But Lan and Nynaeve just took my heart. It's strange because their relationship is only mentioned a couple of times - just a couple of hints here and there. Nothing actually happens between them but there is a couple of lines towards the end that just made me start bawling. It was one of the most heartfelt conversations I've ever read between characters. I'm pretty sure there are quotes of this conversation all over the place because it's just too amazing but I won't say anymore for those of you that want to actually read the book.

The one thing I would have liked for this book would be a longer battle at the end. I understand that it's not over and there's so many more books in the series for epic battles but for such a long journey, I wanted it to come to this amazing battle that lasted for more than a couple of pages.

All in all I loved this book. I can't wait to get my hands on the rest of the series and get to know the characters more. Especially Lan and Nynaeve - those two are killing me inside…my heart is turning to mush.

My rating: 9/10

Robert Jordan:

Goodreads 

The Wheel of Time:

1. The Eye of the World
2. The Great Hunt
3. The Dragon Reborn
4. The Shadow Rising
5. The Fires of Heaven
6. Lord of Chaos
7. A Crown of Swords
8. The Path of Daggers
9. Winter's Heart
10. Crossroads of Twilight
11. Knife of Dreams
12. The Gathering Storm
13. Towers of Midnight
14. A Memory of Light

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Review: Shadow's Edge by Brent Weeks

Title: Shadow's Edge

Author: Brent Weeks

Series: Night Angel #2

Publisher: Orbit

Publication date: 04 Aug 2011

Format: Paperback | 672 pages

Genre: Adult | Epic Fantasy

Goodreads

Kylar Stern has rejected the assassin's life. In the wake of the Godking's violent coup, both his master and his closest friend are dead. His friend was Logan Gyre, heir to Cenaria's throne, but few of the ruling class survive to mourn his loss. So Kylar is starting over: new city, new companions, and new profession.

But when he learns that Logan might be alive, trapped and in hiding, Kylar faces an impossible choice: he could give up the way of the shadows forever, and find peace with his young family. Or he could succumb to his flair for destruction, the years of training, to save his friend and his country - and lose all he holds precious.

My thoughts:

Shadow's Edge begins where the first book in the trilogy, The Way of the Shadows left off. Kylar leaves his birthplace and the city he used to call home to make a better life for himself and Elene. In order to get away from the chaos of war, Kylar has to leave behind his wetboy ways and stop killing to keep Elene happy. He soon finds however, that trouble has its way of following him and Kylar finds it more of a challenge to stop killing than he anticipated.

I have to say I don't even know where to begin with this review. I adored this book even more than the first one. Kylar grew into even more of an amazing character with all of the troubles he faced in this read and he really ended up coming into his own. I loved all of his flaws along with his cool as heck, newfound abilities. But most of all, I loved how unsure he was of what he was doing. This book was a huge journey for Kylar that hasn't even ended yet - he still doesn't know his purpose in life and he doesn't know how to deal with all of his losses. 

The ending to this book is still driving me crazy a day later. I can't wrap my head around it - honestly it was a brilliant ending, but it came out of nowhere. I feel sorry for people who read this book before the last book in the series had been published. Thank God I already have the last book on my shelves. If I had to wait I don't know what I would have done.

Overall I love this read and the series so far. I can't wait to get stuck into the last book.

My rating: 10/10

Brent Weeks:

Goodreads | Website | Facebook | Twitter

Night Angel:

1. The Way of Shadows
2. Shadow's Edge
3. Beyond the Shadows

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Review: The Way of Shadows by Brent Weeks

Title: The Way of Shadows

Author: Brent Weeks

Series: Night Angel #1

Publisher: Orbit

Publication date: 04 Aug 2011

Format: Paperback | 672 pages

Genre: Adult | Epic Fantasy

Goodreads

For Durzo Blint, assassination is an art. And he is the city's most accomplished artist, his talents required from alleyway to courtly boudoir.

For Azoth, survival is precarious. Something you never take for granted. As a guild rat, he's grown up in the slums, and learned the hard way to judge people quickly - and to take risks. Risks like apprenticing himself to Durzo Blint.

But to be accepted, Azoth must turn his back on his old life and embrace a new identity and name. As Kyler Stern, he must learn to navigate the assassin's world of dangerous politics and strange magics - and cultivate a flair for death.

My thoughts:

Azoth has had more than enough of living in fear so when Durzo Blint comes along, the most feared wetboy in the city, Azoth takes a risk and becomes an apprentice to an assassin. As time passes, Azoth becomes Kyler, a skilled fighter with dreams of becoming all that Blint wants him to be. Things soon change though when a kingdom to the north plots an invasion that threatens everything Kyler knows and loves.

I. Loved. This. Book.

I could probably just leave it at that but it doesn't really say much about why you should read it. Just a bit of a fair warning though, I most likely won't make much sense in this review.

The characters in this book are so well written that I had a hard time figuring a lot of them out. I've rarely been in the position where I can't draw the line between good and evil - there were characters that I loathed until the very end where something's revealed that makes all of that character's actions seem like acts of love where they didn't before. I never saw it coming. Lately the books I've been reading have been so predictable that it became tiring to carry on reading them, it just made The Way of Shadows that much better in comparison. Even the characters that are clearly labelled as the 'villains' have elements to their makeup that make them seem pitiful instead of just the character you're supposed to hate. I found myself feeling sorry for some which made the read very interesting indeed.

I also thought this read was incredibly intense. I dreaded having to put this book down because it was so chocked full of suspense. There was no end to the action throughout the read as well as an amazingly detailed plot. There were a few subplots within the read which were just as intriguing as the plot mainly focusing on Kyler. I couldn't race through this one fast enough and then, as usual with a great book, I didn't want it to end.

Honestly, if you like this genre anyway, please pick up this book. I for one, am really looking forward to reading the next book in the trilogy. 

My rating: 10/10

Brent Weeks:

Goodreads | Website | Facebook | Twitter

Night Angel:

1. The Way of Shadows
2. Shadow's Edge
3. Beyond the Shadows

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Review: A Game of Thrones by George R. R. Martin

Title: A Game of Thrones

Author: George R.R Martin

Series: A Song of Ice and Fire #1

Publisher: HarperVoyager

Publication date: January 6th 2003

Format: Paperback | 807 pages

Genre: Epic Fantasy

Goodreads

Summers span decades.

Winters can last a lifetime. And the struggle for the Iron Throne has begun.

As Warden of the north, Lord Eddard Stark counts it a curse when King Robert bestows on him the office of the Hand. His honour weighs him down at court where a true man does what he will, not what he must…and a dead enemy is a thing of beauty.

The old gods have no power in the south, Stark's family is split and there is treachery at court. Worse, the vengeance-mad heir of the deposed Dragon King has grown to maturity in exile in the Free Cities. He claims the Iron Throne.

My thoughts:

I'm pretty sure most of you will know a little about this series or at the least heard of it. For those who haven't, A Game of Thrones follows quite a few characters as they battle it out for the Iron Throne. There's a whole lot of stabbing in the back, war talk and heads on pikes. As for the rest, it's a pretty complicated book to narrow it down to one paragraph, you'll just have to find out for yourself.

What I love the most about this book is the characters. I was bowled over by how easy it was to hate some and really love the rest. The characters were incredibly clear cut in the way the contributed to the plot which I haven't really experienced before in any read. Since the chapters alternated between different characters' points of view, it made it really easy to get excited when I saw whose point of view was coming up next. I can't even properly express how well written these characters were - they were so detailed and had so much depth to them, a book could be written about each one.

The plot itself certainly got me racing through the book - as much as you can race through a book 800 pages long. It was original and I didn't see anything coming at all which I found incredibly refreshing. It wasn't especially thrilling for quite a lot of the book, sometimes there wasn't much going on at all, but there was no part of the story that bored me or made me lose interest.

It was only the length of the book that put me off a little. I'm used to finishing a book within a day or two at most, so this one took forever in comparison. To be honest, it's not something even worth complaining about, but for people who have more of a hectic life than I do, it'll most likely take a good long while to finish this one, never mind the rest of the series. 

 

Overall this was a fantastic read that I can recommend to anybody, especially readers who want to try a book of this genre, it's a good place to start. 

 

My rating: 9/10

George R.R. Martin:

Goodreads | Website 

 

A Song of Ice and Fire:

1. A Game of Thrones
2. A Clash of Kings
3. A Storm of Swords
4. A Feast for Crows
5. A Dance with Dragons
6. The Winds of Winter
7. A Dream of Spring

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Review: Wizard's First Rule by Terry Goodkind

Title: Wizard's First Rule

Author: Terry Goodkind

Series: Sword of Truth #1

Publisher: Gollancz

Publication date: 10 Jul 2008

Format: Paperback | 784 pages

Genre: Epic Fantasy 

Goodreads

One man, Richard Cypher, holds the key to the fate of three nations, to the fate of humanity. But until he learns the Wizard's First Rule his chances of succeeding in his task are slim. And his biggest problem is admitting that magic exists at all…

My thoughts:

Wow this book…

I was not expecting anything like this at all. This book was beyond fantastic. I finished it just to want to read it all over again. I'm officially hooked on this series.

From reviews I've seen, this is a book that people either love or hate. I fell into the former category straight away. I have to say it was mostly because of the characters - I've never read about characters with such depth to them. I loved Richard's personality and the way he constantly tried to do good by people. Richard always found the right answer in a bad situation - he went through a lot without having any of the decency or integrity in him taken away. He was probably one of the strongest male protagonists I've come across so far. 

I also found the plot to be excellent. It was original and it was chocked full of surprises - I never saw that ending coming that's for sure. This was a monster of a book so I took a little more time finishing it than usual, but it was incredibly hard to put it down at times. There were so many instances that I was worried for the characters - the book was incredibly intense and full of suspense.

Overall I loved this book and I'm definitely going to carry on reading the rest of the series. It's definitely not a book for the faint hearted but for fans of this genre, I really recommend trying it before you read through all of the reviews.

My rating: 10/10

Terry Goodkind:

Goodreads | Website | Twitter | Facebook

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