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Mark @ Carstairs Considers (2206 KP) rated Everblaze (Keeper of the Lost Cities, #3) in Books

Mar 9, 2018  
E(
Everblaze (Keeper of the Lost Cities, #3)
Shannon Messenger | 2014
10
10.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
Sophie discovers that Ogres are causing trouble in her new realm, but with the Black Swan staying silent, she has to work overtime to figure out what to do next. Meanwhile, the Council is asking her to do something that is dividing the rest of the Elves. What should she do?

This is the longest book in the series to date and also the strongest. The characters continue to grow here, and the development in this book is awesome. The plot is strong from start to finish, and I couldn’t turn pages fast enough to find out what would happen next. Now, I just have to wait for the next book in the series.

Read my full review at <a href="http://carstairsconsiders.blogspot.com/2014/12/book-review-everblaze-by-shannon.html">Carstairs Considers</a>.
  
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David McK (3425 KP) rated Dawnthief (Chronicles of the Raven, #1) in Books

Jan 30, 2019  
D(
Dawnthief (Chronicles of the Raven, #1)
James Barclay | 2002
4
4.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
This is pretty much what I would term your standard high-fantasy fiction: high fantasy as opposed to, say, urban fantasy, as it involves Dragons (albeit only at the very beginning, and then more-or-less forgotten about), Elves and Magic amongst other genre staples.

The Raven of the sub-title ('Chronicles of the Raven', remember!) are a group of mercenaries who, at the beginning of the novel, have lived and fought together for years. At the end of one contract, they are hired by a former enemy, before events start overtaking them and they find themselves as amongst the last hope for their land, which is descending into war ...

I found this to be an OK read: not the best of such-like books I've ever read; nor the worst.
  
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Phil Leader (619 KP) rated The Children of Hurin in Books

Nov 11, 2019  
The Children of Hurin
The Children of Hurin
J.R.R. Tolkien, Christopher Tolkien | 2014 | Fiction & Poetry
8
8.0 (2 Ratings)
Book Rating
One of the key things that makes The Lord of the Rings so enduring is that it sits on thousands of years of history and stories all plotted in detail by Tolkien before he even conceived of his epic trilogy. This is one of those stories, an outline of which appears in the Silmarillion, and familiarity with that book is advised before reading this one.

Set in Beleriand at a time when Morgoth ruled over the land from his fortress of Angband, this is a tragedy on the scale of Hamlet. Principally telling the tale of Túrun son of Húrin it follows his life as he becomes the leader of an outlaw band leading the fight back against Morgoth, the elves and dwarves having essentially retreated to their core lands and given up. His actions motivate the races into action and give hope that Morgoth can be defeated.

But this comes at a cost. Túrin is cursed and doomed to ultimate failure. The last third of the book is pretty grim as everything he has worked for and everything he holds dear is destroyed by his own actions, taken in good faith at the time. There can be no happy ending.

The tone, therefore, is a shade darker than the darkest passages of The Lord of the Rings. Tolkien's deep knowledge of his invented folklore is still to the fore and it is good to see how the world of elves looked in its prime rather than the faded and jaded view we get in the tales of the War of the Ring. It is not an easy read by any means, but it is a worthwhile one for anyone who wants to know more about the tales of Beleriand.