Spellbound Review

Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)Are you looking to buy Spellbound? Here is the right place to find the great deals. we can offer discounts of up to 90% on Spellbound. Check out the link below:

>> Click Here to See Compare Prices and Get the Best Offers

Spellbound ReviewLast year I read and reviewed Blake Charlton's fantastic Spellwright and now I'll write a review about the fantastic sequel, Spellbound, which is even better and more fascinating than Spellwright. In other words, it's a perfect sequel and readers, who have read Spellwright, will love it.
Before I begin to write my review, I'll mention that this review is based on a PDF review version of Spellbound. The PDF version didn't contain any maps or cover art. It took me only a couple of days to read this PDF version, because I couldn't stop reading it (when I'm reading an interesting book, I find it extremely difficult to stop reading the book). Now that I've had time to digest what I've read, I'm ready to write the review. (I'll try to avoid too many spoilers.)
Spellbound is a traditional fantasy book and it contains elements which are often associated with traditional fantasy. These elements are charming and they add a nice flavour to the story. I know that there are fantasy readers who don't want to read traditional fantasy, which is a real shame, because they don't know what they're missing. Traditional fantasy is at its best - like it is in this book - fantastic and thrilling entertainment and it shouldn't be overlooked. That's why I'm not afraid to praise Spellbound in this review. I apologize if the last couple of phrases sounded like preaching, but in my opinion we need more books like Spellbound, because fantasy readers must be reminded how good traditional fantasy can be.
The events of Spellbound take place ten years after the first book. That's why it's essential and important to read Spellwright before reading Spellbound. It's probably impossible to understand what's going on unless you've read Spellwright, because Blake Charlton reveals new things in this book and all events are based on previous events (the author goes full speed ahead and spends only little time repeating previous events).
Spellbound starts with a furious and breath-taking pace and the author knows how to keep the pace brisk enough to keep his readers glued to the book until the end. Although the pace slows down a bit after the start, there aren't any dull moments, because something is always going on or something is going to happen soon. The plot and the subplots are fascinating.
The main characters are Nicodemus Weal and Francesca DeVega. Here's a bit of information about Nicodemus and Francesca:
- Readers who have read Spellwright know that Nicodemus is a young man who has trouble with normal spells, because he suffers from cacography. He can only use different kind of spells.
- Francesca is a healer (a cleric) whose life is turned upside down when her patient dies and then comes back to life and tells her about what's going on in Avel.
In my opinion both main characters are three-dimensional and believable fantasy characters. It was a pleasure to read about them.
There are also other interesting characters. These characters include (I'll only mention four characters):
- Deirdre, who is under the demon's (Typhon) influence and tries to deceive the demon as often as she can.
- Cyrus, who is Francesca's old friend and an air warden.
- Shannon, who is Nicodemus' mentor. He suffers from a canker curse, which is slowly killing him.
- Typhon is a demon, who tries to start the War of Disjunction, which will bring end to human language.
It was nice to read about Deirdre and Shannon and what's happened to them since the end of Spellwright. I'm sure that readers will be as delighted as I was to find out new things about their fate.
Blake Charlton writes with passion about his characters and makes them come to life. He focuses nicely on the characters and keeps the reader guessing about certain things and skillfully reveals bits and pieces about them. In my opinion Spellbound's character development is similar to Spellwright's character development, because the characters are as likeable in Spellbound as they are in the first book. Character interaction is almost flawless and the dialogues are well written. The author switches narration fluently between different characters and keeps the story flowing without problems.
There were several fascinating things in Spellbound:
- I found it interesting that the author wrote about intelligent lycanthropes who were believed to be able to use spells and disguise themselves as people in order to lure helpless victims among them.
- The beast called Savanna Walker is one of the most intriguing monsters I've read about. It's a deadly creature that drives men mad and causes aphasia.
- Air wardens, lofting kites and airships were also intriguing. It's possible that when readers hear about airships they automatically assume that they have something to do with steampunk (or they're similar to the airships in Terry Brooks' The Voyage of the Jerle Shannara trilogy), but I can say that these readers are wrong if they think this way. Blake Charlton's airships are totally original creations.
- Hierophants and their spells were interesting. It was fun to read about them.
It was great that the author explored new areas in Spellbound. It was also great to read about spellwriting again, because Blake Charlton's magic system is one of the most unique and thoroughly convincing magic systems I've ever read about during the last couple of years. In this book the author brings new depth to his magic system and reveals several new things to the reader.
Worldbuilding is much better in Spellbound than it was Spellwright. Blake Charlton has created a richly detailed and charming fantasy world, which gradually begins to open to the reader. He writes beautifully about new vistas and places.
Spellbound has nice moments of humour which lighten the atmosphere nicely. There are also intriguing mystery elements and subplots, which spice up the story.
Although Spellbound is a middle book, it doesn't feel like a middle book, because the action is suspenseful and the plot is good. Some authors have problems with middle books, but not Blake Charlton. Spellbound is a good example of a fascinating and carefully written middle book, because it's better and more engaging than its predecessor.
Considering that Spellbound is Blake Charlton's second book, it's amazing how good and entertaining it is (I expected Spellbound to be a good book, but it exceeded all my expectations). Spellwright was a traditional, but unique fantasy book, because the author had invented a new and original magic system, but I dare say that Spellbound is even more unique, because the author has taken all the interesting bits from Spellwright and added more elements and new twists to the story.
I was impressed by the author's ability to explore several different things and I was amazed by how much information Blake Charlton had included in Spellbound (this book contains more information than Spellwright). It's possible that readers who don't remember what happened in Spellwright may feel a bit overwhelmed by the amount of information, but I wasn't overwhelmed. I loved every part of this book, because the author didn't underestimate the intelligence of his readers.
In my opinion Blake Charlton has matured as a writer and he's now a more confident and experienced writer than before (his confidence and experience can be seen in the way he writes about the events). After reading Spellbound it's easy for me to say that Blake Charlton is definitely one of the best and most talented new fantasy writers at this moment, because he writes good, entertaining and vivid fantasy prose. He also has a good imagination, which is needed when you write about fictional worlds.
Spellbound is one of the best fantasy books I've read this year. I like Blake Charlton's writing style and seemingly endless imagination very much. On a scale from one to ten, Spellbound gets full ten points from me for being an entertaining, imaginative, detailed and emotional fantasy book. Spellbound can be recommended to readers who like epic fantasy stories and want to immerse themselves into reading and experience the joy of reading good fantasy. It's excellent epic fantasy for adult readers (I'm sure that younger readers will also love it). I'm eagerly looking forward to reading the third book, Spellbreaker, because I want to know how the trilogy ends.
If you haven't read Blake Charlton yet, you should seriously consider reading his books, because they're wonderful and imaginative fantasy entertainment. Spellwright and Spellbound belong to everybody fantasy reader's reading list and bookshelf. (I think it's possible to turn reluctant fantasy readers into fantasy lovers by giving them Blake Charlton's books, because both books are impossible to put down.)
Highly recommended!
Spellbound Overview

Want to learn more information about Spellbound?

>> Click Here to See All Customer Reviews & Ratings Now

Read More...

The Daughters Join the Party Review

Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)Are you looking to buy The Daughters Join the Party? Here is the right place to find the great deals. we can offer discounts of up to 90% on The Daughters Join the Party. Check out the link below:

>> Click Here to See Compare Prices and Get the Best Offers

The Daughters Join the Party ReviewAs a middle school teacher, I am always looking for appropriate books to recommend to my students. Though they enjoy books like "Pretty Little Liars" they are not the most appropriate ones for them to be reading. The Daughters series is the perfect book to recommend for my middle school students. The daughters are great role models as they struggle to grow up. They face many out of the ordinary circumstances, but most girls can find something to relate to in this series and also get an inside look into a world they dream about living. The latest book in the series certainly does not disappoint. We meet a new character who soon becomes a "daughter" also as her father has decided to run for president. She considers herself the black sheep of the family, but soon a role reversal finds her being the role model and her older brother being thrown into a difficult situation. I love how the main character stands up for what she believes in even if it is not the easy thing to do. Young people need good role models and the character in this book displays exactly what I want my students to become--confident and out-spoken women who will not stand for something they don't believe in. Please Joanna Philbin don't stop this series. It is wonderful. I see many opportunities for you to continue the stories by either focusing on each of the daughters again or maybe continuing to add more daughters. Thanks for writing a great book I can share with my students.The Daughters Join the Party Overview

Want to learn more information about The Daughters Join the Party?

>> Click Here to See All Customer Reviews & Ratings Now

Read More...

The Weight of Blood Review

Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)Are you looking to buy The Weight of Blood? Here is the right place to find the great deals. we can offer discounts of up to 90% on The Weight of Blood. Check out the link below:

>> Click Here to See Compare Prices and Get the Best Offers

The Weight of Blood ReviewWhat would you get if you turned Fritz Leiber's Fafhrd and the Gray Mouser into a pair of half-orc brothers, gave them severe inferiority complexes, moral ambiguity, and massive tempers, and then threw in a powerful religious zealot who sways them closer to the dark side than any individual should ever be comfortable with?
Why, you'd have "The Weight of Blood" by David Dalglish.
"The Weight of Blood" is an extremely dark fairy tale that tells the story of those aforementioned half-orc brothers, Qurrah and Harruq Tun. As far as main characters go, I don't think I've ever seen their likeness. Sold separately into slavery by their orc mother early on in life, they eventually escaped and found each other again, only to grow up without guidance on the streets of a town called Veldaren, scavenging for food and learning that sometimes in life, when you come from nothing, it's better to kill than be killed. Qurrah is a spindly and coldly intelligent sort whose greatest passion is to become a powerful sorcerer. Harruq, on the other hand, is a large-bodied and (sometimes) kind-hearted oaf who exists seemingly only to protect his physically weaker brother. The dialogue between the two borders on hilarious in the early going, when they're still nothing but vagrants. But there is something darker in them, mostly in regards to Qurrah, which begging to be released. They are archetypal antiheroes, existing on the periphery of a society that wants no part of them.
The story starts off with a bang, dropping us in on the brothers as an army of orcs attempts to invade Veldaren. It is here that we first meet Velixar, a necromancer and master of the dark arts, who eventually takes the brothers under his wing. Through Velixar, we also are presented with a sizeable chunk of the world Dalglish has created, which is notable if for no other reason than it gives the reader a frame of reference to draw upon further down the road.
The novel is chock full of intense and extremely graphic battle scenes. It would be easy to get lost in the action if these scenes weren't expertly crafted, which they are. The actions the brothers take from the onset vary from miscreant to downright evil. They butcher women, children, whole families, mostly without batting an eyelash. Even when one of them seemingly finds love, through the appearance of a beautiful sorcerer elf named Aurelia, this does little to stifle the loathsome behavior. Qurrah and Harruq appear to be brutes, ostensibly without a soul, and they act as such.
That statement is not quite true, however, and herein lays the brilliance of the world author Dalglish has created. This is a story of their fall and hopefully redemption, though as a series, once we reach the end it is still in the early stages. But the hope is there that these two will find their way. We get to see inside the brothers' heads, and what we find there, though disturbing, allows us to feel a glimmer of gallantry. They are capable of love - this much is evident by the way they feel about each other - and any being who can experience that emotion in its fullest and most vulnerable can eventually learn to harness that inner goodness. All they ever needed was guidance, something that was denied them through unfortunate circumstances beyond their control.
And this is where we come to the crux of the fable that the author is telling us. In many ways, the brothers' situation mirrors events we see all the time in the "real world". They have nothing, they are starving and ostracized. Everyone looks down on them. They wander through life without a purpose save staying alive. When one looks at it like this, is it any wonder that when a stranger approaches the destitute pair and offers them a life that has meaning they leap for it? They who have nothing are promised the world. They who've been looked at as the lowest of the low are told they will be worshiped as gods. They who have had to scrape and claw are given gifts of such power that they become death incarnate. When viewed from this vantage point, can we not understand, even sympathize, with the plight Qurrah and Harruq have been forced to deal with? If we, as civilized humans, were put in the same situation, would our morality not begin to wither and die after a while? This rings true with what happens every day in certain parts of the world. It is almost the very blueprint for terrorist recruitment. And at the end of the day, that is what the brothers become. Terrorists. They target not only the enemy but the young and innocent. They strike from the shadows, seeking to assist a greater agenda that they either don't or can't understand.
This is a very dark book, so take that as a warning. If you don't like the images of flayed arms and legs, decapitation, or bodies reduced to quivering masses of blood and innards, stay far away. However, if you appreciate a well-told story that pulls you into its world and won't let you back out, this is the novel for you. It is unrelenting and fast-paced. It makes you care about the characters, no matter what bad deeds they may perform. And, best of all, it allows you to feel hope that the characters will turn it all around, and through something as simple as an act of kindness.
In short, I loved "The Weight of Blood". The title says it all. It's about the inherent price of violence, the duty of family, and the pressure to do what's right. I would definitely recommend it. As far as fantasy goes, I feel you'd be hard pressed to find one that equals its scope and passion. I, for one, can't wait to get pulled into the next volume.
The Weight of Blood Overview

Want to learn more information about The Weight of Blood?

>> Click Here to See All Customer Reviews & Ratings Now

Read More...