This is a magical mystical fantasy of the medieval "sword and sorcery" genre with multiple viewpoint characters. It feels OLD Disney like, but the darkness in this story feels evil right down to your bones.I neither recommend or discourage reading this book. It's a good book, 3± stars.
That's all the important stuff.
My tale of writing this review.
I wrote a review having 5 unread chapters to go. It was very a long and detailed draft. I included many of the characters: It mentions if they are Disney like heroes or heroines. I mention my pet nicknames of the darker characters: "The rat-mouse" and "The Ghoul", aka Danly and Steffan. Both those characters are quite dark and evil, something like — Clockwork Orange comes to mind..., but that's not quite right, — more like something from the dark corners of Stephen King or Edgar Allan Poe's mind, but with dark ages flare. Maybe both actually, Danly out of Clockwork Orange, and Steffan out of Poe's twisted darkness.
I stopped writing the draft review after around 500 words on characters and other details. It was just a draft so I figured I should finish reading before doing more.
I deleted that review after reading chapter 82 where my notes mention WTF? two or three times -- along with mention of exploding a reader's trust and dissolution of my suspension of disbelief which had been in question since the prologue.
Great falling dominoes, if chapter 82 and 83 were designed to get you to read book two, that idea flopped! Oops, too late, final book is published.
I rarely take notes as I read a book, but on this one I have over 5,000 words of notes: Something on every chapter. I did the note stuff primarily due to a memory issue I seem to have developed. But I WAS entirely ready to write a review novel. Ok, maybe only short story length review.
That's when my anticipated strong recommendation vanished. No doubt Ms. Azinger is a good indie writer who has read a lot of fantasy, and so knows how to write fantasy. But somewhere along the line there be at least some pinholes in her novel writing education and experience.
There's a word for lazy writer endings. It's "Deus ex machina" - "from the machine." It means, like you don't know… the writer pulled the ending out of their dark backside parts. Suddenly, out of the blue the heroes are saved by God, or by the machine (1920s & 30s sci-fi duds).
In Karen's defense, she does not do a "Des ex machina" ending. In fact the ending isn't bad at all. It is just chapters 82 and 83 that need some serious revision, OR… the prologue needs to be cut completely out, or somewhere between chapter 1 and 82 some hint that this fantastic bombing of Dresden is possible. Hence the kick-me-in-the-balls-trust-issue and canceling of the suspension-of-disbelief reader/writer contract with this author.
During the reading of this novel I was a bit frustrated that Karen hadn't published audiobook editions. My eyes are getting like the previously mentioned memory. There's 5 more of these jewels still begging to be read. But now… let's see… Anomaly by Jessica Gilliland, caught my interest. So did Eden Chip by Scott Cramer. I haven't read Angelfire by Hanna Peach or Life After by Julie Hall either. Hell…
There are: Servants of Fate Series by Sarah Fine, The Frey Saga by Melissa Wright, The Earth Epsilon Wars by Terrance Mulloy, The Cloud Warrior Saga by D.K. Holmberg, Cadicle Series by A.K. DuBoff, Worlds of Honor Series by David Weber, Phoenix Horizon Series by P.J. Manney, Fringe Series by Rachel Aukes, Black Magic Outlaw Series by Domino Finn, Speak of the Devil Series by Shawna Romkey, The Seven Signs Series by D.W. Hawkins, not to mention I've not yet started on the Pitticus Lore series.
Anyone have a favorite out of these offerings I have put off in favor of this series?
Sorry Karen… I really liked this book. Loved what was going on with Katherine and Jordan, wanted to know Blaine's fate also. The Spider Queen was intriguing… but what on Earth were you thinking with Bryce? Where did that come from? That so messed me up. Did I miss something essential? Was there something that might have hinted at chapter 82 prior to chapter 82? Now that I think of it. Why "The Steel Queen…" Was that supposed to be Liandre? That's a glaring thread that might revive my interest…
Read in 18 sessions over 137 days from Saturday, May 4, 2019 through Tuesday, September 17, 2019
Why, you ask, do you want to know this? You don't. I'm just pissed my eyes have gone to hell and Karen apparently doesn't do audiobooks. This is a couple of drives and an afternoon of boring chores with an audiobook — maybe 3 sessions. The calculation, btw is thanks to TimeAndDate.com/DurationResult.
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