Reviews

Das Schwert der Könige by Chris Wooding

jasmaurelia's review against another edition

2.0

I had high hopes for this book, but found it incredibly boring, bland, and nothing new. I had to switch to an audiobook to get myself through this story. Would've given it 3 stars if it was more like 300-400 pages long. It dragged on so much and only got a little better towards the last 30%. I didn't care for any of the characters and found them pretty annoying. None of the women in this book felt interesting and the one of the few women mcs was of course a love interest. And not a good romance plot at that! I appreciate the author not being scared to kill off 'loved' characters, but that death felt so unnecessary and that it was just confirming the love triangle thing.
I was confused on a lot of the ways the men in this book were interacting with women and their wives. Some awful thoughts were laid out and it wasn't always clear to me that the author was confirming this is not how you should think about women or just projecting.... IDK.
I can see how people like this book, it's very traditional/classic plot line with great fantasy tropes. But didn't offer anything new so hence boredom

sarahbennett's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark funny medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.75

goggleknits's review against another edition

adventurous emotional inspiring medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

mchesse's review against another edition

challenging tense slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

1.75

Alright, buckle up because I've got some thoughts now ive finished The Ember Blade. Honestly, I'm scratching my head at the glowing 5-star reviews online.

Let's talk length first. This thing is a beast, clocking in at a hefty 800 pages. But did it really need to be that long? Nope. There were tons of unnecessary descriptions and side stories that could've been trimmed down without losing any punch.

Now, let's chat about the main character, Aren. Dude's only 15, which felt a bit off to me. Some of his actions didn't quite match up with his age, you know? And his sudden change of heart from zero patriotism to full-on Osia supporter? Not buying it. And don't get me started on his friendship with Cade—it felt forced and unnatural, unlike the genuine bond between Gerric and Keel.

And hey, let's be real, this book isn't exactly breaking new ground. It's riddled with cliches and tropes that you can spot from a mile away. The whole "champion from Vika's dream" reveal? Predictable AF.

But it's not all doom and gloom. Grub's character arc? Loved it. Gerric and Vika's backstories? Fascinating stuff. And that twist with Aren's father's past? Unexpected and juicy.

Hands down, the best part for me was the journey through Skavengard. Gripping stuff.

Overall, this book could've used a serious trim, especially for a series starter. And sorry, but Aren just didn't do it for me.

jmazzone's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

blainembentley's review against another edition

4.0

 

As I look at this book and prepare a review, I see this book in 3 parts, having different feelings for all 3 parts.

The first part (from my point of view) was very typical of what I would expect for a fantasy story. It was very textbook like in its structure and organization. It was done very well, but it wasn’t anything that was novel, it wasn’t anything that really stood out for me when compared to other fantasy books. 

This second part was very dry and hard for me to get through. I just don’t feel that this part was very important to the overall story or important to the development of the characters. It felt mostly unnecessary to me.

This last part was the best of all for me. There was a certain event that happened that instantly hooked me. It got me really excited to see what was in store for the remainder of the book. From that point I was really invested. It was unfortunate it took so long to get there. Although this particular event was resolved a little too quickly for my taste, I do feel there was just enough for me to stay invested. 

Overall, I felt worldbuilding was too much of an info dump here and there. There is some sort of magic system, one that I don’t feel was explained very well (also very much of an info dump). 

However, the ending was awesome and worth the journey! There was a lot of great character development in this book that I really enjoyed. I wouldn’t say this is a must read, but I would recommend giving it a try. 

 

anjini's review against another edition

adventurous slow-paced

• Diverse cast of characters? No

4.0

sarah_j_r's review against another edition

adventurous challenging hopeful tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes

4.5

sarah_grace04's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional tense

5.0

themanfromdelmonte's review against another edition

3.0

Sigh It's too long, and almost indigestibly wordy at times. And it insists on following every viewpoint.
It’s taken 824 pages to get to the end of the first instalment. Let me sum up for you, Aren is Frodo, Cade is Sam, Carrick is Boromir, Vika/Mara are/is Gandalf, the Dreadknights are the Nazgul, Hammerholt is Mount Doom.
In the next books I'm sure we'll encounter whatever fell entity is directing the Krodan Empire (psst, it's Sauron) but I haven't the patience to wade through any more. I will also now shelve The Lies Of Locke Lamora, possibly indefinitely.
(It's also hard to credit that Aren is only 16.)