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tessla's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.5
hotsake's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
This was more of a horror story taking place in a fantasy setting than anything else and I was here for it.
heyt's review
3.0
I have to say I wasn't as in love with this book as I was with the other Forest/Northern Kingdoms books. I think a large part of that is this is definitely more of a horror story and not a fantasy adventure. I enjoyed the different characters and how they were all developed through their fears and pasts but it didn't have quite the same magic as Blue Moon Rising and Blood and Honor. Overall, I did have a good time reading this especially because we get to see the Forest Kingdom ten years on from the Demon War and also the experiences of those who were not in the main narrative of the Demon War.
melbsreads's review against another edition
3.0
Trigger warnings: violence. Lots of violence. Graphic descriptions of battles and injuries. A backstory in which a female character basically seduces a man so that she can rob him once he's naked and he kills her. IDEK what to call that, but it happens.
So if you guys have been around here for any length of time, you'll know that Blue Moon Rising, the first book in this series, is one of my ALL TIME FAVOURITE fantasy books. You'll also know that I love Blood and Honour, the second book in this series a LOT. These books are now out of print, so I was really excited to discover that the rest of the series is available on Kindle, and immediately bought this one, the third book in the Forest Kingdom series.
Uuuuuunfortunately, this one wasn't nearly as compelling as the previous two. I honestly think it's partly because the entire story takes place in a day or two, and so it almost feels a little bit like a long novella?? I mean, it's all in the one place. There are only...seven? Eight? characters in the entire book. And aside from a handful of flashbacks, it's a very small window in which these events occur.
Maybe it's because I loved the other two SO MUCH that I was let down by this one, but it just...didn't really work for me and it ended up almost feeling like filler. I'll push on and reread the fourth book in the hopes that it's more like the first two, but this one was just...meh.
So if you guys have been around here for any length of time, you'll know that Blue Moon Rising, the first book in this series, is one of my ALL TIME FAVOURITE fantasy books. You'll also know that I love Blood and Honour, the second book in this series a LOT. These books are now out of print, so I was really excited to discover that the rest of the series is available on Kindle, and immediately bought this one, the third book in the Forest Kingdom series.
Uuuuuunfortunately, this one wasn't nearly as compelling as the previous two. I honestly think it's partly because the entire story takes place in a day or two, and so it almost feels a little bit like a long novella?? I mean, it's all in the one place. There are only...seven? Eight? characters in the entire book. And aside from a handful of flashbacks, it's a very small window in which these events occur.
Maybe it's because I loved the other two SO MUCH that I was let down by this one, but it just...didn't really work for me and it ended up almost feeling like filler. I'll push on and reread the fourth book in the hopes that it's more like the first two, but this one was just...meh.
lordofthemoon's review against another edition
2.0
A decade ago, the Darkwood rose up and threatened to swallow the Forest Kingdom. It was driven back, but with great loss. Now a fort built on the border of the kingdom has gone silent and a small group of Rangers are sent to investigate, finding an evil more ancient than the demons of the Darkwood.
I didn't really notice the author of this book when I bought it, just caring that it sounded vaguely interested and was the right size to fit into my pocket, but Simon R. Green is known as a horror writer, and I'm not a horror fan by any means. However, after reading it, although there is horror here, it's very visual horror. It's not the long drawn-out horror that can leave you uneasy for weeks afterwards, but the splatter-horror of the cinema. If this book had been a film, it would be gory and there would be a few 'jump' moments, but because I don't have a particularly visual imagination when I'm reading, I only smiled wryly at the column of blood that erupted when a trapdoor was opened, for example.
The story was okay, albeit not hugely original, and the magic system was infuriatingly vague and unsatisfying. The characters were just sketches, with only Sergeant McNeil, the leader of the Rangers, getting any filling out at all. An enjoyable enough way to spend a few hours but utterly unmemorable.
I didn't really notice the author of this book when I bought it, just caring that it sounded vaguely interested and was the right size to fit into my pocket, but Simon R. Green is known as a horror writer, and I'm not a horror fan by any means. However, after reading it, although there is horror here, it's very visual horror. It's not the long drawn-out horror that can leave you uneasy for weeks afterwards, but the splatter-horror of the cinema. If this book had been a film, it would be gory and there would be a few 'jump' moments, but because I don't have a particularly visual imagination when I'm reading, I only smiled wryly at the column of blood that erupted when a trapdoor was opened, for example.
The story was okay, albeit not hugely original, and the magic system was infuriatingly vague and unsatisfying. The characters were just sketches, with only Sergeant McNeil, the leader of the Rangers, getting any filling out at all. An enjoyable enough way to spend a few hours but utterly unmemorable.
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