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barb4ry1's review
2.0
City of Shards is an excellent book. As soon as I finished it I bought the sequel, sat down and read it. In the Claws of the Indigen answers a lot of questions about the world and magic system and closes most story arcs. Unfortunately, it does so through info-dumping (especially via dialogue) and retelling the events instead of immersing the reader in the action.
It starts well. Up to 30-35% of the book, I was turning pages with growing excitement. Larin and his pack are on the run. Kemharak (Lidathi's leader) makes bold decisions. After losing his beloved one, Larin is a complete mess, filled with inappropriate emotions and uncontrollable power. To make matters worse, Haraf claims Larin's servitude and the poor lad is slowly getting insane. He can go lunatic any moment now and fry everyone in demonic fire.
The stakes are high, but the pacing slows down. The story I enjoyed so much for its unpredictability becomes generic and predictable. Instead of immersing the reader in the events and action, the author summarises things through dialogue or retelling. Whether the chapter focuses on the quest for an antidote to save King Maldovin, or on Kemharak's history-changing strategy there's plenty of unimportant details and paragraphs that don't move the plot in any meaningful way.
You'll find dozens of paragraphs starting like this:
"The next two days were miserable..."
"The next days were difficult..."
We don't learn why. We're not experiencing these difficulties. We're just told how miserable / tired / heroic someone is. A shame.
Rodgers answers a lot of questions and ties most loose ends. Not all as Larin's journey just begins.
City of Shards is a much better book. In the Claws of the Indigen gives satisfying, but predictable closure to most story arcs. While I didn't enjoy the sequel as much as book one, the author's impressive imagination and polished prose made it an enjoyable read. I read it in two sittings. Powerful moments and vivid imagery are here. Some displays of Larin's power are terrifying and nicely written. Descriptions are top-notch; the dialogue is character-specific, and the magic system will appeal to hard magic fans (I prefer unexplained magic, though).
Overall, this is a fluidly written, well-plotted, but a bit predictable story. A decent read, but not as novel or good as the first in the series. Still, it has a potential to entertain anyone who enjoys intelligent and ambitious storyline. If only there was more immersion and less telling, I would praise it. I'll follow Larin's adventures as I'm still invested in characters and I dig the way Rodgers' writes.
It starts well. Up to 30-35% of the book, I was turning pages with growing excitement. Larin and his pack are on the run. Kemharak (Lidathi's leader) makes bold decisions. After losing his beloved one, Larin is a complete mess, filled with inappropriate emotions and uncontrollable power. To make matters worse, Haraf claims Larin's servitude and the poor lad is slowly getting insane. He can go lunatic any moment now and fry everyone in demonic fire.
The stakes are high, but the pacing slows down. The story I enjoyed so much for its unpredictability becomes generic and predictable. Instead of immersing the reader in the events and action, the author summarises things through dialogue or retelling. Whether the chapter focuses on the quest for an antidote to save King Maldovin, or on Kemharak's history-changing strategy there's plenty of unimportant details and paragraphs that don't move the plot in any meaningful way.
You'll find dozens of paragraphs starting like this:
"The next two days were miserable..."
"The next days were difficult..."
We don't learn why. We're not experiencing these difficulties. We're just told how miserable / tired / heroic someone is. A shame.
Rodgers answers a lot of questions and ties most loose ends. Not all as Larin's journey just begins.
City of Shards is a much better book. In the Claws of the Indigen gives satisfying, but predictable closure to most story arcs. While I didn't enjoy the sequel as much as book one, the author's impressive imagination and polished prose made it an enjoyable read. I read it in two sittings. Powerful moments and vivid imagery are here. Some displays of Larin's power are terrifying and nicely written. Descriptions are top-notch; the dialogue is character-specific, and the magic system will appeal to hard magic fans (I prefer unexplained magic, though).
Overall, this is a fluidly written, well-plotted, but a bit predictable story. A decent read, but not as novel or good as the first in the series. Still, it has a potential to entertain anyone who enjoys intelligent and ambitious storyline. If only there was more immersion and less telling, I would praise it. I'll follow Larin's adventures as I'm still invested in characters and I dig the way Rodgers' writes.
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