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kikiandarrowsfishshelf's review
4.0
Disclaimer: Mr. Hayes sent me a copy in exchange for an honest review. I have also reviewed the other books in the trilogy.
So let’s get two things out of the way. This is a satisfying conclusion to the Stonewood trilogy. And I’m so happy that Evonne had a bigger role. The pirate/bounty hunter is my favorite character. Hayes needs to write a series about her and Vrag just saying.
Hayes’ final entry is more of an action book than the previous two, and like the first two, clearly draws from the Dungeons and Dragons gaming experience. You know, from back in the day when you used dice. There is slightly more humor in this installment.
More importantly, while Harcourt is still the focus, Hayes gives supporting characters more room, and this is particularly to the end of the book. This additional screen time fleshes the book out more and makes it more than simply a hero saves the world story.
Hayes’ female characters might all be attractive with a high chance of being blonde and petite, but they all kick ass. Each woman – Feylane, Krestina, Evonne and others – is strong in a different way. They are just as varied as the men and don’t hate each other. You may think it is strange to put this out, but if I read one more book where the female lead is the only good woman I will scream. Hayes did not make me scream. Krestina, who was perhaps the weakest of the female characters (and that is a relative term) is stronger here. The women are not damsels in distress and are just as central to the story as the men. Hayes also doesn’t hook all of them up with men. Bonus points for that.
Additionally, Hayes actually shows the use of power and the risk in using it. This is a pleasant change from all the other series (Anita Blake and dozens of others) where the central characters have power creeps, jumps, and jackpots, but with absolutely no ramifications. That is not the case here, and it is nice to see.
There are two weak aspects. The first is dialogue. At times, the dialogue is done very well, and this is when the writing becomes the most engaging. At other times, Hayes tags his dialogue a bit too much. For instance, there might be a conversation between two characters, and each dialogue will have so-and-so said. To be fair, Hayes really doesn’t use said, and his choice of verbs is far better. The tags, however, do annoy. One of the funniest parts of the book is a discussion about bloody rain, and this would have been less humorous if it had been tagged as much as some of the other dialogue.
The second is the overuse of description or info dumps. There is a scene where a woman is able to track a man down to give him information. He wonders how she did, and her answer is vague. The reader is then told, via her internal thoughts, how she did not. Considering that the reader already knew that she was a sorceress, it felt a bit unnecessary. It isn’t really needed to explain a spell. This fault is hardly one that only Hayes is guilty of, and there are many authors attached to big name publishing houses who do the same thing.
This trilogy was good fun. If you ever played Dungeons and Dragons or anything like it, you should enjoy these books.
Crossposted at Booklikes
So let’s get two things out of the way. This is a satisfying conclusion to the Stonewood trilogy. And I’m so happy that Evonne had a bigger role. The pirate/bounty hunter is my favorite character. Hayes needs to write a series about her and Vrag just saying.
Hayes’ final entry is more of an action book than the previous two, and like the first two, clearly draws from the Dungeons and Dragons gaming experience. You know, from back in the day when you used dice. There is slightly more humor in this installment.
More importantly, while Harcourt is still the focus, Hayes gives supporting characters more room, and this is particularly to the end of the book. This additional screen time fleshes the book out more and makes it more than simply a hero saves the world story.
Hayes’ female characters might all be attractive with a high chance of being blonde and petite, but they all kick ass. Each woman – Feylane, Krestina, Evonne and others – is strong in a different way. They are just as varied as the men and don’t hate each other. You may think it is strange to put this out, but if I read one more book where the female lead is the only good woman I will scream. Hayes did not make me scream. Krestina, who was perhaps the weakest of the female characters (and that is a relative term) is stronger here. The women are not damsels in distress and are just as central to the story as the men. Hayes also doesn’t hook all of them up with men. Bonus points for that.
Additionally, Hayes actually shows the use of power and the risk in using it. This is a pleasant change from all the other series (Anita Blake and dozens of others) where the central characters have power creeps, jumps, and jackpots, but with absolutely no ramifications. That is not the case here, and it is nice to see.
There are two weak aspects. The first is dialogue. At times, the dialogue is done very well, and this is when the writing becomes the most engaging. At other times, Hayes tags his dialogue a bit too much. For instance, there might be a conversation between two characters, and each dialogue will have so-and-so said. To be fair, Hayes really doesn’t use said, and his choice of verbs is far better. The tags, however, do annoy. One of the funniest parts of the book is a discussion about bloody rain, and this would have been less humorous if it had been tagged as much as some of the other dialogue.
The second is the overuse of description or info dumps. There is a scene where a woman is able to track a man down to give him information. He wonders how she did, and her answer is vague. The reader is then told, via her internal thoughts, how she did not. Considering that the reader already knew that she was a sorceress, it felt a bit unnecessary. It isn’t really needed to explain a spell. This fault is hardly one that only Hayes is guilty of, and there are many authors attached to big name publishing houses who do the same thing.
This trilogy was good fun. If you ever played Dungeons and Dragons or anything like it, you should enjoy these books.
Crossposted at Booklikes
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