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3.17 AVERAGE
3.17 AVERAGE
While I did enjoy this, some of the characters are fairly lackluster. I'm sure that the minor characters play a bigger role further on in the series, but there wasn't enough fleshed out for these minor characters to be of interest. I am intrigued by the premise, and I have read worse books. Only time will tell if it was interesting enough to continue the series.
Blades of the Old Empire is a fantasy novel that falls somewhere in aim near Robert Jordan's Wheel of Time series. There are classic coming-of-age elements with characters coming to terms with nascent gifts. The draw and highlight of the series from the cover and the author's comments seems to be the elite soldiers in the society-- the Majat. In particular Kara, the book cover Diamond Majat, and her male counterpart Mai are both equal parts beautiful and lethal. It is odd, given their clear appeal, that their perspective is rarely given. Ms. Kashina has chosen to have the action viewed from other characters' perspectives. So, the coming-of-age characters spend their time watching them, remarking on their beauty and importance, blushing, and bumbling along. It's possible that getting the Majat perspective would be too humanizing and Ms. Kashina was going for the Pale Rider Clint Eastwood approach. Part of their appeal is in the mystery of the character. The writing generally has ups and downs. Hearts seem to take independent action...they quiver, waver, and steel themselves. Adjectives get repeated with 'heady' being a common descriptor.
I enjoyed many of the elements of Ms. Kashina's world, and it has a lot of potential that is partially inefficiently used. For example, the plot early is weighed down by conflict without consequence; fights almost as filler. At the same time, the larger plot unfurls too quickly. The potential political intrigue is pushed too quickly with motives/villains made too black and white. Bad guys want to tell good guys their ingenious, devious plans. The gifts of the support characters to (soon to be very powerful) Prince Kyth should be given time to blossom, particularly in the case of Alder, the prince's foster brother and love interest of the spirit of the woods. There is sizable lore and mythology to unveil and that can take time ...and some restraint with characters.
Overall, I liked my time in this fantasy world even if it has unfulfilled potential.
I enjoyed many of the elements of Ms. Kashina's world, and it has a lot of potential that is partially inefficiently used. For example, the plot early is weighed down by conflict without consequence; fights almost as filler. At the same time, the larger plot unfurls too quickly. The potential political intrigue is pushed too quickly with motives/villains made too black and white. Bad guys want to tell good guys their ingenious, devious plans. The gifts of the support characters to (soon to be very powerful) Prince Kyth should be given time to blossom, particularly in the case of Alder, the prince's foster brother and love interest of the spirit of the woods. There is sizable lore and mythology to unveil and that can take time ...and some restraint with characters.
Overall, I liked my time in this fantasy world even if it has unfulfilled potential.
Full Review: http://tenaciousreader.wordpress.com/2014/01/29/blades-of-the-old-empire-by-anna-kashina/
*** UPDATE – I just found out my review copy was missing an entire chapter. I hope to get a chance to look at the complete book and evaluate if that could have impacted my opinion/review. Many of my comments and observations will stand, but even if the book has faults, I feel bad that the author’s work, particularly in regard to its resolutions, since I understand this chapter is towards the end, is being judged on an incomplete version. ***
I enjoyed this one, but had a hard time reviewing it without sounding negative. I saw things that often bother me and felt I had to include them in my review. It took me a 1000 words to get done, and I'm having a hard time finding a short version to place here. Pretty much - It was a fun familiar fantasy but had a number of things you have to be willing to just accept (like convenient magical solutions).
*** UPDATE – I just found out my review copy was missing an entire chapter. I hope to get a chance to look at the complete book and evaluate if that could have impacted my opinion/review. Many of my comments and observations will stand, but even if the book has faults, I feel bad that the author’s work, particularly in regard to its resolutions, since I understand this chapter is towards the end, is being judged on an incomplete version. ***
I enjoyed this one, but had a hard time reviewing it without sounding negative. I saw things that often bother me and felt I had to include them in my review. It took me a 1000 words to get done, and I'm having a hard time finding a short version to place here. Pretty much - It was a fun familiar fantasy but had a number of things you have to be willing to just accept (like convenient magical solutions).
I really wish I could have gotten into this book. I liked the story but it was so slow and the characters were kind of annoying. Might give the 2nd book a try. MAYBE
I could not focus on it. It may be me rather than the book but regardless, DNF
Blades of the Old Empire just didn't really capture my interest or imagination. I don't understand where the Majats get their skills from- you can train someone to be a decent fighter but some of the stuff they did wasn't just good training but superhuman speed and skill (being able to knock multiple arrows out the air, moving extra fast ect.). I just don't believe that one person can take on dozens of fighters.
I didn't buy into the relationship between Kara and Kyth- there was no background to it and no chemistry.. All the characters were pretty one dimensional and pretty interchangeable.
It also felt like everyone was a speshul snowflake Kyth has super rare magical powers (only one in the world with the power), Ellah has rare magical powers, Aldar is super unique Kara is special- youngest diamond ever, best diamond ever and resistant to the evil magic men. And these people just happen to all hang out together
I didn't buy into the relationship between Kara and Kyth- there was no background to it and no chemistry.
Spoiler
Mai being in love with Kara came out of nowhere- I'd believe him respecting her skill but they barely spoke to each otherIt also felt like everyone was a speshul snowflake Kyth has super rare magical powers (only one in the world with the power), Ellah has rare magical powers, Aldar is super unique
Spoiler
consort or whatever to Ayella- either way he's the only one in the world who makes her sane when they have sex
This review originally appeared on my blog, Books Without Any Pictures:
http://bookswithoutanypictures.com/2014/04/07/blades-old-empire-anna-kashina/
I'm gonna give this one 3.5 stars.
An ancient order of evil magicians called the Kaddim have risen from the ashes and threaten King Evan’s lands. Only two people appear to be immune to their power: Prince Kythar, and his bodyguard Kara. Prince Kythar isn’t supposed to exist, because it’s forbidden for royals to have magical talent. He should have been killed at birth, but King Evan had a soft heart. His bodyguard Kara is an assassin in a guild called the Majat. The Majat are superhumanly talented fighters, and the guild exerts total control over each of its members in order to keep them from going renegade and destroying the world order. They are bound by a strict code of conduct and honor and are forbidden to have personal relationships. But Kara and Kythar care about each other too much, and the result could be catastrophic.
See that description? That’s what the publisher should have used when marketing Blades of the Old Empire. Instead, they gave away a major plot spoiler, and it had a detrimental effect on my reading experience. When writing cover or marketing material, my feeling is that the first 15% or so of the book is fair game, but anything beyond that needs to be less specific. You shouldn’t give away a major twist right away, because then readers already know what’s gonna happen, and it takes the fun out of guessing.
My thoughts on Blades of the Old Empire as a whole run in a similar vein. While generally I’ve loved everything that Angry Robot has published, this was a case where the book needed more editing and another set of eyes on it before it was released. There was even a chapter missing from the first print, although they’ve since rectified the problem. And I feel bad for the author too, because she’s got a very good story that would have been amazing with an extra pass from the editor and more care with respect to marketing and production as a whole.
You see, Blades of the Old Empire is a companion to Kashina’s earlier novel The First Sword. But that also wasn’t mentioned in any of the marketing materials or on the book itself, so I jumped in and felt lost. Certain characters weren’t introduced particularly well because it was assumed that the reader already knew who they are. And that’s fine if readers know that they are supposed to have read something else first, but I didn’t, and so I felt like I was missing a lot of things and that the pacing was off. This got better as the book went on, but the damage was already done.
And then some little editing things irked me. The Kaddim have weapons called orbens, which are sort of like a medieval flail. Orbens are forbidden in the kingdom because they’re big and scary and they’re symbolic to the Kaddim. However, a character gets hit in the head with one and somehow is fine because his hair cushioned the blow? Pretty sure it doesn’t work like that. My hair didn’t prevent me from getting a concussion when I slipped and fell on the ice this winter, and I’m pretty sure a dude’s hair isn’t saving his life from a blow to the head with a spiky metal ball. I’d also have liked to have seen a bigger demonstration of what the Kaddim could do early in the book. For all that the villains are swinging around these orbens, they don’t really do much damage for most of the book. Good writing should show, not tell. Sacrifice some guards to the cause and show what the orbens are capable of, otherwise the villains come off as bumbling and comedic instead of scary.
And yet, the story itself is good. I love the world, the conflicts between the characters, the magic systems, etc., so it makes me sad that this book came out the way it did. I’m still going to continue the series when the next book comes out, because I do think that there’s potential and I have faith that the next one will be better.
http://bookswithoutanypictures.com/2014/04/07/blades-old-empire-anna-kashina/
I'm gonna give this one 3.5 stars.
An ancient order of evil magicians called the Kaddim have risen from the ashes and threaten King Evan’s lands. Only two people appear to be immune to their power: Prince Kythar, and his bodyguard Kara. Prince Kythar isn’t supposed to exist, because it’s forbidden for royals to have magical talent. He should have been killed at birth, but King Evan had a soft heart. His bodyguard Kara is an assassin in a guild called the Majat. The Majat are superhumanly talented fighters, and the guild exerts total control over each of its members in order to keep them from going renegade and destroying the world order. They are bound by a strict code of conduct and honor and are forbidden to have personal relationships. But Kara and Kythar care about each other too much, and the result could be catastrophic.
See that description? That’s what the publisher should have used when marketing Blades of the Old Empire. Instead, they gave away a major plot spoiler, and it had a detrimental effect on my reading experience. When writing cover or marketing material, my feeling is that the first 15% or so of the book is fair game, but anything beyond that needs to be less specific. You shouldn’t give away a major twist right away, because then readers already know what’s gonna happen, and it takes the fun out of guessing.
My thoughts on Blades of the Old Empire as a whole run in a similar vein. While generally I’ve loved everything that Angry Robot has published, this was a case where the book needed more editing and another set of eyes on it before it was released. There was even a chapter missing from the first print, although they’ve since rectified the problem. And I feel bad for the author too, because she’s got a very good story that would have been amazing with an extra pass from the editor and more care with respect to marketing and production as a whole.
You see, Blades of the Old Empire is a companion to Kashina’s earlier novel The First Sword. But that also wasn’t mentioned in any of the marketing materials or on the book itself, so I jumped in and felt lost. Certain characters weren’t introduced particularly well because it was assumed that the reader already knew who they are. And that’s fine if readers know that they are supposed to have read something else first, but I didn’t, and so I felt like I was missing a lot of things and that the pacing was off. This got better as the book went on, but the damage was already done.
And then some little editing things irked me. The Kaddim have weapons called orbens, which are sort of like a medieval flail. Orbens are forbidden in the kingdom because they’re big and scary and they’re symbolic to the Kaddim. However, a character gets hit in the head with one and somehow is fine because his hair cushioned the blow? Pretty sure it doesn’t work like that. My hair didn’t prevent me from getting a concussion when I slipped and fell on the ice this winter, and I’m pretty sure a dude’s hair isn’t saving his life from a blow to the head with a spiky metal ball. I’d also have liked to have seen a bigger demonstration of what the Kaddim could do early in the book. For all that the villains are swinging around these orbens, they don’t really do much damage for most of the book. Good writing should show, not tell. Sacrifice some guards to the cause and show what the orbens are capable of, otherwise the villains come off as bumbling and comedic instead of scary.
And yet, the story itself is good. I love the world, the conflicts between the characters, the magic systems, etc., so it makes me sad that this book came out the way it did. I’m still going to continue the series when the next book comes out, because I do think that there’s potential and I have faith that the next one will be better.
Took a chance on this fantasy book, and I was not disappointed. Great characterization, intricate world-building, and awesome weapon fighting description. Just bought the sequel.