We are not made for life at all, old horse. It is made for us. We live it. We leave it.
2.5 stars
It was… not that great, actually.
~a controversial opinion from yours truly
SPOILERS AHEAD
THE YAYS:
1. A Character (just one)
-Bowman
-Of course by that alone you should already assume the following: a side character, interesting, entertaining, mysterious, good-looking, dead by the final page.
-If you did, you are correct.
-No one else will fall into this category.
2. World building
-It was okay, I just have a few questions:
-What do these people (Nadir) do besides fight? (I know they don’t just fight but what do they really do?) Basically, I would have liked to see more on their culture.
*please put Druss in that category too, I keep talking about downtime, folks. Show me what the Legend does when there’s no war.
-Also, the Drenai were colonisers and the sun is currently setting on their empire, as of this book, but for all the talk of “they were once great” I didn’t see much of it. Where are these conquered lands/civilisations? Are they remorseful? Did they relinquish their hold?
*if so, this would have been a nuanced point to explore but I saw no signs of remorse or anything else really.
THE NAYS:
3. Insta love
-It was convenient that Rek and Virae fall in love as fast as they did (further elaborated in #5 and #6)
4. Female under-representation
-Only two women had significant page time (and I use the term “significant” loosely)
-Virae (mentioned above and we’ll get to her in a little)
-Caessa (female archer, very beautiful but not interested in love due to the trauma of her past)
5. Prince Charming Trope
-Virae (an Earl’s daughter) was saved by Rek (a former soldier and relative nobody in the class system). They fell in love on the same day and got married not long after. Now, why is this a problem?
*looking past the believability of it and into the crafting of Virae’s character, you begin to see some flaws.
*firstly, before she meets Rek, she’s a fearsome warrior with a tenacity enough to pique people’s interest. She travels alone into a forest riddled with bandits, she can fight and she wears armour and last of all, she is insecure about herself.
*when she meets Rek and he saves her, it all goes away, and I mean ALL. No more fierce bad girl ready to charge into battle, no more insecurity about her appearance, no more speaking up unless it’s for banter’s sake…
*I mean, what more can I say?
-Caessa suffered a traumatic past. Her family was attacked, her father killed and her mother sexually abused and killed while she watched. She was thrown into a lake and left for dead until rescued by a fisherman.
*she is depicted as very beautiful and draws many eyes on the battlements. She is also the only female archer (that is mentioned).
*however, her she likes to sleep with men and after that kill them. This, I believe, is a result of the trauma she suffered in her early years and given the lustful and predatory behaviour she’s experienced over the years, I’m not about to sit here and fault her for it. I just won't.
*but can someone please tell me why, in a book populated heavily by male characters, the only two female leads are perceived by other characters and/or made to seem as either “weak” or “mad”?
*anyone??
*I rest my case.
6. Fridging
-quick definition: a situation where a side/main character (often a woman and often a love interest) is killed off to further the protagonist’s character arc.
-Virae died and because they were in the middle of a war, it made sense. But just as we began to make our peace with it, just as we began to think Rek would rise from this (we all struggle to “get back on the horse” after bad things happen) she was resurrected.
-I mean, that’s basically telling me, “she died, he found his inner strength because of that and, having served her purpose dead but not finished her purpose alive, she’ll be joining us for round two”
*moment of silence*
-It didn’t sit right with me and that along with a multitude of other things like:
*the fact that Virae clings so much to Rek and sees him as a hero (sis, you rode into a forest full of bandits dressed in armour not so long ago and I was in awe of you)
*when Druss said, “obey your husband, woman!” (really, Druss?)
*after Virae's death, one of the Thirty (elite warriors) said to Rek, “she worshipped you”
(context: Rek and Virae had gotten married before the battle)
7. Racial diversity
-minor characters (those who I only see once) DON'T COUNT. It's not enough.
-especially when they die soon after.
I went into this with high hopes (and it was praised, gods they praised this book) but I don’t think I’ll go on with the series, some of the gestures/comments just didn’t sit right with me.