Richard S. Tuttle

This was the narrated podiobook version.

Narration Quality: Fair. The author narrated his own book and gives a relatively flat performance that exaggerated the flat writing style; which consisted mostly of explanations ... which made it sound like a academic text with some dialog.

Character Development: Poor. None of the characters develop much beyond the basic elements of the fantasy archetypes.

Plot Development: Average. This was the only reason I actually finished it ... it was interesting enough, if somewhat mechanical and predictable.… (mere)

After the high the previous book ended on, I have to say that this one was a big letdown. The mage Aakuta showed up at the climactic moment of the battle against the Jiadin (think Tuareg or similar nomadic desert types) and his forces helped Marak win the day. So who is this dude Aakuta and what is he up to? And what about those hints that Mistake and MistyTrail are sisters? Well, both questions are answered (somewhat; Aakuta is still rather mysterious).

There are four main storylines in this one, and the problem is that only two of them were really satisfying. First, we've got Aakuta and his journey. That one was well done - he's one creepy dude, and we see how creepy, but still hints of further revelations to come. That's great. Then Mistake and MistyTrail meet and set off to find out more about their family. This was my favorite part of the book. I liked Mistake a lot - she's introduced in Web of Deceit. It was great to see her getting to be the focus of another book and the story of the sisters was everything you want from a good fantasy book - suspenseful, exciting, violent, full of conflict and courage. I hear they are back again in Elvangar and I can't wait.

But the other storylines, the ones about Lyra and the Sakovans, those were disappointing. Lyra is the leader of the Sakovans, their Star, a religious symbol and prophet and deliverer. She has a mission from God to save her people. But it was a boring mission. It got a whole lot more exciting towards the end when they reached the capital, but then the final conflict with the false prophet was a letdown. Where's the big drama? Where's the fight scene? This is war. I wanted some carnage. She had it too easy. I was never in any doubt that things would work out just fine, so I wasn't really invested in the story.

On the other hand, the invasion of her homeland was too close. The rest of the series, we hear about their hidden city, the one that's been hidden for 1000 years. And the enemy makes it right up to the door? That was lame. They're supposed to be these fierce warriors. And yet, in all the ferocious fighting, not one named character dies! A bunch of red shirts, yeah, but nobody else. This is book 5 of a series about the war between good and evil! Somebody should be dead by now! Don't play it safe!

All this said, I am so anxious to read the next book, Elvangar. I will download it next paycheck and start it right away. But I hope the rest of the series goes back to the quality of the first few books. 3 stars… (mere)