• Breaks the rule of show, don't tell. For some strange reason, feels the need to show THEN tell.• Book felt like one big piece of nothing, like it was just the intro for the plot of another book.• Don't dangle a mysterious machine in front of me for one entire book and then not tell me what it is/does because by that time, I'm not caring anymore.• Calm down with the number of exclamation marks.• No political intrigue despite what the blurb says. All intrigue and danger is alluded to but nothing ever happens. "Oh my god! He's not acting like a conniving noble! He doesn't know how court works! He's going to be eaten alive/murdered/be taken advantage of!" My paraphrasing but you get the idea. Courts may have been full of scheming people but it wasn't some crazy place where people would murder you the moment they caught a whiff of weakness.• King has terrible characterisation. One minute he's smashing skulls, the next, he's being shamed by a girl half his age. He says he loves his sons but there's nothing there to convince me he actually feels anything.• What was the point of getting rid of the cats and ghosts? Lack of explanation is annoying.• I find it hard to believe so many people would hate Razi and love Alberon. I am willing to bet at least half the population of the kingdom couldn't give a damn who ascended the throne.2.5 stars While there was a great lack of magic, the story was interesting nevertheless. It got a bit thin in places (mostly because you start thinking that what's going on is borderline freakishly unrealistic, which would otherwise be fine in a freakishly unrealistic world, but this is not)-- but overall it was fun and fast reading. The ending, however, is (again) freakishly somber. The grip of grief and loss is CRAZY! So glad I already picked up book 2 from the library yesterday!
What do You think about Schattenpfade (2009)?
Just got this one from a book swap, it looks really good and I LOVE the cover!
—tarendas
My favourite trilogy. A must read for fellow history buffs.
—babai
