4.5 stars. The only reason I didn't give this book a full five stars is because I'm not a fan of head-hopping. It seems that every character in the book that had a role to play was given scenes in which we were in their head. Now, with that being said, I know I'm probably not being fair because the way the book went, it probably was for the best. We learned things that probably couldn't be learned unless we went into the head of that person. In the beginning it's confusing, because you're still learning who is who, the good characters from the bad characters and so on.With that being said I enjoyed the novel. It really kept me on the edge of my seat. Mainly because I've never read this author before, so I wasn't sure what to expect. In modern fantasy with a female protagonist as the main character, I'm always worried the author will go a little dark and involve sex assault. Especially in books with plot such as this where war is being waged. I hope this isn't considered a spoiler, but I was grateful that the author managed to steer away from that horrific side of war.Another thing I want to mention is that this fantasy is not one of those that never shows death or cruelty. Good characters, and not just the evil people, die in the book, which gives it a little more adult feel. It's certainly not a children's novel where good people are all spared and everyone holds hands in the end because the evil-doers got what they deserved while the good flourish. I'm appreciative of the good balance. It's sad to see characters we like perish because of the villains, but it definitely does its job in being able to draw the reader in, because they won't know what to expect.As for the plot itself, I liked the fact that the characters, the princess and the lost prince (as I refer to him) were the types of characters that grew from the beginning of the story. The prince had to alter his perception of the way the world worked, all the while struggling with the way he had been raised. The princess appeared, at first, to be a contemplative girl who saw far more than the adults gave her credit. She, too, had to change perceptions and mature as the story went on. The characters found themselves at times unable to do anything but submit to the evil that infiltrated their lives, but in the end, as all good books go, they successfully did what they could to defeat the villain. In other words, they were helpless at times, but able to do things for themselves in other situations. It was a good balance, in my humble opinion. Rather than either having a weak character that had to be rescued or a character that seemed like nothing could touch them and everything fell their way.I'm sure some might disagree on my view of the characters. Overall, I found the story enthralling and I kept cursing when my ereader's battery would run low and I'd have to pause reading to charge it. Also, as a lover of romances, I liked the romantic aspect of the book as well and I was quite pleased with the ending. It was the kind of build-up ending that I enjoy. If there are those out there that don't mind a little romance, this is a good fantasy to pick up. I look forward to the sequel.
The second part of The Seer and the Sword was way better than the first. Fast pacing, decent action and suspense, heists, intrigue, mystery…a nice finish to the book.The plot was fairly decent overall, although the worldbuilding was nothing special. I thought Torina’s character was interesting because Hanley made it appear as if she would be one of those rebel warrior princesses or something, but instead the focus is more on the dampening of her spirit rather than the fulfilling of it. She doesn’t form a band or shock everyone with her archery skills or whatever; she spends her time hiding in a cottage. Definitely not what I was expecting there. I mean, there is that one part with the archery at the very end, but the fact that she doesn’t spend the entire book doing things like that makes it even better, in my opinion, because it’s not the same tired trope as many other fantasy books.The writing was not that great; in fact, I almost stopped reading it about two chapters in (it did get better, or maybe the plot just got better so I could ignore the writing more). How do you glide from a horse’s back, anyway?Talk about a deceptive blurb. “Must the seer take up the sword?” The sword in the title has nothing to do with the seer, and no, she doesn’t fight at all or even consider it. It’s Landen who has the fighting angst, not Torina.I have to say, I rolled my eyes when at the very beginning Torina, at the tender age of nine, thought, “I can never live that way!” You’re nine years old, kid. Stop being so dramatic. Also, you’ve hardly developed anything at that age, much less a permanent goal or personality.Did not like Irene, who’s all “I’m going to let the guard grope me because he’s handsome.” Um, no. No, no, no. Irene is also working with the bad guys, which makes it even worse (it’s the “All Bad Girls Are Promiscuous” trope, but I’m sorry, Bad Girls should not let themselves be treated that way).
What do You think about The Seer And The Sword (2003)?
Princess Torina is the seer, who glimpses visions in a crystal given to her by her father, the king of Archeld, who wrested it from the conquered kingdom of Bellandra. Along with the crystal, the king took Bellandra's legendary sword and hid it -- but he also took the prince of Bellandra, Landen, who longs to recover the sword and his kingdom. Eventually, Torina's fate is woven with Landen's, as her kingdom is endangered as well and they must turn to the high king, Dahmis of Glavenrell, for help.Unfortunately, for a story that's full of political intrigue, the worldbuilding isn't quite deep enough to sustain interest; the many kingdoms are sketchily detailed, and there's little sense of their history or culture, which makes the interactions between them less compelling than it should be. On the plus side, Hanley has created several very engaging characters -- the bold Torina and the thoughtful Landen are an interesting couple, as she learns wisdom through the crystal and he learns to take action, and many of the supporting characters are nicely sketched out as well. This is Hanley's first novel, and she's written at least one more in the same world; The Seer and the Sword was promising enough that I'll seek out the second book in the hopes of a little more worldbuilding and the same good characterization.
—Margaret
This was way better than i was expecting it to be. I went into this expecting a somewhat watery, hackneyed plot line with a few good twists and characters if I was lucky, but I found myself completely hooked as soon as I started reading. Although it's still definitely not the most original story ever, Hanley's writing style and vibrant characters make the story come alive. The backstory was well-developed, and the main plot and the characters' behavior were consistent with it. Almost all the characters were dynamic, changing and growing over the course of the story, and the changing point of view was unusually believable. I found it to be a suspenseful and emotional book, and not too slow, even though the story spans ten years. The ending was really sweet. A cute love story, but still packed with action and intrigue, and dark enough to be plausible. This was a really solid, memorable fantasy tale, and I'll probably check out some of Victoria Hanley's other books. I loved it.
—Kiersten
This book was one of my favorite books as a young adult. I loved the everything about it, the storyline, the writing, the characters, the prose. I remember poring over the pages, even to the point where I memorized a few passages. Not being a person who tends to read books or watch movies over again, I remember reading this book at least a good five times in my life. I even found this in audio format after I grew up, and listened to it again. Everything about the story was so perfect and full of imagination. The mental images I retained from reading the book stuck in my mind for many years. The story of Torina and Landen was so compelling and so real that it was easy feel the wonder of their childhood friendship, the confusion of their young adult years, and then the heartbreak of their life apart as they grew into the people that they would become. (view spoiler)[ Their reconciliation at the end was so well thought out and so beautifully done that I dropped tears as I read it. (hide spoiler)]
—Elsa
