This is a fantasy version of medieval Wales. There is magic, Griffins, and Gods. The main character here is Laela, a half breed girl from the South with features that mark her as a Northerner. When her adoptive father dies, she sets off to find out what the North is like, and try to learn more about her past.She had misadventures along the way before meeting the King of the North, chosen of the Night God. She goes from peasant girl to adviser to the King in a series of twists and turns. It's a nicely built world with good detail.It's a decent fantasy story with some roots in various Celtic myth. It's a fun read. Simply put, this book was frustrating. The plot itself was fine and the characters were fine, nothing amazing but nothing too bad either. However the writing was a major issue, I know some authors go for trying to write accents phonetically to accentuate characters' location and culture, but its highly frustrating. It distracts me as a reader, and doesn't appreciate that as I (and a large part of the audience) likely already speak English differently from the author, writing phonetically does not work. Furthermore they were unnecessary, the cultural differences of the 'North' and 'South' were detailed and addressed enough in the book without needing written accents. For what is in my opinion an average book, the effort put into deciphering every second sentence, it is not worth the read.
What do You think about The Shadow's Heir (2012)?
well written, good story....but - predictable...(maybe I need a new genre?)
—Alice
