Warrior was absolutely amazing.Miryo is in an unusual predicament, as a witch, to gain control of her powers, she must kill someone who looks just like her, who is her. Someone who should have died when she was very young. Miryo has to kill her doppelganger, the other part of herself.Mirage is on a mission to find out who killed a powerful witch, being wary of witches for most of her life she was uncomfortable with the contact she needs to have with them, but being the best at what she does, she is perfect for the job.Mirage was by far my favourite of the two girls; she was the typical kick ass fantasy chick. She was a knife wielding, combat expert who people either feared or respected greatly. She worked hard to get where she was and had to fight for it every step of the way because she was different, much as she hated them, she looked exactly like a witch because of her flaming red hair.Miryo on the other hand was a bit scared, highly intelligent but sheltered and sent off on a mission that she really shouldn’t have been sent off to.Warrior was a predictable book, but the way it was told, the world it was told in made it something completely new to experience. Brennan’s writing was seamless in her execution of the two characters, each was completely individual, had their own voice.Brennan crafted a wonderful world incorporating not only magic but assassins which has to be two of my favourite fantasy subjects ever; it was indeed a match made in heaven. Brennan’s writing was impeccable, her fight scenes were some of the best I’ve read in quite a long time, no skimming over details or coping out using phrases such as “I don’t know how it happened, but all of a sudden he was under me and I knocked him unconscious”, Mirage and even Miryo had to work during their fights, Mirage especially, her fight scenes were so detailed my leg started moving without me realising it as I read about her kicking her assailants in the head.Warrior was also very realistic – well, as much as a fantasy novel can be realistic – things weren’t handed to the characters, there were no short cuts, nearly everything was hard. Mirage and Miryo may have been the best at what they did, but nothing came easy.Warrior, in it’s mythology, was a little hard to understand at first, what with all the different hands and heads and hearts and elements. I found myself getting quite baffled when reading in Miryo’s point of view for a large portion of the front of the book, but once I understood it, which didn’t happen until about halfway through I found it to be some of the most unique mythology I have read in a long time. Two created from one, all the magic and singing spells kind of got lost in the rest of the story, which I am glad of because I wasn’t a huge fan of the idea, but the baser Witch mythology was very intriguing.Warrior was a fantastic start to this duology, it left me thinking about it for days afterwards and I am eager to get into the next instalment, Witch.Find this review at storywings.com
I always hesitated when I saw this book because the cover always seemed way too close to the teen vampire romance books, and with the second in the series being called Witch I was very wary. But, I saw it in a used bookshop for just a few dollars and thought to give it a try.My god am I glad I did.The writing style is very nice, it flows very well through action sequences and down time. It never feels rushed, or too slow, the pace is always just right. It was easy to visualize all that happened as it was happening, and everything was well explained as things went along.The characters are very unique and I love them. Mirage is a strong woman, with a chip on her shoulder and something to prove. Miryo is smart, but unsure of herself and seems to battle her own mind more than anything else. The main male, Eclipse, is also a delight to read about because for someone of his profession he's fairly laid-back and ready to take things on as they come. I loved reading about them all, they were all very fun and interesting.A big plus in my book was that the pair of Hunters didn't end up shacking up. In a lot of fantasy books with a female lead, the moment a guy comes in she becomes weak and needs his help and they just have to be together. No, they work as a team to get a job done and, while it's hinted that they might have a small bit of romantic tension, it's never in the way of the story.I also really like some of the messages in the story. The main conflict, so to say, is the witch doppelganger has to kill her other half to be able to control her powers. And for a while, she seems alright with the idea. But as she thinks about it more and more, she questions it all. And when the two finally meet she just can't do it, so they vow to work it out together. They promise to find a better way, to not just take the standard accepted way and find a way they both can live. I really enjoyed how they tried to work on it, and how much effort they put into trying to figure it out.If you find it, give it a chance. It's a good fantasy book with a pretty good lesson.
What do You think about Warrior (2008)?
Not bad, not bad at all. The cover put me off (looks like some trashy fantasy, sorry!), but the reviews on goodreads convinced me to try it anyway. A fast-paced action-fantasy-adventure story. Characters interesting though at times a little wooden. Good story idea (doppelgangers). As another reviewer has said, the setting of the book has all the basic elements of the classic medieval period, but with a refreshing twist of eastern influence. World well-drawn, detailed and whole. Ending quite well done, though expected.I was surprised at how quickly Mirage got over her dislike of witches. I mean seriously, she went on and on about how much she hates being called a witch and how she stays away from them as much as possible, and then she's suddenly alright with being one's doppelganger. Brennan did make a few references to Mirage's own surprise at how easily she took it, but it was too minor to explain this away. There are several other little glitches like this, so you might get annoyed. Looking forward to reading the next book.
—Elfear
I really, really wanted to enjoy this book, but unfortunately I just couldn't. I found that I could make no connection to the characters, they were flat and a bit boring, especially Miryo. This was an excruciatingly slow book and I found that the names and made up language were tedious and made it hard to follow what was going on. It took half the book for the two main characters to meet up and then in one chapter they had resolved to not kill each other and became friends. I liked the idea of the story and Mirage interested me. I think Brennan could have really created an exceptional story had she made it a little more fast paced. I really had to force myself to carry on reading and in the end I had no desire to finish it at all. I skimmed through a lot of it and at one staged skipped half a chapter and it didn't make a difference at all.I think if you are an avid Lord Of the Rings fan and don't mind that long winded storyline you would enjoy this book, unfortunately it just wasn't for me.
—Shiran
In brief: This is a good book. An original world, interesting protagonists, a fun story, and a satisfying conclusion. The book jumps back and forth between two points of view. Miryo is a young witch who must kill her doppelganger before she can control her own magic. Mirage is the doppelganger, a particularly gifted warrior and Hunter. Both characters are strong, independent, determined, and likable. Naturally, Miryo's mission to kill her double soon becomes far more complicated and messier than expected, drawing them into the middle of a conspiracy with the potential to destroy them both. The doppelganger issue originally made me stumble a little. When a witch is born, a spell is cast to help her channel her magic, and to block that channel until she's ready. The side effect is a doppelganger, who must be killed if the witch is to survive and come into her power. To me, it felt a little forced. It's a wonderful setup for the novel, but I never understood why the doppelganger was a natural side effect of the magic, for instance. And for me, the ritual murder of infants is too drastic a thing to be glossed over by saying the infants don't have souls until they're five days old, so it's not really murder. The story gets stronger as it goes. I like the relationship between Miryo and Mirage. In many ways, they truly are the same person, and it's fun to watch Brennan explore their similarities and differences, and the connection between them. They complement one another, and the book reflects that; the parts where the characters come together really do feel more complete than the earlier chapters. Bonus points to Brennan for avoiding the typical medieval European fantasyland world. This is a world of Brennan's own creation, but its roots appear to be more Eastern in origin, which is refreshing. Yes, we have swords and magic and horses and witchcraft. But while some aspects were familiar, the book doesn't feel like something I've read a thousand times before. Brennan also incorporates religion and prayer into the story, not in an evangelistic, preachy way, but as a natural part of the world and the characters. Fantasy and SF sometimes tends to ignore or simplify religion, but Brennan presents a rich, honest faith, and shows both the good and the evil that can come of it. The book includes a short preview of the sequel, Warrior and Witch. I rarely glance at these excerpts, but in this case, I immediately read it and wanted more. Happily, Warrior and Witch will be out in less than two months. Sooner would be better, but I suppose I can wait that long.
—Jim
