4/5 Stars – Fast Paced Fantasy
I enjoyed this book. It was fast-paced and told from a single narrative making it easy to follow.
Huon our protagonist is likeable enough and starts life as a fairly 2-dimensional character, which is not meant as a slur because he kind of is to start with – He is young and has been living in the notoriously dangerous wild woods for 4 years, all alone, trying to survive with nothing but his wits and untrained magical abilities with only the tragedy that took him there and dreams of vengeance on his mind. But as the story unfolds so does his character. Friendship, betrayal, hope, despair and opportunity all conspire to shape and mould Huon making him all the more interesting.
The story itself rips along at a great pace. The world-building was good but there was never much time to dwell on it before the story moved along. The magic system (surging different essences) is really fun and Huon, a surgecaller, has to rise through various ranks if his hopes of revenge are to be fulfilled.
An easy summer read. Will it live long with me, maybe not but if I were a young teen I would answer differently I suspect. It’s a book that is fun, easy to pick up and put down and a great distraction from the real world.
A D Green 