Book Bites: The Seer and the Sword
When it comes to YA fantasy books, I have an unabashed soft spot for books that feature the following elements: kick-ass girl heroine, an intriguing hero, danger, adventure, a hint of romance--you know, the works. There have been really amazing books out there, books that should not be limited to the YA shelves alone: Hunger Games, The Blue Sword, Graceling, etc. So I suppose I have higher than normal expectations, which, truth be told, weren't truly fulfilled by Victoria Hanley's first book, The Seer and the Sword.
The set-up is a familiar one as far as medieval-esque fantasy books go: two kingdoms at war, an enslaved prince, and the young princess who willingly sets him free when he is given to her as a slave. Fast forward a decade later, the exiled prince, Landen, is a skilled warrior in the service of the king, but his real bond of loyalty is to Torina, who alone befriended him. When the king dies a suspicious death, Landen and Torina are forced separately to go into perilous exile.
The characters are rendered with fine, well-crafted details. There's a real sense of change and growth within them as the story progresses: in Landen's case, he transforms from a rootless orphan to a young man with purpose and a place in the world. When she is forced to leave her comfortable castle home, Torina learns the hard way the value of struggle, and how, if one chooses to, it shapes character. However, my main issue with the novel is that there's a manic twitchy-ness to the plot, as if the author felt compelled to add one breathless twist after another. I'm all for plots with political intrigue and unexpected twists, but sometimes, less really is more.
Another issue I had is with how Hanley easily does away with a certain third character, who--without adding critical spoilers--really could've added more tension and depth to how Landen and Torina relate to one another. If I were an author, I wouldn't shy away from such thorny questions simply because it's geared for a YA audience; I think young readers should have their understanding and sense of right and wrong questioned within the relatively risk-free parameters of a book. But nonetheless, it's still an entertaining book--though more on par with the simple level of Crown Duel, though, rather than The Blue Sword.