Book Review: Luck in the Shadows
Hello, all. I'm sure my book reviews have been thoroughly missed by the *zero* people who read this journal. So I have another. I have to say, I think the toughest thing about senior year at uni is that I have no time to read, except -- ironically -- during finals weeks. Monday shall mark the beginning of such a week and I'd like to celebrate that with a review. So.
Title: Luck in the Shadows
Author: Lynn Flewelling
Series? Yes. First book in the Nightrunner series.
Genre: Fantasy, of course
POV: Third person limited, from several different characters
Back Blurb: "When young Alec of Kerry is taken prisoner for a crime he didn't commit, he is certain that his life is at an end. But the one thing he never expected was his cellmate. Spy, rogue, thief, and noble, Seregil of Rhiminee is many things - none of them predictable. And when he offers to take on Alec as his apprentice, things may never be the same for either of them. Soon Alec is traveling roads he never knew existed, toward a war he never suspected was brewing. Before long he and Seregil are embroiled in a sinister plot that runs deeper than either can imagine and that may cost them far more than their lives if they fail. But fortunes is as unpredictable as Alec's new mentor, and this time there just might be.... LUCK IN THE SHADOWS."
My take: I have to say I only bought this book (and the rest of the trilogy) because it's supposed to have gay romance in it. I didn't expect it to be good, and, well, it wasn't. The best thing I can say about it is that I will still read the next book - mostly because the gay romance has not yet happened. Aside from that single positive note, well... in one word, the book is clumsy. Inexperienced dialogue construction; clumsy ways of bringing the backstory of the world into the story; clumsy ways of bringing in the main character's sexual preferences and extremelyclumsy ways of trying to express their growing attraction to each other. Half the time it is thrown in completely randomly and it's nearly unbearable. Plus.... Long-lived races of almost-but-not-quite humans with magical powers (can you say, Tolkienesque elves?), an oracle which conveniently predicts the main characters' future romantic involvement with each other, and oh yes, the villains' PoVs occasionally pop up just to let us know what the big bad plan is. Like I said, clumsy. And even aside for that, Ms Flewelling needs a new editor. 'Affect' instead of 'effect', "it's" instead of "its", extra words and missing words... well, the list goes on. As an amateur editor myself, I have to wonder - how do people do such sh*tty jobs? Gah. My one hope is that the next book will be better. Of course, it could also be worse.
Conclusion: Barely bearable
Title: Luck in the Shadows
Author: Lynn Flewelling
Series? Yes. First book in the Nightrunner series.
Genre: Fantasy, of course
POV: Third person limited, from several different characters
Back Blurb: "When young Alec of Kerry is taken prisoner for a crime he didn't commit, he is certain that his life is at an end. But the one thing he never expected was his cellmate. Spy, rogue, thief, and noble, Seregil of Rhiminee is many things - none of them predictable. And when he offers to take on Alec as his apprentice, things may never be the same for either of them. Soon Alec is traveling roads he never knew existed, toward a war he never suspected was brewing. Before long he and Seregil are embroiled in a sinister plot that runs deeper than either can imagine and that may cost them far more than their lives if they fail. But fortunes is as unpredictable as Alec's new mentor, and this time there just might be.... LUCK IN THE SHADOWS."
My take: I have to say I only bought this book (and the rest of the trilogy) because it's supposed to have gay romance in it. I didn't expect it to be good, and, well, it wasn't. The best thing I can say about it is that I will still read the next book - mostly because the gay romance has not yet happened. Aside from that single positive note, well... in one word, the book is clumsy. Inexperienced dialogue construction; clumsy ways of bringing the backstory of the world into the story; clumsy ways of bringing in the main character's sexual preferences and extremelyclumsy ways of trying to express their growing attraction to each other. Half the time it is thrown in completely randomly and it's nearly unbearable. Plus.... Long-lived races of almost-but-not-quite humans with magical powers (can you say, Tolkienesque elves?), an oracle which conveniently predicts the main characters' future romantic involvement with each other, and oh yes, the villains' PoVs occasionally pop up just to let us know what the big bad plan is. Like I said, clumsy. And even aside for that, Ms Flewelling needs a new editor. 'Affect' instead of 'effect', "it's" instead of "its", extra words and missing words... well, the list goes on. As an amateur editor myself, I have to wonder - how do people do such sh*tty jobs? Gah. My one hope is that the next book will be better. Of course, it could also be worse.
Conclusion: Barely bearable