5 out of 5 stars
This is an excellent start to a fresh fantasy series of epic proportions, an all-encompassing, deep fantasy world, populated by mortals, Elves, empires, warrior clans, and the armies of an evil sorcerer. This book is a fascinating insight into a war that spans generations. Though its geo-political scale rivals Tolkien, the author's Elves are original and not at all cliched, and the relationship between the immortal Elves and the mortal men is realistic and thought-provoking. The hero herself, Nayla, is a half-caste, a half-elf, and her status is pivotal to the plot, along with her constant sense of not belonging to either race. You'll never think of a half-elf in simplistic terms ever again.
This book spans about 200 years (or so I counted), and Suzuki has done a wonderful job of showing us how even though Nayla only ages from child to late twenties, several generations of her mortal friends grow up and die, and she learns to love their children, and grand children, and still outlives them all. Very well written. All the characters have depth and qualities good and bad, never cardboard, and to me the ongoing, complex relationship between Nayla and Captain Joval is worth reading the book for alone. The author paced this very well, leading up to considerable drama near the end for this couple.
There are numerous battles and combat training scenes in this book, each described in beautiful and realistic detail. The warrior clan of which Nayla becomes a member is very reminiscent of Eastern martial arts and warrior monks, and the author's prowess as a martial arts expert shines through. This is not your traditional western medieval style fantasy. Though each battle brings its own challenges for Nayla, I admit that by the end I felt like I didn't want to read about another battle. Too much of a good thing? This is a really long book, but thankfully one that you can savour, and the careful pacing never made me want to skip ahead.
My only complaint is that it felt hurried at the end, with the author resorting to suddenly telling us large chunks of history and hopping the adventure along too fast. I got the impression that she had a sudden need to set up the next book in the series.
I definitely intend to purchase book 2 in the series and am excited to see what adventures and relationships Nayla will get into next. Check this book out – a great read!
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