I find it so intensely satisfying when I come across an excellent read that I want to shout it from the rooftops. As I do not fancy climbing roofs when its raining, the blog will have to suffice. I have had this series on my reading list for quite a long time. And I will confess that the cover, while very interesting, did not have pretty girls or sparkly boys to tempt me to pick it up sooner. But as my interest in the paranormal genre gradually wanes, I turn to my first love, fantasy. So I put the book on reserve at BPL and when I went to pick it up, I, fortuitously, saw the sequel on the shelves and glomped it.What a gorgeous novel, guys. It should be on everybody’s reading lists, if not their favourite reads. I am entirely enamored by the world created with such precise detail by Chima. The breadth and scope of the story is reminiscent of the Tolkien masterpieces. The different races of people, the racial friction, the history, mythology, all of it is so exactingly and methodically worked out that you can’t help but feel a certain awe at the amount of work Ms. Chima must have put into the novel. You can close your eyes and see the majesty of the mountains, the grandeur of the castles and if you concentrate, you can feel from the flickering fires in the Clan village. The imagery is powerful without being overwhelming and works hard to keep your interest engaged in the story and its characters.And what characters they are. I can honestly say that Han is one of the most compelling male protagonists I have come across so far. His is full of layers and complexities and the reader is audience to the incidents that work to make him into the man he will become. His thief-lord status and his desires to be something more than he is coupled with his helpless love for his little sister and mother – his character is a story unto itself and as you read more about him, as you peel his layers to see the beginnings of the man in him, you will fall in love. Just as I did. Flaws and all.Raisa is also interesting. I love how she is presented with a choice where the matters of the heart are concerned. There is no “one true love” but a choice between many possible loves. It is a matter of the heart vs. the brain. Chima gives you a princess and then invites you to look beyond her social position and the cultural stereotype to find the woman underneath. She lets you discover Raisa’s character for yourself and she doesn’t push you to either like or dislike her. Raisa is no Mary-Sue. Then there are the side characters who are no less important for their smaller parts in the novel.There is a grand eloquence in this plot. It makes you think of destiny and fate. For a lot of the book I was waiting for something to happen and then I realized that nothing could happen until the stones were cast and the characters in place. And as you turn the last page, you do it with a sense of urgency, an anticipation for the next book.
