I got this book out of the library after hearing the series highly recommended by a friend of mine.  I was severly disappointed!  While the plot is sort of interesting (if you take away the excessively cheesy romance parts), this book is so full of fantasy cliches and poor writing that it was difficult to make myself finish it.  Even with a good plot, it's hard to focus on it when characters are saying "Ye Gods!" every five sentences.  The glossary and language references are completely unnecessary and make it look like the author was trying too hard.  Why bother making up words (like "Wyrd") when perfectly reasonable ones exist for the concept?  Why use a word like "dweomer" which is completely unpronounceable, in addition to looking ridiculous?

Honestly the writing reminded me of fantasy stories I wrote myself when I was 14 or so.  I can imagine if you are around that age, this would probably be a pretty enjoyable and interesting book.  But if your literary tastes are more refined, it's hard to get past the writing style.
I got this book out of the library after hearing the series highly recommended by a friend of mine. I was severly disappointed! While the plot is sort of interesting (if you take away the excessively cheesy romance parts), this book is so full of fantasy cliches and poor writing that it was difficult to make myself finish it. Even with a good plot, it's hard to focus on it when characters are saying "Ye Gods! " every five sentences. The glossary and language references are completely unnecessary and make it look like the author was trying too hard. Why bother making up words (like "Wyrd") when perfectly reasonable ones exist for the concept? Why use a word like "dweomer" which is completely unpronounceable, in addition to looking ridiculous? Honestly the writing reminded me of fantasy stories I wrote myself when I was 14 or so. I can imagine if you are around that age, this would probably be a pretty enjoyable and interesting book. But if your literary tastes are more refined, it's hard to get past the writing style.