Elements: magic, soulmates, gods
Rating:
- Characters - 5 - From the beginning, the characters are interesting and unique, and they only get better over the course of the story.
- Setting - 5 - The basic setting seems your traditional middle eastern setting at first, but it quickly becomes so much more, and the author adds so many details that it's something very unique and special.
- Plot - 4 - An intriguing plot, though it starts out a bit cliched. It grows into itself and eventually becomes something very different from anything I've read.
- Genre Elements - 5 - Great details. Both the world details, the distinctness of villain, and the avatar aspects to the story. Each lends something to the overall story and makes it that much more intriguing.
- Voice - 4 - The two main characters are very unique, though there's a bit of muddiness at first, and some of the early secondary characters are a little difficult to tell apart.
- Romance Elements - 4 - The boys' story is slow and believable, and definitely never easy, though some of the situations they are thrown into are a bit cliched.
- Overall - 4.5 - Definitely a great story, and well worth a read for Fantasy lovers.
The love story of a slave and a prince, and tale of a kingdom at war.
My thoughts -
This one really snuck up on me. Though it seems cliched at first, it grew on me very quickly. Particularly Judas, who is not your typical slave-who-does-not-wish-to-be. Each has their own worries, and despite everything, the two characters begin to grow together. And then everything falls apart. Though the story appears to take a few cliched turns, each trope is taken and molded by Burwell to make it a far more unique part of a rather intriguing whole. Rarely did I feel bored or confused by what was going on. And when I was confused, quite often it was followed by curiosity about how she would manage to right things again for her two characters. The ending is quite satisfying, and more than lives up to the premise of her story.
To me, Judas is the true center of this piece. While Namir is interesting, he is fairly typical of his sort--at least without Judas, or the events that follow Judas's arrival at their castle. Judas, on the other hand, is special from the start. Marked as different even by his own people, and gotten rid of for just that reason. More importantly, he seems to be touched by destiny, though what that destiny is, even he is uncertain. At least, until he and Namir begin to grow close.
Their flight from the castle to save Namir's people is what really sets the plot in motion, and it is this that changes both boys for good. Through it they become something more than what they were before. Both apart and together.
Though this did not get my highest rating, I will say that I enjoyed it very much. I hope some day to find more by this author, as I found it well worth the time it took to read. Though it's quite long, the length of the story only made it that much better, as it just gave me that much more to enjoy.
Warnings -
Violence and near-rape, several assassination attempts of various sorts. Lots of anguish, both mental and physical. But nothing too horrific, and certainly nothing lasting.
Overall Recommendation -
Definitely worth a read for any fantasy lover. I highly recommend it.
Link to the story - The Quartz Key (Author's site)
Author Link - Lianne Burwell (on Goodreads)
If you liked this story, try -
- The Fall of the Dragon King by MomsDarkSecret (Fiction Press) (read my review here)
- The Dream of a Thousand Nights by Shira Anthony (Goodreads) (read my review here)
- The Adorned by John Tristan (Goodreads) (read my review here)
- The Prince's Boy by Cecilia Tan (Publisher's site) (read my review here)
- The Ennik Series by Kim Fielding (Goodreads) (read my review here)
