I wanted to like this book so much more than I actually did. It promised a rich world, magic, strong women, political intrigue - all the things I love in a good fantasy novel. Unfortunately, I was underwhelmed by all these aspects and ultimately, pretty bored.

My biggest issue was that I had no one to root for. I didn’t really like a single character. I don’t actually require likable characters (I’ve loved plenty of books with strong antiheroes, and books like Gone Girl, with no likable protagonists at all) but I just didn’t give a damn about any of the characters in BESIEGED.

I think a big part of the problem is that the first hundred or so pages would have been better summed up as backstory. Very little actually happens, and what does only serves to set up what comes later; it never quite feels like part of the book’s plot. Then we meander through three decades of political machinations, backstabbing, and scheming only to end up at a cliffhanger ending. Sure, I get that this book is clearly the first in a series, and meant to sell more books, but I invested a lot of time and energy into this particular book for it to go absolutely nowhere. So, yeah... I will not be continuing with this series. ( )

This was a great start to a fantasy series. It had everything one typically needs - religion, magic, corruption, war, and some people with serious personal identity issues. I am really looking forward to the next books in the series!

* I received this book for free from Goodreads First Reads. ( )

It's been a long time since I've delved into epic fantasy and this book is a harsh reminder of why I stopped reading it.

The novel depicts a very depressing world which is divided between normal humans and the psychic T'en, and then further divided into brotherhoods and sisterhoods. No matter how you look at it, it's all hostility all of the time. Except for some of the young people, no one is actually friends with anyone else.

The portion I've read (nearly two hundred pages, encompassing a 14-year span) is full of pregnancy and childbirth, again and again, yet it is curiously sexless. The only reasons anyone seems to have children are for use as political pawns or as tools against an enemy.

The characters are not well-developed, and I still don't have a clear idea of who most of them are or what their roles are. I feel the same way I did after I watched a few episodes of Game of Thrones: Who are all these people and why should I care about them? I'm not even going to get into the politics (mainly because that leaves me lost as well.)

I really hate abandoning books but there is literally nothing of interest here. ( )

The first time I heard about this book - and trilogy - was on Shari Mulluane's blog "Dragons, Heroes and Wizards"(http://dragonsheroesandwizards.blogspot.com) where the series was reviewed in its entirety: as it often happens to me, I experienced a sort of mental click that told me it could be a great book, so I added it to my reading queue. Instincts proved once more to be right on target, because this is a great beginning for a very promising series.

Complete review here: http://spaceandsorcery.wordpress.com/2014/08/09/besieged-rowena-cory-daniells/

3,5 Stars ( )

I couldn't get into it. I found the writing awkward and boring. ( )