Resa Nelson

Benzel as a boy vowed to kill every Berserker that killed his parents and unborn sister. His parents had trained him to hide and wait for them to get him, but as time passed he never saw them nor his pet rabbit. He remembered them saying if no one came then he should go to the next village for help, but they were all dead too. As a young boy he visited with his mom's sister and he headed that way. I felt sorry for the boy who grew into a man with so much bitterness in his heart, and I can't show more wait to continue his journey. show less

Rating: 2 out of 5 stars

Pros: Interesting characters, unique world.

Cons: The elements of the world didn't always gel well with each other and some of the plot twists felt forced or convenient.

I started this book with high hopes; I'm a sucker for dystopian novels and combining an Egyptianesque world with dystopian elements seemed like something would really enjoy. Unfortunately, the story suffered from world and plot problems.

First of all, this is a world modeled nearly entirely off of show more ancient Egypt with modern and futuristic elements sprinkled in. That's fine, but we need to see those same elements woven into the narrative throughout the entire story, and not just where they are relevant to the furthering of the plot. It's very jarring to a reader to read about priestly records kept on papyrus and then see a character leaving a statement on a yellow legal pad a few pages later. I did enjoy Ms. Nelson's take on Egypt; it felt like a natural evolution from the civilization that I know and love into a controlling state.

I also wish that we could have explored the setting a bit more, to see the kinds of effects that it was having on the people that lived within it. There were times when I felt as if the characters were simply moving through their world, merely showing the reader what the world looked like instead of experiencing it. When I read dystopian novels I really enjoy watching setting and characters interact, forcing introspection about what living in the book's world really means. I didn't get to see much of that interaction during this book and it left me wishing I'd gotten more.

There is also one instance when a character acts in a way that goes completely against everything that we've seen of them so far. I was so blown away by the abruptness of the shift that I began to wonder if anything I'd read so far would remain true. It took away a lot of the dramatic tension because I wasn't sure I could buy fully into the book's world anymore.

I did enjoy most of the characters. Meres, the main character, felt a bit flat and bland, but Pu and Sekhmet both had my sympathy. Their stories, and the evolution of their personalities, was rewarding to watch. Sekhmet's journey towards humanity was especially moving to watch in large part because it happened with such subtlety.

Let me be completely honest: a large part of the reason that I didn't enjoy this book as much as I might have was that I was hoping for something more along the lines of Aldous Huxley's Brave New World. I was hoping for subtle commentary on humanity, as opposed to a story of people learning not to accept the proclamations of authority as absolute fact. I was hoping for much more than Ms. Nelson was able to deliver and it left me disappointed. show less

If I loved the first two books in this amazing series, let me tell you that I adored The Stone Of Darkness. I feel like I can't actually describe how much I loved this book.

I loved how we get more subplots at the same time. There aren't too many though and they don't take up much time, but they do keep the reader wanting to read and needing to know more about them. We get to see the dragons again and we get to understand more about them, about their ways and about dragonslayers in general. show more One thing that I loved was getting a little bit of the history of dragons and I understood them a lot better than I did in the previous novels.

Astrid is changed. While more mature and more used to her role as a dragonslayer, she still has a lot to learn about herself and about her family history and about people in general. I think there were things that happened in this book that she needed to go through in order to understand herself better. There are a lot of questions that find answers in this third book and there are so many more new and old questions that need answers, not only about Astrid, but about anything I thought I new about this world.

There's action, suspense, humor, a little bit of romance, mystery, anything I could have wished for. And the one thing that made me completely adore this book was that I was so focused on what was happening, I never imagined the ending was going to be like that. I have no idea what I was thinking the ending was going to be like, but I was surprised. Now, of course, I'm sitting here biting my nails, waiting for the next one.

Anyway, if you haven't checked this series out (shame on you!) do it now!!! It is good :D show less

I just finished reading The Dragonslayer's Sword and I have to say I'm very tempted to go back and read it again.

I'm going to be honest here. I was completely out of my comfort zone with this book. First of all, I don't think I've read a lot of books with medieval themes. So I didn't really knew what to expect. Also, I know nothing about blacksmiths. I was pleasantly surprised by the way Ms. Nelson managed to combine the fantasy details with the historical details. Another thing I loved was show more how the author described the process of sword making and how she made it sound somewhat easy. Of course, I know it's not easy, but it didn't sound like something impossible to learn.

I also loved the new take on shapeshifters and dragons. It was refreshing, because it's so unlike any other fantasy novel I've read, it's different and new. I liked that a lot, because I didn't feel like I knew what the dragons or shapeshifters would be like.

In this book we watch the heroine, Astrid, grow up and become an amazing woman. Despite her childhood, she manages to move on with the help of DiStephan, the dragonslayer, and her best friend, Mauri. Most of the book is told from her perspective, but at the end, we get to see some of the scenes told from the perspectives of other characters and I liked that.

I have to say, one of the things I loved most about this book was the balance in it. The descriptions weren't too big or too short for me, the action scenes were great and the dialogues were well written and they had the perfect length. The book also fast-paced and I loved that. There wasn't a moment when I felt that the story was in one scene or place more than it should.

The only thing I was hoping was to be inside other character's perspective a little more. There is one scene with Astrid and some other blacksmiths when Astrid realized how she was truly seen by those men and it makes her more confident in herself and in who she is, so I think it would've helped her more to see things from another angle.

I think this was a great start for a series and I'm very curious what happens next, in The Iron Maiden show less