Covenants

Rabbit is a simple soldier in the Iversterre Army, stationed in a back-water outpost... Or at least that is what he wishes he was and tries hard to be. Unfortunately for Rabbit, he's got a few rather big secrets. When one of the Faena, a talking mountain cat named Laurel, happens upon Rabbit's troop, things start to fall apart as far as Rabbit is concerned. Rabbit is from the Borderlands, a territory distinct from Iversterre, to the south, and so is the Faena, a creature most people in Iversterre think of as mythical. Rabbit has grown up with Faena, so he's not confounded by Laurel's appearance--but he somehow gets caught up in a Covenant with him... a simple sharing of food that turns into something bigger.

Laurel has been sent as an show more Ambassador to the King's Court of Iversterre. Years ago (largely forgotten by most of the people), the Borderlands fought a war and handily defeated Iversterre, now the two countries are approaching another war: smugglers and slavers and reavers from Iversterre have been killing Borderlands creatures or selling them as slaves and trading in their artifacts.

Rabbit travels with his troop, accompanying the Ambassador to the Courts and finds that he's the target of assassination attempts and that he needs to stop being the simple soldier and former farmboy and find out about politics and intrigues quickly. And although magic is totally disregarded in Iversterre, it seems that plenty of magic is at work; something else that Rabbit needs to know more about fast.

This is a solid and enjoyable epic fantasy that has some of what you'd expect (magic and mages and dragons and elves and kingdoms at war) and yet still feels fresh and unique. There is plenty of adventure and mystery and action and betrayal and evil. What's better, they aren't fighting an Evil Overlord, but men and creatures with the typical desire for power and riches.

Rabbit is a good main character. He's a farmboy and simple soldier, even though he's also quite a few other things as well. While he may be a bit TOO much, particularly towards the latter part of the book, the fact that he's humble and doesn't ask for much helps keep him grounded and accessible. The cast of characters who surround him are complex and intriguing as well. The plot twists and turns and is a wildly fun roller-coaster of a ride.

It is very easy for an epic fantasy to fall into the usual tropes and become indistinguishable from one another. This book is saved by its strong characters and clean and accomplished storytelling. I'm happy to recommend this book and will certainly be reading any sequels. show less

There isn't much that's *new* new to this story, but the way it's done makes it fresh and interesting. It's a fast paced, enjoyable read, set in a world that the author clearly has put a good bit of work into envisaging. The characters are individual, and fascinating; lots of shades of grey. The pacing is phenomenal, and the author keeps a firm hand on all the plots, subplots and extras, so much so that I rather suspect she has a lot more to say about this world -- which can only be a good thing :-)

Lots of humour, magic, snark, plots, treachery, coming-of-age (or not *g*), elisions of the Truth, and a happy ending which edges into the beginning of another adventure. I don't re-read often, but this one got re-read today for the umpteenth show more time, and I can't wait for the third one to come out! show less

The Particulars: High Fantasy,Roc, available both in print and e-book

Why was it in my TBR? Cause I felt the urge to re-read it. This is one of my comfort reads

The Review:

The blurb:

Rabbit is a trooper on the Border Guards, just another body in the King's army. But when his patrol encounters a Faena-one of the magical guardians of an uneasy ally-Rabbit is thrust into a political and magical intrigue that could start a war. Because Rabbit isn't just another trooper. He is the son of nobility-and a mage who doesn't know his own power...

My impressions:

Lorna Freeman have created a riveting story, filled with unique characters. She is walking a narrow line, since the characters could easily have become flat. She manage to avoid it with a show more riveting combination of humor and secrets. The humor makes the characters real, and the secrets shows their flaws. That’s one thing I love with this book. Everyone have secrets. As the secrets are revealed, the dynamic between the characters change. Together the vivid worldbuilding, and the unexpected plot twists creates a riveting, fascinating story. show less

I'm surprised at the very high rating this book gets, you would think we were dealing with a masterpiece here. While it's not a bad book it certainly isn't a masterpiece.

One of the major flaws of this book is that rabbit is to powerful. He is like superman and just like with superman the author will be forced to introduce one kind of kryptonite after another to give the hero a challenge. This kind of thing usually doesn't help to make the story believable.

Another thing I didn't like is how everyone acted human. You would think these fae creatures are very different and have very different cultures, but it seems to me that they mostly have different names and powers.

Ok, this book was kinda slow to get into and get a understanding of all that was going on. I actually think I need to reread it before I decide to read the sequel (which i regretfully have yet to start) in order to catch everything. Once you hit a certain point though, I just couldn't stop reading. It just turned out to be a fantastic read. the ending did feel kinda rushed, but I can forgive that because it was a nice paced kinda rushed that left me, for one, with a better understanding of the novel as a whole.
I definitely recommend this to anyone looking for a new book to read, especially if you are looking for something atypical, then this is the novel for you. It's got a bit of adventure, action, magic and even politics mixed show more together for a beautiful story that you will want to read again.
Highly recommended. show less

this book was just not long enough. Very well written, gripping action, tense, but never gets dark. It is a great attribute to be able to show bad things without allowing that tone to take over.

A surprisingly good read, the characters and conflict were well thought out and were unfolded in a truly masterful way. I look forward to reading the rest of the series and hope this level of excellence can continue.