Customer Reviews

The Blood of the Land

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3 star:		(1)
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Wow, this fantasy is an edge-or-your-seat sequel to The Sword of the Land, and it continues two years after the end of the first book. Rilsin is now the Saeket, and her daughter her heir. Rilsin and Sola finally get a little farther and all seems to be going great until it becomes apparent that Rilsin's enemies are all out to hurt her all at the same time. Sola and her daughter go missing, and it's up to the heartbroken Rilsin (who's still the commander of the army) to search for them, even though she fears they are dead. Meanwhile, new and old characters appear, not all of them intent on Saeditin's (therefore Rilsin's) well-being.

This book is so fun to read. It's very emotional and exciting, because there's so much action, but you still feel close to the characters. There is a lot of character development in the case of Sola, and it's great to watch the relationship between him, Rilsin, Reniat, Bilt, and others grow and thrive. *semi-spoiler* The ending is great, but it was a shame to me that some people had to die.

This is a great author. I liked everything about the two books in this series, and I can't wait for more. The writing is fresh and eloquent, and Brennan really knows how to express her characters and develop them over the time set in the book. In other words, the pace is pefect, and I believe that anyone who likes light fantasy (meaning little or no magical creatures, spells, etc.) of this type will enjoy this book immensely, as I do, over and over again.

Personally, I was not impressed by this book. I loved the first one and have kept an eye out for this one since it was published, but I found the writing style to be typical, almost awkward. The plot of the first one was so good that this can be overlooked - this one was a bit slower. The only thing it has going for it is that it's original. I really applaud Brennan for her female protagonists. It's about time somebody's characters stopped wearing skirts. (But she still had to put one of those scenes in there where the guy catches the girl committing a crime and tries to arrange a little quid pro quo, if you know what I mean. I swear, that's probably one of the most common fantasy scenes out there.)
Also, I didn't like how the author switched POV so often. The first book was entirely from Rilsin's POV; this one would switch several times within a single scene. Very unsettling, and as a result we never get to know the new characters well enough to like.
Sola's awesome.

After being converted to Fantasy by Brennan's first book "Sword of the Land" I found this to be a wonderful sequel that leaves me crying out for more! Rilsin is a truly believable character who is real, intense yet emotional enough to make her a true heroine that you find yourself fighting right along side her for her beloved Saeditin.

The world of the Saeditin that Brennan created is a world of many stories. I sincerely hope Brennan creates many more stories in the world of the Saeditin. There are many characters whom I would love to read more details about their lives and how they too form and shape the Saeditin. Rislin is a powerful character, but there are many other characters in Brennan's Saeditin series that can be developed into stories of their own.

An extremely exceptional read! Recommended for readers of all genres - not just fantasy, this book has it all: Fantasy, History, Suspense and Romance. And Brennan's cleverly crafted "paganism" which she molds into her own to fit the realm of the Saeditin.

I definately am looking forward to more books by this fabulous new author!