Customer Reviews

The Knowing

5 star:		(1)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

The Knowing by Larriane Wills is a compelling historical fantasy novel. Ms. Wills draws a richly detailed picture of a culture and a society, and has created a memorable and admirable character in Garran of Lockmer. The Princess Fayahstella is also an interesting character and it is a real treat to watch her develop and grow throughout the course of the book. It is easy to see why Garran of Lockmer inspires so much loyalty from the people who serve him. I found the book hard to put down and read it straight through in one evening. I hope to see more from this new author!

There's nothing better on a chilly Saturday evening than a fireplace, a cup of hot chocolate and a good fantasy to read. Sad to say, I have become somewhat of a reluctant reader as of late. My crazy work schedule doesn't leave me much free time and I couldn't tell you how many times I have abandoned books without even getting through the initial exposition. But when I opened The Knowing, the first few pages had me sucked in. The book jumps straight into the story; it is fast-paced and its characters are never boring or formulaic.
If you're in the mood for a cleverly-woven tale of intrigue, love and the power of prophecies over human lives and kingdoms alike, The Knowing is a great way to spend an evening.

Great story. Surprisingly interesting. A young boy is displaced from his home to grow up riding with an assassin. A young princess is reared in seclusion, not allowed to learn anything, forced to talk in an unnatural voice, and watched constantly by the priesthood so she doesn't hear or see or feel any emotions. Ms. Wills brings the two of them together as adults, while their country is in conflict, and we watch as each of them change over time to become all they should be: he--as a man member of the Knowing group and she--as...Well, read the book and let the story draw you into itself. You won't be disappointed.

I found the characters engaging and the world was well built. The plot needed some tightening but I would love a sequel.

Reviewed by Kylee J. Yeaman for Reader Views (1/07)

The plot of this book is about (royal) court intrigue. Combined with religious elements this makes for a very good read. Larriane Wills did a great job of immersing me into Garran's world. "The first meeting between Garran of Lockmer, Govener of Sheritan, and Princess Fayahstella, future Queen of Ives, did not go well. The difficulties began when Vasglow, the head of the house staff, tapped on the door to announce her arrival. A gaggle of voices in what sounded like dire urgency brought Garran to his feet before an attending lady, not Vasglow, opened the door."

The only down side to this book for me was the dialogue. While I appreciate the desire to give the characters their own accent, it was a little difficult to read. Not too difficult. Like trying to read, rather than hear, a Cockney accent. The descriptions of characters and places it terrific. This book would be of interest to all adults and older teens that enjoy the fantasy genre.

My personal favorite part, without giving too much away, was the exchange of "tokens of allegiance." You know what they are saying to each other while in front of others, without them coming right out and saying it. I found it very touching. I'd love it if there were a sequel. Perhaps one involving the couples' child(ren) as adults. There were a couple of issues: 1) lack of open and/or close quotes, 2) a repeated misspelling of someone's name on one page. Nothing too distracting though.

On the whole I really enjoyed "The Knowing." The characters are fleshed out well. I felt like I was actually there a lot of the time feeling their love, loss, and pain. "What Caslock thought of what Bashsay had done was difficult to tell. He looked over Garran's limp body, the back bloodied from the cuts from the whip and three bloody patches of raw flesh on his leg, while he walked by and ducked beneath the rope holding Garran on his knees."

I'm looking forward to reading more by Larriane Wills.

Book received free of charge