Customer Reviews

Oathbreaker (Chronicles of Ancient Darkness)

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

 

 

This is an amazing series and she did an amazing job writing them. My kids all read them and loved them so they told me i had to read it. once i picked the other books up i just couldn't put them down!! So i am so excited for this book to come out and same with my kids.

I've not really been in to reading for a long time now, but I still push myself to pick up a book as I feel guilty for not being in the habit. I've been reading Michelle Paver's Chronicles of Ancient Darkness series since 2005, and they've had their ups and downs. I didn't even bother reviewing the last entry, and the name escapes me at the moment, but Oath Breaker, while being a fairly brisk and to-the-point book still kinda drags since not a lot really happens in it.

The story is based on already long-established threads from the previous novels and brings nothing new to the series other than closing said threads. Torak once again runs off into the forest on his own, Renn is torn between Torak and tradition once more. Wolf is still confused by human customs. All other tribesman are primitive and gullible.

With no defining scenes and no new characters Oath Breaker feels very run-of-the-mill and by-the-numbers. The closing of the Thiazzi plot is all it really has going for it.

This has been an excellent series thus far. Following the life of Torak and Renn as they face many challenges has been an adventure. In Oathbreaker, Torak loses his kinsmen and becomes consumed with avenging his death.The book shows us how vengeance can cost a high price. Torak nearly loses more than Bale, but through the progression of time he comes to realize this. Yes, he does make one careless mistake after the other, but realistically this is how a person behaves when they are bent of vengeance. They cannot see past their own hurts and hatred. Torak had to come to this realization.
This was yet another engaging read in the series and I look forward to the concluding novel.

The Chronicles of Ancient Darkeness books are simply brilliant. Each succeeding book is better than the previous ones. This is the best in the series so far. Michelle Paver has created a world of magic. The characters are lovingly presented. And the entire audio series has been read by Ian McKellen who is one of the most talented actors on the planet. His readings of these books is proof. I can't wait for the next installment.

I can't get enough of these books (and I'm all grown up)! If any of us had to put ourselves in Toraks shoes - who is to say how we would respond - I could actually relate to the soul sickness - a place alot of people go who have been hurt in their life, rejected, traumatized - I wish Ms. Paver would continue further into his life as he ages and matures and can pass his wisdom on to another - I really want a happy ending with Renn. Maybe we all have these gifts of some sort but are so entrenched in our own century we're not listening to the earth around us. :)

I am angry. I am really angry.
I loved Wolf Brother, the first book of this series. I loved Spirit Walker, too. I liked Soul Eater and Outcast.
But I start to hate Oath Breaker.
Why?
Because it is stupid. It is stupid because Michelle Paver lets Torak do one stupid thing after the other just to get the plot to where she wants it to get.
Again and again I want to shout to Torak: You stupid idiot!
In Wolf Brother and Spirit Walker he was a likeable boy. In Soul Eater and Outcast he did some stupid things as every Teenager would.
But in Oath Breaker ALL he does is stupid (save one thing: saving the foal in the lake).
He does not learn. Again and again he makes mistakes and does not learn a thing.
I cannot feel with him as I did in the other books. He is just too plain st... you know.
I can accept that there is a lot of hate within him. That he wants revenge, not only (attention, spoilers!) for Bale but for his parents, too. But I cannot accept an idiot as the protagonist of this book.
It is sad that the fifth novel of this series destroyed my feelings for Torak. It is sad that on page 170 I am almost trashing this book.
I am not sure if I will read on. Just now I am too angry to do so.

You may think my review is much too emotional. But what are books good for if you cannot live your emotions in their stories?
Maybe I should follow Thiazzis wake and burn this book ...