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61 of 66 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
not revolutionary, but rivetting nonetheless, 25 Jun 2004
By A Customer
"It is said, in Imardin, that the wind has a soul, and that it wails through the narrow city streets because it is grieved by what it finds there..." Canavan starts her novel with that sentence, and it just gets better. There have been loads of fantasy books written about young people growing up not knowing they are mages/magicians/witches and suddenly finding out. And who are a danger because they don't know how to control the magic... sound familiar? Well, this is another one. But don't let that put you off, because Trudi Canavan can write. She can write very well indeed. Her world is well developed, her characters well-rounded, and the story line is gripping. Likeable characters, except for a really unlikeable well-drawn villain. Put simply: it is a great read. I haven't given it five stars because I reserve that for books that offer me something new and mind-blowing as well as good writing, but don't let that put you off. This book is superb and well-worth the buy. I suspect this writer is going to go a long, long way as she explores the opportunities open to her as a writer of fantasy - this after all, is her first book.
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30 of 33 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
A great surprise purchase, 1 Dec 2003
By A Customer
I bought this book purely by chance whilst waiting for a flight home from Melbourne. Being an avid fantasy reader I have read a lot of debut novels and been disapointed that the plot and characters are often weak and trudge along. What a lovely surprise to find that Ms Canavan drops you straight into a world fully formed and ready to be explored. After only brief introductions the reader is hurled into a world of strong characters, intrigue, discovery and an edge-of-seat plot that keeps you reading and eager for more. To anybody looking for a good read with characters you will love and hate I recomend this book without reservation. I only wish that I had been brave enough to buy all three books of this trilogy at the same time as they are not yet available here in UK and now I will have to wait to find out how things develop.
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16 of 18 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
Lovely read for the younger generation, fun for adults, 11 Sep 2006
Make no mistake - this book is aimed at the "young adult" segment of the market. Trudi Canavan is not trying to write a complex, multilayered and multifaceted character study set against a backdrop of a magical world, she's trying to write an adventure book.
And at this she succeeds. One of the book's few faults is that it perhaps tries to be a little too cute at times, but that can be forgiven and is sure to please a younger (or young-at-heat) reader. Sonea, the heroine, is a very likeable young rogue from the slums, and interestingly spends most of the book fighting her own prejudices as opposed to some Evil, which makes for a change of pace from more formulaic fantasy stories. Unfortunately, the narrator gives the reader both sides of the story - what the magicians are really like, and what Sonea *thinks* they are like - which on occasion makes Sonea's frantic attempts to stay away from them seem simply pig-headed rather than driven by genuine misconception on her part.
Ms Canavan should also be praised for her gentle introduction of the villain of the book, who is revealed only gradually and doesn't show his colours unequivocally until near the end. Although his demise is somewhat sudden and a bit of a deus ex machina moment, which feels disappointing.
What is perhaps lacking in the book is a more thorough look at the character's motivations - for many of the wizard characters, their reasons for helping or hindering Sonea are far from clear, they just Do What They Do. But then, as said, this book was never meant to be a character study; most of the supporting characters exist to make the story move along more than anything else.
The story is sufficiently unformulaic to be interesting, and for younger readers it provides a much clearer link to the 'real' world than many fantasy books do (the basic motivation behind the character's actions are simple emotions that readers can identify with, rather than grand schemes to Rule the World or obtain some Magical Item). Adults may smirk at the occasionally simple narrative, but I nonetheless found it a very enjoyable read, light and entertaining, and couldn't wait to pick up the next in the series ("The Novice") to find out what happens next to Sonea.
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