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Malice (The Faithful and the Fallen, #1)

John Gwynne

Start date: September 16, 2023

Finish date: September 30, 2023

Discussion: Archive [Retired Buddy Reads]

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Archive [Retired Buddy Reads]

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What Members Thought

Mar 22, 2021 Carrie rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: fantasy, own, epic-fantasy, auto-buy-author, family, friendship

This book, this book.

I don't even know what to say.
You have to read it.
I'm at a loss for words.
I loved it.

👇 My reactions to this book, this was me
description

It has heart and humor.
Friendships and family.
Loyalty and betrayal.

Battle scenes that will keep you on the edge of your seat.
Twists and twists

Just read it.

You will cheer, you will scream, you will cry.

Read the book.

...more

32 likes · Like · see review

Apr 06, 2019 Kirsten rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Wow! This is a knockout first fantasy novel! I as so impressed.

The story is multilayered with excellent worldbuilding and great characters. Giants and sorcery, bullies and heroes, betrayal and loyalty -- it has it all!!

So thankful the good people at Fantasy Buddy Reads suggested it!!

9 likes · Like · see review

Jan 30, 2018 Lesa Divine rated it liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: 2018, read-it, i-own, 2021

1st read 2/2018 4 ⭐
I enjoyed this book. Hated at first there were little kids. But at times it came interesting and at times I didn't care for the coming of age tale.

Kings rulers wanting power and more. Lots of betrayal, friends that's enemies, battles, Giants, banished lands the forgotten trying to have power over their kingdom and at times wanting other kingdom. Who can you trust in this times?
I found myself liking characters tales the ones that barely had chapters but all characters has ther ...more

5 likes · Like · see review

May 28, 2017 Yashima rated it liked it

Shelves: fantasy, young-adult, weight-medium, 2017-read-in

So despite all the great reviews - I think there is a single person in my friendlist who read it and rated it lower than 4 stars - I didn't enjoy this as much as I had hoped. I read this expecting/hoping for something fast-paced and easy here in between heavier reads. That didn't work out somehow.

So what kind of book is this? It is the start of an epic fantasy second-world series. The story takes place in the Banished Lands - a scattered bunch of loosely allied human kingdoms nestled along some So despite all the great reviews - I think there is a single person in my friendlist who read it and rated it lower than 4 stars - I didn't enjoy this as much as I had hoped. I read this expecting/hoping for something fast-paced and easy here in between heavier reads. That didn't work out somehow.

So what kind of book is this? It is the start of an epic fantasy second-world series. The story takes place in the Banished Lands - a scattered bunch of loosely allied human kingdoms nestled along some coast (was there a map?), beset by giants, and pirates. Magic is currently rare in this world. The reader sees the world through the eyes of several boys/young men who hail from different kingdoms. There is peace among the humans and all is well - besides a bunch of smaller and bigger intrigues going on, people being people. But then the "high king" calls for a council ... and reveals a prophecy (view spoiler). Although it is not apparently classified as such, this first book in the series does read like a young-adult novel which may be due to the age of all the protagonists who appear to be around 18 on average.

So why didn't I enjoy it? Mostly that has to do with pacing I would say. Especially the first half of the book meandered, back-tracked and made me generally impatient to get on with the plot. The "we're in the shire and our problems are those of summer children" part seemed to go on forever.

Next I had a hard time empathizing with the characters (I've become used to a more even spread of male/female viewpoints). They all begin with some very obvious weakness (arrogance, cowardice, paranoia) which they soon and easily overcome. It took a long time for me to start liking at least one of the characters. But at least Corban does seem to become more and more interesting. (view spoiler)

The way foreshadowing was used in the Veradis/Nathair storyline ... for the longest time I kept thinking - despite there having been a few hints towards the opposite - that (view spoiler) Why? Because the reveal never came even after I had long figured out what was going on. A good reveal comes a few pages after the reader figured it out for themselves. But this book left me waiting until about the 3/4 mark ... and I began to doubt myself and stared hard at the shadows between the lines hoping some third option would present itself the others being 1) ((view spoiler) which would have been beyond lame ... or 2) the author believing the reader still ignorant and not realizing he had dropped enough hints which in turn wouldn't speak well to his grasp of the story. So I spent a very long time mostly afraid the book would be lame. I kept hoping for a surprise an unforeseen twist that would reveal something completely different was going on.

A little more misdirection here and there and a few more subversions of common tropes, and a little humor every once in a while ... would have gone a long way to convince me of reading the next book, because the writing isn't bad, to me it was just boring. ...more

2 likes · Like · see review

May 17, 2016 C.S. Daley rated it really liked it

Shelves: fantasy

Let me be clear. While this is a Grimdark book it is fairly traditional. it doesn't really bring anything new to the table. I still enjoyed it. I was in the mood for fantasy and I really liked Corban. Sometimes the good old stuff is just what the doctor ordered. ...more

2 likes · Like · see review

Jul 13, 2020 jess rated it liked it · review of another edition

I think I read too many glowing reviews of this. Not that special to me. Though the story got better as it came together in the end.

2 likes · Like · see review

Aug 16, 2019 Aquamarine rated it it was ok · review of another edition

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. The story would have been amazing, if the women characters were not treated so poorly. Literally, Gwenith and Alona were there to be plot devices, Cywen only got maybe four chapters and was presumably dead by the end. Edana could have been a lot more than the exposition fairy that she was. Even Brina, the sorceress, was not given enough room to show us her badass magic..... Nooo, instead we get eons of Veradis' whining about honor while he plunges head first into Nathair's crap. We also have Cor ...more

1 like · Like · see review