The Shattered Vigil {A Guest Book Review}
The Shattered Vigil
Patrick W Carr
For those of you who have been around Reading List, you might remember a book I shared with you last January - The Shock of Night by Patrick Carr. I was excited because the writing was reminiscent of JRR Tolkien. It had been a while since I had picked up a well written, Epic/High Fantasy book, and the whole thing thrilled me.Well, the second book in the series was recently released, and I was honored to receive a copy of it. Now, while, I know most of you stop over to get my perspective on books, I thought, just this once, it might be fun to get my husband's point of view on a book. You see, these books are perfect for the men in your lives, because they are full of adventure and mystery that appeals to all, which is part of why the series reminds me of Tolkien. So, just this once, will you allow my husband to share his thoughts on this book? Let me know what you thought of the different perspective!
Story Overview
The kingdoms established by Patrick Carr in the first book of Darkwater Series have been shaken by the events of the last book. Allegiances are strained between the kings, queens, and the religious authorities. Evil lurks in the shadows looking to corrupt them all. Caught between these three vying parties is the Vigil and it's newest member, Willet Dura.
Personal Likes
One of the things that drives me to fall into the world an author creates is a sense of realism. The world has a sense of reality because the characters, specifically those in the Vigil, and those in the nobility of the kingdoms make decisions based on motives that are logical based on their understanding of the situations going on around them.
The older members of the Vigil do not yet trust the newest member, Willet Dura, and for a good reason. He has a dark past that they cannot understand. They fear his dark past will allow the rampant evil that they have kept at bay until recently will provide their enemy a tool to use against them within the Vigil itself.
I also greatly enjoyed the politics of move and counter-move employed by their nobles, regents, and church officials as they seek to protect or expand their personal power. The thinking behind actions is explained clearly so that readers without the understanding of the power struggle that goes on among such lofty members of society will understand why the characters undertake the actions they do and behave in the way they do publicly, and take on a different approach privately.
Personal Dislikes
There was very little to not like in this book. The author did a good job of reestablishing the world so a reader that skipped the first book of the series could pick it up and find it enjoyable. I personally was not a fan of the author's habit of switching back and forth from first person perspective, usually from the perspective of Willet Dura, to third person narration. I only noticed this after passing the halfway point in the book so it did not detract from the book in a significant way.
Reading List Rating
I enjoyed this book, so I'm going with four stars (hearts). It was not perfect, but it played with one of my favorite perspectives which is those of actions driven by logical, thought-out motivations for each character. Who someone is, what they know, and what they want or need to accomplish can drastically alter why they make the decision they make and the author did a great job of not just writing a compelling story with the right of mixture of action, introspection, mythology, and suspense.
My Suggested Audience
I think teenagers and adults alike will enjoy this book. Teenagers will enjoy this book from the perspective of the younger acolytes, or apprentices, as they don't always have all of the information within the story. Adults will enjoy the more nuanced elements of this book, namely the psychological aspects of motivation, power, and duty. I am an avid fan of the Game of Thrones series (book and show) and people who enjoy the series because of the politics of power and rich mythology will enjoy The Shattered Vigil.
(If this series sounds even vaguely interesting, you might want to check out By Divine Right, a novella, that is free! The novella introduces you to Willet and this amazing new world.)
(If this series sounds even vaguely interesting, you might want to check out By Divine Right, a novella, that is free! The novella introduces you to Willet and this amazing new world.)
Wondering Questions to Consider
The concepts of hierarchy tend to get lost in today's society, as we strive for more equality (which is good). How do you deal with the hierarchy of characters in Epic Fantasy books? When should leaders exert more power for the betterment of the people, and when should they step back?
"Join or die? Thank you. No." #TheShatteredVigil @Reading_List1
Are you a High/Epic Fantasy fan? Are you a Tolkien fan? Do you and your husband ever read the same book just to talk about it later?
I'd love to hear from you, please leave me a little note!
**If you are considering purchasing this book, please consider using the affiliate link here - it doesn't cost you anything extra, and it would simply make my day!! In fact, just click through and do your shopping, even if you decide not to get this particular book. TIA
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**** Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from the publisher, BethanyHouse
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