| $@%&! level: Low “Bedroom” level: Low Violence level: Medium-High Back Cover: “Sparhawk, Pandion Knight, and Queen's Champion have returned to Elenia after ten years of exile, only to find young Queen Ehlanda trapped in a block of ensorcelled crystal. As Sparhawk sets out to find a cure for Ehlana, he discovers that only he can defeat the evil plots that threaten her rule....” |
I liked this book mostly for the sake of Sparhawk. He's an admirable character, and manages to pretty much carry the story all by himself. He's got a lot of supporting characters to play off of, and the banter between them all is nice and witty, and also generally insulting. I don't know that I would like that kind of friendship for myself, where it's perfectly okay to jokingly insult your best friends, but it does make for entertaining reading.
Okay, here's the thing, though. They're supposed to be trying to out-maneuver the bad guy, and they're worried about him spying on them, but apparently in this world, no one can possibly hear through the walls of your average everyday tent. Also, talking about confidential information while walking down a public street is perfectly safe. No chance anyone could be overhearing what you say, is there? It's a small thing, but it happens so very often that I spent a lot of time mentally shouting “What are you thinking, you idiots!” I guess I just didn't know the rules.
You may think it's odd, but the other thing that disappointed me was that Sparhawk doesn't get knocked down more often. I was totally expecting him to be the kind of hero who throws himself in front of danger to protect people, and those normally end up getting pretty beat up, but Sparhawk goes through the whole thing with barely a scratch. It's just not right! (Yes, I'm complaining that a character I like doesn't get hurt more. Deal with it.)