Freya Robertson

Read the full review: http://www.jetpackdragons.com/2014/03/book-review-sunstone-by-freya-robertson/

I have recently read Sunstone, by Freya Robertson, and I ended up with positive but slightly bitter-sweet feeling. Sunstone tells the story of several interrelated characters who seek to save the Arbor, the land’s holy tree.

This novel started with a great premise: a mix of viewpoint characters with different personalities, an epic quest to complete, and some fantasy touches. This is the second part of a series, so it is probably easier to understand and follow once you have read the previous book. I had not read it, though, and it was not difficult to catch up on the story. As I turned the pages, I found myself enjoying the novel more than I expected.

Overall, Sunstone was an interesting read. Yes, it does fall in clichés like other books in this genre, but it develops other unique concepts, and I liked how magic is applied to nature and dreams. My only frustration resides in the small details that made the novel less entertaining to read.… (plus d'informations)

I would like to thank both NetGalley and Angry Robot for granting me the chance to read this eARC in exchange for an honest review. Though I received the e-book for free that in no way influences this review.

A dying tree, a desperate quest, a love story, a last stand.

Chonrad, Lord of Barle, comes to the fortified temple of Heartwood for the Congressus peace talks, which Heartwood’s holy knights have called in an attempt to stave off war in Anguis. But the Arbor, Heartwood’s holy tree, is failing, and because the land and its people are one, it is imperative the nations try to make peace.

After the Veriditas, or annual Greening Ceremony, the Congressus takes place. The talks do not go well and tempers are rising when an army of warriors emerges from the river. After a fierce battle, the Heartwood knights discover that the water warriors have stolen the Arbor’s heart. For the first time in history, its leaves begin to fall...

The knights divide into seven groups and begin an epic quest to retrieve the Arbor, and save the land.

I was excited to read this book as the description and cover both appealed to me. Unfortunately, as much as I enjoyed the characters, I felt overwhelmed by having to follow too many main characters and their stories. I could see what Ms. Robertson was aiming for with seven smaller quests making a whole quest, however I found them to be more of a distraction than a benefit. Their individual stories also created a series of rather abrupt scene transitions from my point of view. This book felt as if it could easily gave been split into a couple of shorter books that were still part of the overall arc for this story.

It wasn't until the final hundred or so pages that I began to feel invested in this book, which in a five-hundred + page book is not a good thing. Having said I would read this as an eARC I felt obligated to complete it, and suspect that only added to my frustration and feelings of building resentment toward the multiple core characters, making me more critical than I might otherwise have been.

With that said, I still think that there are some solid characters in here, and would have liked to see things develop more fully for them. Due to the arc of the main story as well as all the varied components I feel as if the characters got short-changed, being rushed through relationships and emotional discoveries that should have taken more than two or three days from start to finish. Unfortunately, while I do feel that this series could mature into something solidly worth reading, I just never became invested enough to be willing to take that next step and stick with the series as it, hopefully, grows up.… (plus d'informations)