Cav's Place

Just great! The only problem is that there are some moments when characters just happen to pop in the right place, at the right time… But I suppose that can’t be avoided; there are so many stories interwoven here that explaining those events as well would make the plot have to slow to a crawl. And I’d have liked the overheard dialogues in invented languages to be translated too. Still say this is the best fantasy I read since The Lord of the Rings, by far!
And the way I see it is quite the opposite of what another reviewer said…
The Briar King is neither good nor bad; he’s Nature embodied so he simply is. At the moment, he is a bit busy taking revenge against those who have destroyed his kingdom, which happen to be humans. They, in turn, fear and try to destroy him. A real story; look around you.
As for the Church being the bad guys and looking to control the world, that’s very much expected. And leads to other very real things the author may be aiming at.
I think Muriele’s reaction was very much in character, the curse and everything after it…
Couldn’t stand Cazio in the first book; now he’s at least useful and just slightly less annoying. Also, keep in mind Neil started fighting in battles at 11, so Cazio being a “soldier-mercenary” at 17 is not out of the ordinary; just think of what was going on in the real world in the Middle Ages.
Anne certainly didn’t get it in her head to become the next Genya Dare overnight; she’s been brooding over the notion since the first book…
There is certainly a plot and a meaning here, both for the story and a deeper one… But keep in mind these are not separate books; they’re a single story.
Really wish I could get my hands on the next ones in this series…

Rating: 9/10