Bests & Worsts Reviews from Amazon

I couldn't believe some of the bad reviews this book got. They made me wonder, was I reading the same book as the other reviewers were? A lot of people seemed to miss the point completely, or misquoted facts, or didn't understand the storyline. Look, this isn't a perfect book, but it doesn't have most of the so-called flaws that some of the other reviewers pointed out. I think perhaps many of the flaws were with the readers, not with the book. This book isn't the best book I've ever read, not by any means. But it is pretty damned good, and I must confess, by the time I got to the second half of it I was so hooked that I couldn't put it down. It was like sugar laced with MSG, it was so addictive! I think the real problem people have with this book is that it doesn't spoonfeed you. All the details aren't presented to you on a platter right on page one. You actually have to do a bit of THINKING, and piece a few things together for yourself. The writer occasionally skimmed over a few details in the story, and took her time explaining a few other things, but I think maybe that was so the readers could fill in their own details or work things out for themselves. Personally, I quite liked that. I liked reading a story that made me think, and left a few things open to my own interpretation. I also didn't mind that most of the action was set in just one valley. Some people complain that there isn't enough world building, that the story doesn't go to enough places, geographically speaking. Au contraire, I actually liked the psychological drama of knowing that these people were trapped with their enemies and their problems in this small valley. The seige mentality just added to the drama for me (like in the classic 'Day of the Triffids', where the characters are stuck in a small farm surrounded by deadly triffids.) The characters couldn't run away from their problems, because there was nowhere else to run to, so they had to stand and face them. That was powerful stuff...when flight isn't an option, you have to fight, or perhaps work out an alternative to fighting. I also quite liked the characters of Aren and the Hob. They were realistic for me, and I believed in them. Some people say that the characters didn't FEEL enough, that they lacked emotion. But then, this is set in medieval-type times, where life was brutal. People then were rather more accustomed to violence and loss than us. They probably dealt with it more readily and expediently than we do. Although I don't think Aren was unfeeling, not at all. She nearly went mad with grief. She couldn't bear to go back to her parents' farm for a long time. She dreamed of vengeance, and had heartbreaking flashbacks to happier times. I think she then tried to cut herself off from those memories and move on as a means of self preservation. A lot of men who come back from war refuse to talk about, or try not to think about, the horrors they've been through. It's typical of how quite a number of people cope with loss or grief. But she was never unfeeling, not by a long shot. Some reviewers complain about how awful the villagers were. But while I agree that the villagers were initially mean, in the end, the villagers showed themselves capable of redemption and evolution. And I think that's a powerful and wonderful message. People under pressure, who fear for their lives, sometimes do bad things. But that doesn't mean that they can't go on to admit their mistakes and try to make things better, like these villagers did. Bravo to them! I ended up quite liking most of them, nearly as much as I liked this book. They, like it, really grew on me. Look, all I can say is, if you're an intelligent reader who likes something a bit different, especially in the fantasy genre, ignore the bad reviews and give this book a try. I quite enjoyed it, and I am personally rather angry that I almost didn't give this book a go because of some of the bad reviews I read here. I'm glad I took a risk and didn't miss out on the chance to read such a compelling, articulate book.