This is the first book I am reading in the series and the first by this author. This is the fifth book in the Valdaar’s Fist saga, the first in the second series under that story arc.
I received this book for free in exchange for an honest review.
“Live & Learn :- Defense of the Land Book One, Book Five in the Valdaar’s Fist saga”
I hadn’t read any books by Vance Pumphrey prior to this one and I went in with no presumptions, just the excitement I usually have when I am presented with a new book in a genre I particularly enjoy reading due to its ability to literally transport you to a different universe created by the Author.
There will be no spoilers in this review instead I will be talking on why you should read this book.
Throughout this reading journey I never got the feeling that I was reading the fifth book in a series because of how well the Author placed this one as the beginning of a new arc in the series, so it’s safe to start reading the series from this book without feeling like you were lost. I do however after reading this book want to read the previous ones in the series because of how well this book is written a true testament to the Authors abilities.
Also, I thoroughly appreciated the fact that I wasn’t plagued by grammatical or tense errors as some books tend to not spend enough time in the editing stage this book does not suffer that fate. And where others fail in building the world the characters dwell in, this Author successfully did so and I truly felt like I walked this quest with them and even visualized the clothing, dwellings, paths and keeps due to the Authors exceptional story telling.
Furthermore, when I finished reading this book I was sad to put down as the book ended in such a way that made me wish I had the next book in the series ready for me to dive into. I had come to expect Sharna’s sarcasm, Jaramiles strength, Dolt’s endless anecdotes and moronic behavior, Ogmurth knocking him out, Meso’s quiet wisdom and Goldie’s stealth. These character made this book an amazing adventure and I had quite gotten used to them.
However, my only issue/ criticism is that there were parts of this book that dragged a little bit and I understand from other reviews that it is more appreciated by those who are familiar with RPG games but to the rest of us it comes across as endless dialogue or break from the story. There were times I wanted them to move on to the next thing but alas it wasn’t meant to be.
All in all I really enjoyed the story and recommend it to anyone who enjoys fantasy books.
Third Culture Wife. 