Customer Reviews

Lord of Snow and Shadows: Book One of The Tears of Artamon

5 star:		(9)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(6)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

The first book in the Tears of Artamon trilogy is definitely worth reading. Sarash Ash handles well the large cast, the numerous layers of politcal intruige, and weaves a deep and fascinating story without getting too bogged down in details. I've seen some authors try to write political intruige and have their book come off as dull and dry, and I'm happy to report that this is far from the case in Lord of Snow and Shadows.

Ash's style is tight, with no words wasted or left out. In addition to this trilogy, she's written a few other books which I'm going to have to track down, since her style and storytelling ability alone will be enough to keep me coming back to her novels, even if at some point the story itself happens to be less than thrilling.

I loved the fact that Ash took inspiration from Europe's history, cultures,and various aspects of mythology in her worldbuilding. The world is familiar and yet entirely new. The mix of magic and technology, the overlap, and various views held by different people in different cultures was also a treat to see, because the way she wrote even conflicting opinions was as if both sides were right. Some authors will try to pull this off by having magic be primitive and technology be vital, or by technology being overbearing and magic being the best way. While each character has their own opinion on sciences and magics in Lord of Snow and Shadows, the narrative voice offers no bias one way or the other, and we see the opinions purely through the eyes of the characters.

My only comnplaints in regards to this novel are trivial and subjective, such as the fact that I found it hard to think of Kiukiu as an adult, or at least very close to one. The childish nickname of "Kiukiu", plus the fact people treated her as though she were a juvenile in the early stages of the book, constantly left me with the impression that she was prepubescent, which made some later scenes in the book just seem odd. I occasionally had to take a step back from the story to remind myself that no, she's not a little child no matter what my preconceptions were.

But again, that's a subjective complaint. Other people may not have the same reaction.

I did, however, adore the relationship between Eugene and Jaromir, or rather the lack of a relationship that made me want to yell at the two of them to just get a room already! The relationship between then was technically that of mentor and ward, but they both acted as though it had long ago toppled over into something much more intimate. Eugene calling him "my Jaro" and embracing him, the way Jaromir was constantly on Eugene's thoughts, and the way it seemed to him that all colour left the world when he believed Jaromir to be dead seemed a lot like Eugene felt something beyond a mentor's affection and an interest in seeing Jaromir rule Azhkendir.

Really, I cheered for Eugene and Jaromir to get together more than I cheered for Gavril and Astasia, or Gavril and Kiukiu.

I can't imagine myself disliking the rest of the series after such a promising start and an intruiging cliffhanger at the end, and as I said earlier, I'll probably read more of Ash's novels for the style alone even if the story isn't too great. I'm loving what I've seen of this series so far, and can't wait to start the second book.

I LOVED this book, and the entire series. I thought the detail and description was intense and the storyline thoughtful and expansive. Although the overall mood of the story seemed a little bit dark and depressed, the romance, and the transformations in the book made the mood seem less so....
I would recomend this to readers who enjoy not-so fantasy, or not way over the top fantasy. If you read the first book and like it I highly suggest that you read the next two in the trilogy!!!!!

I was looking for something new in a good fantasy book, and stumbled across this title from an author I had never heard of. The reviews were good, and the description sounded unique, so i dove in.

I was pleasantly surprised, to say the least. The writing is well-paced. The characters are deep, beleivable, and all too human in their capacity for error in spite of great power. There seems to be a tremendous potential in the way of backstory and world detail so that Sarah Ash should be able to continue this series and expand upon it to keep fans like me happy.

I look forward to the sequels.

Ok before you judge this review as lame as the title let me point out reviewing fantasy is not my forte. Although soon enough with some recent reviews I will have to skip the disclaimer I usually head them with about me not being a fantasy reader.
I am selective, and it was the blurb on the back of this novel that sold me the book.
Gavril Andral artist and sensitive young man living in sunny Smarma and painting a lovely princess. Her family of course looks on him with disdain and the opening gambit in this debut offering from Ash seems predictable. Except unbeknownst to Gavril right away he has royal blood in his veins as well as a dark legacy from his father Lord Drakhoun of Ankerhisk(sp)?. His father was murdered and his retainers kidnap Gavril as the heir to inherit his father's dark gifts and blood feuds with rival klans.
This novel borrows much from Russian lore including some sounds of names and places and folklore/wisdom. It also borrows from such tones as the darkest fantasy, and if Ash continues in this vein I can see comparisions to Barker(though not as dark) but I was also reminded a little of King's Dark Tower.
The action in the tale is a skilful mix of suspense, classic fantasy, mythology and horror. The plot moves quickly, and not even the preview of the second title in the trilogy saturated my appetite for more concerning the characters populating this magical land. Ash's best qaulity is a succinctness in providing enough detail without detracting from the story's excitement and thereby able to cut off her story in a trilogy as opposed to a tetralogy or longer series. I will probably end up reading them all more than once which for a non fantasy reader should be the seller;).

Why You Should Read This

Sarah Ash has a small but devoted fan base. They will read this book with relish and clamor for more. Those with more than a passing interest in eastern European mythology-and most especially vampires-will have a great affection for this book. One other handy thing about this novel is that it is age appropriate for even the very precocious pre-teens for as we have seen, R-ratings have become something only too prevalent in speculative fiction.

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I bought this book because I was in the bookstore looking for a new novel to read and noticed the beautiful artwork on the cover and became intrigued. I brought it home and read it in four days. I couldn't put it down! I was totally consumed by the compelling storyline. I didn't feel that going into a lot of detail about the characters detracted from the story. It is the plot and storyline that really keeps you absorbed in reading this novel. You feel so much emotion for the main character, Gavril. This book invokes all your emotions from fear, terror, revenge, and pity, to love, compassion and joy. The story doesn't overdo the fantasy, sorcery or magic stuff, but rather focuses on the lives of the people in the story. It is not so complicated that you get bored trying to keep up with all the facts and characters. Sarah Ash brings you into this world and you can totally visualize everything. The only drawback was that sometimes I found myself frustrated with the characters being naive and gullible and not saying more or wanting more information, but that all contributes to the mystery of the story. All in all, I loved this book and wish that the next one was out already so that I could continue reading. I think that if you like fantasy that doesn't get too complicated and mired in sorcery and magic, but concentrates on characters and storyline, you will like this book. Can't wait for the next one!

I dont know how anybody could write a better book then this-it had it all--wonderful characters-action-suspense-mystery and a complex storyline that has a brooding war with lots of political intrique with double agents and spies and etc...simplely put it is the best!!I cannot wait for the sequel---OUTSTANDING BOOK!!!

Gavril Andar is a talented painter who learns that he is really the heir to a kingdom in a mysterious northern realm known as Azkendir. Gavril's father is cruelly murdered and his men-at-arms come to fetch Gavril to take his rightful place as ruler. Kidnapped and made prisoner in the snowy, dreary Kastel, Gavril slowly learns the full truth of his inheritance. Meanwhile Gavril is a target. Eugene of Tielen wants to crown himself emperor and invading and subduing all of the lands of Rossiya (of which Azkhendir is one) is priority. And Eugene believes that the time is ripe to destroy Akzhendir while the untested and weak Gavril is too new to his rule to be a real threat. Treachery, evil spirits, magic, deceit, betrayal and revolution all meld together as Gavril is forced to embrace his fate.

When I read the reviews of this book, I was excited because the praise seemed to point to a plot and characters that were different from standard issue fantasy fare and full of fresh ideas and surprises. This is certainly true....sort of.

The book is largely set in a time and place that is reminiscent of Tsarist Russia (right down to having a character named Astasia and hungry commoners threatening revolt). The main character turns into a creature that is a weird amalgm of vampire and dragon and he is referred to as Drakhoul or Draghoan. There is magic and alchemy, but they are presented side by side with such "modern" technology as guns, cannon and a device that sounds kinda like an ornately ornamental walkie-talkie. Overall the book has a very old world eastern European vibe as opposed to the decidedly medieval era western European vibe you get with a lot of the fantasy being written. So in this instance the feel of the book is very different.

What isn't so outstanding or spectacular is the execution of the story. Somewhere inside this book is a better book dying to get out. The characters were intriguing but flat. They had no real flesh, to me. I felt that the character development really suffered because the plot took so much precedence. There are a lot of characters and a lot of things happened to those characters very quickly. One character finds out about her parentage after having lived all of her life in ignorance and then a few chapters later, by chance, meets her long lost grandmother and then a few chapters later, masters a difficult inherited family trait. I guess there is a reason why so many fantasy writers write volumes that are 600 or more pages long.

I obviously can't give the book unqualified praise. But I didn't hate it either. I am looking forward to the follow up books if for no other reason than to see if the characters develop better and to see what happens next.

I saw this book in a local bookstore and was attracted to the beautiful cover art. This book was a pleasant surprise, far exceeding my expectations. It was very fast-paced, but the characters were not one-dimensional, I was sucked into the story and stayed up late to finish it. I felt real sympathy for the hero's plight, and also for the servant girl who was not a servant girl. Kind of nice to see such a strong female character in one of these male-dominated, sword and sorcery novels! This was a very well-thought out plot, somewhat with the feel of George R.R. Martin's " A Song of Ice and Fire" series, without the ponderous, complicated buildup of plots and subplots (don't get me wrong, I love that series also, gave it five stars). This is no Lord of the Rings, but its a heck of an entertaining read, that will keep you up late at night trying to finish it! I look forward to reading the rest of the series.

This book was a very pleasant surprise. It was a very quick read with lots of suspense and action. The characters, nations, and lands all are exciting and diverse. The use of technology such as gunpowder does not ruin the story at all, but enhances it. I reccomend this to anyone who's loves great fantasy.