Resolutions

One of my resolutions this year is to finish reading my ever-expanding (if slowly sometimes) library of fiction novels. I started with 35 books to read this year. Now I'm down to 33. I've finished Plea of Apollisian from the Abyss Walker series by Shane Moore, followed by Brisingr by Christopher Paolini.

A little summary on my thoughts (or should I say critics?) of the books.

Plea of Apollisian was a good book, with good characters and an interesting story. It's simple and an easy read (although the battle scenes are, in my opinion, slow moving due to over-description.) The only thing I didn't like was how I felt little to no attachment to the characters that died. I kind of liked Victor, but I didn't know him enough to mourn him. I just winced when he died (he was killed rather painfully, if I do recall.) Overall, a good story and I look forward to reading the next volume (AFTER reading all these others books.)

Brisingr was very, very good. I'd like to start with saying I have a love/hate relationship with it. It's a fat book, no lie. It's seven hundred plus pages that, really, could probably be condensed and not lose its flare. However, that's me being nit-picky. Every scene - necessary or not - was written beautifully. Paolini has grown as a writer. There was no scene I disliked - order and if they could've been cut is debatable, but I didn't hate the book as I plowed through the description. The biggest disappointment, really, was probably the lack of feeling a climb toward a climatic point.

Let me reword that; not lack, just not noticeable. I didn't feel any tension until the last one hundred pages. I did cry for Oromis. It was very hard to hold it in since I was at work; but by the time I got to my car, I just sat there, stared with tears in my eyes. Paolini really wrote well. The build up might not have been as good as it could've been, but it still hit hard when everything played out. I loved it. So, in the end, I still recommend this book, tenfold.

Looking forward for the next installment.

I do, however, want to note one thing.

Since when did Eragon learn what a gazelle was or seen one? I mean, I understand how the "like a gazelle" simile works in conveyance, but it threw me off a bit since I haven't heard of any gazelles living in Alagaesia. 8D I'm being picky again, ignore me! Still love the book :D

-Yukimi