≫ PDF Free Winter Be My Shield Book One Children Of The Black Sun Spurrier Jo 9780732292522 Books

Winter Be My Shield Book One Children Of The Black Sun Spurrier Jo 9780732292522 Books

Download As PDF : Winter Be My Shield Book One Children Of The Black Sun Spurrier Jo 9780732292522 Books

Winter Be My Shield Book One Children Of The Black Sun Spurrier Jo 9780732292522 Books

Reading this first book was quite the experience. I honestly wasn't going to read it but something about the cover art beckoned me. The other reviewers were not joking when they described this book as DARK. But it is not just a single layer of darkness; it is a multi-dimensional web of human suffering, torture and depravity mingled with themes perseverance, hope and conflicting desires against the background of war and political turmoil. As gritty as it was, I could feel the author sparing us, almost mercifully, from being too descriptive so that we would not be desensitized to the violence and the horrors of that world.

STRONG, DRIVEN CHARACTERS
The first thing that captivated me were the characters. Everyone was simply trying to persevere in a harsh, unforgiving world where mages were killed and persecuted while normal human prejudice, stupidity and bigotry ruled the land. The plot was gritty and unforgiving in letting the reader into a world of political rivalry, torture, rape (of men and women), depravity, greed and maliciousness. Mage battles and death are descriptive and cruel. You can almost hear the bones crack, smell the singed hair and flesh, taste the iron in the air as blood runs into the snow, feel the squishy intestines. Seriously, don't eat when reading this.

When all the main characters came together, something lit like a spark and everything fell into place. The readers know that together these travelers/allies/enemies/frien-emies would change the world.

STRONG HEROINE
The heroine is smart and clever, extremely volatile in her talents as a mostly self-taught mage, but she was not one dimensional. You come to understand her need for human contact. Her compassion for others, except her master, is almost palpable. He sullied her soul but she is not broken. What fascinated me the most was her connection to the Blood Mage apprentice, Rasten, and their catalytic effect on each other.

A FASCINATING ANTI-HERO
Rasten is perhaps my favorite and he is quite a typical evil henchman at first. But as you find out more about him, the psychology behind him, the reader begins to understand his layers. He is sadistic, addicted to the power and has no qualms in killing men. He has raped, killed, maimed and destroyed hope with precision and detachment at the orders of his master.

Yet amid his twisted personality he has a dry sense of humor and surprisingly, an unmistakeable even if thin, compassionate streak. Even if it's to further his ends, he is protective over the heroine. Even if you dislike Rasten, you can't dislike him completely, and you have a feeling before it's all over he will continue to redeem himself, maybe even commit self-sacrifice.

DECIDEDLY DULL SIDE-CHARACTERS
What I didn't like about the story was the annoying side characters. They were extremely one-dimensional and only served as plot devices. I didn't care about the people who traveled with Cam, people of the Wolf Clan, or the people at the Akharian encampment. If they fell into a hole and died I would feel nothing. I found myself skipping through most their irrelevant conversation and pages (and pages) of exposition to get back to Rasten, Isidro, Cam and Sierra.

LOTS AND LOTS OF SUFFERING
I don't know if I would keep reading book 2. I have a feeling the author will make the characters suffer more before the end. We haven't really been formally introduced to Kell, the Blood Mage, after all. They have suffered enough in my opinion. For empathic readers, like me, or sensitive readers, continuing with the story may take you to darker places you're not willing to enter. Since the real world is also filled with depravity and atrocity I read to take me away from it, not to drive myself into depression.

So definitely not for the faint of heart.


Tags : Winter Be My Shield: Book One, Children Of The Black Sun [Spurrier Jo] on Amazon.com. *FREE* shipping on qualifying offers.,Spurrier Jo,Winter Be My Shield: Book One, Children Of The Black Sun,HarperVoyager,0732292522

Winter Be My Shield Book One Children Of The Black Sun Spurrier Jo 9780732292522 Books Reviews

Solid storyline, characterscan be a bit uneven at times. Magic is kept to a minimum, which I like, so that not every problem is solved by magic. Took me a bit to figure out who the hero of the story is and then still wasn't sure. Vivid winter tale, descriptive and immersed feel. I purchased book 2 and enjoying the story.
Spurrier's characters, scene and plot are well done. No spoilers in this review; just "wow" can't wait to read the next book in the series. Well done!
I did not expect this book to be so in depth and thoroughly enjoyable you have a maxim pain characters that You either love them or hate them getting book 2 now
Interesting culture, world, and characters. Some outstanding questions about the basic biophysics of poor Isidro's arm that occasionally stuck in my mind and distracted from the story.
It's not too many books that suck me into a story I can't put down. This one did. Characters are so real, you want to know them. Story so action filled I couldn't stop reading.
I really enjoyed the characters and the storyline for this book. World building was fantastic. All of the lore and back story was intriguing and I loved that this was a fantasy book for adults but wasn't full of cheesy romance.
I don't usually give five star reviews. but after completing the whole series, I felt I must, for it was a totally satisfying experience. The characters were complex and compelling and the plot kept me guessing all the way through. Yes, there were times when I was tempted to skim, especially during some of the battle scenes that used a lot of complex magic spells to overcome the adversaries. But it was also because I was so invested in what was going to happen next that I couldn't wait to get there. Yes, some of the story-building, especially the complex political history had me wishing for something a bit more simple to wrap my mind around, but again, that was only because I wanted to quickly get back to the characters and their relationships and struggles. The point is The story itself was so compelling I didn't mind wading a bit through these slower parts, and in the end, I enjoyed this reading experience so much, that I couldn't put only four stars down. Five were needed to show my enthusiastic appreciation for a solid and totally captivating series. Can't wait to see what this author writes next.
Reading this first book was quite the experience. I honestly wasn't going to read it but something about the cover art beckoned me. The other reviewers were not joking when they described this book as DARK. But it is not just a single layer of darkness; it is a multi-dimensional web of human suffering, torture and depravity mingled with themes perseverance, hope and conflicting desires against the background of war and political turmoil. As gritty as it was, I could feel the author sparing us, almost mercifully, from being too descriptive so that we would not be desensitized to the violence and the horrors of that world.

STRONG, DRIVEN CHARACTERS
The first thing that captivated me were the characters. Everyone was simply trying to persevere in a harsh, unforgiving world where mages were killed and persecuted while normal human prejudice, stupidity and bigotry ruled the land. The plot was gritty and unforgiving in letting the reader into a world of political rivalry, torture, rape (of men and women), depravity, greed and maliciousness. Mage battles and death are descriptive and cruel. You can almost hear the bones crack, smell the singed hair and flesh, taste the iron in the air as blood runs into the snow, feel the squishy intestines. Seriously, don't eat when reading this.

When all the main characters came together, something lit like a spark and everything fell into place. The readers know that together these travelers/allies/enemies/frien-emies would change the world.

STRONG HEROINE
The heroine is smart and clever, extremely volatile in her talents as a mostly self-taught mage, but she was not one dimensional. You come to understand her need for human contact. Her compassion for others, except her master, is almost palpable. He sullied her soul but she is not broken. What fascinated me the most was her connection to the Blood Mage apprentice, Rasten, and their catalytic effect on each other.

A FASCINATING ANTI-HERO
Rasten is perhaps my favorite and he is quite a typical evil henchman at first. But as you find out more about him, the psychology behind him, the reader begins to understand his layers. He is sadistic, addicted to the power and has no qualms in killing men. He has raped, killed, maimed and destroyed hope with precision and detachment at the orders of his master.

Yet amid his twisted personality he has a dry sense of humor and surprisingly, an unmistakeable even if thin, compassionate streak. Even if it's to further his ends, he is protective over the heroine. Even if you dislike Rasten, you can't dislike him completely, and you have a feeling before it's all over he will continue to redeem himself, maybe even commit self-sacrifice.

DECIDEDLY DULL SIDE-CHARACTERS
What I didn't like about the story was the annoying side characters. They were extremely one-dimensional and only served as plot devices. I didn't care about the people who traveled with Cam, people of the Wolf Clan, or the people at the Akharian encampment. If they fell into a hole and died I would feel nothing. I found myself skipping through most their irrelevant conversation and pages (and pages) of exposition to get back to Rasten, Isidro, Cam and Sierra.

LOTS AND LOTS OF SUFFERING
I don't know if I would keep reading book 2. I have a feeling the author will make the characters suffer more before the end. We haven't really been formally introduced to Kell, the Blood Mage, after all. They have suffered enough in my opinion. For empathic readers, like me, or sensitive readers, continuing with the story may take you to darker places you're not willing to enter. Since the real world is also filled with depravity and atrocity I read to take me away from it, not to drive myself into depression.

So definitely not for the faint of heart.