I missed a sense of urgency
★★★☆☆ 1/2 – CALSPIE 6.93
Title: Green Rider (Green Rider #1)
Author: Kristen Britain
Genre: Fiction / Fantasy / Young Adult
First published: 1998
Edition: Paperback, published by Gollancz in 2011
As Karigan G’ladheon trudged through the forest, using her long walk home to contemplate her depressing future – and the expulsion it was bound to hold – a horse burst through the woodland and charged straight for her. The rider was slumped over his mount’s neck with two arrows embedded in his back. Wherever his horse was taking him, he would be dead before they got there. There’s nothing Karigan can do, as the young man lies dying on the road. He had sworn to carry out his mission as a Green Rider – one of the legendary messengers of the king – and he has a life or death message that must reach King Zachary. Karigan may be unable to save him, but she can deliver his message. He makes her swear to it, to keep it secret and, with his last breath, he warns her to ‘beware the shadow man …’
***
This story had so much going for it and somehow it kind of missed the mark for me. That is not to say I did not enjoy the read – it was fine – but little things kept bugging me and taking me out of the story.
Soon after starting this novel, I found echoes to Tolkien. Not necessarily in the plot itself, though there were elements, but mainly in the voice of the author. The ‘let it shine light in the darkness when all hope is lost’ kind of vibes, or whatever the exact line is that Galadriel speaks. However, unlike in Tolkien, I never feel that these kind of words really pay off.
Karigan is given a quest, or it is bestowed upon her – she had little choice, as heroes seldomly do – and yet there is so little sense of urgency to her. Also, if I was her I would have been so curious about what was going on, but she just kind of wasn’t and I had trouble understanding that. That is not to say the characters were bad, because they weren’t as a whole and I liked Karigan as a main character. There were just some things that did not make sense to me.
Some plot points were not really resolved, but I presume they may be dealt with in later books in the series, which I will not be reading.
I enjoyed this book for what it was, but I am happy to leave it here. I am unhauling this one, even if I love the cover!
3.5 out of 5 stars
***
CALSPIE: 6.93
- Characters: 7.5
- Ambience: 7.5
- Language: 7
- Story: 6
- Pacing: 6.5
- Interest: 7
- Enjoyment: 7
Lola Et La Vie 