THE SHINING CITY by Fiona Patton

Book Three of The Warriors of Estavia Series

DAW/Penguin

April 5^th, 2011

978-0-7564-0661-5

Fantasy

Paperback

Reviewed by Dawn (love2read28@gmail.com)

Obtained by Publisher

 

In the City of the Gods, Anavantan, the gods walk among the people. Most pledge their fealty to just one of the gods. But several years have passed and now the grown children of a prophecy-seers Spar & Graize and warrior Brax, find themselves coming into their full power. But young god Hisar, the prophesied time of chaos and change is upon them…unless these three can figure out how to work together before it is too late. Enemies turn to friends, friends turn to enemies and an invasion force is on the Shining City’s horizon. Can these three find a way to do their part in the prophecy or will it lead to the destruction of The Shining City?

I have to admit, trying to follow this story was really hard for me as I didn’t read the first two books first. The story mentions events from the past two books that had me scratching my head, confused and having to put the book down more times than I can count. The world building is very well done and though there were parts that had me wondering if the author, who was just tossing in scenes that made no sense to the storyline, wanted to shock the reader in some way. The writing is lyrical at times and captured my attention at times where it flowed beautifully until I got thrown out of it by something in the story.

The characters were intriguing and the premise of the series was quite intriguing. The way the characters were introduced was interesting though there were a few I thought didn’t need to be in the story as it felt cluttered with too many people jockeying for a place in the spotlight. The author does an admirable job in creating something that interested me as a reader though I think I am going to read the first two books then read this one again to see if my view changes on THE SHINING CITY.

THE SHINING CITY is an interesting story that is better read in order just so you can make sense of it all. I really liked this author’s writing style and can’t wait to see what other books she has to offer a reader. If you are interested in trying a different type of fantasy story, then you might like THE SHINING CITY. Just remember to read it in order to get the full effect.

This is an objective review and not an endorsement