Book Reviews

Book Review: Paths of Alir

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This entry is part 65 of 80 in the series Reviews
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Reviews

Book Review

Alorin is caught in the grip of madness as an evil from the very edges of reality has set its sights on the destruction of both it and T’khendar. But there is hope in the form of the Fifth Vestal, Björn Van Gelderan, the man blamed for the death of thousands more than a hundred years earlier. Even then, when his deeds seemed darkest, Bjorn was making moves in a great game that would see reality saved or destroyed completely. With his return he has set his players into motion, but will they survive the darkness that confronts them as they follow their individual paths?

THE GOOD

Like the previous two books in the series, Paths of Alir is masterfully written and is a page turner that is impossible put down. Melissa McPhail brings the characters to life in such a way that you either love them or hate them. There is rarely any indifference.

This connection with the characters made the book a little difficult at points since there was a lot of hardship suffered by most of the likeable ones, but I am a fan of taking the story down a dark path and the author does that with gusto. While some of the action is surely cringe worthy, the resulting atmosphere is well worth it.

THE BAD

If you pick up this book without reading the previous two in the series you will be hopelessly lost and will most likely have a bad experience reading it. There is a lot that has come before this book and the author wastes little time going over ground already covered.

The sexual content in this book is a bit more frequent and more graphic. There are some extreme examples of sexual torture that are not for the timid. Some might see it as unnecessary, but it adds a level of darkness to the story that was previously missing.

THE TAKEAWAY

This is an excellent addition to an already excellent series. I would definitely recommend picking up the first two books in the series before buying Paths of Alir in order to prevent confusion and frustration. This is epic high fantasy at its best and should be on your reading list if you are even remotely a fan of the genre.

 

About the Author – Prizes!!!

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  1. Enter the Rafflecopter contest
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That’s it! One random commenter during this tour will win the first gift card. Visit more blogs for more chances to win–the full list of participating bloggers can be found HERE. The other two prizes will be given out via Rafflecopter.  Good luck!

About the author: Melissa McPhail is a classically trained pianist, violinist and composer, a Vinyasa yoga instructor, and an avid Fantasy reader. She lives in the Pacific Northwest with her husband, their twin daughters and two very large cats.
Connect with Melissa on her website, Facebook, Twitter,or GoodReads.

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