Eramane (Eramane Trilogy #1) by Frankie Ash
Rating: 3 Stars
Originally posted on November 25, 2013
| See my original review here |
So…maybe I just didn’t read the synopsis carefully enough before I read it, but this book was NOTHING like I expected. I was expecting your average Fantasy romp with a heroine who has or discovers magic or awesome fighting skills and falls in love with tall, dark and handsome. What I got was something quite different.
Eramane starts out rather terrifying and gets darker as it goes along. This book is different from your average fantasy as it lives in the realm of the antagonist. It lives in darkness. When we turned that corner in the book, this was me:
I was surprised at the actions Eramane took. This is not your normal heroine, sacrificing herself for the good of others. This is a human being (sort of) who has real selfish desires and self preservation instincts. Now, I wanted her to fight back more, to search harder for answers. She seemed a little complacent in the middle.
I liked the split POV between Eramane and Samiah, her brother. Samiah’s story reads much more like a high fantasy novel, with a quest taken on horse back, searching for Eramane and taking out enemies along the way. It was nice to have that other piece spread throughout the darkness of Eramane’s story.
Part of the reason this book gets 3 stars is because I’m not a huge fan of first person present narration. I don’t have a problem with first person (I’ve written some things in first person), but I do NOT like present tense for fiction. That’s totally a subjective thing, a preference that doesn’t diminish the quality of the book, only my personal enjoyment.
With an interesting and very different kind of heroine and lots of action, Eramane is a fast-paced and exciting read that will keep the reader engaged for it’s very short length. If written in the same way, sequels will be very successful for fans of the first book. Recommended for fans of fantasy, especially if you’re looking for something outside of the norm!
