The Liar's Key

I was hesitant after the first book in the series but after The Liar's Key I have made my decision to stop here. While reading I found myself with minimal interest, thinking about other books I have in my queue and if I would enjoy them more. Thinking about other books while reading isn't healthy.

My lack of motivation may have been due to reading in the holiday season but I had no interest in settling in and taking off huge portions of this book. When the travellers were close to Osheim I was intrigued and liked the indication of how magic was different here, but then they carried on south away from there. Even with "Osheim" in the title for the third book that isn't enough of a motivator for me to carry on with this book and series.

The reveal of Edris Dean's background helped explain motivation of Dean, fill in Jalan's backstory and tie these two characters together. Insight or connections like this, or similar, needed to come sooner but at the halfway point of the book/series was too late to redeem the story for me.

3 because of a character I have a hard time identifying with.
4 because of an author who knows how to rock some text.

I admit. I struggled a bit more with this book. There were many many saving moments. Many more of great things happening and layers of depth that I re-read so I made sure to understand them but Jalan pisses me off so much, so many times.

It's because I don't have a cowards heart and he does. I am not mad at the book, the way it is written, or the true intrinsic struggle that goes on in our heroic coward but there it is. Jalan wants to run, wants to hide, wants to GFTO of it all and it angers me. I wait pensively for him to overcome, to grown, to nurture something that will iron out his character--then like a poorly smelted metal he breaks--and I AM PISSED again.

I smile every time his comeuppance happens. I smile at each foolish thing traps him, and of course again hope that he can escape without ruining the other characters or the heart of the quest. It's so sad in that smirking sort of way.

The end of this book has one of his bigger moral plays and he wins it--as he should. The very end is laugh out loud spectacular watching the fool endure. I will not give it away, but least to say the final book should be well to be read.