Review: To The Blight

 

Title:To the Blight (Part 2 of The Eye of the World) (Wheel of Time Series)

Author: Robert Jordan

Publisher: Starscape

Release Date:  January 7th 2002 (Originally published 1993)

Pursued by Trollocs and Myrddraal, Rand and his friends find refuge in the deserted city of Shadar Logoth. But their wandering—and the many dangers they face—are far from over. For from the lips of a dying Aiel girl they learn that the Dark One means to blind the Eye of the World. Having barely escaped capture and death, Rand finds himself face to face with Aginor: a wielder of the One Power and an ally of the Dark One.

In the battle that follows, Rand will discover his true identity...and destiny.

 
The sequel of From the Two Rivers and part 2 of The Eye of the World, The Blight made for a spectacular beginning for the series. When I started this book, I didn't realize how attached I had become to the characters until one died and other came into greater danger.

The whole beginning of this series is about three young boys from a tiny farming land, The Two Rivers, that is extremely secluded from the rest of the world. These three boys are supposed to change the world - either one of them or all of them - for the better or worse. In this book, Ran al'Thor is finally born into the world of the Aes Sedai and the conflict of Light versus Shadow. At the end of this book, I was literally sitting on the edge of my seat and making so many faces that my friends thought I was actually entertaining. The ending was nothing like I expected and all that I wanted. I'm still reeling from this book and I love it SO much. I can't say too much without giving away wonderful details of the story but I can say that everyone should read it.

The story line of the book is so very interesting, even if it was a bit slow in the first book. The pace definitely quickens in this book and story takes you on a thrill ride. I also really loved all the different settings used in the story as it followed the paths of each boy (and girl). The towns, the people, the countryside -- all very imaginative.

Also, don't be swayed from it because it's an older series; that doesn't make it worse. In fact, if you're a fan of the Lord of the Rings, you'll LOVE this series. I am a LOTR fan and this book really satisfies my love for literature like it.

All in all, I'm just dying to get my hands on the next book!

I gave it FIVE of FIVE Sporks!

 

Teaser Tuesday

 

 

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading. Anyone can play along! Just do the following:

• Grab your current read
• Open to a random page
• Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page
• BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)
• Share the title & author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!

It's Tuesday again! Here's my teaser: (I usually don't do just two sentences. Whatever it takes to finish the blurb.)

""Well," Loial said, "perhaps you humans do have short lives, but you do so much with them, always jumping around, always so hasty. And you have the whole world to do it in. We Ogier are bound to our stedding. " "You're Outside." "For a time, Rand. But I must go back, eventually. This world is yours, yours and your kind's. The stedding are mine. There's too much hurly-burly Outside. And so much is changed from what I read about."" 
- page 204 of " To the Blight: The Eye of the World Part 2 " by Robert Jordan

Review: From the Two Rivers

 

Title:From the Two Rivers (#1 The Wheel of Time series)

Author: Robert Jordan

Publisher: Starscape

Release Date:  January 7th 2002 (First published in 1990)

For Rand al’Thor and his pals, life in the sleepy village of Emond’s Field has been pretty dull. Until the appearance on festival night of Moiraine, a mysterious woman who claims to be an Aes Sdeai—a magician who can wield the One Power. Soon after, the village is attacked by Trollocs—a savage tribe of half-men half-beasts. Rand’s father is nearly killed. But for Rand, the news gets worse. It was not the village the Trollocs were after, Moiraine tells him. It was you, Rand.

Rand and his friends are forced to flee. But his escape will bring him face to face with the Dark One...the most powerful force of evil in the universe.

The Wheel of Time series is an old series for young adult, but it has had nothing but high acclaims. I have been strongly urged to read this series by one of my best friends and I'm glad she did.

One thing that always daunts me with books like these are the old tiny fonts. They hurt my eyes, especially when there's a lot. And there is A LOT. However, I didn't let that sway me. It took me a long time to finish this book because it just didn't hook me right away. The beginning wasn't up to the speed I like but it wasn't that slow either. It was at that iffy area. But, by the end of the book, I was attached to the characters and immediately wanted to know more.

Something I loved about this book is the style. It is so very similar to Tolkien's Lord of the Rings series. Being a big LotR fan, I couldn't help but love this book. The landscape, the descriptions, the characters, the writing style...all very Tolkien-esque.

The only downside of this book is the pace. I don't care for the pace. It's a little too long for my liking, but that's how it is with lots of description. All in all, I loved the book. Not a light read in the slightest but I'd recommend the series. (Albeit daunting with it's 15 books...)