Review: The Naming

The Naming 
Alison Croggon
Fantasy


Maerad is a slave in a desperate and unforgiving settlement, taken there as a child after her family is destroyed in war. She is unaware that she possesses a powerful gift, one that marks her as a member of the School of Pellinor. It is only when she is discovered by Cadvan, one of the great Bards of Lirigon, that her true heritage and extraordinary destiny unfold. Now she and her new teacher must survive a journey through a time and place where the forces they battle stem from the deepest recesses of otherworldly terror.

Thoughts: Well, this was a long book, and unfortunately not in a good way. Some books are super long and all the better because of it (like the Inheritance Cycle) but I can't say the same about The Naming. It took way too long to get exciting and addictive. I have been reading this book for the past week and a half, and that is a bad sign usually- it means it wasn't good enough to have me racing through it.

 But that doesn't mean it was all bad though- I liked the whole idea of the Schools, and Maerad was pretty good heroine. She wasn't perfect and sometimes a little slow to act, but considering her background it's totally understandable. My two favorite characters were introduced later in the story and if you read it, keep an eye out for them- Saliman and Hem. I wish we could have seen more of them.

Here are some of my favorite quotes-

"Maybe it is just that no one has been here, and so strange stories have grown out of ignorance"

"Many forgotten things live still in children's tales" 

"Waiting is usually the worst part of any ordeal"

"Perhaps, at this distance from human affairs, another pattern emerged from the chaos, another kind of necessity, and even evil became part of a larger music" - good luck trying to figure out that one!

Anyhoo, hope y'all have a good weekend, and god, has anyone seen Glee this week?? My sister and I are completely hooked!!
-Esty