A Forest Of Vanity And Valour (The Levanthria Series)

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The author has a very good social media presence which intrigued me to read his series. I wonder if I can continue, thou'. Or only for the sake of seeing can he do any better? I found the execution wanting. I felt the pacing really slowed me down and only being on a plane with nothing else to read could dedicate my attention to it. The dialogue at times felt jarring and unnatural, or like the author didn't trust the reader to understand what was going on and then made a joke about it. Spelling errors didn't help either. The first person perspective switching between different characters threw me for a loop too. He fridges the main character's romantic interest, I felt the characterizations were inconsistent towards the end, and he didn't wrap up the ending with any sort of explanations regarding these questionable character actions. If you want a review on the story itself, I'm sorry, I can't give you one. I only got halfway through before giving up. Some extremely tragic events play out leading to a slight change in character, loss of status and a love. However ultimately this guy is still a pretty big jerk. What's the story about: A Forest of Vanity and Valour is a fairytale retelling of Robin Hood mixed with some aspects of another English folklorian figure. The main characters are two men trying to make the best of their bad situations: a kingdom at war and a love triangle that divides them. While it may seem straightforward in that one is the good guy, one is bad, there is more gray to it.

While I enjoyed Vireo's chapters, I despised Jareb's. There was no variation in voice despite them being on opposing sides. He was just so flat! Initially, I didn't mind him because he seemed to be doing his best with what he had. I was intrigued by an antagonist who put his people first, but his 180 turn into a tyrant was jarring. Even if we blame it on Morgana's influence, it should have taken him longer to forget his morals. The book was an interesting take on Robin Hood. The plot itself was solid and, if the story had been better executed, it could have been amazing. Third, and spoiler, but Lek betraying him…..JUST WHY. Like give me a reason, any reason for this. But no, and from what it looks like, the next book doesn’t have any of the same characters so you won’t get to know. The dialogue was decent. Unlike the writing style, it flowed well even though it was nothing special. By publishing your document, the content will be optimally indexed by Google via AI and sorted into the right category for over 500 million ePaper readers on YUMPU.With every use of his magic, the corruption gnawing at Jordell grows stronger. And as the realm of Levanthria teeters on the edge of ruin, Jordell faces an almost insurmountable challenge. He must find the prophesied sword, bring peace to the warring factions, and halt his own decay—all while the fate of Levanthria is in jeopardy. The use of the first person present is done so horribly that I actively cringed at least once every chapter. It reads like an online role play, providing the reader with second-hand embarrassment. Example from the first paragraph of chapter 9: Orjan Varega suffocates under a crisis of faith. Trapped in the form of a fearsome lizard man by an ancient Elven spell, the once-renowned knight sleeps rough, drinks hard, and struggles to survive as a bounty hunter. But after a boy who offers him food falls prey to ruthless thugs, the protective fighter comes to the child’s aid and gains a formidable enemy. Not the worst book I’ve read in 2023, but hella disappointing for how good it looked on TikTok and the cover is pretty legit.

How did Laith, a teenager who had been whipped, beat Cordin, a trained elven soldier? Where the hell did this kid even come from?? Don't even get me started on the fact that five lashings were too many. Slaves used to get upward of 20. Not that I'm discounting that five lashes would hurt, but the characters made such a big deal about it. I get that not everyone is Kvothe but come on! Her choice is to serve or die. In the aftermath of shattered innocence, will the hunt for her magic claim her last breath? Tormented by a curse and his own misdeeds. Can a fallen knight claim redemption by saving a realm on the verge of ruin? The writing isn't great. I don't consider myself a book snob and I understand that self-published indie books come with quirks and occasional mistakes, but I believe writing takes skill and ALL writing benefits from a few goes around with an editor and even ARC readers to really bring out the best in a story.

The ending was rushed and made no sense. Lek gave no indication that he would betray everyone. If anything, I thought it would be Gillan. Did he make a deal with Jareb? Was he manipulated by Morgana? Who knows? And what happened to him in the end? Because homeboy just vanished into thin air. Once a distinguished priest serving in the grand temple of Askela, Jordell Torvin now walks a very different path. Haunted by a vision of a sword that holds the power to prevent a catastrophic war, he has spent the last three years in pursuit of this elusive artifact, even as his magic use subjects him to a creeping corruption that is slowly eating him alive. His history with Lek and Gillan could have been fleshed out more, but I still got a good sense of their characters. Jordell was also an interesting character and, to be frank, the only one with his head screwed on right.

So this book.... I had higher hopes for a gritty fantastical re-telling of Robin Hood. To cut to the chase, I was sorely disappointed. (Not a great start to my 2023 reading) None of the characters' motivations made sense. Some of the descriptions were overly detailed, while others were glossed over (in an inconsistent way). Vireo the protagonist starts off as a jerk and never gets redeemed he stays a jerk and completely unlikeable. He never feels like Robin Hood at all. The only resemblance is that he is an archer and hides in the woods. The antagonist's (the Prince John role) initial motivation is totally unexplained. He is a tyrant and hates that he is, but it is never clear why he acts this way if he hates it. There is a betrayal at the end that makes no sense and is just kind of left there. No matter the story (it's an inspired-by anyways), the character's reasons and development are as non-existent as the creativity of the writing style. Full of poster-image scenes that make no sense nor can be connected to the bigger picture.Again, I really wanted to like this book. I am a big fan of fantasy, legends and even Robin Hood in general. While I do not wish to discourage the writer, as this seems to be his first book, it is a good example of self-publishing gone wrong. Now, as a fan of myths, legends and lore, I adored the concept of these books, which was the second reason I rushed to buy them. Unfortunately that's where the positives end. I saw the authors TikTok for this book and was immediately intrigued by a darker robin hood retelling. Vireo was a well-written character. He was selfish and greedy and, by all means, an unlikeable tax collector. His reasoning for his actions made sense (unlike other characters) and his evolution from a selfish man to a budding hero felt natural. Most importantly, his grief was palpable. I really felt for him when he was forced to kill the love of his life. Having him wear her green hood was a nice touch. Embroiled in a secret affair with a fellow noble’s wife, Vireo is mortified when he’s forced to commit an unthinkable act. Driven into exile, no longer able to coerce the vulnerable, and with the powerful tome in his enemy’s hands, the fallen agent’s only shot at survival hangs on his skills at saving others.

Once a humble priest, now a tormented wanderer. Will Jordell Torvin succumb to his own corruption, or will he wield a divine destiny to save his world from despair?

The abysmal writing style combined with the painful point of view and tense made this short book extremely difficult to get through. By the time I got to the halfway mark, I was reading it out of spite. Seriously. I read six books between starting this and finally finishing it. First-person is difficult to pull off, especially when there are multiple points of view, and this one flopped. And where did Morgana come from? She was creepy as hell. I got r/menwritingwomen vibes from her due to the way that she was described. It's one thing to have Jareb view her in such a way but then Vireo immediately described her as a woman in a skintight dress. Sir, you have more pressing things to worry about. Your friends are dying. Zerina Redfearn is naïve to the world's cruelty. So when she and her sisters are dragged from their home and put on trial for witchcraft, she’s horrified to be trapped between being enslaved in the king’s forces or execution. But after witnessing her siblings' cruel deaths, she unleashes her powers for the first time and makes her escape. Authors, if you are a member of the Goodreads Author Program, you can edit information about your own books. Find out how in this guide.