drgnlv's Reviews (823)

I really wanted to give this book 4 stars out of 5 simply because there is so much great action in this book. But that's the thing. There was so MUCH action. I found that by the last chapter I could barely breathe, and not in a good way. There was no downtime whatsoever and the last half of the book felt like a mad dash for the end. Yet as soon as we came to what I thought would be a slowing-down in the final exposition, there was the first chapter of the last book and the characters were still going just as fast! I tried to keep track and I'm pretty sure that by the time the last book starts the gang has not eaten or slept for three days straight. I found myself becoming distracted from and even irritated by all the action because I kept wondering "When is one of them just going to pass out or die from exhaustion?" But no. They just keep on running and fighting and saying they're tried and sore but not actually slowing down or making mistakes. I was so out of breath, suffocated even, that I finished this book approximately a year ago and still haven't gotten to the last one even though I am excited to find out what happens next. I just needed to let the characters catch a break for a bit! I hope they get to sleep in the first or second chapters of the last installment, then I will be perfectly happy to cheer them on!

This book was very clear and easy to read. Even though I've had several high school and college classes on writing, this book taught me many things I'd never learned before and put abstract ideas into a concrete setting I could easily understand and apply to my work. I would definitely recommend this book to anyone who needs to write short stories for school or wants to write them for pleasure. It's a must-read and I wish I had found it years ago!