One of the first things which really stood out to me was the
wonderful description of the landscapes throughout this story, they were so vivid
and really allowed me to picture them in my head with ease. The author also
appears to have done a great deal of research into the indigenous people the
society in this novel is based on allowing us to get a real view into their
beliefs and how the spirits are wound into their everyday lives and actions.
Tuomas is our main character in this novel and while at
times he is very stubborn and impulsive he has a deep and caring heart. Being
an apprentice mage when his friend Mihka falls into trouble after offending the
Spirit Of The Lights, Tuomas must go on a mission across the vast Northlands in
an attempt to appease her and return Mihka to his full health. He is able to do
this with the support of his friends who he meets along the way, and I like
that each person we meet is given a depth of character and history appropriate
for the part they play in the tale. The way the spirits whom Tuomas interacts
with throughout the novel are written lends them a sense of weight while
remaining ethereal reminding us that they are ancient and knowledgeable and deserve
the utmost respect from both the mages and the people they are bound to heal
and protect.
Pacing is something I find really important in a book and
Hibbs manages to keep a steady tension throughout which encouraged me to get to
the end of the novel as quickly as I could to see if Tuomas was successful. Nothing
in this novel turned out quite how I was expecting, which managed to avoid any
predictability and also helps to hold your interest.
As always I like to keep my reviews spoiler free so I’ll cut
it short here but it’s definitely a book I’d recommend and it’s very fitting as
the nights are drawing in and we had our first fluttering of snow here in Scotland
yesterday. If you like the sound of this novel please check it out and come
back tomorrow to see my review of the second novel in the trilogy The Mist
Children.
Picture credit to E C Hibbs
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