The Warded Man by Peter V. Brett (3.8 Stars)

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As darkness falls after sunset, the corelings rise—demons who possess supernatural powers and burn with a consuming hatred of humanity. For hundreds of years the demons have terrorized the night, slowly culling the human herd that shelters behind magical wards—symbols of power whose origins are lost in myth and whose protection is terrifyingly fragile. It was not always this way. Once, men and women battled the corelings on equal terms, but those days are gone. Night by night the demons grow stronger, while human numbers dwindle under their relentless assault. Now, with hope for the future fading, three young survivors of vicious demon attacks will dare the impossible, stepping beyond the crumbling safety of the wards to risk everything in a desperate quest to regain the secrets of the past. Together, they will stand against the night.


Premise: How compelling or unique is the overview of the story?
----- 9/10: Demons rising from the Earth's core every night as the enemy in humanity's fight for survival is a unique twist in the fantasy genre. This premise creates an opportunity to do something really unique and innovative.

Plot: How well does the action of the story fulfill or even expand the potential of the premise?
----- 6/10: Unfortunately, the story takes this premise and slaps a pretty bland plotline on it. To be fair, this is the first in a series and the story requires extensive exposition to the characters and world, but by the end of the book readers reserve some fulfilling climatic action and the attempt to provide this was a let down. The plot makes sudden leaps towards the end and frantically pulls story and character threads together in order to create an ending that felt hollow and confusing.

Characters: Overall feelings towards the characters. Are they memorable? Exciting? Human? Do we even like them?
----- 8/10: There are several strong, likeable characters here. The story follows our three protagonists separately for most of the book and each has a distinct voice and characterization. I didn't necessarily agree with the off camera development they seem to take especially the complete change the main protagonist makes that we don't even get to see.

Pacing: How strong is the momentum of the story? Is it hard to put the book down?
----- 8/10: Solid pacing throughout. No real lulls, but there also wasn't ever much of a build and rewarding fast action.

Prose: Does the author have strong writing skills? Is the text easy and enjoyable to read and not jarring or distracting?
----- 8/10: The prose is another nice addition to the story. It's high enough quality to not take anything away from the story, but not exceptional enough to contribute on its own.

Depth: Do elements of the story combine to form an immersive setting? Is it easy to visualize and well thought out?
----- 8/10: The setting and world are very well fleshed out. There's time spent on the history and lore of the world, as well as the physical setting and magic. Each of these pieces works together to complement the others. However, I do wish the world wasn't so drab. It seems like there is potential to create something a little more exciting with this premise.

Epic-ness: Are cool things happening? Are story elements used to creating plot action that is exciting and satisfying?
----- 6/10: Like the plot, this portion was a big let down. After a full book of building up this world and conflict there needed to be a strong resolution at the end, but the small scale "battle" that passes as the climax wasn't enough for me.

Total: 53/70: Very interesting world and premise, but after a lengthy exposition to the characters and conflict, the climax is boring. Future books in the series might be better, but after the let down at the end of The Warded Man I'm not necessarily excited to read them

Content warning: Minimal language, some sexual content

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