Clouds of War

Rating:
Summary: Unfortunate letdown
Review: It is unfortunate that this book is not at all like the others. I was very disappointed in the way the story was told, as well as the shallowness of its characters in comparison to the other Hadra books. One thing I believe made the other books better was that they where written in the first person which really helped one get to know the character telling the story. Over and over I was mesmerized by the authors ability to introduce me to each person as if I really knew them. It was delightful how easily I was drawn into each scene as it was being played out. I found myself longing to live with the Hadra in the city that they had built by the sea.

I never get tired of reading these books. I have read Journey to Zelindar three times now but can't help feeling it has been left unfinished. I would love to know more about Sair of Semasi and her return to Zelindar and what happens to Tarl, as well as the other Hydra.

In reading "Clouds of War" I frequently found myself getting lost, not knowing who was who. I became bored as each character recorded the same scenes as each saw them. It was difficult to picture what each person looked like. Another disappointment was that it was very short compared to the others and the ending did not leave me hanging or yearning for more. I know it would have been better if the author had built on the characters of the Hadra that we had come to know and love. I have to say despite this I remain a devoted reader of Diana Rivers books and can easily recommend them to anyone. However, it is with regret that I cannot recommend this one.

Rating:
Summary: Unfortunate letdown
Review: Let me first start off by saying that it was Diana Rivers who, through her poetic prose and astounding storytelling ability, sparked my own muse to begin whispering stories into my ear. When I first picked up Journey to Zelindar, many years ago, I was immediately wrapped up in the world of the Hadra. I literally could not put the book down until I had read it twice, and even then, it left me with this incredible yearning to learn more about this wonderful society of women.

I spent months pestering my local bookstore owner for the sequels, gobbling them up as fast as they could be cranked out. And I was never disappointed. Until now.

After several years of anxious waiting, my joy was palpable when I finally learned of a sequel to The Hadra, and counted the days until I could finally get the book into my hands to once again immerse myself in their world.

Instead, I found myself reading a book that had very little to do with the society I had come to know and love. The Hadra, indeed, seemed a very incidental part of this story, which focused on the lives of three women. The only Hadra, Noya, was lightly drawn in favor of the non Hadra women in the book. Zelindar was only sketched over, and the Hadra who had made the journey with Noya were ignored altogether. Yes, we knew why they went on the trek, but their special gifts were never used and they seemed totally incidental to the plot.

In addition, the three "voices" used in the story differed from one another not at all. Even though I've read through the book once already, if I open to any one page, I have no idea who is speaking, because the voices are not differentiated in any way. They all sound as if one person is speaking, instead of three distinct personalities. This distinct "en voice" first person writing ability was what drew me to Ms. Rivers' writing in the first place, and it is painfully absent here.

I can only hope that the Red Line of Yarmald will focus more on the Hadra, and what makes them worth fighting a war over, than on a Zarna for whom I don't care a whit, and her lover, for whom I might care a great deal if she could only be more fleshed out and given her own distinct "voice".

I haven't given up yet. I have faith.

As it must be.

Rating:
Summary: Disappointed
Review: Let me first start off by saying that it was Diana Rivers who, through her poetic prose and astounding storytelling ability, sparked my own muse to begin whispering stories into my ear. When I first picked up Journey to Zelindar, many years ago, I was immediately wrapped up in the world of the Hadra. I literally could not put the book down until I had read it twice, and even then, it left me with this incredible yearning to learn more about this wonderful society of women.

I spent months pestering my local bookstore owner for the sequels, gobbling them up as fast as they could be cranked out. And I was never disappointed. Until now.

After several years of anxious waiting, my joy was palpable when I finally learned of a sequel to The Hadra, and counted the days until I could finally get the book into my hands to once again immerse myself in their world.

Instead, I found myself reading a book that had very little to do with the society I had come to know and love. The Hadra, indeed, seemed a very incidental part of this story, which focused on the lives of three women. The only Hadra, Noya, was lightly drawn in favor of the non Hadra women in the book. Zelindar was only sketched over, and the Hadra who had made the journey with Noya were ignored altogether. Yes, we knew why they went on the trek, but their special gifts were never used and they seemed totally incidental to the plot.

In addition, the three "voices" used in the story differed from one another not at all. Even though I've read through the book once already, if I open to any one page, I have no idea who is speaking, because the voices are not differentiated in any way. They all sound as if one person is speaking, instead of three distinct personalities. This distinct "en voice" first person writing ability was what drew me to Ms. Rivers' writing in the first place, and it is painfully absent here.

I can only hope that the Red Line of Yarmald will focus more on the Hadra, and what makes them worth fighting a war over, than on a Zarna for whom I don't care a whit, and her lover, for whom I might care a great deal if she could only be more fleshed out and given her own distinct "voice".

I haven't given up yet. I have faith.

As it must be.