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.

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Her choice is to serve or die. In the aftermath of shattered innocence, will the hunt for her magic claim her last breath? While the concept for his first novel was conceived six years ago, it was the nightly ritual of crafting bedtime stories for his children that really empowered him to breathe life into it.

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. 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! 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.I saw the authors TikTok for this book and was immediately intrigued by a darker robin hood retelling. The dialogue was decent. Unlike the writing style, it flowed well even though it was nothing special. 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? 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. 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.

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.

The book had a few typos where the good mage and the villain’s names are swapped - so the book could just use another run through. While this started out as one, it ended up being a very loose retelling and very little shooting of arrows after a specific incident. (sad face) An aggressive debt collector banished from the kingdom. Now his life depends on his ability to help the less fortunate.... The characters themselves miss depth and would be better suited in a game of Dungeons and Dragons. In fact, the whole book feels like it could have been a transcript of a D&D campaign. 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.

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. 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. 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. 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.An aggressive debt collector banished from the kingdom. Now his life depends on his ability to help the less fortunate… 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.