I was thoroughly thrown off by one particular character who kept me guessing (for a couple of books!) as to what his true motives really were, and the revelation came as a wonderful shock.
The characters themselves are well developed, and there are a lot of twists and turns as to who is good and who is not. The author is obviously well-versed in the history and culture his characters move within. The author has created a rich and immersive world based on medieval China that is diligently crafted down to the most minute detail. I found the characters and world building of this series thoroughly enjoyable. I found Dragon Songs Saga box set to be an incredible story for an incredible deal! This series follows the protagonist Kaiya as she strives to perfect her ability with a magic system based on music in order to save her world from disaster. A treat for all fantasy fans, and probably those who enjoy historical oriental fiction as well (think 'Shogun'). This quartet is not the full series, but ends in a fully satisfying place in the saga.Ī few, very minor, flaws make this a 4.5 star read for me, but I have to round it up to the full five. The lead in this set is, probably, the indomitable Princess Kaiya, although Jie and Tian have close to equal representation in the story, and it seems that Jie (Kaiya's 'Insolent Retainer', a ninja-type spy) will carry the lead as the series continues. Through personal and national challenges, war, a number of quests and adventures, the story is carried by three central characters (arguably, five), so one is not confused by trying to track several dozen people with strange names nevertheless, the secondary characters are rounded in proportion to the prominence of the roles they play. Kang also offers epic romance, along with a dose of hard-nosed reality, and a good deal of nicely layered political intrigue. Other nations offer differing peoples and cultures, and there is a wealth of charming fantasy detail which one almost overlooks as one turns the pages to find out what happens next. The primary land in which the story takes place is Hua, clearly oriental in culture, but this is a wonderful and very deeply developed fantasy land with a crucial history involving dragons and what happened thirty-two years before.
Gripping characters, an unpredictable plot, taut writing with sometimes edge-of-your-seat suspense, very good pace, all these - but the setting is the blue ribbon contributor.
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