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Barren
All the women of Yarn have died. King Daniel sends out his twelfth best warrior, Blair. But having learned from the first eleven that warriors aren't to be trusted, he orders Ren, scholar and advisor, to go with him.
Blair thinks the Amorphous, a race of formless and seemingly omniscient beings, know more about the death of the women than they're saying. Ren suspects Blair's prejudices are skewing his judgment, and they're looking in the wrong place.
If they're going to solve the mystery and set Yarn right, it's going to take understanding on both their parts.
Blair thinks the Amorphous, a race of formless and seemingly omniscient beings, know more about the death of the women than they're saying. Ren suspects Blair's prejudices are skewing his judgment, and they're looking in the wrong place.
If they're going to solve the mystery and set Yarn right, it's going to take understanding on both their parts.
480 pages, Kindle Edition
First published October 8, 2014
1 person is currently reading
111 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews
February 25, 2015
Whip out your dodecahedrons; it's time to ROLL!
An epic fantasy adventure that has a character cast that reads like a D&D campaign with a king's quest:
Blair, the Human barbarian
Ren, the Felin scholar
Adon, a Naiad cleric
Chicken, the Goblin
Eli, the mute healer
The group is diverse and has a complementary skill set that will prove invaluable as they journey across Yarn. Blair and Ren both come across as bigoted and prone to conclusions without really analyzing the actual facts. Dynamic duo or combustible cocktail? Along the way they assemble quite the team in their search to determine why all the women have died. This mismatched pair and the tone are amusing.
Prejudice. Each character has it and expresses it. The story makes the point quite clearly that past experiences color our views and new interactions. The quest has many moments where characters realize that prejudice. They also realize that giving it up isn't easy.
There are many creatures to meet and questions to ask about the tragedy. Felins, who have been pressed into slavery for the last couple generations. Nymphs who are objectified for their beauty. Dryads whose militancy is still a factor since the last war. Mages who came under scrutiny and blamed when the women died. Finally, the innocuous Amorphous who are everywhere. Servile and yet... they see everything and share all information, but why?
I liked the complexity of the characters and the interwoven mess of relations between the different species. There were several places where this story could have tripped up badly, but didn't. And the dynamics between Blair and Ren are great. It could have fallen into trite, but bypassed that and gave me a surprised smile instead of some meh sex. This isn't a chaste book, but it also doesn't revolve around sex. The pace is good with one trial or tribulation after another pushing the story forward. And I adored the fact that the reasoning behind the death of women doesn't have misogynistic roots--really love this. 3.5- 4 stars and I'm rounding up because it succeeded in places where the traps led me to believe it would fail.
Overall, an action oriented fantasy novel that highlights how misunderstanding and stereotyping restrains and hinders progress.
Favorite quote:
~~A copy was provided to me for a No Glitter Blown review~~
~~~Reviewed for Hearts On Fire Reviews~~~~
An epic fantasy adventure that has a character cast that reads like a D&D campaign with a king's quest:
Blair, the Human barbarian
Ren, the Felin scholar
Adon, a Naiad cleric
Chicken, the Goblin
Eli, the mute healer
The group is diverse and has a complementary skill set that will prove invaluable as they journey across Yarn. Blair and Ren both come across as bigoted and prone to conclusions without really analyzing the actual facts. Dynamic duo or combustible cocktail? Along the way they assemble quite the team in their search to determine why all the women have died. This mismatched pair and the tone are amusing.
"What? I'd never put you in any undue danger."
"Which is why we're going to look for a healer. I have no idea how much danger you believe I'm due."
Prejudice. Each character has it and expresses it. The story makes the point quite clearly that past experiences color our views and new interactions. The quest has many moments where characters realize that prejudice. They also realize that giving it up isn't easy.
There are many creatures to meet and questions to ask about the tragedy. Felins, who have been pressed into slavery for the last couple generations. Nymphs who are objectified for their beauty. Dryads whose militancy is still a factor since the last war. Mages who came under scrutiny and blamed when the women died. Finally, the innocuous Amorphous who are everywhere. Servile and yet... they see everything and share all information, but why?
I liked the complexity of the characters and the interwoven mess of relations between the different species. There were several places where this story could have tripped up badly, but didn't. And the dynamics between Blair and Ren are great. It could have fallen into trite, but bypassed that and gave me a surprised smile instead of some meh sex. This isn't a chaste book, but it also doesn't revolve around sex. The pace is good with one trial or tribulation after another pushing the story forward. And I adored the fact that the reasoning behind the death of women doesn't have misogynistic roots--really love this. 3.5- 4 stars and I'm rounding up because it succeeded in places where the traps led me to believe it would fail.
Overall, an action oriented fantasy novel that highlights how misunderstanding and stereotyping restrains and hinders progress.
Favorite quote:
"How much evil will you commit in the name of doing good?"
~~A copy was provided to me for a No Glitter Blown review~~
~~~Reviewed for Hearts On Fire Reviews~~~~
September 15, 2020
This novel was long and involved and completely awesome. It reads exactly like a role-playing game, and being an avid gamer, I got really into that. The plot is too complicated to explain here, so I won't. But it's interesting enough that I was never bored. The strength of the book comes more from the characters anyway. There are many of them, and it's easy to get them mixed up, but I felt that they were pretty well-defined and all filled a trope very nicely. There's action, adventure, suspense, violence, sex, humour. What more could I ask for, except maybe a sequel. I suspect that not everyone will feel the same, but it ticks all my boxes.
January 23, 2016
You got to love a book that has a not real smart,but sweet, muscle bound 17th best warrior barbarian who happens to carry two axes on his back
April 1, 2016
I wasn't sure about this book, even though I love high fantasy. I'm glad I read it. Not only is there an interesting society, one starting to cope now that the women have been gone for over twelve years, but there are multiple races: human, felin, the various elementals (naiad, dryad, etc), and a strange, non-corporal being.
The story has some really neat touches (like the country being called Yarn, the main river Twine, main city Rumple, and the felin being anthromorphic cats). The history, both recent and long past, are well thought out and the plot comes up with surprises here and there.
At first, I thought Barren would just be one of those enjoyable stories you read and then put away to not really think about. I was wrong. It snuck up on me and before I'd read a quarter of the story, I was enthralled. Although it really started to get my attention when Ren told Blair off when they first met.
Ms Hedley has crafted a wonderful story that takes you on a ride you won't forget. A great book for high fantasy, suspense, or mystery stories. I'm definitely looking for more of her books and this one's going in my favourites.
The story has some really neat touches (like the country being called Yarn, the main river Twine, main city Rumple, and the felin being anthromorphic cats). The history, both recent and long past, are well thought out and the plot comes up with surprises here and there.
At first, I thought Barren would just be one of those enjoyable stories you read and then put away to not really think about. I was wrong. It snuck up on me and before I'd read a quarter of the story, I was enthralled. Although it really started to get my attention when Ren told Blair off when they first met.
Ms Hedley has crafted a wonderful story that takes you on a ride you won't forget. A great book for high fantasy, suspense, or mystery stories. I'm definitely looking for more of her books and this one's going in my favourites.
February 22, 2015
I chose to read this book as it's one of my favorite genres and read it as soon as I could.
I was not disappointed.
Huge plot, deftly handled. Imaginative, yet real characters. I wouldn't say it's a romance, per se, but a fantasy/paranormal with subplots of romance. Just what I like.
I will watch out for more of Anna's writing.
Love the cover too, btw. Very moody and atmospheric.
I was not disappointed.
Huge plot, deftly handled. Imaginative, yet real characters. I wouldn't say it's a romance, per se, but a fantasy/paranormal with subplots of romance. Just what I like.
I will watch out for more of Anna's writing.
Love the cover too, btw. Very moody and atmospheric.
October 18, 2022
the darkest of dark horses and oh! so! good!
September 8, 2015
A Joyfully Jay review.
3.25 stars
The general premise to Barren intrigued me from the start, but it was one of those books that got lost in the shuffle, as they so often do. So I was thrilled when Jay came up with this particular challenge because it was the perfect excuse to pull a couple books from the TBR pile. Barren can be summed up in a single word: bizarre. Now that doesn’t mean bad necessarily, but on more than one occasion I was left scratching my head. The entire book had the feel of video game play from World of Warcraft or Skyrim. And while that works well enough in the game world, it didn’t always translate here. The basic plot is strong and draws you in pretty quickly. There is an easy flow to the entire book, one that is only broken by the oddly jarring character names. Ren and Adon work in this fantastical world. Blair, Bob, and Eli don’t ring quite as true and this little quirk, which may be mine alone, often jerked me out of the action. While the overall plot is decent, the characters in Barren are often sidetracked by multiple quests, which is a word used far too often in this book. These quests become somewhat convoluted and time consuming and while they ultimately provide some answers to the questions Blair and Ren have, they don’t add much to the overall story. I think about 100 pages could have been trimmed without sacrificing the plot. This would have provided a much tighter storyline and given an overall boost to the pacing, which drags at times.
Read Sue’s review in its entirety here.
3.25 stars
The general premise to Barren intrigued me from the start, but it was one of those books that got lost in the shuffle, as they so often do. So I was thrilled when Jay came up with this particular challenge because it was the perfect excuse to pull a couple books from the TBR pile. Barren can be summed up in a single word: bizarre. Now that doesn’t mean bad necessarily, but on more than one occasion I was left scratching my head. The entire book had the feel of video game play from World of Warcraft or Skyrim. And while that works well enough in the game world, it didn’t always translate here. The basic plot is strong and draws you in pretty quickly. There is an easy flow to the entire book, one that is only broken by the oddly jarring character names. Ren and Adon work in this fantastical world. Blair, Bob, and Eli don’t ring quite as true and this little quirk, which may be mine alone, often jerked me out of the action. While the overall plot is decent, the characters in Barren are often sidetracked by multiple quests, which is a word used far too often in this book. These quests become somewhat convoluted and time consuming and while they ultimately provide some answers to the questions Blair and Ren have, they don’t add much to the overall story. I think about 100 pages could have been trimmed without sacrificing the plot. This would have provided a much tighter storyline and given an overall boost to the pacing, which drags at times.
Read Sue’s review in its entirety here.
November 6, 2014
I loved Barren. Anna Hedley has created a rich, powerful world full of fantastical creatures we've never seen before, in a place so vibrant it seems it MUST truly exist somewhere. The two main characters, Blair and Ren, meet when they set out on a quest in service of their very likable, very wise young king, and as we follow their progress and trials, we grow to care very much about our heroes and about the people they meet and draw into the quest along the way. Anna's storytelling is beyond wonderful and she's created characters I'll never forget.
September 13, 2015
I love this book! The story is really multifaceted and has enough layers that I think I could read it again and right now find tons of new important things I overlooked that turned the main plot in subtle ways. The characters are all fantastic - the wasn't a one I didn't love or love-to-hate. Absolutely flawless! The author has said she is working on a new book set in same world, and I know I'll queue up for a copy the second it's available!
November 8, 2014
Highly recommended
This is an excellent book. A fascinating world, great characters, a nice balance of action, humor, ups and downs. I was never bored and enjoyed it thoroughly. Highly recommended, and hopefully we'll be hearing more from these characters and their adventures,
This is an excellent book. A fascinating world, great characters, a nice balance of action, humor, ups and downs. I was never bored and enjoyed it thoroughly. Highly recommended, and hopefully we'll be hearing more from these characters and their adventures,
December 13, 2015
Barren by Anna Hedley: http://reviews-and-ramblings.dreamwid... 2015 Rainbow Awards Honorable Mention (5* from at least 1 judge)
April 27, 2016
3.5 stars rounded up
Full review to follow...
Full review to follow...
Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews