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Legon #1
Legon Awakening
Set in a world that is not our own, Legon Awakening takes you through an epic journey into a land full of wonderment, illusion, and innovation.
Legon is a simple young man in the small town of Salmont, a town in the center of the Empire that few know about and even fewer care about. All he wishes to do is to start his own butcher shop and take care of his adopted sister and family. Legon is not from Salmont and echoes from his parents past are coming up to haunt him. Legon finds himself being caught in the war that claimed his biological parents lives and now threatens everything he has. He must flee from everything he knows and journey to land of his ancestors to keep all that he loves safe.
Legon is a simple young man in the small town of Salmont, a town in the center of the Empire that few know about and even fewer care about. All he wishes to do is to start his own butcher shop and take care of his adopted sister and family. Legon is not from Salmont and echoes from his parents past are coming up to haunt him. Legon finds himself being caught in the war that claimed his biological parents lives and now threatens everything he has. He must flee from everything he knows and journey to land of his ancestors to keep all that he loves safe.
407 pages, Paperback
First published June 7, 2010
134 people are currently reading
1727 people want to read
About the author
Nicholas Taylor
10 books180 followersNicholas Taylor is a fantasy and science fiction author. He was born in 1981 in Denver, Colorado, where he lives with his wife and family. Nicholas was an imaginative child who enjoyed writing stories and daydreaming about new worlds and places from a young age.
In his twenties, Nicholas rekindled a love for reading and consuming fantasy and science fiction. The culmination was his decision to write a novel in the winter of 2007. That first novel was Legon Awakening, which ran as a weekly podcast and was later released in print, digital, and audio editions that thousands have enjoyed.
Nicholas enjoys writing fiction that pulls readers into immersive worlds with likable and relatable characters. He strives to draw the reader into the scene with the characters, allowing them to explore magical realms or distant planets.
In his twenties, Nicholas rekindled a love for reading and consuming fantasy and science fiction. The culmination was his decision to write a novel in the winter of 2007. That first novel was Legon Awakening, which ran as a weekly podcast and was later released in print, digital, and audio editions that thousands have enjoyed.
Nicholas enjoys writing fiction that pulls readers into immersive worlds with likable and relatable characters. He strives to draw the reader into the scene with the characters, allowing them to explore magical realms or distant planets.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 103 reviews
July 22, 2012
I started this book on a Sunday night, I was sitting on my blue teal couch wearing stripped p-jay bottoms and a black sleeping tee. I read until I felt sleepy, then I got up and moved to my bed, which has a blue comforter on it. When I woke up the next day I didn't rush to the book right away. First I showered, then I got dressed in blue jeans and a yellow striped t-shirt, and then went about my day. Finally, at night before bed I picked the book up reluctantly and read till sleep took over. I repeated the process over and over for several days until I finished the book. I'm pretty sure I went thru at least six outfits before I finished the book, which bothered me since this should have been a two day book. I think the reason I was bothered so much while reading is because I didn't have my red pen out to properly grade this mid term paper!
January 31, 2013
I am thrilled that I was able to find a new book series that actually fit into the genre of Fantasy. With so many books out there with adult themes that I tend to stay away from, even though I am twenty years old, I found this series to be a fun, Fantasy filled story with excitement and a new plot line. There are dragons and elves and humans of course, but this Fantasy novel you are able to separate from the others because of the true uniqueness of it. I have read all three books in the series. These are the types of novels that I can one day see becoming a movie. If you read them, I promise that you will not be disappointed, I know that I wasn't!
July 12, 2011
Ok. This story was good. Kind of Eragon/Lord of the Rings, fantasy, coming-of-age/Elfhood kind of thing. Good story, even if it's basically been done before.
However, I must agree with the other reviewers about the writing style. Other than the capitalization problems at the end of the book, I don't think it was so much grammar and spelling as it was the general style of writing. I've come to expect poor editing in free Kindle downloads, but mostly so far as spelling and formatting errors. This went beyond that. The simplistic writing made me consider the possibility that this book was aimed at younger readers than I initially thought, but the detailed, gory battle descriptions implied otherwise.
The narrative jumped around from all the different characters, sometimes without warning. Writing from that type of perspective can be done well, but this wasn't. The sentences were choppy and short. The reader is told everything everyone is thinking. Everything is spelled out in no uncertain terms. The characters use the same slang and phrasing as teenagers would in 21st century Earth, and it felt out of place.
And, none of the characters seem to have any faults. Seriously, Sasha and Legon have this perfect, loving, caring relationship with each other and their parents. Short of teasing, and maybe enjoying killing a little too much, there are NO faults! I got a little tired of reading about Legon saying, "ok Mom" and being the perfect obedient (adopted) son.
And, the book sort of ended.
However, I must agree with the other reviewers about the writing style. Other than the capitalization problems at the end of the book, I don't think it was so much grammar and spelling as it was the general style of writing. I've come to expect poor editing in free Kindle downloads, but mostly so far as spelling and formatting errors. This went beyond that. The simplistic writing made me consider the possibility that this book was aimed at younger readers than I initially thought, but the detailed, gory battle descriptions implied otherwise.
The narrative jumped around from all the different characters, sometimes without warning. Writing from that type of perspective can be done well, but this wasn't. The sentences were choppy and short. The reader is told everything everyone is thinking. Everything is spelled out in no uncertain terms. The characters use the same slang and phrasing as teenagers would in 21st century Earth, and it felt out of place.
And, none of the characters seem to have any faults. Seriously, Sasha and Legon have this perfect, loving, caring relationship with each other and their parents. Short of teasing, and maybe enjoying killing a little too much, there are NO faults! I got a little tired of reading about Legon saying, "ok Mom" and being the perfect obedient (adopted) son.
And, the book sort of ended.
June 13, 2023
Found the story to be pretty standard, but enough that'll I'll eventually pick up the sequel.
was nice to see epilepsy be discussed, and having characters started to find ways to help the character with the epilepsy, rather than making it seem like it's got some magical cure.
3.5/5
was nice to see epilepsy be discussed, and having characters started to find ways to help the character with the epilepsy, rather than making it seem like it's got some magical cure.
3.5/5
June 29, 2012
Great premise HORRIBLE dialog. I couldn't even get past the first 200 pages and I tried. The story is compelling but the dialog is childlike and painful. This author needs to learn to show instead of tell. Also, when writing in a fuedal setting he should learn to make his characters(his adult characters at least)speak less frequently in modern teen vernacular.
March 29, 2021
This book has the recipe of my favourite tropes. Secretly being a nonhuman species, travel being part of a hero's journey, chosen one style prophecies, dragons and elves... and it let me down so much.
Honestly I just found this supremely boring.
I think it was mostly the audiobook narrator's voice being monotone, but it did feel otherwise still boring.
There also aren't any human women characters other than Legon's mom who aren't targeted for sexual harassment and rape. There isn't any real point to depicting that other than showing how nice and protective our hero guys are. It's just shitty and misogynist writing.
I also feel like the pacing kind of sucked. The important plot and setting knowledge is trickled in a little too slowly. It's like. We know there's all this interesting spicy plot and character info and we get very little of what could have made this an enthralling book.
Honestly I just found this supremely boring.
I think it was mostly the audiobook narrator's voice being monotone, but it did feel otherwise still boring.
There also aren't any human women characters other than Legon's mom who aren't targeted for sexual harassment and rape. There isn't any real point to depicting that other than showing how nice and protective our hero guys are. It's just shitty and misogynist writing.
I also feel like the pacing kind of sucked. The important plot and setting knowledge is trickled in a little too slowly. It's like. We know there's all this interesting spicy plot and character info and we get very little of what could have made this an enthralling book.
August 28, 2011
A good hero awakening, prophecy to be fulfilled, young man learning about a hidden past and about he new powers, story.
There's Elves (good and bad ones), Dragons, magic, battles, suspense and more.
What I kind of liked was how "current" the conversations felt. No "thou" etc. or fake "fantasy" dialog attempts, instead the word choices, conversations felt like one I'd have today with people...
For example, "... she wasn't that close, retard..."
I liked that. It made it easier to slip into the story, no mental translation required, etc. :)
The Kindle version I read had some of the usual indie publisher formatting issues, the kind usually seen due to conversion.
There was an extra 1/2 line between paragraphs (but not a whole line between, so while I hate when there's extra whitespace between paragraphs, this was small enough that I could deal with it). There was the whole paragraph indented thing for some, and toward the end there where capitalization, such as none at the start of some sentences, and grammar/word choice issues (a vs an, etc).
That said, it wasn't enough to keep me from enjoying the story...
There's Elves (good and bad ones), Dragons, magic, battles, suspense and more.
What I kind of liked was how "current" the conversations felt. No "thou" etc. or fake "fantasy" dialog attempts, instead the word choices, conversations felt like one I'd have today with people...
For example, "... she wasn't that close, retard..."
I liked that. It made it easier to slip into the story, no mental translation required, etc. :)
The Kindle version I read had some of the usual indie publisher formatting issues, the kind usually seen due to conversion.
There was an extra 1/2 line between paragraphs (but not a whole line between, so while I hate when there's extra whitespace between paragraphs, this was small enough that I could deal with it). There was the whole paragraph indented thing for some, and toward the end there where capitalization, such as none at the start of some sentences, and grammar/word choice issues (a vs an, etc).
That said, it wasn't enough to keep me from enjoying the story...
March 28, 2013
Wow! As I write this review, this book currently stands as a 3.2 star rating on Amazon UK. I can't tell you how surprised I am at this as I LOVED it! This is a fantasy tale of epic proportion that was thoroughly enjoyable from start to finish. There are elves, both good and bad; dragons which are elves so good and bad; different levels of magic user, and even showers! I'll admit to this being one of the best parts of the book for me but for you to understand my reference, you will have to read it for yourself.
The dialogue in the book is fairly modern, there are references to a couple of the ladies being "hot" and another character being "freaked out". This may or may not mesh with your idea of a fantasy book but personally I liked the style. There are slices of humour in there that are more often than not just one-liners; like a pushy, fake smile man being "a used-horse salesman, what did you expect?"
For me, this is definitely one to keep and the other two in the trilogy are now firmly on my wishlist. Is it for you? Take a chance and read it for yourself! You never know, you just may like it!
The dialogue in the book is fairly modern, there are references to a couple of the ladies being "hot" and another character being "freaked out". This may or may not mesh with your idea of a fantasy book but personally I liked the style. There are slices of humour in there that are more often than not just one-liners; like a pushy, fake smile man being "a used-horse salesman, what did you expect?"
For me, this is definitely one to keep and the other two in the trilogy are now firmly on my wishlist. Is it for you? Take a chance and read it for yourself! You never know, you just may like it!
August 16, 2013
This book truly took me by suurprise. I had not really expected much from it, however found myself enthralled nearly at page one! Taylor brought the characters to life in a way that made me feel like I had met a few new friends. He created a world that was unique and interesting. Legon and Sasha lived in a world complicated by rules and guidelines derived by a queen and enforced by her Iumeta army. Taylor was able to describe the situations and people with rich details and enabled the reader to understand these unusual circumstances as though they were perfecty natural. Sasha is a strong female role who is slowly growing into her character. It will be interesting to see her develop as she realizes that her "possession" is not what she has always believed it to be and people begin to see her as the truly beautiful person she is. Keifer too has much growing and developing to do.
Bring on book two!!
Bring on book two!!
February 16, 2025
1.5 ⭐️
It’s giving Eragon if Eragon was boring and not much happened. Very generic fantasy novel. There are some good attributes, but it is overshadowed by overly descriptive passages explaining really nothing, because it’s just a boring journey for most of the book with few challenges, battles, etc. So much was glazed over and/or oversimplified.
What I liked:
- Elves rather than fae. Over the whole fae mention.
- Dragons not actually being dragons but instead ascended elves in high enough magic classes.
- PINK DRAGON!!!
- Mantic is a hot name 👀
- Hoelaria being the evil “Queen” absolutely SENT me 😂
- Sasha trying to hook up Legon with any available woman was hilarious. Especially Iselin, since that’s essentially feeding him to the wolves…I mean dragons.
- I’m confused why Iselin got upset with Sasha. Putting this in the enjoy section because it does prod me to want to know the why behind it.
- Familiars that transform!
- Power to remove Sara’s tattoo was cool.
- Different colored magic/flames make it a bit more interesting.
- Favorite quote: “Sorry, yes. The usurping whore won’t let us see maps,” Keither said.
What I didn’t care for:
- Extremely boring book. You’re reading ~115 pages before they even leave their boring town, then the journey is still overly boring for the most part. It only gets good in the last 50-ish pages.
- I know that Legon is adopted so they aren’t actually siblings, but there’s very incestuous undertones in this book. Like Legon and Sasha didn’t seem like close siblings but instead like the author was setting them up to fuck at some point.
- At one point, the storyline fast forwarded 2 1/2 months. From knowing nothing to magic to a decent amount without any experience of the struggle.
- The characters are EXTREMELY bland. There’s not much to them, their names don’t really cohesively go together, and there’s no real development other than Keither.
- Legon turns into an elf, but his whole personality sorta shifts and there’s very little shock, processing, etc. He suddenly started talking a bit more eloquently like a fancy elf. It bothered me.
- You can just tell this was written by a guy. Especially Legon expecting Sasha to get over being nearly raped in like 30 seconds basically. Unrealistic.
It’s giving Eragon if Eragon was boring and not much happened. Very generic fantasy novel. There are some good attributes, but it is overshadowed by overly descriptive passages explaining really nothing, because it’s just a boring journey for most of the book with few challenges, battles, etc. So much was glazed over and/or oversimplified.
What I liked:
- Elves rather than fae. Over the whole fae mention.
- Dragons not actually being dragons but instead ascended elves in high enough magic classes.
- PINK DRAGON!!!
- Mantic is a hot name 👀
- Hoelaria being the evil “Queen” absolutely SENT me 😂
- Sasha trying to hook up Legon with any available woman was hilarious. Especially Iselin, since that’s essentially feeding him to the wolves…I mean dragons.
- I’m confused why Iselin got upset with Sasha. Putting this in the enjoy section because it does prod me to want to know the why behind it.
- Familiars that transform!
- Power to remove Sara’s tattoo was cool.
- Different colored magic/flames make it a bit more interesting.
- Favorite quote: “Sorry, yes. The usurping whore won’t let us see maps,” Keither said.
What I didn’t care for:
- Extremely boring book. You’re reading ~115 pages before they even leave their boring town, then the journey is still overly boring for the most part. It only gets good in the last 50-ish pages.
- I know that Legon is adopted so they aren’t actually siblings, but there’s very incestuous undertones in this book. Like Legon and Sasha didn’t seem like close siblings but instead like the author was setting them up to fuck at some point.
- At one point, the storyline fast forwarded 2 1/2 months. From knowing nothing to magic to a decent amount without any experience of the struggle.
- The characters are EXTREMELY bland. There’s not much to them, their names don’t really cohesively go together, and there’s no real development other than Keither.
- Legon turns into an elf, but his whole personality sorta shifts and there’s very little shock, processing, etc. He suddenly started talking a bit more eloquently like a fancy elf. It bothered me.
- You can just tell this was written by a guy. Especially Legon expecting Sasha to get over being nearly raped in like 30 seconds basically. Unrealistic.
April 4, 2025
I listened to the audio narrated book, so my comments don't align with the negative reviews I read prior to taking a chance on it regardless. I didn't run into the gross grammatical errors or choppy sentences found in the book form by some. Instead, I found myself fully engaged in the battles of various life forms, including dragons, elves, and humans. The narration was fine, and the story flowed. I found myself caring for the band of misfits turning warriors. They didn't ask for this bloody battle. It was thrust upon them, and they rose to the fight and cause. I'm finding I am beginning to like this genre as long as I can find a strong storyline.
It was worth my time. Recommended 👍
📚📚📚📚
It was worth my time. Recommended 👍
📚📚📚📚
December 8, 2025
I listened to the audiobook. It was a good enough tale to keep me listening and I got through the 11 hours in 2 days. However, there were a couple of major let down points:
The narration was good, but not great. The voices were very similar and I often couldn’t tell who was supposed to be talking until I was told.
The writing itself was also good, but not great. It felt rather immature in the way the story was told.
Overall I think there is a great tale in here, it just wasn’t told in the great manner it maybe deserved.
The narration was good, but not great. The voices were very similar and I often couldn’t tell who was supposed to be talking until I was told.
The writing itself was also good, but not great. It felt rather immature in the way the story was told.
Overall I think there is a great tale in here, it just wasn’t told in the great manner it maybe deserved.
December 1, 2019
Fast paced and moving
The story of Legon's heritage was interesting and satisfying. He seems a little clueless at times but I believe that's due to being sheltered so long from the truth. I really enjoyed his dilemma and Sasha's presence was captivating.
The story of Legon's heritage was interesting and satisfying. He seems a little clueless at times but I believe that's due to being sheltered so long from the truth. I really enjoyed his dilemma and Sasha's presence was captivating.
Read
August 22, 2020I Love this book a real page turner, I took a fair time completing this book, but it was not due to the quality of the book, but my available time, if you are a fantasy lover, a real epic one, this is the book for you. Wonderful book!!!!!
June 11, 2021
Knew I didn't like before the 1st chapter
You know it's important to make an impression in the 1st chapter, this didn't make the cut, cruelty in the forward did not impress me at all, don't even want to save it
You know it's important to make an impression in the 1st chapter, this didn't make the cut, cruelty in the forward did not impress me at all, don't even want to save it
dnf
August 5, 2019DNF 1% inconsistent and incomplete formatting and tense. If the author can't be bothered with the first page to be perfect, then I can't be bothered to read it.
aa-to-read-kindle
October 31, 2019Included in Dark Matter & Dragons
May 4, 2020
Long story short, this is a simplified copy of the Wheel of Time series by Robert Jordan. It's pretty well-written, but there were too many parallels for me; one WoT series is enough for my lifetime.
January 27, 2021
Excellent Book
Starts off simple and gains complexity as the characters grow and develop through the various experiences of the storyline. Great battle action to cap it off.
Starts off simple and gains complexity as the characters grow and develop through the various experiences of the storyline. Great battle action to cap it off.
January 18, 2024
Did not enjoy this one.
September 11, 2016
A review for the trilogy:
The first book was good at introducing the characters, the conflict and the system (of fighting and magic etc.). It had a slow start in my mind, the middle was a little faster (because he started to learn to use magic more) and the end was great.
The second book once again had a slow start and a little faster middle with a great end.
The third book moved at a constant pace forward but the fights didn't really seem to change much. It was like... Ok the dragons engage the enemy dragons over the city, clear a path to drop ground troops in behind the enemy gates and take the town. The next town they take they do the same thing.
Now the bad:
I really expected more, the first book seemed like it was just brushing the surface of tactics to use when fighting with magic, including having cool 'minor' strengths like in biology or elemental magic, that allows you to have extra strength in those areas. After reading in the first book all the ways to fight with magic, I expected it to continue to become more advanced as they tried to outsmart the enemy instead of just trying the usual brute force.
The magic system is pretty much rated in classes. Humans are class 1-2, elves 1-5 and dragons 6-8. As the ranks increase, the power levels grow exponentially. The difference between 1 and 2 isnt much, but the difference between 7 and 8 is mountains of power. So much that it's like there are 2-3 classes between 7 and 8. That is how it is described in the first book. What I didn't like, was when class 8's fought, the author wrote the fights making it seem like 8 is barely stronger than 7 and a few 7's could gang up and take out an 8 easily.
I think the main character was too weak also. He is supposed to be the strongest except one who is his equal in strength at the end (enemy side) yet it seemed like the author decided while writing the fight scenes that it would just be easier to make him weaker so he would have 'more of a challenge' rather than him fighting weaker enemies that challenge him not with strength but clever tactics.
The author had a lot of things that didn't exactly match up throughout the books which detracted from the story. The above example is just one. Others included a character noticing something strange and worth investigating, but then nothing ends up happening almost like the author forgot about that scene a couple chapters back.
There were a few chapters where he introduced a new character (Ashley for example) who was later interviewed and overall served zero purpose for the story or plot. It was a complete waste of words.
The last thing that bothered me was in the first book, you are introduced to the names (and faces so to speak) of the enemy army. They start to develop a personality, abet a very small personality that ends up only lasting for a chapter. The very first chapter of the very first book for that matter. Then you don't hear about them at all for the rest of the book. They just become one huge faceless army. The author I think spent too much time making up relationship struggles with the like 10 of the protagonists closest friends while it would of been nicer if he focused more on the battle by 1) giving the enemy a face and a personality and 2) focusing more on fights using clever tactics (both sides).
That being said, I'm still rating the series a 3 instead of 2 because I happen to love humanoids that can shift into a dragons or dragons with a mind link to dragon riders.
The first book was good at introducing the characters, the conflict and the system (of fighting and magic etc.). It had a slow start in my mind, the middle was a little faster (because he started to learn to use magic more) and the end was great.
The second book once again had a slow start and a little faster middle with a great end.
The third book moved at a constant pace forward but the fights didn't really seem to change much. It was like... Ok the dragons engage the enemy dragons over the city, clear a path to drop ground troops in behind the enemy gates and take the town. The next town they take they do the same thing.
Now the bad:
I really expected more, the first book seemed like it was just brushing the surface of tactics to use when fighting with magic, including having cool 'minor' strengths like in biology or elemental magic, that allows you to have extra strength in those areas. After reading in the first book all the ways to fight with magic, I expected it to continue to become more advanced as they tried to outsmart the enemy instead of just trying the usual brute force.
The magic system is pretty much rated in classes. Humans are class 1-2, elves 1-5 and dragons 6-8. As the ranks increase, the power levels grow exponentially. The difference between 1 and 2 isnt much, but the difference between 7 and 8 is mountains of power. So much that it's like there are 2-3 classes between 7 and 8. That is how it is described in the first book. What I didn't like, was when class 8's fought, the author wrote the fights making it seem like 8 is barely stronger than 7 and a few 7's could gang up and take out an 8 easily.
I think the main character was too weak also. He is supposed to be the strongest except one who is his equal in strength at the end (enemy side) yet it seemed like the author decided while writing the fight scenes that it would just be easier to make him weaker so he would have 'more of a challenge' rather than him fighting weaker enemies that challenge him not with strength but clever tactics.
The author had a lot of things that didn't exactly match up throughout the books which detracted from the story. The above example is just one. Others included a character noticing something strange and worth investigating, but then nothing ends up happening almost like the author forgot about that scene a couple chapters back.
There were a few chapters where he introduced a new character (Ashley for example) who was later interviewed and overall served zero purpose for the story or plot. It was a complete waste of words.
The last thing that bothered me was in the first book, you are introduced to the names (and faces so to speak) of the enemy army. They start to develop a personality, abet a very small personality that ends up only lasting for a chapter. The very first chapter of the very first book for that matter. Then you don't hear about them at all for the rest of the book. They just become one huge faceless army. The author I think spent too much time making up relationship struggles with the like 10 of the protagonists closest friends while it would of been nicer if he focused more on the battle by 1) giving the enemy a face and a personality and 2) focusing more on fights using clever tactics (both sides).
That being said, I'm still rating the series a 3 instead of 2 because I happen to love humanoids that can shift into a dragons or dragons with a mind link to dragon riders.
January 1, 2012
I received this as a free kindle download. This is the story of Legon and his sister Sasha who are forced from their small mountain village into a world of magic and dragons. I would not recommend this to readers with weak stomachs because of the detailed violence. People are not just killed, their demise is medically detailed with amounts of blood and which tendons are involved. It sounded slightly clinical in the details. Like someone who had medical training wrote those parts.
That said, the world is well thought out and the author knows it well. Although I didn't need to know every little detail as sometimes described relating to the mechanics of some of the magic.
The characters' language was a bit too modern. There was too much modern slang in it and made the story sometimes sound foolish. The language was easy to follow but like one reviewer said, why were they "fist bumping" with elves and calling themselves "hot" when they had on nice clothes in a fantasy. It just seemed out of place especially after what some of these characters went through.
For these reasons it was hard to immerse myself in the story of this world. Was this a distant future or a completely new and fantasy world?
I gave it three stars because of the world built and story potential. The characters were funny sometimes but really not individuals. We knew what everyone was thinking and they pretty much sounded all the same. And when there could have been potential for a character to really stand out, it didn't happen.
This is a series and I'm not sure of the outcome. I'm not sure the author knows either. Our hero Legon has no idea what he's destined to do and neither does the reader. Sometimes you have an inkling of where the story will lead, but in this first book of the series I was not made to care enough about Legon to find out his purpose.
Great imagination. Just like Keither there just needs to be a little more writing practice and training to reach the full potential.
That said, the world is well thought out and the author knows it well. Although I didn't need to know every little detail as sometimes described relating to the mechanics of some of the magic.
The characters' language was a bit too modern. There was too much modern slang in it and made the story sometimes sound foolish. The language was easy to follow but like one reviewer said, why were they "fist bumping" with elves and calling themselves "hot" when they had on nice clothes in a fantasy. It just seemed out of place especially after what some of these characters went through.
For these reasons it was hard to immerse myself in the story of this world. Was this a distant future or a completely new and fantasy world?
I gave it three stars because of the world built and story potential. The characters were funny sometimes but really not individuals. We knew what everyone was thinking and they pretty much sounded all the same. And when there could have been potential for a character to really stand out, it didn't happen.
This is a series and I'm not sure of the outcome. I'm not sure the author knows either. Our hero Legon has no idea what he's destined to do and neither does the reader. Sometimes you have an inkling of where the story will lead, but in this first book of the series I was not made to care enough about Legon to find out his purpose.
Great imagination. Just like Keither there just needs to be a little more writing practice and training to reach the full potential.
April 19, 2014
I've read my fair share of YA fiction and I love it as a genre. Those books are simpler than adult themed books. The characters are often simpler as well. I'm okay with that if done well. This book was too simple in both respects.
The plot is actually the strongest aspect, but that's not saying much. Boy from a remote village is adopted, discovers he has magic powers and is the prophesied one. He has to leave when they come for him and finds his neighbor has been a secret mentor all along. His friends are forced to come with him. On the journey they learn about their new magic skills and have to fight a few times.
The characters are way too simple, saying everything they think bluntly. And they are a weird mix of immature and self-aware. "Legion was mad at them for not telling them about his mother. But he knew that he shouldn't be mad at them. They has always been good parents and so he guessed he was just mad at the situation." That's not an exact quote but many, many situations are explained out like that.
And they win far too easily in most of their fights. The ending section does improve greatly, though. And once the cliche bits are over, there were signs of original ideas coming. For example, the mental network the magic allows was developed nicely. It was hard not be distracted by with the unbelievable thoughts and solutions, though.
The plot is actually the strongest aspect, but that's not saying much. Boy from a remote village is adopted, discovers he has magic powers and is the prophesied one. He has to leave when they come for him and finds his neighbor has been a secret mentor all along. His friends are forced to come with him. On the journey they learn about their new magic skills and have to fight a few times.
The characters are way too simple, saying everything they think bluntly. And they are a weird mix of immature and self-aware. "Legion was mad at them for not telling them about his mother. But he knew that he shouldn't be mad at them. They has always been good parents and so he guessed he was just mad at the situation." That's not an exact quote but many, many situations are explained out like that.
And they win far too easily in most of their fights. The ending section does improve greatly, though. And once the cliche bits are over, there were signs of original ideas coming. For example, the mental network the magic allows was developed nicely. It was hard not be distracted by with the unbelievable thoughts and solutions, though.
May 16, 2015
I thought this was a very fun read, and I highly recommend this to fans of this genre.
Some others have been put off by the use of recent earth sayings, but up front we are told this is not Earth. For some reason, the use of modern American phraseology didn't really bother me.
Elves in this universe are much different than the more familiar types (you know, pretty, petty and arrogant). The modern majority opinion of elves is broken into two seperate "races", the I'll...something, have all the bad features attributed to elves (see previous sentence). The Elves are committed to sharing the planet against the bad guys. Humans, some, are capable of low levels of magic (Level one or two), but one must be a good elf or a bad elf to have a Level 3 or higher capability. The increase between each level is like the increase in Earthquake levels - three is 1,000 times more powerful than a two. Legon is a 5 and meets others who are 6's and 7's. 8 is the highest known level.
There are serious themes in this book that are touched on, slavery and human traffficking being but two. Neither of these things are resolved in Book 1 of this trilogy, but the first big battle of this series goes to the good guys.
Some others have been put off by the use of recent earth sayings, but up front we are told this is not Earth. For some reason, the use of modern American phraseology didn't really bother me.
Elves in this universe are much different than the more familiar types (you know, pretty, petty and arrogant). The modern majority opinion of elves is broken into two seperate "races", the I'll...something, have all the bad features attributed to elves (see previous sentence). The Elves are committed to sharing the planet against the bad guys. Humans, some, are capable of low levels of magic (Level one or two), but one must be a good elf or a bad elf to have a Level 3 or higher capability. The increase between each level is like the increase in Earthquake levels - three is 1,000 times more powerful than a two. Legon is a 5 and meets others who are 6's and 7's. 8 is the highest known level.
There are serious themes in this book that are touched on, slavery and human traffficking being but two. Neither of these things are resolved in Book 1 of this trilogy, but the first big battle of this series goes to the good guys.
September 6, 2016
I choose the book because of the beautiful cover, but the story, while a good story, was not a very good story, and certainly not excellent. There are too many places where serious editing was overlooked, as if the author didn't care enough to clean it up. The explanations drag on instead of being worked into the story, while there is that third race we are never given a description of. The inconsistencies in the character's behaviors and expressions were distracting and a little irritating, again giving the impression the author digressed. Maybe a more up-to-date scenario would be more appropriate for this author. Creating a different world with different behaviors seemed too difficult to stick with. And incorporating modern conveniences later in the story felt more like a lack of imagination. The story was interesting and the characters attractive though both could use a lot of work. I lost interest in continuing the series before I pressed myself to finish this one.
May 7, 2015
The characters are flat and completely without flaws. I couldn't find myself liking or relating to any of them. They were like aliens. Like prequel Star Wars characters.
The violence is excessive and grossly exagerrated. Limbs and heads are flying off in every fight. It reads like a video game where nothing feels at stake. Half the time intense fight scenes were comical just because of the sheer degree of excessive violence. I couldn't involve myself in anything that was happening because I just didn't care.
The main characters were just so... boring. Only Keither, who the rest of the cast endlessly poked fun at, was interesting. But thats because he wasn't perfect at everything (and was overweight and plain compared to the others, which I can sympathize). It reads like a first draft. And for something free, it's okay. But I would never spend money on something like this.
The violence is excessive and grossly exagerrated. Limbs and heads are flying off in every fight. It reads like a video game where nothing feels at stake. Half the time intense fight scenes were comical just because of the sheer degree of excessive violence. I couldn't involve myself in anything that was happening because I just didn't care.
The main characters were just so... boring. Only Keither, who the rest of the cast endlessly poked fun at, was interesting. But thats because he wasn't perfect at everything (and was overweight and plain compared to the others, which I can sympathize). It reads like a first draft. And for something free, it's okay. But I would never spend money on something like this.
June 18, 2014
I'll admit it took me forever to actually read this book. Every day for about two years I would pass by this book on my Nook Shop, hardly even giving it a second glance. Well, what can I say? I thought the cover looked boring (Hey! Give me some slack here! My Nook showed grey and white instead of actual color. It wasn't my fault I couldn't see its true potential). But then yesterday as I was about to pass this book for the umpteenth time, I actually looked at it. And read reviews about it. And looked at it some more. And got it. And it was AWESOME!!! It was such a well thought out story. I instantly fell in love with each of the characters and wove through their story easily. And it had everything a person could want in it! Elves, Dragons, Adventure, Love, Passion, Magic.....
I couldn't even find one thing wrong with it!
AND I AM SO TOTALLY GETTING THE OTHER BOOKS!!
I couldn't even find one thing wrong with it!
AND I AM SO TOTALLY GETTING THE OTHER BOOKS!!
December 5, 2011
I'll start off by saying that this book has a lot of problems that could be fixed if it got the attention of a good editor, but other than that I enjoyed it. After it got going the plot moved along fairly quickly and although different portions of it reminded me of other things I've read, I felt like the plot was unique enough to hold my attention. I have to give Taylor some serious credit for one particular part of the book (which I won't describe so I don't spoil it for everyone); he was willing to go somewhere few fantasy authors go, and I was definitely caught off guard in a good way. Sensitive readers be warned though - Taylor doesn't use details sparingly. When someone gets injured in a sword fight, he takes time to describe the blood and guts.
January 10, 2012
I liked the overall premise of the book, but the modern day expressions really ruined it for me. This was written to be in a pre-industial world and as such, my brain totally rejected ideas such as taking someone out on a date to a restaurant (and talk of who was going to pay), terming women as 'hot', etc.
Also used was - "This stuff is kind of freaking me out a bit." and "Told me it was a great ‘pre-owned horse." Really?!
I may be nitpicking, but can't get beyond that stuff. Maybe it was intentional by the author, but I guess I am too much of a traditionalist to get over it. I kept trying to justify it in my mind while reading and couldn't, so was constantly distracted from the story.
I may try the second book, but for now am just moving on to something else.
Also used was - "This stuff is kind of freaking me out a bit." and "Told me it was a great ‘pre-owned horse." Really?!
I may be nitpicking, but can't get beyond that stuff. Maybe it was intentional by the author, but I guess I am too much of a traditionalist to get over it. I kept trying to justify it in my mind while reading and couldn't, so was constantly distracted from the story.
I may try the second book, but for now am just moving on to something else.
October 19, 2014
2nd read
I had not realized how many "problems" one could find in this book on my 1st read : bad spelling, missing words, double words (I was was...), where for were, awkward sentences, use of 20th century expressions, etc, etc, etc...In all honesty, I should even lower my 1st rating from 3 stars to 2. But...Ah. No. I won't *sigh*
Despite all this, I still like this book and I do not understand why.
Onto Legon Ascension
1st read
Well, surprisingly (and if we don't count the numerous bad spellings), I eventually enjoyed this book. It was an easy read and I will definitely get book 2
I had not realized how many "problems" one could find in this book on my 1st read : bad spelling, missing words, double words (I was was...), where for were, awkward sentences, use of 20th century expressions, etc, etc, etc...In all honesty, I should even lower my 1st rating from 3 stars to 2. But...Ah. No. I won't *sigh*
Despite all this, I still like this book and I do not understand why.
Onto Legon Ascension
1st read
Well, surprisingly (and if we don't count the numerous bad spellings), I eventually enjoyed this book. It was an easy read and I will definitely get book 2
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