I can’t recall reading a book by Thomas Locke before, but The Golden Vial gives me a good feel for his work and causes me to want to read more. Nuts about Books sent me this book as a review.
I found the Golden Vial to be a book that drew me in. I wanted to know more about Dally and the enemy she and the land faced. BUT I found the book too fast-paced. Let me explain what I mean. The book moved at a good pace but I found that I wanted it to slow down and develop the characters a bit more and answer the questions I had.
It seemed like it was always GO GO GO GO and none of the stop, smell the roses, get healed up, take some time to see your surroundings, catch your bearings, and let’s give the reader a breather. Instead, it was “get injured, get up you are needed”. “You collapsed.. GET UP YOU ARE NEEDED”. Dally was never given the time she needed to truly heal properly and yet she was expected to do great and marvellous things. I suppose by the end of the book I was less amazed at her abilities to keep going and more annoyed with those who SHOULD HAVE taken care of her who didn’t really. Does the state of the world truly revolve around a girl that you just discovered five days before?
The annoyance I felt at them took away from my enjoyment of the book as a whole.
Was it a good story? For sure. I wanted to know what was going on.
Would I want to read a second installment? Yes, I’m curious to know more about the enemy.
Do I want more details? YES, the details on the actual people seemed light, it seemed glossed over a bit too much.
Should YOU go read it? If you like fantasy and seeing good triumph over evil because they outsmarted them.. YES. It wasn’t a “we are stronger than you scenario” but more of a “can we think smarter than you?” I have a firm appreciation for those types of books. Outsmart others and use the strengths you have.
The Golden Vial
Thomas Locke
Series: Legends of the Realm
Revell
295 pages, trade paperback
Fiction, Fantasy, Magic
Reviewed for Nuts about Books.
Find it on Amazon.
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