Read Online The Wretched of Muirwood Legends of Muirwood Book 1 eBook Jeff Wheeler
In the ancient and mystical land of Muirwood, Lia has known only a life of servitude. Labeled a “wretched,” an outcast unwanted and unworthy of respect, Lia is forbidden to realize her dream to read or write. All but doomed, her days are spent toiling away as a kitchen slave under the charge of the Aldermaston, the Abbey’s watchful overseer. But when an injured squire named Colvin is abandoned at the kitchen’s doorstep, an opportunity arises. The nefarious Sheriff Almaguer soon starts a manhunt for Colvin, and Lia conspires to hide Colvin and change her fate. In the midst of a land torn by a treacherous war between a ruthless king and a rebel army, Lia finds herself on an ominous journey that will push her to wonder if her own hidden magic is enough to set things right. At once captivating, mysterious, and magic-infused, The Wretched of Muirwood takes the classic fantasy adventure and paints it with a story instantly epic, and yet, all its own.
Read Online The Wretched of Muirwood Legends of Muirwood Book 1 eBook Jeff Wheeler
"The Skinny:
Lia Cook is a wretched, an orphan that does not know who her parents are. Working as a cooks apprentice, she has an unreachable dream: she wants to read.
But young Lia has powers beyond what she should have. She is gifted in touching the Medium (kind of The Force in fantasy land). When a young knight is dropped on her doorstep, she gets pulled into a rebellious, and seemingly suicidal, last stand against an evil King.
The Good:
Jeff Wheeler's writes in a solid manner. No complaints there. This is a fast paced Epic Fantasy with a good plot. If it wasn't for the fact that I feel so much déjà vu with the standard tropes, I would have enjoyed this more. Readers that aren't tired of Epic Fantasy will probably find this as a 4 or 5 star read. The fact that I don't enjoy EF that much and still granted this book 3 stars is an endorsement.
The Bad:
This is packed full of overused EF tropes. I read with the constant thought in the back of my mind of "stop me if you've heard this one before..."
If you're looking for something that approaches the sub-genre in a new light, this isn't it.
The Ugly:
I am not educated enough on The Church of Later Day Saints, but I've read elsewhere that Wheeler packs lots of LDS lore into this. It didn't hit me over the head, but it permeates Wheeler's writing as Catholicism permeates Tolkien's. If religious symbolism isn't your thing, then you might not like this one, but if like me you can remain ignorantly blissful, it won't bother you.
Thoughts:
I'm kinda done with big honking thick novels of rehashed GRRM grim-dark, so this was a bit refreshing. This is pure Epic Fantasy, which doesn't happen much anymore. It's nostalgic of fantasy when David Eddings used to wow readers.
I didn't expect much from this, and didn't find much; however, for what it is, I didn't hate it. The true test of any series is the answer to this question: Would you/will you read the next book?
Yes. I will, but I'm not in a hurry."
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The Wretched of Muirwood Legends of Muirwood Book 1 eBook Jeff Wheeler Reviews :
The Wretched of Muirwood Legends of Muirwood Book 1 eBook Jeff Wheeler Reviews
- I very rarely write reviews. I believe that the reader should be free to make up their own mind. In this case I felt I had to, in the very least to help balance the ratings. I do not expect anyone to actually read this review.
I have read all three books. The first book is interesting. The second book starts to get fairly religious and starts using faith to shortcut any sort of problem solving in the the ever increasingly linear plot (deus ex machina). Half way through the third book there is no plot just a conservative Christian explanation of the old testament wrath of God smiting the non-believers, literally deus ex machina.
I was surprised at how many LDS concepts and beliefs could be crammed in three books. Some of which are not supposed to be spoken about openly. These books are ideal for Christian conservatives. Everyone else, you have been warned. - The Skinny
Lia Cook is a wretched, an orphan that does not know who her parents are. Working as a cooks apprentice, she has an unreachable dream she wants to read.
But young Lia has powers beyond what she should have. She is gifted in touching the Medium (kind of The Force in fantasy land). When a young knight is dropped on her doorstep, she gets pulled into a rebellious, and seemingly suicidal, last stand against an evil King.
The Good
Jeff Wheeler's writes in a solid manner. No complaints there. This is a fast paced Epic Fantasy with a good plot. If it wasn't for the fact that I feel so much déjà vu with the standard tropes, I would have enjoyed this more. Readers that aren't tired of Epic Fantasy will probably find this as a 4 or 5 star read. The fact that I don't enjoy EF that much and still granted this book 3 stars is an endorsement.
The Bad
This is packed full of overused EF tropes. I read with the constant thought in the back of my mind of "stop me if you've heard this one before..."
If you're looking for something that approaches the sub-genre in a new light, this isn't it.
The Ugly
I am not educated enough on The Church of Later Day Saints, but I've read elsewhere that Wheeler packs lots of LDS lore into this. It didn't hit me over the head, but it permeates Wheeler's writing as Catholicism permeates Tolkien's. If religious symbolism isn't your thing, then you might not like this one, but if like me you can remain ignorantly blissful, it won't bother you.
Thoughts
I'm kinda done with big honking thick novels of rehashed GRRM grim-dark, so this was a bit refreshing. This is pure Epic Fantasy, which doesn't happen much anymore. It's nostalgic of fantasy when David Eddings used to wow readers.
I didn't expect much from this, and didn't find much; however, for what it is, I didn't hate it. The true test of any series is the answer to this question Would you/will you read the next book?
Yes. I will, but I'm not in a hurry. - I'm a pretty wide reader of fantasy, but I have to demur a little bit from all the rave reviews on this book. I didn't hate it, but I wouldn't say that I liked it. The worldbuilding is pretty good, and the protagonist is likable. The story is pretty standard getting the smaller band of good guys to win against the overwhelming numbers of the bad guys. Fine, acceptable.
What I disliked most about this book, though was the magic system. Without giving too much away, the idea of the magic in this world, called the Medium, is that if you have faith, the Medium will reward you. That is, if you're confident in yourself and what you're doing, you'll succeed. I can understand the parallels that the author is trying to draw behind the Medium and real-world religious faith, but this magic system doesn't make for an interesting story. It robs the characters of initiative. Instead of working hard to find an innovative solution to their problems, the characters just believe in themselves, and the Medium makes them succeed. It's not a terrible story, but because of this big flaw, it's just not engaging.