Book Review: The Books of Pellinor Series by Alison Croggon
The Books of Pellinor is my very favorite fantasy series. It is not very well known, and I have not met anyone who has ever heard of it. It is a fantastic adventure, and the characters are wonderful.
The books, in order, are The Naming, The Riddle, The Crow, and The Singing.
The story follows a young girl, Maerad, who grew up a slave. One day in the cow byre she discovers a man, who seems as surprised to see her as she is to see him. He requests secrecy as to his presence and asks her to return that evening to speak to him. She tells no one and returns to the cow byre after her chores are completed. He tells her that he is a Bard, and that he has special abilities, including invisibility. He went into the cow byre to rest undisturbed, but Maerad could see him, which only another Bard would have been able to. This man, Cadvan, offers to take her away from the slave encampment. She has no idea what to expect and where he will lead her, but she trusts him.
Cadvan brings her to a city that is a home for Barding, a place where Bards learn their abilities and skills, and how to control their power. There she is shown kindness and love, unconditionally. She finds the life of a Bard strange and frightening because kindness is so foreign to her, but she loves those around her and does not ever want to leave.
However, there is something strange about young Maerad. Something strange about her abilities and skills. Her power is unusually strong and wild, beyond anything that would be caused by being uneducated. Cadvan leads her on a path to discover who she is that becomes something no one ever imagined.
The characters in these books feel real, especially Maerad. The tale is complex without becoming confusing. The author created a whole new world with different cultures and beliefs. Her imagination conjured creatures that are believable. The war that emerges in the latter half of the series is very real, and the costs of war are clearly visualized through both characters and events intertwined.
The series brings the reader through joy and deep sadness, grief, loss, pain, doubt, fear, hope, and every kind of love. I give it an enthusiastic:
The books, in order, are The Naming, The Riddle, The Crow, and The Singing.
The story follows a young girl, Maerad, who grew up a slave. One day in the cow byre she discovers a man, who seems as surprised to see her as she is to see him. He requests secrecy as to his presence and asks her to return that evening to speak to him. She tells no one and returns to the cow byre after her chores are completed. He tells her that he is a Bard, and that he has special abilities, including invisibility. He went into the cow byre to rest undisturbed, but Maerad could see him, which only another Bard would have been able to. This man, Cadvan, offers to take her away from the slave encampment. She has no idea what to expect and where he will lead her, but she trusts him.
Cadvan brings her to a city that is a home for Barding, a place where Bards learn their abilities and skills, and how to control their power. There she is shown kindness and love, unconditionally. She finds the life of a Bard strange and frightening because kindness is so foreign to her, but she loves those around her and does not ever want to leave.
However, there is something strange about young Maerad. Something strange about her abilities and skills. Her power is unusually strong and wild, beyond anything that would be caused by being uneducated. Cadvan leads her on a path to discover who she is that becomes something no one ever imagined.
The characters in these books feel real, especially Maerad. The tale is complex without becoming confusing. The author created a whole new world with different cultures and beliefs. Her imagination conjured creatures that are believable. The war that emerges in the latter half of the series is very real, and the costs of war are clearly visualized through both characters and events intertwined.
The series brings the reader through joy and deep sadness, grief, loss, pain, doubt, fear, hope, and every kind of love. I give it an enthusiastic:
Photo credit Katherine Elizabeth
Stars Image Credit: lovethenerddesigns
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