“‘A hoard of gold. A cursed bladesman. A talking pain in the axe.’ High in goblin-infested mountains lies the ruins of Ter Dell, the lost stronghold of the dwarves. Evil lurks beneath layers of ice and broken stone, buried in a vault of gold, hungering for the day that man's greed would see it unearthed. That day has come. For I am Rheanon, one of the adoptive daughters of Lady Eville – and I'm trapped in a web of deceit with the King's deadly blades-enchanted beings that guard the king and hunt those with magic. Beset by enemies, I must use my gift of alchemy to forge a sentient blade with ancient knowledge and a sharp edge. I needed a powerful weapon. I got a giant pain in the axe.”
What is the book about?
Lady Eville has sensed trouble in her childhood home, the kingdom of Kiln, since now every time she tries to spy through her magic mirror, she sees nothing but fog. To help solve the problem, she sends one of her adoptive daughters, Rheanon, far into north. As Rhea grows closer to the mountains and the ruins of Ter Dell, the destroyed home of the dwarves, she also senses a darkness surrounding the kingdom, coming from deep within the mountains. However it seems that this is more than just dark magic and that it is a curse that will plague any greedy being. On her journey to find the source, Rhea finds herself in the palace, growing closer to the king’s blades, his deadly and unnatural guards. As she runs from her enemies and tries to help Kiln, Rhea uses her gift of alchemy to forge a magical, sentient blade with ancient knowledge, a sharp blade and the ability to never stop talking. So Rhea sets off with her giant pain in the axe to a place she isn’t sure we will come out from…
What were your initial thoughts on the book?
Initially, I was confident that I would enjoy this book and nothing shook my confidence, even as I read the blurb and then started reading the book. Once I finished the previous book, Of Mist and Murder, I was curious to learn more about Rhea, however there was no cliff-hanger ending that left me desperate to read Of Gold and Greed. So, after a day of not reading, I finally decided it was time to pick up the book and start to read it. When I started to read, I soon got back into the world of the 7 kingdoms and 7 daughters of Lady Eville, who somehow kept ending up married to the next king of one of the kingdoms. I was glad to see that this book was back to the ones where the adventure was one which their mother had ordered, and I soon grew to enjoy Rhea’s perspective. It didn’t take long for me to see that my initial thoughts were correct and my confidence was not misplaced.
Who was your favourite character and why?
My favourite character would probably have to be either Honor or Rumple. Even though Honor’s involvement was limited and she didn’t spend long on the page, I immediately loved her and I can’t wait to read her story next. She was so brave and strong and I admired the fact that even though she didn’t have magic like her sisters and wasn’t a sorceress and at time she probably felt like the outcast of the family, she kept strong and excelled at other things, such as fighting and risking her life to save her sisters. She was ridiculously smart, brave and was ready for anything. The other character I liked was Rumple because of how funny and entertaining he was. Despite him not having arms, legs or an actual body, he always had something to comment on and it was always something ridiculous. I loved the nickname he gave Kash and I always found it hilarious when he spoke because I had no idea how it was possible and it was so entertaining. The funny side character is always appreciated, especially through tough times, and I was definitely grateful for the laughs.
What was your favourite part of the book and why?
I don’t really think that I have an actual favourite part; however one part that I did enjoy was near the end when Rhea defeats the source of the trouble in Kiln, however not in the way she expected. Compared to the other books, where the destruction of the main villain was a happy victory moment, in Of Gold and Greed this part of the book was actually quite sad because it turned out that the villain they were looking for was not as evil as they thought. Not only that, but the characters had believed they had all lost someone close to them and they were still grieving. However the most important bit is the fact that the villain was not fully evil, and turned good at the end, risking their life in order to save another. I loved this because of how representative it is of people: humans aren’t fully good or evil, it is just the situation we are in and how we feel that determines what we are like, so if you just help the person you thought was the villain you may find that they weren’t as bad as you thought.
What was your overall impression of the book?
Overall, Of Gold and Greed was a great book and, although I didn’t enjoy it as much as the other books in the series, I still liked it. One thing that I liked about the book was how fast-paced the book was and how I found it easy to enjoy and read. Although the plot and the characters may not have been as well developed as with other books, I still enjoyed it and found it was just as fast-paced and still read it in very little time, finding myself in a similar situation as with the other books because I wanted answers so didn’t want to put the book down. Another thing that I liked about the book was the fact that I got to learn more about Rhea and also her sister Honor, the daughter of Eville I had yet to hear from. In fact I probably learnt more secrets about Honor than I did about Rhea, which is probably another reason that I didn’t like the book as much as previous ones. I was hoping for another huge reveal about the identity of Rhea’s parents and about what Rhea’s powers meant, however I got nothing, which meant there was one less secret and twist in the plot. However, learning about Honor and the truth about why she was kept away from her sisters did give me a little more to enjoy about the book. Of Gold and Greed was a good book and after the introduction of the final daughter of Eville I can’t wait to read the final book of the Daughter of Eville series, Of Secrets and Slippers, (though I am still sad to see the series end).
Would you recommend this book?
Of Gold and Greed was a great read and I do recommend reading it, but after all of the previous books in the series. It is perfect for those over 14 who enjoy reading fantasy, romance, and adventure books and love fairy tale retellings.
Summarise the book in one sentence. (Verdict)
Another romantic fairy tale adventure filled with secrets and darkness that only a daughter of Eville can destroy.
Reviewed by Jimena Gutierrez Reviriego
No comments:
Post a Comment