The Exiled Heir

4,5 stars I had issues recently with picking up books I ended up not finishing because I didn't enjoy them at all. It's a consequence of A, me trying new authors and B, not having any reservations when it comes to just dropping books if I'm not having fun with them. But now I was getting annoyed, so I went with someone I knew I liked. On the surface this is another book where a bunch of random people team up to save the whole world from total destruction. It has all kinds of Fae, humans of course, those two mixed together, even rooster-people. Yes, gigantic roosters with arms, who can speak and do shit, it's actually pretty awesome if you're asking me. So far it sounds nothing special. But we are talking about Jonathan French, so there is that to be a bit extra. Again, he touches creatures I don't really like that much, in this case it's the Fae. One of our most important characters is a cute girl with wings. But still, I have no idea how, but the guy has such a good sense when it comes to writing a book that is enjoyable. I am convinced it is more than learning the art of putting words together and such. It is something he does as an instinct an I can't help appreciating it. You get attached. Somehow this book genuinely feels like part of something bigger, just a small slice of events that all happen during thousands of years and connect all the different characters and races. When a new element is added it fits. It does feel like the whole world is mapped out, not at all like the author just needed to throw in something and he desperately made it fit. ([b:The Emperor's Blades 17910124 The Emperor's Blades (Chronicle of the Unhewn Throne, #1) Brian Staveley https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1369246817s/17910124.jpg 25095579] , take note.) For a beginner it's especially impressive; what will this guy do later? Of course I have read [b:The Grey Bastards 27838712 The Grey Bastards (The Lot Lands, #1) Jonathan French https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1447657324s/27838712.jpg 47822077] by him, which was also brilliant, so there is that, but really, I feel there are no limits for Mr. French. It all just feels very old, like every single thing has a rich history. We aren't swamped by unnecessary infodumps, though. Delicate balance there, something not even ll the more famous and experienced authors can always manage perfectly. Now that said, I only gave it 4,5 stars. Why? Sometimes the conversations and thought processes weren't as logical and obvious that I would have liked. It felt a tiny bit of a beginner mistake, which is excusable as it is a first novel, it happens rarely and the rest of the book is really damn great. I also needed a bit of time to learn who was who, because I have issues with names, especially if they sound similar. I mean I understand that, though, they should sound like names of a cohesive language and culture. I'm also more willing to overlook minor bumps as I know for a fact that the author realised these, he took care of them and managed to learn how to avoid being confusing and vague. It's great to see that, honestly. It's hard to talk about the plot without giving away too much or sounding kind of deranged, trying to put together so many things. Just trust me on this, it's fun. There is a lot of action, it's not boring and it's creative. Now one of the things I pointed out about [b:The Grey Bastards 27838712 The Grey Bastards (The Lot Lands, #1) Jonathan French https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1447657324s/27838712.jpg 47822077] was how the plot twists were genuinely big, they changed all the things about the world you assumed to know. Here it's not that extreme and it doesn't even matter. The story is able to carry its own weight by just being so well done. I had one worry about this book before starting, namely if Mr. French could show a different face than his other series. That one has crass humour and a lot of it, it's just rough and hilarious like that. This isn't anything similar, not even close and that lets us know he is not some one trick pony. Again, where was this guy hiding? In a day and age when so many authors are super famous just writing the same stale stuff over and over again. We need to have higher standards for ourselves. There are such brilliant authors like this out there, unknown ones that you just have to discover. We don't have to just go with the big names because they are obvious choices. I salute all the new faces, like Jonathan French, Nicholas Eames, Benedict Patrick, etc. I will definitely read the sequel of this and if he ever writes more, that too for sure. I'm going to add Mr. French to the list of my favourite authors as well, because I can. There. Have a nice day and look for the new faces!