My, my, my... What have I gotten myself into?

I have finally finished the first book of the very long series...I did enjoy it though, and I'm hoping that I'm one of those people who love the whole series!

Rand, Mat and Perrin.. Three normal quiet village boys... So they thought! They dreamed of adventure and boy did they get it! This book really gets you questioning. You really get to know the characters and then throughout the book little hints and bits of information which is like *BOOM* Plot twist! Bet you didn't expect that! I kinda got to the stage where I thought I had it figured out but nope wrong again.. So in the end I gave up trying to foretell what was going to happen. Cause I was wrong just about every time.... But that could just be me.. Who knows?

Sometimes, the information and in depth detailing got a bit long and I found myself skimming the pages. But once again that's probably me and my style of reading.

Just a few things I liked about the book:

• The Way of the Leaf. "The leaf lives its appointed time, and does not struggle against the wind that carries it away. The leaf does no harm, and finally falls to nourish new leaves. So it should be with all men. And women"
• Both Rand and Perrin have no idea how to handle women! The funny thing is, when they were in one of those situations they both ended up thinking "Rand would know how to handle this" or the other way around! I giggled at that part.
• I loved the one bit of "poetry" from one of the other main characters -Lan the Warder (and so much more, I believe)- "The rose petal floats on water" Lan recited slowly, "The kingfisher flashes above the pond. Life and beauty swirl in the midst of death."

Towards the end I was kinda thinking "There's only 50 more Pages to go! How are you gunna round it all up to end?" And much to my dislike, the end did feel rushed. It was all resolved a little too quickly, though the very last sentence was done perfect. A little suspense and awe that you want to read the next book, and at the same time, resolved enough that you could end it all there, at the one book, with no regrets.

Overall, I thoroughly enjoyed reading this book and getting to know the characters. I liked the humour, it showed that the three boys are still quite young, with very big futures ahead. The slight love interests between some of the characters, I kinda thought they were cute and non-expectant. The fast paced moments I tended to enjoy the most but it did settle into an even medium/steady pace. Which I didn't mind.

And so, from me, I give The Eye of the World 4 thumbs up! :D

For those who haven't read it, and are into Fantasy, I highly recommend that you at least give it ago. Don't be turned off by the fact that there are over a dozen books in the series. Because the first book itself is quite a story!

I'm not sure whether I should go straight into the second book or maybe read a few shorter stand alone books first... Any recommendations?

Across the sea lies a newly discovered continent, a world whose forests and beasts are unknown to the recorded memory of elves, dwarves, or men. 

In this land called Mira, the brutal sacking of a young colony links the fates of two opposite characters: a twelve-year-old printer's son named Simon Jones and his long-lost uncle Tiberius Bogg, one of Mira's legendary mountain men. 

Simon is small, but smart; scared but determined. Bogg, with his raccoon-skin cap and smart-talking grammar abuse, is fast as a splintercat and stealthy as a hidebehind. Together, they turn the tables and pursue their attackers (a cruel knight and his soldiers from the old country) through a wilderness full of extraordinary creatures – jackelopes and thunderbirds, fur-bearing trout and four-legged hills – all culled from American tall tales, Indian legends, and backwoods folklore.

My Review: 

I overall enjoyed this novel. The plot, the characters, the creatures! They were unique, it's a book that gets your imagination going I think. A bit of mythological creatures plus a few new ones..

Bogg, I think is a likable gruffy character who has no idea how to deal with having his "unknown" nephew thrown upon him. Or with people in general. But he is a good man... and likable definitely. Humorous, sassy, intelligent... Just to name a few features. 

Simon, like is said in the book description, he is small, smart, scared and determined. From Boggs POV, you can see him changing from a small, helpless, orphaned boy to a young, strong, quick-learning man (even though the time period of the books is maybe like a month if that).

I like how Simon gets Bogg into these funny/odd predicaments, that Bogg would not have usually gotten himself into. And as the story goes along you can kinda see Simon turning into a mini Bogg. Bogg himself I think can't even help but feel proud of the little boy! 

This eBook really is a good read. I recommend it to anyone really... Whether you enjoy fantasy or not, it's a thoroughly good book. Fast paced, good descriptive, got some humour, action, adventure, a good all rounder book...Not a book to be taken to seriously but for a free book, it's a rare thing. (To find a good well written book for free.) 

Its a Thumbs Up book for me!