“I picked this book up shortly before boarding a trans-US flight, not expecting much except that it would help pass the 5+ hours trapped in coach . . . . Ms. Strauss has created an interesting world, with some innovative ideas, but never really goes anywhere with it. I, personally, did not find the characters all that interesting, nor did I notice any development, despite the fact that the story takes place over the span of several years. In the end, this was just another, decent fantasy work. A good way to pass the time, but not something worth reading twice.” (Amazon Review)
“Poor and disappointing . . . . I was hoping for something enchanting but unfortunately the only unusual thing about this story was that it was deeply disappointing. When you have a plot centring around the chaos caused by the invention of a new kind of plow you know that a book is not going to be troubling Hollywood any time soon. Usually the staple of stories like these are more dramatic and epic quests of good against bad, of world’s torn apart – not a badly plotted crisis brought on by a plow. This made this story more unintentionally comic than dramatic for me. The overblown and overwritten synopsis by the author should have been warning enough for fans of the genre like me to steer clear: ‘when Bron’s brother invents a new kind of plow-an unpardonable heresy in the world of the Guardians-the Arm of the Stone reaches in once again.’ Not recommended, unless you like unintentional comedies. (Amazon Review)
References
BadReads 