January 4, 2017sarahylockwood

The Warded Man by Peter V. Brett

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Rate: 4/5

Medium: Kindle

Overview (No Spoilers):

My friend Cory has been encouraging me for months to pick up the Demon Cycle series. We even made a deal, he reads Queen of the Tearling and I pick up The Warded Man, however I kept delaying holding up my end of the bargain. With the holiday season in full swing and an open day ahead of me I finally picked up The Warded Man and finished it on one sitting! Brett created a fascinating world that immediately draws the reader in and immerses them into a realm where a variety of demons terrorize the night. The humans are overwhelmingly helpless to their lot in life as they have no weapons to fight back against the demons, only holding them at bay with a series of Wards. Much of this book is set up to explain the basics of the Wards, history of this world, and the layout/cultures of the various large cities. The novel follows three point of views, Arlen, Leesha, and Rojer, through their various experiences. These characters are absolutely delightful, especially Arlan as they encounter many adventures, each broadening our knowledge of the realm in which they inhabit. Overall, The Warded Man is well worth the read and I can’t wait to see where the series is headed! There is so much mystery, intrigue and history within the debut of this literary world that the additional books will only build upon the solid foundation that The Warded Man has set into place, setting the stage for a truely in-depth, detailed series.

Additional Insight (Spoilers Abound):

  1. I loved how much Arlen’s character grew in the series. He started out a meek little farmer’s son, grew into an adventurous Messenger before finding the ancient spear covered in forgotten attack Wards. The betrayal of his friend in Krasia to steal the spear was incredibly hurtful on many levels. Especially for Arlen, I feel as though it was an awakening moment for him to realize that all men did not have the same  overwhelming goals as he did to unite and kill the demons. Why did Jadir betray him?
  2. After the betrayal, Arlen learns that he could tattoo the attack Wards on himself, hence becoming the Warded Man to battle the demons himself. Why does he not seek to teach other his ways? Why is he a loner? He appeared to have lost the bigger purpose of his goal until meeting Leesha.
  3. I hated that Arlen did not go home to the Messenger and his wife that had taken him in after he left to become a messenger. How could he just abandon the people that  supported him and had treated him as a son?
  4. Leesha was such a strong female character, however after her assault on the road her romance with Arlen seemed forced. How had they interacted enough for them both to go again every instinct they had exhibited within the book against forming a romantic relationship?
  5. I loved the battle scene at the end of the book with the villagers finally holding their ground!
  6. I never felt a deep connection to Rojer, however I found his musical effect on the demons fascinating. What does it mean they can be influenced by music so? Arlen hints that he thinks there is more to the demons, what till this mean for a bigger picture? Also, will Arlan travel to the Core?

 

31 comments

  1. I didn’t read the spoilers, because I’ve also been wanting to read this book forever. My husband won a copy at a Comic Con event and it’s been sitting on our shelf ever since. I keep meaning to pick it up, but my to-read list is too large. :p But, if you think it’s good (and you read it in one sitting!), I think I need to make it more of a priority. Thanks for sharing!

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  2. I agree with all your comments, including what you’ve said about the Leesha-Arlen relationship, and I’ve read the whole series (as available so far), except for the short story collection. In the later books, Brett tells Jardir’s and Inevra’s side of the story as well as continuing to follow Arlen et al’s adventures. I interviewed Brett a couple years ago: https://fantasycollective.wordpress.com/2015/03/31/interview-with-peter-v-brett-author-of-the-warded-man-the-demon-cycle/

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  3. This books is Amazing!!!! Although it’s called the Painted Man in the U.K.! Check out my review! It’s the first one I ever did in my blog!

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  5. I absolutely loved your review of this. I recently read “The Warded Man” as well and absolutely fell in love with it. And I had similar opinions regarding Rojer, Arlen and the romance. I am eager to get my hands on the next book and can’t wait to see your review when you do, as well. 🙂

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  6. Hello lovely lady who like every single one of our posts!

    We liked this review and we read all the spoilers despite not having read the book. We’re interested to see if we’ll have the same feeling about forced romance between Arlen and Leesha (Did we get their names right?) as you did.

    We’ve a think against forced romances as you know😂 We’ll be checking your blog out more often from now on.

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