I admit, when I opened the mail and saw the size of this book, I was overwhelmed. Once I began reading, I was done with it within 3 days.
While the book is certainly long, and in parts very wordy and descriptive, it still holds your attention. Even though it is part of a
…more saga, it still is able to stand on its own. The characters are well developed and the storyline has many twists and folds and subjects, so you never feel like you're in an area too long.
I loved imagining New Zealand while reading, all the beauty and different towns the characters visited and toured. The native aspect was interesting and so was the sheep farmer part. It's a book with so many different cultures and areas and stories, that you constantly feel drawn in and fulfilled. To go from a small town with an inn, to huge estates, to sheep farms and barns, to native villages, to musical tours and performance houses, to a poor mining village, to brothels, etc. made the length seem valid. There was so much to tell and describe, it was ever changing. If the author had only 3 or 4 things to discuss in 700 pages I would get bored, but she kept a great pace with lots of subjects, locations, and character lines.
Upon completion of the book, I ordered the prequel so I could learn about the previous generation. And I'm looking forward to future books to see where the story unfolds in the future! (less)
