September 24, 2011

Review : The Priestess of the White by Trudi Canavan

Title : Priestess of the White
Author : Trudi Canavan
Reading Dates : 2 Aug - 7 Aug 2011
Priestess of the White (Age of the Five Trilogy, Book 1)
The Age of the Five
The books in the trilogy:
  • Priestess of the White
  • The Last of the Wilds
  • Voice of the Gods
From Amazon :
In a land on the brink of peace—watched jealously by a ruthless cult from across the sea and beset by hidden enemies—five extraordinary humans must serve as sword and shield of the Gods.

Auraya is one.

Her heroism saved a village from destruction; now Auraya has been named Priestess of the White. The limits of her unique talents must be tested in order to prove her worthy of the honor and grave responsibility awarded to her. But a perilous road lies ahead, fraught with pitfalls that will challenge the newest servant of the gods. An enduring friendship with a Dreamweaver—a member of an ancient outcast sect of sorcerer-healers—could destroy Auraya's future. And her destiny has set her in conflict with a powerful and mysterious, black-clad sorcerer with but a single purpose: the total annihilation of the White. And he is not alone . . .


Book Review of Priestess of the White.
Priestess of the White is the book I like least in The Age of the Five trilogy. This has been true no matter whether it was my first time reading it or my subsequent re-reads. The only reason I read it is actually because of the next 2 books.

The first book focuses on Auraya of the White, which I’ve never managed to like. Auraya, like her fellow White and Circlians, strikes me as hypocrites. How they justify the things they do as for the betterment for all is the greatest mystery to me. The fact that their gods are so petty and intolerant of peaceful healers should have been the obvious giveaway that all is not as it seems. Instead, Auraya justifies some of her decisions as being for the good of everyone. Definitely, not a heroine I can like.

But it is that very contrast to Leiard and Emerahl which makes them so likable. Neither of these two are perfect but at least they are honest enough to acknowledge that their choices are guided as much by self interest as other factors.

More interesting of course is the fact that the Circlian gods obviously considers them a threat. In fact, upon reading the story the first time, wanting to find out the reason why the gods had the Dreamweaver founder killed played a large factor in my reading on. And once the truth behind the gods and the Wilds are revealed, I was hooked.

My conclusions :
  • Would I re-read the book ? Yes, but not frequently.
  • Would I want to read the next book in the series ? Definitely.
  • Would I want to own my personal copy if I didn’t already own it ? Not really.
  • Who would I recommend this too? Fantasy readers.
  • For those looking to read the book, would I recommend buying or borrowing the book? Borrow it.

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