Pawn of Prophecy (The Belgariad #1)- David Eddings

Greetings, Imaginary Readers. Sorry for taking so long to post something new. I've been incredibly busy in University and working on some of my own writing projects. Forgive my laxness in adhering to my own schedule.

Snails and Puppydog Tails,

Adriana Ivy

Garion is a normal farm boy--or so he thinks. He spends his days getting into trouble with his friends and giving his Aunt Pol a headache. All is fine until one day a storyteller named Wolf appears and tells Garion and his aunt that they should leave the farm immediately. Garion learns the secrets of his long hidden past and is thrown into an adventure that he could never have imagined or desired. I mean I think that's what happened. I don't really remember.


Overall Merit: This book was dull. It was recommended to me by an acquaintance and I figured ok fine. I even looked it up on Goodreads to verify that it was indeed a good book. Everything checked out so I ordered it online. For a book with such promise it failed miserably. All I got was a lot of monarchial nonsense mixed with characters who failed to propel the story along at a proper rate. Yes, I know this is the first book in a series, but it didn't interest me nearly enough to make me continue reading. Score- 5

Characters: Eh. I didn't care about any of the characters. They were dull and I could not relate. Garion was far too much of a cardboard cutout of the ideal boyhood protagonist. Also, why the hell was I not given more backstory? I mean obviously you know from the prologue who the characters really are, but then they disappoint. Come on, I mean we're talking powerful sorcerers here and what I'm given is weak. There are maybe two displays of magic in the whole book and they were disappointing. None of them stuck out to me at all. It's amazing I even remember their names. Also, where is my antagonist? Sure the forces of evil are mentioned a few times, but you never see them in action. Score- 5

Blush Factor: N/A

Plot: What plot? The characters spend a whole lot of time running from place to place and there is talk of dangers and the prologue hints at said dangers, but I never see them. Not once do I fear for the characters and not once do they seem to be in peril? What kind of good writer does that? How can I link with the characters if I'm not given any emotions to speak of? Score- 4

Structure: The structure was straightforward. I don't have a whole lot to say on this matter. At least the narrative wasn't confusing or frustrating so kudos for that. However, Eddings failed to do anything interesting structurally so I do take some issue with that. Score- 6

Vervain says: "Don't waste your time with this book. Maybe the series gets better, but Adriana doesn't have the patience to find out."