A Facet for the Gem (The Tale of Eaglefriend)

I so much wanted to like this series but as other reviewers have said, it needs editing. Story is great, and it moves. But the writing is awkward in places and the action is in places, rushed. I couldn't get through it.My husband is a writer and I know how time consuming it is to write and then go through the editing process. Time consuming and expensive, but essential. I encourage this author to put his work through the editing mill again and he will have a legendary series. I am so sorry to write a less than stellar review but I thought the author might think about it if enough people recommend editing. I hope he does and if so, I will be the first to read and likely love the series!

On the positive side: The writing style is suitably high-toned for a tale encompassing legendary heroics. The battle scenes are fierce. The protagonist and the innocent suffer bitterly under the onslaught of the enemy until the final amazing confrontation.On the negative side: Because of the high-style, it was difficult to empathize with the characters at times. I felt like I was reading chapters that had fallen out of a much larger book, that I was missing pages/chapters that would reveal more insight into each of the characters' lives. There are wonderful moments where the author reveals glimpses of the characters as they interact with each other, but this is not sustained sufficiently throughout the book for the reader (me) to feel true connection with any of them.Overall, a fantastically told tale, but not one I felt I could be a part of--too grand for the common man. Like watching Shakespeare's version of a story as opposed to Mark Twain's. A great story told in "Sunday best" language that may not be comfortable for those who just want to play in the park in a pair of worn out jeans.

Book 1 had errors throughout and was lacking in common sense for some of the characters. The overall of the book was okay. The plot was predictable in most of the telling and other times it was out of place. The characters developed well enough, but was slow.

A solid fantasy coming-of-age story, this one. I enjoyed the premise, and the writing--for the most part. The book reminds me of an epic cycle in which the forces of good and evil periodically skirmish in the lead up to epic clashes, again and again, and this tale tells just one of these countless stories. It has a Wheel of Time sort of feel to it, though the writer is less prone to over-describe as Robert Jordan was wont to do. I loved how he imagined The Isle, and how he took Morlen through his many trials, how he delved into the mind of an orphan outcast. Some of the dialogue was burdensome and at times unnecessarily opaque when "words of wisdom" were spoken. The mysterious Blessed Ones are a thread I hope the author pulls in future books, as it would be interesting to learn more of them. Well enough written but there were a handful of times that end quotes were lost and the dialog and next paragraph ran into each other, or a paragraph seemed unnecessary or out of place. Could benefit from another round through an editor/proofreader--but nothing egregious. Looking forward to the next book.

Well written story with likable characters, and very vivid scene and battle descriptions.With most new fantasy entries, one can expect a coming of age story, and while C.L. Murray delivers on that expectation, he does so with a fresh take that had me constantly engaged. I would have given it 5 stars, except that I felt some of the scenes that are pivotal to Morlen's growth as a character (specifically those that will define his destiny) could have been developed a bit more (happy to mention them directly to the author via a direct channel so that I don't give away any spoilers!). The end of the book is very well executed, and sets us up for a healthy series. Looking forward to book 2!

I have just finished an amazing adventure that reminding me of my tomboy days when I was decades younger. Morlen was so much more than he believed and I loved how he realized that in the end. Lady Valeine was the young woman I always wanted to be going on adventures and showing the boys how its done. So much heartbreak within this tale yet everyone has this in the journey through life so it had to be faced as well.This is the first time that i have read this author's work and I will try to do so again as I want to see where Eaglefriend goes next. I urge young adults and the young at heart like me to grab this and hold on tight the journey is epic.

This story seemed slow while all characters and events were staged but it finally all came together in an exciting story. I nearly put the book aside several times but am so hooked I eagerly am moving on to book 2 Eaglefriend. Highly recommend.

Fantastic fun read, a fresh new series for YA Fantasy, I love the imagination C.L. Murray has created in this world of adventure, heroic, fantasy. This is listed in YA FAN, but don't let that fool you, Murray's writing is superb for anyone who loves fantasy I am well past YA and I had a hard time putting down the book, forcing myself to stay awake just to read the next page and so on. My son who is 8 YO and loves fantasy The Lord of the Rings, Eragon, and Harry Potter series, asked me about Facet, I told him a little about it and he ask if I could read it to him.Happy Reading

Morlen is a troubled kid who wants nothing more than to strike out on his own. His hopes are answered when he is sent on the adventure of a lifetime by a wizened old wizard. There are foes at every turn after the city of Korindelf falls to an evil king. There are a couple spoilers in this review, so if you’re going to read it, you might not want to read this review… although if you’ve read any classic fantasy stories before, you’ll see the spoilers coming from half a book away.If you’re a fan of classic fantasy like Tolkien, you’ll probably enjoy this book quite a lot. It’s well written with some interesting ideas.I enjoyed it, overall, but a few things stopped me from rating this higher. Usually when I read a book, I read it to and from work, but I found myself not doing that with this one. There were days I wouldn’t read it at all, and just didn’t feel like cracking it open. When I was reading it, there were often parts that I’d completely gloss over without registering a single word, and have to go back to see what I missed. (I thought maybe it’s the fact that I own a mobile phone now, but I’ve started another book after this one, and I haven’t had the same thing happen.)It was because this is a slow-paced book, and lengthy descriptions tend to take me out of a book, and I start thinking about other things.For a fantasy book, the area felt too tiny to hold such big ideas. Everything’s just a couple miles away from Korindelf, the main city of conflict. The evil mountains are close in one direction, the eagle mountains are close in the other, and then there’s a magical isle not far from the main city, either. I’m left feeling like Korindelf is a pretty small place, after thinking it was quite a bit larger at the beginning. The locations were interesting … just small.I also couldn’t imagine how one would attack enemies on the ground from the back of a giant eagle while holding a sword. Wouldn’t the enormous wings get in the way? A spear/lance makes more sense if the eagle’s dive-bombing, not so much if the eagle is rearing to slash with talons. Bow, sure, although the ability to aim would be terrible.But the sword thing I just couldn’t get behind at all.Not to mention the whole, “The female character is better than everyone else, but when her and her army are on the run from overwhelming odds, one guy and his bird can save the day.” I saw it coming, but I still groaned when it happened. And she’s belittled by her brothers, probably because they fear she’s more competent than any of them.That said, it’s a debut novel, and there was enough of interest that I might check the sample for the sequel to see if it gets better.

The way it flows at the start is a bit of putting (chapters 1- about 4) then you realise that it worksWell written book that I couldn't stop once I started

Love the story, I’ve just started book 2. Great book, great written!

Lovely easy to read fantasy! 4 stars as not enough detail provided in some sections for my liking but overall a very enjoyable book. Looking forward to the next one.

this was a nice easy read!