DNF Review – All the Paths of Shadow (Paths of Shadow, Book 1) by Frank Tuttle (3/5 stars)

Reading Level: Adult
Genre: Steampunk
Length: 484 pages
Publisher: Cool Well Press
Release Date: October 5, 2011
ISBN-13: 978-1618770035
Stand Alone or Series: 1st book in the Paths of Shadow series
Source: Bought for Kindle
Rating: 3/5 stars

“Walk warily, walk swiftly, walk away. The king’s orders were clear enough. “Move the tower’s shadow,” he bellowed. “I refuse to deliver my commencement speech from the dark.” As the newly appointed mage to the Crown of Tirlin, Meralda Ovis has no choice but to undertake King Yvin’s ill-conceived task. Tirlin’s first female mage, and the youngest person to ever don the robes of office, Meralda is determined to prove once and for all that she deserves the title. The Tower, though, holds ancient secrets all its own. Secrets that will soon spell destruction for all of Tirlin—unless Meralda can unravel a monstrous curse laid by a legendary villain seven centuries before she was born. An ancient curse. A haunted tower. A clamorous gathering of nobles, mages, and kings from the Five Realms come together in Tirlin for the fifth-year Accords. Meralda finds herself facing far darker foes than any mere shadow of the tower.”

I enjoyed the first part of this book but then the book quickly got bogged down in the complicated politics of this fantasy world. Around page 40 I started to struggle with the story and paying attention, by page 107 I gave up. I have read other books by Tuttle and enjoyed them but this one just didn’t hold my interest.

There just wasn’t enough story here to hook my interest. I did enjoy the heroine somewhat but I was a bit frustrated with her willingness to take on problems that didn’t seem all that important in the larger scheme of this world.

There are a lot of characters introduced rather rapidly, which I am never a fan of. Additionally what started off looking like an interesting book about magic quickly changed to a book about politics and war; again not my favorite topics.

Overall this book isn’t poorly written and it is somewhat humorous, but the subject matter just didn’t hold my interest.

This book goes towards the following reading challenges:
– Goodreads Reading Challenge
– Mount TBR Reading Challenge