I respect the vision Will Wight had for this world as its a fascinating one with a really interesting magic system, but I feel like there was a disconnect between his imagination and what he ended up capturing on paper. Aside from the interesting world setting, everything else fell flat for me...the writing, the characters, the transition from scene to scene.The dialogue and the writing itself was awkward for most of the book...there was a scene between Simon and his parents in the very first ch...

A boy experiences some horrific event in his childhood which he later uses as motivation to go out into the big, bad world to fight injustice after some cliche inciting incident. Along the way, he meets a mentor who begrudgingly agrees to train him in the use of magic which takes up most of the 2nd act. Finally, our plucky hero, who's nowhere near ready enough to face the bad guy of the story, but does so anyway, has a big fight sequence where he inevitably wins with the help of some deus ex mac...

This book is filled to the rim with imagination. The concepts were really fun and original which I found refreshing; however I wasn't quite sure which route this book was trying to take? At times it looked as if this booked was aiming for an epic, deep story and then at times it read like something short of the wizard of oz... It was a little confusing. I feel like the tone of the book should stick to one pov throughout the whole thing... But that could just be me. I also wish there was more dia...

More reviews at undertheradarsffbooks.comWill Wight is one of the most successful authors ever to come out of the self publishing industry. His most popular series titled Cradle has excited fans and reviewers alike for years and has developed quiet a devoted readership. My first experience reading Will Wight is through his less popular but equally as engaging Traveler’s Gate trilogy starting with House of Blades. I didn’t know what to expect going into this story, but the descriptions I had hear...

4.5 StarsHouse of Blades is an unexpected gem of a fantasy. It has it all. It is a coming of age story. There is a great deal of world building. Our main hero Simon is a likable lead that is easy to identify with his motives. Most importantly Will Wight has created both a cool main plot line as well as an awesome magic system.To me the magic of this book sets it apart. I am always looking for the next cool thing that can stand up with The Force, Allomancy, and of course Saidin/Saidar. Travelers

As a boy Simon's father was killed and his mother driven insane by Travelers. Simon only survived thanks to a powerful stranger who intervened. This stranger offered to teach Simon when he got a little older, but Simon didn't return as he was busy taking care of his mother. 8 years later Simon's village is attacked, villagers are taken hostage, and others scatter. When Simon and some of the others who fled are found, a young man from his village Alin miraculously becomes a prophesied traveler an...

I have a lot of questions that need to be answered from this book.I feel like it was completely thrown together with no consistent thread. Just a bunch of ideas, that although with the right execution would have been great, failed miserably.I am more disappointed at the high reviews -- my expectations were so much greater than what was delivered.I don't even know where to begin because I am so confused and..and..and..dammit!!The book starts out with our main character, Simon, as a young boy, and...

This is a book for people who enjoy fantasy novels that sound like He-Man cartoons. I have no idea why it's so beloved on Amazon; the characters aren't at all engaging and neither is the story. If you like to read a book where there are endless battles without any apparent rules and a lot of baroque magic weapons (like dragonflies made of lightning with lightning bolt stingers that dissolve your flesh) then this is the book for you. If you're looking for a story with characters who appeal to you...

“They folded clothes, dusted shelves, polished swords; except for the periodic murder attempts, they were perfect hosts.”–Simon’s thoughts, House of BladesIn every prophecy destined to save the world, there is always a savior that everyone waits for to unite the people against tyranny. And then there’s the guy standing next to the worshiped savior with an eyebrow raised and an expression that says ‘seriously?’ Well, this is the story of that guy. Just a regular guy with nothing going for him exc...

This book could have been so much more. The concept was great, but the follow through not so much. I am glad that I didn't pay for the book, but upset that I wasted my "prime" book of the month on it. I could not get over how much poor dialogue there is. I can not count, nor would I want to, how many times Simon asked himself "What could I do? I have no powers. What can I do, even though Lea is able to stand up to these people. What could I do? Alin could take care of it. What could I do this, W...

Simply put, this book is awesome! This isn't your garden variety multiple POV epic fantasy novel. It's like Pokemon meets THE NAME OF THE WIND meets THE WAY OF SHADOWS. Perhaps not as well written as those two books but a very original magic system and excellent story which kept me interested and guessing.This book did have some rough patches. Like I said, it's not the best written book I've read but the story is fun and rewarding.If you haven't picked this one up yet it is a must read! Highly,

House of Blades is such an endearing tale. Shocking, I know.The synopsis doesn't do this novel justice. Simon has a few problems. First of which being that his parents keep dying. Second, his village seems to be going the way or his parents. Third? He's definitely looking likely to be next in line to die.Simon's problems seem to change suddenly. His life gets more complicated(more problems). He's still unable to do anything. That needs to change. Just when he thinks it's all over he is saved, or...

This book is one of the finest books I have read this year. I am really glad I read this book. As for the story, it follows around three teenagers and their adventures. It is a pleasant read and will engross you soon. And this book will keep us doubting the light and dark. Highly recommended.

House of Blades (The Traveler's Gate Trilogy #1) by Will Wight Eight year old Simon had heard stories of The Travelers from his mother, but did not know what to actually believe about them.   While on a trip, Simon and his parents have a run-in with a couple of them.  Simon watches as his father is killed and his mother is badly hurt.  Another Traveler comes along and fights the two killers off and tells Simon to return to him in the future if he wishes to learn his ways.  Flash forward to Simon...

2.5 StarsThis was a book I really wanted to like, but sadly didn’t like nearly as much as I’d hoped. The book starts off with some pretty interesting stuff going on. A boy sees a tragedy. Then another, pushing him toward a desperate path because he’s willing to do anything to be able to make up for what he perceives as his past failures to protect those around him. First, the good stuff. And despite the low rating there definitely was some good stuff. The author kept things moving along, the act...

This is a weak 3 stars. It wasn't terrible, but it was really stupid in places. This 16 year old kid, with no combat training, finds a magical soldier to teach him in order to save the princess (never read that plot before). In just six weeks he not only becomes(basically) a master swordsman and magician but he accomplishes what (apparently) takes others a lifetime to learn. One of my major peeves in any book is when characters have vital information, and plenty of time to share it, but they nev...

I knew nothing about this book going in besides people saying it was a good series on r/fantasy. I read it via audiobook and I was a bit hesitant when I saw it was read by the author himself, before this book Ive never enjoyed books that were read by the authors because they didn't have the voice acting ability to match the number of characters in their stories. I was pleasantly surprised that Will Wight really did a great job with this, I wouldn't have known it wasn't voiced by a professional n...

Interesting concept of magic, albeit mixed in a slightly generic story arc. You can say the main character isn't prophesied, but it's the same traumatic thing happens - generic younger male character needs to save/rescue/defeat/etc - cue training montage - fin. The writing is a bit spotty, though decent overall, however there are patches that felt fairly amateur. The magic concept - Travelers - was pretty fresh to me, and an interesting idea. Simon is essentially thrown into a clown funhouse tha...

Executive Summary: OK, but not great. So far I much prefer his more recent Cradle series instead. Full Review When Will Wight was first recommended to me, this was the book/series that was mentioned. Instead I got a free copy of Unsouled and devoured that series.I decided I should circle back and read this series while I'm waiting on the next book in that series. I struggled a bit with this book. It's not bad, but I didn't like it nearly as much as his Cradle stuff.My main issue is that I didn...

Picked off the goodreads 'under the radar' list. This is a story of prophecy and a hero who will save the world. And it's not about that hero. It's about Simon, who lives in the same village, and who has been looking after his mother - who's been ill for many years, since his family was attacked. He's not the hero who saves the village from raiders, because he's the guy helping his mum to safety. And he's not prepared to wait for the 'saviour' to come, because some of his friends have been lead