The Pen Pal Club

         So here are some thoughts from when I wasn't even halfway through this book. I realize that I have some major problems with it. I get the déjà vu of feeling like I already have encountered this story. The similarities between this series and the Alanna series overwhelm me. But unfortunately, I feel that the series written for teenage girls was more compelling. Or maybe it’s just because I found it easier to relate to, or because I read it first. But the farther I get in the book, the more I don’t like the character of Regal. I partially blame Anthony and his love of complex dark characters and anti-heroes. He and I actually talked a little about Once Upon a Time and how he felt that their “bad” characters were not interesting enough for him. Regal is a character that is immature, greedy, selfish, egotistic and presented as pretty much evil with no redeeming qualities. Now I feel that similar to the character of Roger in the Alanna series, he desires more power and the kingdom to bend at his will. He uses his good looks and cunning to sway people to his desires. However, Regal is impatient and does not seem overly intelligent as Roger was. They keep talking about how he was “weak” as a child and did not learn to Skill, so much so that he must have this power and was taught in secret by Galin who was so close with his mother. Spoiler alert! (in finishing the book, apparently I guessed wrong. Regal really is just a weak, manipulative douche) How else does he know so much of what is going on and seem to have so much control over everything? 

            I suppose one of my major disappointments with this book is in only seeing things through Fitz’s eyes.I don't get a chance to really understand the other characters or hear their stories even if I find them more interesting than his. I also have been swayed to Beth's initial reaction of frustration with the top of each chapter beginning with his ramblings or his history segments. If you are going to trap me in one person's perspective than stick to his story, otherwise give me a view of the enemy and his plans. I really hope that the third book reveals more to Regal's desires than just avenging his mother's supposed murder, because that felt like such a weak motivation for destroying the entire kingdom that I immediately rejected it as only a piece of the puzzle and not the full thing.

           Maybe it’s the combination of reading too much about war, maybe it’s seeing the similarities and comparisons between different art forms like I was taught in school but so much about this book frustrates me in a “haven’t I already read or seen this before?” kind of way. The ships fighting the Raiders makes me think of Pirates of the Caribbean, the whole story makes me think of the fantasy stories of my youth. At times it feels like a jumbled mess of every kind of fantasy thrown together to make sure that the author has hit everything that could draw in his readers, and at other time I really am intrigued by the interesting story. I want the mystery solved and I want to discover who and what is behind it all. So I keep reading even though the end of this book left a bad taste in my mouth.