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Review: Warrior by Marie Brennan
Format Read: Paperback
Length: 395 Pages
Series: Doppleganger – Book 1
Genre: Fantasy
Release Date: 1 August 2008
Publisher: Orbit
Formats Available: eBook, paperback,
Purchasing Info: Author’s Website, Goodreads, Amazon, Book Depository
Book Blurb:
When a witch is born, a doppelganger is created. For the witch to master her powers, the twin must be killed. But what happens when the doppelganger survives?
Mirage, a bounty hunter, lives by her wits and lethal fighting skills. She always gets her mark. But her new mission will take her into the shadowy worl of witches, where her strength may be no match against magic.
Miryo is a witch who has just failed her initiation test. She now knows that there is someone in the world who looks like her, who is her: Mirage. To control her powers, Miryo has only one choice: to hunt the hunter and destroy her.
My Thoughts:
Warrior was absolutely amazing.
Miryo is in an unusual predicament, as a witch, to gain control of her powers, she must kill someone who looks just like her, who is her. Someone who should have died when she was very young. Miryo has to kill her doppelganger, the other part of herself.
Mirage is on a mission to find out who killed a powerful witch, being wary of witches for most of her life she was uncomfortable with the contact she needs to have with them, but being the best at what she does, she is perfect for the job.
Mirage was by far my favourite of the two girls; she was the typical kick ass fantasy chick. She was a knife wielding, combat expert who people either feared or respected greatly. She worked hard to get where she was and had to fight for it every step of the way because she was different, much as she hated them, she looked exactly like a witch because of her flaming red hair.
Miryo on the other hand was a bit scared, highly intelligent but sheltered and sent off on a mission that she really shouldn’t have been sent off to.
Warrior was a predictable book, but the way it was told, the world it was told in made it something completely new to experience. Brennan’s writing was seamless in her execution of the two characters, each was completely individual, had their own voice.
Brennan crafted a wonderful world incorporating not only magic but assassins which has to be two of my favourite fantasy subjects ever; it was indeed a match made in heaven. Brennan’s writing was impeccable, her fight scenes were some of the best I’ve read in quite a long time, no skimming over details or coping out using phrases such as “I don’t know how it happened, but all of a sudden he was under me and I knocked him unconscious”, Mirage and even Miryo had to work during their fights, Mirage especially, her fight scenes were so detailed my leg started moving without me realising it as I read about her kicking her assailants in the head.
Warrior was also very realistic – well, as much as a fantasy novel can be realistic – things weren’t handed to the characters, there were no short cuts, nearly everything was hard. Mirage and Miryo may have been the best at what they did, but nothing came easy.
Warrior, in it’s mythology, was a little hard to understand at first, what with all the different hands and heads and hearts and elements. I found myself getting quite baffled when reading in Miryo’s point of view for a large portion of the front of the book, but once I understood it, which didn’t happen until about halfway through I found it to be some of the most unique mythology I have read in a long time. Two created from one, all the magic and singing spells kind of got lost in the rest of the story, which I am glad of because I wasn’t a huge fan of the idea, but the baser Witch mythology was very intriguing.
Warrior was a fantastic start to this duology, it left me thinking about it for days afterwards and I am eager to get into the next instalment, Witch.
I give Warrior 5 Stars
***FTC Disclaimer: Most books reviewed on this site have been provided free of charge by the publisher, author or publicist. Some books we have purchased with our own money and will be noted as such. Any links to places to purchase books are provided as a convenience, and do not serve as an endorsement by this blog. All reviews are the true and honest opinion of the blogger reviewing the book. The method of acquiring the book does not have a bearing on the content of the review.
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| 5 Stars: Perfect! I Love It! | |||||||||
| 4 Stars: Awesome Book! | |||||||||
| 3 Stars: I Liked It! | |||||||||
| 2 Stars: Not bad, but maybe not for me. | |||||||||
| 1 Star: Didn't like it! Did Not Finish it. | |||||||||
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I read Warrior a couple of years ago and loved it! You’re right that the mythology and writing were different and I found the whole book just so easy to swim through! 🙂
I’m glad you liked it 🙂 did you read the sequel?
I did – and that wasjust as easy a read and really runs with the ‘cliffhanger’ at the end of Warrior. I wish Marie had written more fantasy! 🙂
I also read it years ago and loved it. i was ‘meh’ about the sequel and don’t like another series she has written.
Fair enough, I want to read the second book, I will admit I’m scared that it won’t be as good as the first.
I loved Warrior and it’s sequel Witch, I’m glad you enjoyed it. I’ve been debating with myself whether or not I want to reread them, I think I will now once I get the chance.
The book sounds intriguing but if one of the heroines have to die then I don’t think I’ll be picking it up. Its HEA or nothing for me (mostly).
Wow Amanda, I want to read this! Thanks for the review!