(This review may contain spoilers).
I haven’t yet read the first book in this series, but the basic premise was one that I liked the idea of and I found the storyline and characters easy to follow in this.
I thought it was interesting to see how the lives in the real-world game worked. I also liked how the game translated to the real world, such as the whole side-quests thing. I’ve played computer games before and there never seems to be a real time limit, as multiple side quests can be completed. So it was good to see that the time limit was indicated.
I liked the characters of both Phoenix and Jade, but I felt Truda seemed like a very stereotypical spoiled child. It also wasn’t clear why it was so important to get her back to Asgard within the time limit, as what she said seemed to indicate her task was only to help and not to do anything on her own.
While I liked all of the group, I have to say, my favourite was definitely Marcus. It was good to see his more mature personality at odds with Phoenix and Jade, who I felt were realistic in the conflicts between them and the way they were thrust into a whole other world.
I did feel that the danger the characters were in was real and I cared about what was happening to them. It was good to see the use of the myths and that there were realistic problems like the language barriers. Plus, the characters’ strength wasn’t inexhaustible.
I did think there was a bit too much telling rather than showing going on and where there were larger groups of characters, they all seemed to have one personality. With the Light Elves, the villagers and the Aesir, I would have liked to see more of the individual characters, as it was more difficult to care about the danger they were in. Then again, many of the ‘bit’ characters in computer games aren’t really explored as fully as they could be.
I did enjoy reading this book and I do plan to read the next books in the series, and the first, at some point in the future. I definitely liked the realism.
Ink of Blood 