This was so stilted and trite. The title of the review is an actual quote which pretty much summed up my impression of the book. Usually Audiobooks come alive to me and I usually like formulaic coming-of-age sci fi fantasy novels, but this one, not so much. The narrator did a decent job. The author--eh. I bought this book years ago and never could figure out why I didn't read it--now I know. If it was not read to me, I would never finish it. There were certain parts that I was amazed and how repetitive the prose was, droning on and on, using the same phrases over and over again without variation. To be fair, I gave it 2 stars: 1 b/c although it was somewhat painful, I did listen to the whole thing & it was pretty long, and 2nd star because there was a plot although the characters were shallow and predictable.

Another quote that was mind-numbing in the extreme: "There was nothing to look forward to but more of the same and still more until one army or the other was destroyed." Sums it up. Definitely will not have to finish the series.

I went into this book fully aware of its reputation as a Tolkien knock-off. That didn't bother me in the least. And it turns out that I find negative comparison to Tolkien unfair and irrelevant.

What actually makes this audiobook unlistenable has nothing to do with its questionable creative origins. It is a combination of gutwrenchingly bad melodrama, death by self-congratulatory exposition, and a narrator who just feels like he's along for the ride.

I read this series years ago. When you read the first book, you feel like it's a Tolkien knockoff. But keep going! The world Terry creates is rich, deep and real. This is a wonderful series for teens that love fantasy. I have many dog-earred paperback copies that made the rounds of my boys friends. Of course, the best way to decide on books for your kids... read them first! Then you have something to talk about.

If you like melodrama. Long winded explanations of everything repeated a thousand times. Then I have the book for you. I know that it takes immense courage to write a book, and here am I ripping it apart. But, it must be done to spare you the expense and the time you will never get back. Also, I do not know if it is the readers fault. But, I wanted to choke my Iphone till the book stopped. I got through the story which is nice but the writing it self killed me. I love fantasy and listen to a ton of books this is one of the worst I have heard. I apologies to all those that love this book. But, I strongly disagree.

Avoid at all costs. Do yourself a favor and read the Lord of the Rings since the book is a poor copy.