Pathfinder's Way

By: T. A. White

Narrated by: Christa Lewis

Length: 14 hrs and 59 mins

Publisher's Summary

The Trateri are about to learn a vital lesson of the Broken Lands. Deep in the remote expanse where anything can happen, it pays to be on a pathfinder's good side. Nobody ventures beyond their village. Nobody sane, that is. Monstrous creatures and deadly mysteries wait out here. Luckily for the people she serves, Shea's not exactly sane. As a pathfinder, it's her job to face what others fear and find the safest route through the wilderness. It's not an easy job, but she's the best at what she does. When the people she serves betray her into servitude to the Trateri, a barbarian horde sweeping through the Lowlands intent on conquest, Shea relies on her wits and skill to escape, disguising herself as a boy to hide from the Warlord, a man as dangerous as he is compelling. After being mistaken as a Trateri scout during her escape, Shea finds herself forced to choose between the life she led and the possibilities of a new one. Her decision might mean the difference between life and death. For danger looms on the horizon, and a partnership with the Warlord may be the only thing preventing the destruction of everything she holds dear.

©2016 Tobey White (P)2017 Tantor

4.5 Stars

4.5 Stars. This book was great. I loved it. I might have given it 5 stars just from listening to the audible but I switched to the kindle version a couple of times and noticed there were obvious editing misses.

Pathfinder's Way was really fun and exciting. It had angst and mystery, loyalty, friendship, and some romance. This book had so much. I loved that I was on the edge of my seat many times. I was emotionally invested in the characters in a big way.

The only critique that I have for the story is that I wish there would have been more to the ending, maybe an epilogue or even a setup for the next book. It felt a little too abrupt for me. When I love characters, I crave an epilogue.

I highly recommend this book. I look forward to reading more of this series and seeing more of these characters. This is absolutely worth an audible credit. The narrator did a really good job. I really enjoyed listening to this book.

7 people found this helpful

Fantastic

This book was one of the best I’ve read. Not a straight romance for sure and over half the book you don’t really see the hero but it was FANTASTICALLY written and the heroine is seriously one of the best crafted, she is smart and has common sense and does just fine without him. But the story still manages to keep her famine and make the hero the dominant of the two. Overall would read it again and happily spend the money.

4 people found this helpful

Not bad!

Ilona Andrews recommended this book in a recent blog post. I’m a huge Andrews fan, and between books at the moment, so I thought I’d give this series a try.

I’m not a big fan of the tropes used in this book (woman disguises herself as a boy, warlord-alpha) but I enjoyed the book anyway. The world-building is interesting and well-done, and I liked the characters.

Not sure if I loved it all enough to jump into the next book, but I didn’t hate it, and for me, that’s saying a lot. I wind up throwing so many books across the room in anger or frustration. This book didn’t get thrown. I finished it in two days. I enjoyed it. That’s gotta be worth something, even if I don’t continue with the series.

Maybe I’ll try a different series by the same author?

3 people found this helpful

Shockingly disappointing

After listening to Rules of Redemption, I rushed to get this book in the hopes it would have a similar entertainment value.

At first, the book was great. Action, adventure, intrigue--what's not to love, right?

But it all falls apart at the halfway point. For one thing, Shea totally avoids facing any of her problems. She just floats along in her circumstances, claiming that her inaction is smart when, in fact, it stinks of cowardice and self-delusion.

Shea still manages to form healthy relationships with some male friends, but those all get thrown down the toilet when she is forced to deal with her "love" interest. Which is stupid, because she complains about lonliness a lot. If she just drops people like that, displaying no loyalty or interest or effort whatsoever, of course she's going to be lonely! Her friends try to point out her self-destructive, passive-aggressive tendencies--they literally beg her to analyze her own behavior at one point--but Shea just ignores them and pats herself on the back.

And her romantic relationship is absolute hogwash. Shea is forced to deal with this prick because he refuses to give her space or respect the boundaries she gives him. And he treats her like a piece of trash.

For example, he tries to humiliate her in front of hundreds of people because it's his right, apparently. He sleeps with her a couple of minutes after she comes out of a drug-induced haze--drugs that were administered by him and his buddies without her knowledge or consent (reeeeeeee!). I'm also pretty sure one of those buddies watched them have sex without her knowledge, too. And Shea expresses the emotions of an abuse victim without EVER realizing she's being abused.

It turned my stomach. Why? Why?! Why does she suddenly stop thinking about the friends she spent almost a year on the road with, or the ones that were enslaved at the beginning? Why is she so blinded by this guy (who she spent all of like three hours with before succumbing to this ridiculousness)? Why isn't her love interest actually, oh, I don't know, LOVING?

It's so obvious that her best friend and mentor should have been the guy for her. They spent hours and hours together, they respect and trust each other even after seeing each other at their worst, and they've almost died countless times together. And they hold actual conversations (gasp!), ones that encourage growth and reflection rather than presenting as one giant power struggle. How could that not be the most intimate relationship of her life, especially considering the other options?!

God, it just chaps my hide. I honestly wish Shea had killed Fallon, the bastard. It would have been justifiable self-defense. Or, maybe she could have let herself be snatched by a giant eagle--sometimes, death is worth risking for the chance to escape someone like him. It's that, or be dead inside.

I also take umbridge with the fact that the only other significant female character is categorized as a snake, literally. Women that only give value and attention to the women they view as enemies have deep psychological issues against their own gender, often the side effect of internalizing objectification--that is to say, accepting and believing that your worth comes from how other people (especially men) value you, rather than loving yourself for your own intrinsic qualities. The effect is that you, in turn, objectify other women--their only value comes from whether or not they are a threat to your power or status or sexual partner because you believe these inconsistent things define your self-worth and must be protected above all else. Non-threats are simply ignored, or viewed as inferior. People with this type of view constantly experience doubt, low self-esteem, and are at war with the people around them. It is a TERRIBLE way to live.

The inability to admire and respect other women is a huge weakness--and I pity Shea for it.

A reviewer on goodreads also pointed out the constant justification of colonialism. This aspect is, indeed, present in a lot of conversations with the enemy. And Shea totally buys into it.

The concerning part for me is the presentation of all these issues. It feeds into the cycle of abuse and patriarchal inequality. For people with low insight, this book holds the real danger of normalizing and romanticizing terrible behaviors that could perpetuate those cycles in their real, everyday lives.

Hard pass.

6 people found this helpful

Romance and monsters.

I loved this story. I’m always up for romance and monsters. The world building is intriguing, and I look forward to more monsters and/or myths that come. At first you imagine this is a fantasy world, but as the story moves along, you wonder could this be the future. While sometimes Shay was a bit immature, I did love the way she out witted them and laughed out loud at some of her antics. Some mention that Ilona Andrews recommended this story and since they are one of my favorite authors, I gave this a shot, so glad I did. Narrator does a great job.

2 people found this helpful

Favorite story enhanced with narration<br />

I have read this book more than one time. I bought the audio version. when it came available so I had another option in how to enjoy the story. The narrator does a good job. Her pacing and voice for Shea are great. Definitely worth having in both print and audio

1 person found this helpful

story first, relationship later.

this book had me hooked! and every time i thought it would turn into a staged romance... NOPE! Story kept on going developing more and more. it did get there eventually, along with the politics and drama that I was expecting.

so engaging that I bought the next book and sat in my car for 15 minutes to finish this story so I can start fresh on my morning commute next bc week

1 person found this helpful

Loved it! Worth both the time and money

Lately, stories seem rushed and cliched. Being an Avid reader this causes a problem (for me) because every story reads like the last one I read. NOT THIS ONE... The characters are interesting and well developed. The story is engaging and engrossing. I'm buying the next one now.

1 person found this helpful

Talk about a turn around

I was going to Wright this book off. but in keeping with my upbringing. taught to give everything a second chance I went just a little more. hook, line, sinker

1 person found this helpful

1 of my Fav Fantasy Book Series!

I stumbled across this series by accident on Amazon one day, and I do NOT regret a single thing! I actually read the second book first (I’m a poor college student & wanted to get right into the action/romance) and fell in love with the main character (is her name REALLY pronounced “Shay-Uh”???) and her story/background right away. I love good books with a great plot and kick-a$$, intelligent heroine!

I liked the narrator’s voice just fine, she did a great job! Her voice is great as far as descriptive fantasy stories go. The only thing that bothered me was some of the voices... the inflections and emotions could have been more pronounced; she could have done Fallon’s voice differently, it should‘ve been deeper, in my opinion. It sounded weird how she did it.

Overall, her voice was good! It wasn’t abrasive or annoying, it was pleasant and smooth (:

I HIGHLY RECOMMEND THIS SERIES!!! 😄😁

1 person found this helpful

Good story

Really enjoyed this, and it was very nearly a 5 star read. However the last few hours with the relationship and plot line development let it down a bit - which is a shame after the rest of it was so great. Still very much recommend it regardless of that.

I got this because I enjoyed Elizabeth Vaughan’s Warprize, and this was a recommended read. I’d say that’s a pretty accurate recommendation.

1 person found this helpful

:-(

So the guy's wipes out whole villages . But hey , she fancies him , so why not .

Highly enjoyable

I found this to be a great story. I recommend it to anyone who looks for hours of entertainment :-)

WOW

One of the best book I've read it has everything without going over the top