Compared to books #1 and #2 in the series (The Fighters), Bladesinger offered a dense read that wavered between too much description and acceptably enough. I found myself groaning over the considerable use of adjectives, weeds sprouting in every sentence, which at times made the reading laborious. And like the other books in this series, a skilled editor seemed absent from the publishing process, though this novel fared better than #1 (Master of Chains), at least.

The characters, particularly Taen, waxed through the first half like moody emo-kids, and the story's final portions took on a distinctly I-fictionalized-my-D&D-session feel, but not in a good way. Yet, the ending felt strangely satisfying, in part due to Taen's emotional weight and the concluding situation for another of the main characters.

Roberc, the halfling fighter, and Borovazk, the icy ranger, filled their roles with a flatness, swinging swords and shooting arrows akin to necessary NPC hirelings rather than breathing characters in a novel.

Taen and Marissa, having received better treatment, came off as more interesting (thankfully) if not cliche. For Marissa, her relationship with the Red Tree housed a mysterious dimension, a good thing, and Taen's "song" seemed a parallel that, at the end, didn't pay off quite as well. Still, they weren't terrible characters and were fairly believable.

In all, the plot seemed to big for the space given to it, and the characters should not have been the ones enduring the big struggles, so "contrived" is a word that bubbles to mind. They just weren't the right characters for what this story was about. If someone would like to write that book, however, I'd be happy to read it.

(Marissa arguably did fit the tale, but this is supposed to be "Bladesinger," and not "Druid of the Red Tree.") ( )