The book had a very strong start. I will give no spoilers, but after Wyl Thirsk was given the Gift the book seemed to change. It was as almost as if this is where the editor jumped in and began to remove or shorten key issues. Explanations for bizarre events and happenings came quickly and easily, or were dismissed altogether. Villains would have a short chapter just before they were needed. They were often foul with a quirky inner dialog. Once used they would quickly be disposed of and a new set would arrive when needed without failure.
In one chapter the point of view switched from soldiers on a battlement, to the Queen, to a young boy walking through the gates. This happened with greater frequency the more Fiona told the story. It is the same reason that I started to read "Wayfarer Redemption" by Sara Douglass and had to put it down after a handful of pages.
As you may have read in some other reviews there is a dog in the book that has a special gift. After helping the Queen and a young boy he runs off only to show up at the time when Wyl needs him the most.
Wyl had just finished traveling by horseback for over a week when he received a blow of misfortune. The dog saved the day, was given a hearty "atta boy" and was sent back to help the Queen and young boy.
I read this one up until page 282. The straw that broke the camel's back was written on page 271. "He was soon luxuriating in fragranced, steaming water." Wyl, apparently, needed this respite.
I had hoped, in vain, the rest of the book would have been as good as the 1st quarter.

Frankly, I'm surprised at how many negative reviews there are for this book. I've just finished reading it (not moving from my chair except to eat!) and can hardly wait to run out and get the sequel.

I found the protagonist and his friends to be very sympathetic. There is Wyl, who succeeds to his father's position as General at a young age. He is not perfect, he cannot befriend the Prince as his father did, but still tries to serve him and his country.

The old King is basically good, but definitely has flaws, too--unwittingly causing his best friend's (Wyl's father) death and not winning the love of his son and heir (which has caused the Prince to be jealous of Wyl, whom the King loves, and has lead to Prince totally disregarding his father's wishes). But I didn't hate him for his failings. They just made him human. And like Wyl, he meant the best, even though he couldn't achieve it.

The evil prince is not exactly as unidimensional as other reviewers say--or at least he did not seem so to me. He IS evil and no mistake, but he's not stupid and makes for a suitable antagonist. He has a somewhat stereotypical background--an ambitious son who is twisted by a hateful mother and neglected father, but it was written believably enough for me.

And there are more abiguously evil antagonists, such as the Northern King. He may be under the influence of his counsellor, or may be just a flawed character--or both.

When the nasty Prince succeeds his father, he immediately moves against Wyl, whom he has always hated. It may have been a horrible oversight on Wyl's part not to have anticipated the Prince's actions, but the Prince DID move swiftly and really, does anyone expect how evil an truly unscrupulous person can be? And Wyl is young and perhaps thinks he's somewhat safe in his position as General, with the Legions loyally behind him? And he does make up for things by thinking on his feet afterwards...

And then there is Myrren's Gift, which is quite mysterious and makes for some amazining roller-coaster type plot twists that had me enthralled.

I can hardly wait to read the next book. But I can't rush out to buy it right now or I will spend another day reading and doing nothing else until I'm finished!!!

By the way, I don't think George R. R. Martin's series is that comparable (or incomparable, depending on your view). Martin is a brilliant writer. I have always admired his books. But I have had a hard time with the unrelenting darkness of Game of Thrones series. That is neither here nor there. The two series are their own creature and why they are compared makes no sense to me.

At any rate, I hope readers will not let anyone's review influence them that greatly. If I had read some of these reviews I would have missed out on a great reading experience.

If you enjoy epic fantasy where the hero has to make difficult choices between loyalty to his heritage and duty to an evil king-- and his love of a foreign Queen--- while coping with a very mysterious and powerful magic over which he has no control, that causes him to find himself in different bodies... with the lives of those he loves and the subjects of several kingdoms in the balance (a cast of varied and interesting characters), then definitely try the book and see.

I did not toss this book across the room. That's something in its favor. I read the entire thing, and then bought the next two. I read the entire series and enjoyed it. Enjoyed it enough that I wanted to see how she wound the tale to its conclusion, etc.

Someone complained about Fynch, and all things considered, I can see his ability to speak and think the way he does as growing from his mental/cognitive/fey abilities. It's a reach, but I can see it.

The writing, in and of itself, is well done. The descriptive narrative, the grammatical flow...these are well done. It's the lack of depth, the developmental speed, that causes the bones of the story to be left sitting with no real meat upon them. This series is as an anorexic person whose bone structure and features makes you realize that they could be quite attractive and compelling if only they were of healthy weight. It has something...enjoy that. Just don't expect more.

I think the real problem for me is how "fast" people form and lose connections and form new ones. The "we've known each other so well" and it's only been a half a day, an hour, whatever. And, something I really, really can't understand is her character's easy acceptance of something that no one would be easily accepting of. Especially considering I have lived through a scenario very, very similar to one she has her hero breeze through as if it were of no matter whatsoever.

Suffice to say, if you are looking for a light read and have nothing else better on the shelf...pick this up. You will most likely enjoy it as a slight diversion from reality. Just don't expect it to be one of those books that you can't wait to pass off to your friends saying, "You have /got/ to read this!"

I bought Myrren's Gift despite the average of a 3 rating by the readers, not normal behavior for me. Admittedly, the characters are a bit one dimensional, but you can't help either liking or hating them as appropriate. At points, it is a little Arthurian legend meets Spanish Inquisition with the warrior, the maiden, the despot, the fanatical priest, and a touch of magic. It is an easy read and entertaining. I look forward to reading the next books because there are enough interesting twists to keep you coming back for more. I did wish that I had the rest of the series ready to read once I finished this book, because Myrren's Gift keeps you entertained and curious enough to want to read more despite its faults.

I was attracted at first instance to this book's cover and purchased it having read only the first page in the bookstore. It was engaging, easy to read and I found myself intrigued by the Thirsk legacy and how the King would drive a wedge between this great alliance.

If only I had known then what I know now.

I can honestly say that I cannot in all my years recall having ever read a book populated with so many alternately stupid or brilliant, one-dimensional people. Our hero Wyl falls into so many blatantly-obvious traps (traps that anyone old enough to read this book will see coming from a mile away) that quite frankly you'll either be laughing or tearing your hair out by the end of the book. I counted Wyl fell into, on average, 1 trap per 100 pages. If someone ever does a study on modern fiction's stupidist protagonists, Wyl has my vote for a top 10 finish. In fact, there could even be a medal.

After Wyl, there are the very bad guys, the rogues with the hearts of gold and the tom boys who populate this work with it's gallery of stereotypes. Oh, and don't forget the super genius toilet boy and psychic dog. No, really.

And quite beyond the cast of cardboard actors, the outline of this fantasy setting might have been scribbled on the back of a post-it, with room to spare: "Two kingdoms. Warring. Civilised barbarians to the north. Distances deceptive. Disregard time and space for pace." One chapter they're in the south, the next in the north, then they're in the east before a quick jaunt to the south brings them back to the east. Okay, there is fast paced and then there is this! If you didn't want to get bogged down in the details of every tall oak or leafy shrub by the by, you could have at least tried to flesh the story out a little so the heroes didn't have to traverse the continent 5 times in the space of the first novel. Or, how about just writing a stand alone novel? If you're story doesn't have the stamina for a trilogy, please don't pad it with irritating plot twists and trite encounters designed only to kill a couple of chapters. It's a novel, not a game of D&D. Or if you honestly have to pad, take a leaf out of books by the greats. Describe the minutiae and give the world some depth. You'll get a couple of books by us then before we complain about your padding.

Is it all bad? No. There is an interesting premise here which regrettably Ms McIntosh has decided requires her protagonist be an imbecile to showcase. Further, this book has all of the core requirements of a good fantasy novel. Unfortunately, they are not at all fleshed out or given real life. Sacrificing depth for pace, the book just darts from one scene to the next without any narrative flow or grace. I agree with a number of other reviewers who have said this book feels as though it was written on the fly. It may work for Stephen King. It doesn't work here.

If not for the gruesome torture scenes, this book belongs with the children's fiction. Adults who have experienced good fantasy will be quickly frustrated.

Better left on the shelf.