The Naming by Alison Croggon

Synopsis (from goodreads.com):

Maerad is a slave in a desperate and unforgiving settlement, taken there as a child after her family is destroyed in war. She is unaware that she possesses a powerful gift, one that marks her as a member of the School of Pellinor. It is only when she is discovered by Cadvan, one of the great Bards of Lirigon, that her true heritage and extraordinary destiny unfold. Now she and her new teacher must survive a journey through a time and place where the forces they battle stem from the deepest recesses of otherworldly terror.

Alison Croggon’s epic fantasy, the first in the Books of Pellinor quartet, is a glittering saga steeped in the rich and complex landscape of Annar, a legendary world ripe for discovery.

Jillian’s Review:

I was really impressed with this well-written novel. The story was great, the characters were true to life, especially the main girl, Maerad. She’d been through a lot and had a fear of men  as a result, as would anyone who had been in her situation. Unfortunately, this fear remained with her the entire novel (all 492 pages) which meant there was next to no romance. But it worked because it meant Maerad stayed true to her character... I just would have really liked to have read a little bit of loven'.

I really enjoyed this read until Maerad and her instructor, Cadvan, set out on yet another journey (the story begins with a long journey) which took nearly half the book with painfully tedious detail to scenery and characters. I ended up skimming a lot just to get to the meat of the story.

When Maerad and Cadvan finally reached their destination, so many incredible things happen that it almost made the journey there bearable, almost. Though, I must say, I’m tired of reading books without endings. This was another one of those series novels that had zero resolution and probably won’t have until the last book, which I’m not sure I’ll read since this one was sooooo loooooong.

Still, The Naming is a really great read, if a bit long-winded.