Great books have a certain zest. They absorb you, transport you, make you forget yourself for a while. Great fantasy books are some of my absolute favorite reads. Sadly, this book came nowhere near my ideal.

Jereth left the Tarvon priesthood of the Upright God, disillusioned, without taking his vows. The sanctuary the priesthood offered him after his father, mother, and siblings were drowned at sea no longer seems enough for him. He is wandering the road alone when he arrives at Kelgarron Hall during the feast of St. Bridwen’s Day. It is the custom of the lord to allow everyone to feast at the castle for the celebration. While there, Jereth meets the lovely Trenara and her servant, the small and terribly scarred Hwyn.

Jereth quickly discovers that all is not what it seems with Trenara and Hwyn. Trenara is lovely but simple, and Hwyn has a mission that will change the world. Hwyn frees the Eye of Night, an egg of sorts that will bring darkness, or light, back to the world. For their world is out of sorts and everyone has fled from the North to escape the Troubles there. Those who have fled tell stories of ghosts walking freely, endless winter, and madmen everywhere.

Jereth and his companions will head into the North, for that is where the Eye leads Hwyn, who is prophet in her own right, Eye or no Eye. Jereth also has a gift; he can command the ghosts that the three encounter. Trenara is more a burden to them than anything, but Hwyn saved her life and Trenara will not be separated from Hwyn.

The story revolves in some ways around the religion of the land – the worship of the two gods and two goddess, each with its counterpoint on the Wheel of the year, or corresponding season of the year. This aspect of the plot was well-written and descriptive as the companions’ journey takes them through all the seasons.

My problem with the book was that it was boring. None of the characters really captured my attention. Trenara was almost nonexistent, Hwyn had a martyr complex and poor Jereth spent much of the time trying to figure out Hwyn. These three spent most of their time on the road and the author set up characters and experiences that many times did nothing to further the plot. Dangling plot threads were everywhere.

It’s only near the end that thing begin to pick up and some interesting twists occur. It’s when things really begin to get good that the author ends the book. Although another review on the Internet indicates this is the first of a series of books, I’ve been unable to verify that fact. Regardless, any book that fails to engage the reader until it is almost complete is not one I can recommend.

This lack of engagement reaches its zenith with the character of Trenara. She literally does nothing for 19 out of 22 chapters; the author writes a line here and there so we know she’s there, but that’s about it. I kept wondering why she was even around. And though I read this book as a fantasy, the romantic aspect could have helped, but it is very low-key and revealed only – again – near the end of the book.

Had all the mindless wandering in the wilderness been condensed into a couple of chapters, and the interesting release of the Eye and its impact on the world been the focus instead, I would have enjoyed it much more. As it was, the entire book just fell flat for me, like reading a dry textbook. There are plenty of great fantasy novels out there; skip this bland offering and try something else…just about anything else.