Book Review: Shattering the Ley by Joshua Palmatier

Shattering the Ley by Joshua Palmatier

Genre: Fantasy

Series: Book 1

Publisher: DAW (July 1, 2014)

Author Information: Website | Twitter

Mogsy’s Rating: 3 of 5 stars

I’m a pretty fast reader, but Shattering the Ley still took me about a couple months to read, due to the fact I started it earlier this summer right around the time when things got really busy. I was only able to read it in small chunks over the weeks, though it’s actually a very interesting book with well-developed characters and a good foundation in place when it comes to world building. That said, apparently it wasn’t a “must drop everything to read this now” kind of novel for me either, seeing how long it took for me to complete.

The story takes place in Erenthrall, one of many large cities powered by the Nexus and a system of magical ley lines. This also links Erenthrall to the world beyond. Specialists called Prime Wielders control the Nexus and the ley lines, maintaining and protecting the infrastructure, but it is the all-powerful Baron who controls the Wielders. Seeking to overthrow the Baron and destroy the ley system, rebels who call themselves the Kormanley are carrying out attacks across the city, shaping the future of Erenthrall and forever changing the lives of many.

The story is told in multiple parts, following several characters through different stages of their lives. Kara is first introduced to us as a young child, but later on in the book we see her as a young woman coming into her power as a Wielder, then finally as a Prime. Likewise, we follow another character named Allen, a “Dog” in the Baron’s guard who goes from being a green recruit to a fugitive on the run with his infant daughter. The timeline skips ahead at least twice during the course of this novel; the first time it jumps ahead by about two years, but the second time it jumps ahead by about twelve.

Time jumps like these are necessary sometimes to tell a story, but they can also be quite dicey. There’s the risk of the reader becoming detached from the characters, and to some extent I think that’s what happened for me. I never really felt connected to Kara, despite practically watching her grow into adulthood. The same goes for Allen because I felt we missed out on too much of his life, especially in the twelve years since he was exiled and had to raise his child by himself. People change after all that time, and I couldn’t help but wonder about those untold years.

To the book’s credit, very little of the story is given to filler. There’s a lot happening, constantly driving the plot forward, and the political intrigue and ideological conflicts between the clashing factions keep things fresh and engaging. There are many intense scenes, often followed by effects that are significant in the long run. But another obstacle that kept me from being completely immersed was the complexity of the ley line system and the fact it wasn’t explained very well. I wasn’t exactly sure how the Nexus and the ley lines were powering the city, or how the Wielders’ abilities worked specifically in controlling this system. Like I said, we were given a pretty good starting point for the idea, but I still had many questions. No doubt more can be built upon this premise. And the great thing is, I think it has a lot of potential.

A review copy of this book was provided to me by the publisher in exchange for an honest review. My thanks to DAW Books!