Green rider

Recommended for people who liked Heralds of Waldemar, by Mercedes Lackey. Plot is very similar. i didn't like it.

This was a very solid start to a series! I feel like with most fantasy nowadays you really get a whole “chosen one, destined for this” vibe and while that can be fun, it's also fun for the protag to be someone who was just dropped into this whole situation and is trying to do their best. Karigan was more determined and stubborn than I think anyone in that position would be expected to be but that's probably what makes her the protagonist, right?

The world was set up fairly well and, while I wonder what they're going to do with the antagonist after this book's ending, I will be picking up at least the next book to find out! The magic system wasn't discussed very much in this book but it seemed interesting, so I hope they go more in-depth with it sooner rather than later. The Green Riders remain mysterious despite them being heavily involved in last ~12 chapters in the book and I'm excited to learn more about them as well.

I'm also interested in the hints of romance that were set up here. It kinda seems like it's leaning toward a love triangle, which I'm a bit leery of, but I'll withhold judgement until we get into the thick of it. At the very least this seems like the type of series that would prioritize plot over romance, so even if the love triangle goes badly it won't detract from the book too much, I'm hoping.

I'm definitely picking up book 2!

recently remembered loving this book in hs and found out there have been like 8 more books in the series since then so! May as well

File this under “Books I Bought Years Ago and Should Have Read Years Ago” because I really should have. A fine first entry that makes me want to pick up the next book in the series. 3.8 stars.

This would be an unremarkable three-star book that blends into the broader Anglo fantasy genre except that it goes on these weird asides to advocate for monarchy and plutarchy.  Nothing to do with the plot, except I guess as an intended red herring? And the primary “anti-monarchist” revolutionary never even says anything that's wrong. But the protagonist still calls her “despicable” and then goes on a small rant about how her rich parents are self-made. It's weird and unnecessary but I guess it is, like, the one thing in the book that stood out. The magic is unremarkable, the villain is generic. Blah.

I bought this a few years ago, but never got around to reading it. I checked out some reviews before I started and found some arguments that Karigan was a a Mary Sue, because the story revolved too much around her. Imagine that, a woman taking up space in a story of which she's the main character!?!

I liked this book. I was a fun, exciting read, and I for one liked Karigan and several other characters. The Green Rider service is an intriguing idea, and I intend to read more of the series.

Even better the 2nd time!!

! Love this adventure! It's just a fun story to get lost in. A good VS evil with a strong female warrior going to save the day.

Frustrated with an unfair expulsion from school, Karigan leaves to journey home. What she never expected to find was a dying man with two arrows protruding from his back. In F’ryan Coblebay's last moments, he asks Karigan to deliver his message to the king. It is a matter of life and death. Reluctantly she accepts his mission and in return receives a golden winged horse brooch. As she pins the brooch upon herself and rides off with F’ryan’s horse, Karigan unknowingly changes her life forever.

Karigan will not only become mixed up in the politics of the world, but she will cross paths with an old evil as well. I love how such a simple concept of delivering a message to the king was able to expand into a world filled with magic and intrigue. And the politics do not overshadow the plot, if anything they accent the characters' actions and stay well in the background. The main focus remains on Karigan’s journey and all the difficulties she endures.

I quite enjoyed how Green Rider layered past events for all the characters. Instead of overloading the reader with information, certain events would trigger characters to reflect back on their actions and reveal the deeper history. The world-building was so subtly woven into the story, that it slowly drew me in without even realizing it. And the use of magic in the world wasn’t overpowering. Similar to how the politics helped propel the story forward, the magic wasn’t heavily relied on. Characters who used it had to know how to survive on their own without magic as well. It truly was a tool to aid each person, instead of being their main source of skill or power.

As for characters, the Bayberry sisters were a delight. They were the integral piece needed to explain how magic worked in the world. And their personalities more than made up for the times they regaled Karigan with tales of their father’s magical research and his unfortunate mishaps. Listening to the audiobook, the voice actor made me laugh at their antics and I could just picture their body language and pose through their voices. It was a delight to take a moment from the main adventure and delve into the world of magic a bit more. And they were just the support Karigan needed at the start of her quest.

Now keep in mind Karigan is entirely new to the world of danger green riders endure. And while she has been taught how to defend herself, she has never had to apply the lessons in real life. Day in and day out as she is hunted by numerous assailants. This leads to Karigan making foolish decisions, and being unable to truly defend herself. Quite often she ends up with aid coincidentally showing up such as the Bayberry sisters. But each hard knock Karigan takes isn’t forgotten. She learns from her mistakes and by the end of the story, she is an entirely new person than she was at the start. And frankly, I can’t wait to see how else she develops in the next book.

Kristen Britain brings to life a world of magical messengers and ancient evil. There is so much left to uncover in the Green Rider series. By the end of this book, I found myself needing to know more about the evil that is breaking free, and just how Karigan is going to go about pursuing her life now. Once a green rider, always a rider. If you are a fan of high fantasy novels that scale down the politics and focus more on character development, this is the series for you.

A decent read. I have a soft spot for strong female leads, which this book more or less satisfies. Karigan manages to get on my nerves in a few places in the book (mannerisms, reactions, stuff like that), but is a decently fleshed out character. Everyone else she encounters, however, felt a little flat. I don't know if they're fleshed out in later books, but what was shown in this book could have been better.

A decent guilty pleasure read for a short weekend trip somewhere.

I actually bought this book years ago. I found it at a local flea market and it sounded appealing - even though I knew nothing about the book or author. I set it aside and read a few reviews of it that made the book sound dreadfully boring and pretty much erased my interest in it.

Fast forward until a couple of weeks ago.

I was looking at reviews at this very website for books that I was interested in and I thought about this one. I still had my sightly battered copy of Green Rider sitting on my shelf so I thought I'd see what readers over here said about it. I was skimming through the reviews when a one star review caught my eye. Even though the reviewer didn't like the book, it honestly sounded like something right up my alley.

It really was. Though I will warn you that the book takes a very long tie to get moving. The plot starts quickly enough, but for about half the book you are doing nothing but following the main female - who more often than not travels alone - on her journey. She does meet a few people along the way that help or hinder her and it was because of these flashes of near brilliance that I kept reading.

I found the characters likable and interesting, even starting with Karigan. And it is unusual for me to like the main character. Once she arrived at her destination, the added colorful characters made the book a joy to read.

Also, something that I feel deserves a mention, this was a clean book. There was no crass language in it, no depictions of sexual scenes. There was a decent amount of gore though, and two attempted rape's that were foiled. (Nicely enough, by a female - in both cases.)

While Ms. Britain does nothing new in the fantasy genre, she certainly has a good showing for her first novel.

edit As someone else pointed out, this book has strong flavors of Mercedes Lackey to it. Sometimes the wordy-ness of the world descriptions reminded me of the Mage Storm trilogy.

I enjoyed this book. I liked how Karigan gradually learned about her role in the fight for the kingdom of Sacordia between Zachary and his brother Amilton. I also liked the interactions between the characters Karigan and the friends she makes. I look forward to reading the next book in the series, First Rider's Call.