The Path of Flames

One was enough, not going to bother with the rest of the series.

Too many POVs, first of all. Many of the events really didn't need to be told from so many different perspectives. On top of that, I honestly just didn't care about any of the characters, so seeing the next chapter's character left me uninspired and not really enthused about pressing on.

Many of the characters were downright pathetic even. Except the women of course! Before you think I'm a misogynist or whatever, I love a good strong female character. I have no problem with a woman being a badass. Every single woman in the King Henry Tapes (Richard Raley) is a legitimately authentic and believable “strong woman” and I love all of them (Annie B most!). Multiple females in Malazan come to mind, as well as some Abercrombie ladies, and most of the women in Soul of the World (Mealing). Hell, The Lady from The Black Company is one of my favorite characters of all time.

The difference is, you feel that they are all deserving of being a badass. They aren't just handed it like the girl in this book that I cared so little about I can't even remember her name. She was feeling angsty and rebellious so secretly trained behind her mother's back “for two and a half years, about once a week” and is suddenly besting veteran knights who not only have vastly more experience than her and were likely groomed from freaking birth to actually BE knights, but also have an undeniable physical advantage from the actual descriptions given in the book. If a transgender can dominate women's swimming or track and field, then men taller and heavier and stronger and faster and better trained than this wannabe-knight would absolutely destroy her. Or at least the second or third one of them in a row would after she got tired, assuming she's somehow just THAT naturally gifted.

The book became yet another showcase of how girls are just better without showing us how they can actually be better. Women can obviously be better than men at many things. So show us how they are, don't just say, “Because I said so.” Even the pale guy you think is going to be the main character (Asho maybe?) trained for like 5 times the amount she did, and she shows him up their very first showing. Half the time she trained against a TREE! Not the Groot kind either. Give me a break.