The Compass Rose by Gail Dayton
I simply could not finish Gail Dayton’s The Compass Rose (and have already donated it to my public library). It begins adequately and has decent world-building, but about halfway in (once the strong-yet-unremarkable protagonist, Kallista, and company start toward the capital city) it sinks into a nauseating quagmire of romantic pseudo-plots and issues. The scenes are poorly paced, and for no apparent reason (other than weak attempts at creating tension), chapters begin and end in the middle of the same scene. Most glaringly, the writing is at best pedestrian and, at its worst, contains some of the most awful sentences I can recall.
An example from p. 220: “[His] hips bucked, his tip just nudging her entrance, and they both hissed with the feel of it.” (Note that neither character being described is a snake-person. Also, how could neither the author nor editor chuckle whenever an agent of the ‘bad’ sect, The Order of the Barbed Rose, refers to his boss as the ‘Master Barb’?)
If you enjoy romances and don’t mind fantastical elements, then The Compass Rose may be a decent library loan or airplane book. However, if you’re looking for a fantasy adventure, a good character-driven story, or something well-written, then I strongly recommend avoiding it.
The Compass Rose — (2005-2007) Publisher: The legends of the Godstruck were just that — legends. Until, in an attempt to defend her people, Captain Kallista Varyl called on the One for aid and was granted abilities such as no one had seen in centuries. Now Kallista has been charged with a new destiny as one of the most powerful women in the land — but her power is useless if it cannot be controlled. Mastering her “Godstruck” abilities is the first step. The next, learning that she cannot unlock the secrets of the Compass Rose and defeat her nation’s enemy alone. And finally she must stop a demon-possessed king…
Narrated by Samuel L. Jackson....
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