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The Gift
(The Books of Pellinor #1)
by
Maerad is a slave in a desperate and unforgiving settlement, taken there as a child when her family is destroyed in war. She is unaware that she possesses a powerful gift, a gift that marks her as a member of the School of Pellinor. It is only when she is discovered by Cadvan, one of the great Bards of Lirigon, that her true heritage and extraordinary destiny unfolds. Now
...more
Paperback, 494 pages
Published
May 3rd 2004
by Walker Books
(first published January 1st 2002)
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Showing 1-30
Start your review of The Gift (The Books of Pellinor, #1)
Remember when authors talked about landscapes, and you could tell that they might have actually stepped outside once or twice in their lives?
Remember when the male lead and the female lead in a YA book were allowed to develop a strong friendship and partnership, and any romance was left for the later books in the series?
Remember when male characters admired the beauty of female characters but didn’t act like pigs about it?
Remember when not every YA novel featured a love triangle?
I remember two s ...more
Remember when the male lead and the female lead in a YA book were allowed to develop a strong friendship and partnership, and any romance was left for the later books in the series?
Remember when male characters admired the beauty of female characters but didn’t act like pigs about it?
Remember when not every YA novel featured a love triangle?
I remember two s ...more
Mar 08, 2008
Hope
rated it
really liked it
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
sci-fi-fantasy,
read-aloud-to-benjamin
I really enjoyed this book, and I look forward to reading the next book. It is a fairly standard fantasy story - orphan is rescued from a horrible life and is found to be the holder of great power and the possible savior of the nation/world. There are bad guys and treachery and so on. It is a bit uneven in places and there is a bit more repetition that I would like, but otherwise quite good.
My biggest quibble is not with the book but with the many reviewers, here and elsewhere, who compare it to ...more
My biggest quibble is not with the book but with the many reviewers, here and elsewhere, who compare it to ...more
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it,
click here.
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it,
click here.
Sep 23, 2020
Nenia ✨️ I yeet my books back and forth ✨️ Campbell
marked it as wishlist
·
review of another edition
My friend Erika kindly informed everyone that this book was 99 cents so I bought it
99 cents is only 99 cents away from being free
99 cents is only 99 cents away from being free
A great read, I thoroughly enjoyed it and have gone straight onto Book 2 in the series.
A tale of a young woman rescued from slavery, who is found to be someone special with hidden talents. Her rescuer helps her find out who she is and to develop her skills and talents. Their journey is arduous, thrilling and fraught with danger at times.
A thrilling magical fantasy story and a great start to the series.
A tale of a young woman rescued from slavery, who is found to be someone special with hidden talents. Her rescuer helps her find out who she is and to develop her skills and talents. Their journey is arduous, thrilling and fraught with danger at times.
A thrilling magical fantasy story and a great start to the series.
This book is very slow paced. Most of it is a travel log of the scenery, and the level of detail is much more than is needed. Any potential tension is completely lost in these sections.
I didn't feel like I knew or understood the world very well by the end. We're told a great deal about the landscape, a bunch of intricate but insignificant objects (furniture, etc.), and some ancient history, but very little about the current history and politics which are supposedly driving the character's action ...more
I didn't feel like I knew or understood the world very well by the end. We're told a great deal about the landscape, a bunch of intricate but insignificant objects (furniture, etc.), and some ancient history, but very little about the current history and politics which are supposedly driving the character's action ...more
May 02, 2020
Sofia
rated it
it was amazing
·
review of another edition
Recommends it for:
EVERYONE!!!
What if Harry Potter and LOTR had a child, but it was extremely lucky and only inherited the good genes from both of them?
That baby is The Naming.
It's a Tolkien-style, character-oriented, beautiful piece of literature. And this will definitely not be a coherent review, because I'm biased in every way towards this book and nothing I say will make any sense. So.
This is not a novel.
This is a work of art.
Note: This is my fourth attempt at a review. It still doesn't sound remotely close. But I'm ro ...more
That baby is The Naming.
It's a Tolkien-style, character-oriented, beautiful piece of literature. And this will definitely not be a coherent review, because I'm biased in every way towards this book and nothing I say will make any sense. So.
This is not a novel.
This is a work of art.
Note: This is my fourth attempt at a review. It still doesn't sound remotely close. But I'm ro ...more
I truly loved reading this book, and I re-read it constantly. The plot is teased out through out the book in an expert manner with characters that are believable and loveable. With so many twists and revelations it would be easy for a lesser writer to waver, and yet The Naming (or The Gift as I know it in the UK) is an amazing work of fiction which captures my imagination and heart every time I read it.
A once slave is liberated from her morbid life and thrown head first into a battle between go ...more
A once slave is liberated from her morbid life and thrown head first into a battle between go ...more
I LOVED these books. If I could give them 10 stars, I would. The writing was BEAUTIFUL. I have never felt so at home in a book before as I felt in these. Rich, vibrant descriptions and characters and amazing story!!
The Naming is a traditional style fantasy with many familiar fantasy elements that are regardless fresh (to my mind), although others might not think so. This is an epic tale of the sort that made me love fantasy in the first place, and I can't say I mind the nostalgia for classic fantasy that this familiarity evokes.
In many ways it did remind me of the LOTR - in the formal tone of the language, the songs, the descriptions of nature (particularly woods), the mood that presses in on you from the ...more
In many ways it did remind me of the LOTR - in the formal tone of the language, the songs, the descriptions of nature (particularly woods), the mood that presses in on you from the ...more
The pace is not too slow, but not too quick. The characters are not too bland, but not too unique. The writing is good but not great. But instead of being the baby bear of fantasy novels, this one ended up being very run of the mill. I felt like I'd read the story before (the danger of reading too much in one genre), with nothing in this book making it really stand out. I eventually got bored with it and stopped reading about two thirds through.
...more
Jul 08, 2012
Kumakani
rated it
it was ok
·
review of another edition
Recommends it for:
Anyone really into high fantasy
Recommended to Kumakani by:
Good reviews
I admit, I kind of judged a book by its cover with this one. The cover art was pretty and the spine design was also pretty. The blurb on the back cover made the book sound intriguing and I went home and read reviews. The reviews for this book were mostly positive, so I thought, "Hey, why not?"
POTENTIAL SPOILERS. READ AT OWN RISK.
In a word, this book is: boring. So extremely slow-going. The book clocks in at nearly 500 pages. While fantasy is known for its longer books, I've read some books where ...more
POTENTIAL SPOILERS. READ AT OWN RISK.
In a word, this book is: boring. So extremely slow-going. The book clocks in at nearly 500 pages. While fantasy is known for its longer books, I've read some books where ...more
Sep 11, 2020
Erika ♥OwlwaysReading♥
marked it as to-read
·
review of another edition
Recommended to Erika ♥OwlwaysReading♥ by:
Sophie
Shelves:
5-recommended
Book 1 ➡️ $0.99
Me: Wow! That's an incredible deal for 530 pages of "Epic Fantasy"
Book 2-4 ➡️ $7.99/each
Author: Gotcha B*tch
Me: 🤑 ...more
Me: Wow! That's an incredible deal for 530 pages of "Epic Fantasy"
Book 2-4 ➡️ $7.99/each
Author: Gotcha B*tch
Me: 🤑 ...more
OK, this one frustrated me! Lots of readers have mentioned the use of many familiar tropes in this book, but fantasy tropes don't bother me. I'm fine with the Chosen One trope, the Journey trope, and the School trope if they are executed in a novel and compelling way. My main frustration has to do with one of my quirks as a reader--The fact that I find lengthy descriptions of scenery deadly dull! This book is absolutely filled with endless bleak landscapes Described in exhaustively minute detail
...more
Not only was I seduced by the pretty uk version cover of this book (which i listened to in a pricey audio format) but it came highly recommend, so I really wanted to like this book and its fair to say I did like this book...
but only for a little while.
I liked this book very much at the start. The setting in particular. One cant help but wonder how our young Maerad, will escape and what clever way she will find to do so. I found myself imagining the slave settlement a bit like the setting in the ...more
but only for a little while.
I liked this book very much at the start. The setting in particular. One cant help but wonder how our young Maerad, will escape and what clever way she will find to do so. I found myself imagining the slave settlement a bit like the setting in the ...more
"Maerad is a slave in a desperate and unforgiving settlement, taken there as a child when her family is destroyed in ar. She is unaware that she possesses a powerful Gift, a Gift that marks her as a member of the School of Pellinor. It is only when she is discovered by Cadvan, one of the great Bards of Lirigon, that her true heritage and extraordinary destiny unfolds. Now, she and her teacher Cadvn must survive a perilous journey through a time and place where the dark forces they battle with st
...more
4.5!
I greatly loved reading this one, I kept it on hold for a little while, but now I'm glad I decided to finished it!
Now, this is what I call High Fantasy!
“There is no shame in not knowing something,” he said gently. “The shame is in not being willing to learn.”
Wow....just wow!
We follow our protagonist, Maerad, a very helpless slave desperately trying to stay alive in the world of evil, with lovely hidden talents. Then comes Cadvan, who's character is the most inspiring in the entire book! He ...more
I greatly loved reading this one, I kept it on hold for a little while, but now I'm glad I decided to finished it!
Now, this is what I call High Fantasy!
“There is no shame in not knowing something,” he said gently. “The shame is in not being willing to learn.”
Wow....just wow!
We follow our protagonist, Maerad, a very helpless slave desperately trying to stay alive in the world of evil, with lovely hidden talents. Then comes Cadvan, who's character is the most inspiring in the entire book! He ...more
The Naming is from the "coming of age" genre, but is more the "I've gotten through puberty and now am trying to figure out who I am and it would be easier if I were someone magical or famous or something other than I am now". I suppose it is a book of self-discovery, though that isn't quite right either.
The story is fairly straightforward and Potterian. Maerad is an orphan slave girl with some unusual qualities that have kept her from being victimized as most of the young female slaves are. The ...more
The story is fairly straightforward and Potterian. Maerad is an orphan slave girl with some unusual qualities that have kept her from being victimized as most of the young female slaves are. The ...more
2.5 stars
This one's going to be a tough one to review!
This book was very well written with incredible world building and even an appendix at the back explaining the history of the world further. Which I liked as I always love to get into a good fantasy world, but I felt things could have been edited down a bit. Like the descriptions, I felt this book described non-magical everyday situations in far too much detail when only a brief description was needed. I also felt the characters could have h ...more
This one's going to be a tough one to review!
This book was very well written with incredible world building and even an appendix at the back explaining the history of the world further. Which I liked as I always love to get into a good fantasy world, but I felt things could have been edited down a bit. Like the descriptions, I felt this book described non-magical everyday situations in far too much detail when only a brief description was needed. I also felt the characters could have h ...more
Original February 2019 Review
WELL.
This, folks, is a specimen of what I believe is termed 'high fantasy'; and like most high fantasy of the twenty-first century, it seems to pretty much be a rip-off of Tolkien. HOWEVER, this is a really good rip-off of Tolkien, so . . . I'll take it. ;)
Was it absolutely flawless? No. Were the similarities to Middle-earth always well-disguised? No. (I, mean, "Star of Evening"?! Is it even worthwhile to try, at that point?!) Was the style of dialogue always consist ...more
WELL.
This, folks, is a specimen of what I believe is termed 'high fantasy'; and like most high fantasy of the twenty-first century, it seems to pretty much be a rip-off of Tolkien. HOWEVER, this is a really good rip-off of Tolkien, so . . . I'll take it. ;)
Was it absolutely flawless? No. Were the similarities to Middle-earth always well-disguised? No. (I, mean, "Star of Evening"?! Is it even worthwhile to try, at that point?!) Was the style of dialogue always consist ...more
Well it's a fantasy series which I had in my bookcases for the longest of the time so I finally decided to take it out for the ride well it took me for a ride instead as it took me well over 10 months to finish this book. Review continue later gotta catch a train.
People who don't read generally ask me my reasons for reading. Simply put I just love reading and so to that end I have made it my motto to just Keep on Reading. I love to read everything except for Self Help books but even those once i ...more
People who don't read generally ask me my reasons for reading. Simply put I just love reading and so to that end I have made it my motto to just Keep on Reading. I love to read everything except for Self Help books but even those once i ...more
Slow action, but beautiful description of locations.
This book had a very old-fashioned feel to it. By that I mean it was written in a similar fashion to Lord of the Rings. I quite enjoyed it. Full review to come!
Originally reviewed on The Book Smugglers
Ana’s take:
I’d seen The Naming around Goodreads and was intrigued by it but not enough to actually pick it up. I was glad when this showed up in the OSW recommendations.
The Naming was a weird book for me to read. It had tons of potential: tropes and scenarios I am familiar and comfortable with plus the fact that the main character was a girl (when often boys happen to be Chosen Ones). But I had a really hard time with the book because it was so boring and ...more
Ana’s take:
I’d seen The Naming around Goodreads and was intrigued by it but not enough to actually pick it up. I was glad when this showed up in the OSW recommendations.
The Naming was a weird book for me to read. It had tons of potential: tropes and scenarios I am familiar and comfortable with plus the fact that the main character was a girl (when often boys happen to be Chosen Ones). But I had a really hard time with the book because it was so boring and ...more
I can't believe that I've never written a full review for this book, definitely something I need to do! This is probably the 50+th time I've read this and I loved it just as much as always!
I did it! I finally re-read my favourite book! The Gift, by Alison Croggon, was my most read book when I was younger. I’ve re-read it at least 50 times, with the pages completely falling out of the book and the binding ruined. I’ve been absorbed in its pages so often. Somehow, I hadn’t re-read it since I start ...more
I did it! I finally re-read my favourite book! The Gift, by Alison Croggon, was my most read book when I was younger. I’ve re-read it at least 50 times, with the pages completely falling out of the book and the binding ruined. I’ve been absorbed in its pages so often. Somehow, I hadn’t re-read it since I start ...more
Nov 30, 2011
Shoujo85
rated it
did not like it
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
gave-up-on,
quick-review
** This is just a QUICK REVIEW of my thoughts on the book **
Largely boring and very typical: orphan girl of mysterious parentage discovers she has magical powers, is shunned by her peers, goes on a journey with traveling mage/warrior and lives at his house. Maybe not quite exactly, but I remember it was very cliché, largely uninteresting and the journey went on FOREVER (“look at this tree, there's another tree, oh see another tree”). Gave it up as not worth reading; couldn't understand why every ...more
Largely boring and very typical: orphan girl of mysterious parentage discovers she has magical powers, is shunned by her peers, goes on a journey with traveling mage/warrior and lives at his house. Maybe not quite exactly, but I remember it was very cliché, largely uninteresting and the journey went on FOREVER (“look at this tree, there's another tree, oh see another tree”). Gave it up as not worth reading; couldn't understand why every ...more
This was an interesting series to me when I read it. It contained intriguing characters and despite having been set in the YA fiction section it read more like it was targeted at a slightly older readership. Its monsters, its world, its villains and its prophecies were like The Lord of the Rings but were their own creature.
I still remember the creatures that were so well described. And the idea of how the titular character's gift worked was fascinating compared to magic systems I've encountered ...more
I still remember the creatures that were so well described. And the idea of how the titular character's gift worked was fascinating compared to magic systems I've encountered ...more
Oct 21, 2017
Samm | Sassenach the Book Wizard
rated it
it was amazing
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
own,
tbr-2020-july
I love this book from start to finish. From the creation of an entire world and their history to the villains and the ending that just flipped everything on its head! The characters were good as well as the conflicts. I find books, where people travel a lot, can be...well boring in long stretches but this book didn't fall into that trap! Super excited to pick up the sequel and praise the cover gods for these new covers!
...more
While I enjoyed this book, I found it didn't hold my attention like I thought it would. The story was great, the characters were well written but in places it felt like the book dragged a bit. I know that occasionally it needed to so the finger details could be intended with the story but the are the parts where my attention waned. Still a good book and I will continue the rest of the series
...more
| topics | posts | views | last activity | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pellinor fans!!!: Character Discussion | 37 | 26 | May 22, 2020 07:36AM | |
| Pellinor fans!!!: Where in Annar and the Seven Kigdoms would you have liked to live? | 15 | 16 | May 22, 2020 07:34AM | |
| What's the Name o...: SOLVED. Three young adult books about a kid that has to play a certain song to become free/break a curse. [s] | 6 | 39 | Oct 18, 2018 11:01PM | |
| What's the Name o...: SOLVED. YA Fiction (adventure/magic) teen girl slave leaves her home with mysterious traveler and gets trained in magic [s] | 4 | 31 | Apr 10, 2018 12:27AM | |
| What's the Name o...: SOLVED. YA Fantasy - Young Girl in Mountain Village Goes on Adventure w/Older Guy/Guard/Mentor? [s] | 3 | 23 | Dec 31, 2017 11:17PM | |
| What's the Name o...: solved it was the pellinor series [s] | 1 | 19 | Jun 28, 2014 04:33PM |
Readers also enjoyed
Alison Croggon is the award winning author of the acclaimed fantasy series The Books of Pellinor. You can sign up to her monthly newsletter and receive a free Pellinor story at alisoncroggon.com
Her most recent book is Fleshers, the first in a dazzling new SF series co-written with her husband, acclaimed playwright Daniel Keene. Her latest Pellinor book, The Bone Queen, was a 2016 Aurealis Awards B ...more
Her most recent book is Fleshers, the first in a dazzling new SF series co-written with her husband, acclaimed playwright Daniel Keene. Her latest Pellinor book, The Bone Queen, was a 2016 Aurealis Awards B ...more
Other books in the series
The Books of Pellinor
(4 books)
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The idea for The Gilded Ones came to author Namina Forna in a dream. The recurring image was one of a young girl in armor walking up a...
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“There is no shame in not knowing something. The shame is in not being willing to learn.”
—
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“Light blooms the brighter in the darkest places.”
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