Brisingr by Christopher Paolini

Synopsis:
OATHS SWORN . . . loyalties tested . . . forces collide.

Following the colossal battle against the Empire’s warriors on the Burning Plains, Eragon and his dragon, Saphira, have narrowly escaped with their lives. Still there is more at hand for the Rider and his dragon, as Eragon finds himself bound by a tangle of promises he may not be able to keep.

First is Eragon’s oath to his cousin Roran: to help rescue Roran’s beloved, Katrina, from King Galbatorix’s clutches. But Eragon owes his loyalty to others, too. The Varden are in desperate need of his talents and strength—as are the elves and dwarves. When unrest claims the rebels and danger strikes from every corner, Eragon must make choices— choices that take him across the Empire and beyond, choices that may lead to unimagined sacrifice.

Eragon is the greatest hope to rid the land of tyranny. Can this once-simple farm boy unite the rebel forces and defeat the king?

My Review:
To start, this was an epic book so I am going to write and epic review. I will be honest, it literally took me a year to finish this book but not for the reasons most people would think. I started this book in May 09’ right around the time finals were in full swing and I was starting to interview for an internship SO this book was put on hold. Then around January 10’ I began reading again but it was so hard to hold up this massive, hardback book at night and carry it with me so I found the audio CDs at the public library. Hands down this is one of the best audio CDs I have ever heard and I highly recommend them to anyone. The narrator portrayed the characters in such a real way and I loved hearing this story told with a British accent. The only thing I did not like was what he decided the dragons should sound like which I would imagine as being smooth and regal, not course and brash, but other than that it was amazing.

Ok on to the book review. This was a wonderful continuation of the Inheritance Cycle where we get a chance to witness the characters both succeed and struggle in the fight against evil and I am looking forward to seeing what happens next. I will say I was surprised to find out that this would not be the last book considering the author talked about it being a trilogy. So I will have to wait patiently for the fourth and hopefully final book.

I am glad I dragged this one out over a long period of time which is not my normal style at all. I usually tear through books in a matter of days because I have very little patience. The story is epic and so I felt it needed time to resonate with me and I was not eager for it to end. I love, LOVE the relationship between Saphira and Eragon which can be characterized by loyalty and unconditional love. Eragon is such a real, believable, and passionate character and I have loved watching him grow during this series. The other thing I like is that his relationship with Arya, unlike many other YA novels, is not about lust and the physical relationship, but friendship and mutual respect which should be the root of every “romantic” relationship in my opinion. With that said, the girl in me wants some action eventually because while their friendship is growing they are still no closer to being in that kind of relationship. I will cry if they do not end up together because they have been through so much and I can’t picture them with anyone else.