I'll be completely honest, this book took me a while to finish. I can't pinpoint exactly why, because I love sci-fi & fantasy, and steampunk. Perhaps it was the way the characters were written--they seemed to all have a similar voice and similar characteristics at times, it was hard to tell them apart especially since there is A LOT OF ACTION going on. So much action, which I understand helps to keep the plot moving for a story such as this. But it didn't help that the world-building was just a solid OK. Not bad, but not great. I guess I am more of a visual type of reader where I like to imagine the scenery in the book as I read, but it's hard to do that when there is always so much going on. And this is a shame, because I think the plot is really interesting, and I appreciate the representation of disabilities. That part the author did well, making Urus a capable and independent individual despite being deaf.

The Fifth Vertex: The Sigilord Chronicles Book 1 by Kevin Hoffman

290 Pages
Publisher: Kevin Hoffman, AuthorBuzz
Release Date August 2, 2014

Fiction, Sci Fi, Fantasy, Action, Adventure

Urus and Goodwyn are childhood friends. When the warrior testing days come but Urus fails and must be culled – abandoned by society. Goodwyn becomes the First Fist and leads Urus to the ceremony.

Cailix is an orphan living with an order of monks. Anderis and the blood mages attack the monks looking for an old map thought to be a myth. With all the monks dead, Cailix asks if she can go with the mages. Anderis takes her and trains her as a blood witch. Now Urus and Cailix’s paths have crossed. They must work together to destroy the Sanguine Order and protect the fifth vertex. The story has a steady pace, the characters are somewhat developed, and it is written in the third person point of view. If you like fantasy action adventure stories, you will enjoy this book.

This was so not interesting. The characters were annoying and unbelievable. I could not wait to finish this book. I will not be purchasing this title. My one student who read it, thought the dialogue was uninvolved. I was hoping that it would be better as it is a short read and a good length for my reluctant readers. I also needed to mention the trauma inducing text about mental illness before giving the book to a student.

Thank you Netgalley for allowing me to read this title.

After years of reading them, I have to admit it: I don't care for most YA fantasy.I love the promise of teenagers facing off world-shattering events. Unfortunately, tropes (especially Mary Stu/Sues) and bad, unconvincing romance overwhelm the poor semblance of plot nearly every time.

This book is not that. While it's definitely geared toward a young audience based on plot complexity and world building, The Fifth Vertex is solid fantasy novel that blows most of the YA hits of the last decade out of the water. It's also refreshingly diverse for a book written in 2014— the main character Urus is deaf, and another important character is gay.

I am putting a review here, but not online. I gave the book a 3 star review on Goodreads. It was ok, but I felt like the world building was a bit lacking and I skimmed the fighting parts - they seemed to go on too long. Good luck with the book and thank you for the review copy.

Tried reading the book but gave up at about 40% in. The book just wasn't the right fit for me.i just couldn't get into the story and I didn't care for the characters.

Due to formatting issues, I wasn't able to review this title.

This was an interesting read - not my personal favorite as I felt like I hit a point where I was just pressing the next button and not really engaging but I enjoyed the concept.