Right before I started this book, I had been reading this lengthy fantasy novel that left my mind confused, tired, and utterly dissatisfied with character development. After that ordeal, I was just really in need of a good, baggage-less story that can take me away from all that. Turned out The Warded Man was exactly what I was looking for -- a character driven novel that grabbed me right away, and certainly the story was interesting, action-packed and straightforward enough to keep that momentum going. The first handful of chapters that introduced the three main characters were my favorite; right away, I was able to connect with Arlen, Leesha and Rojer, and understand how the events in their youth were going to shape the rest of the their lives. It was all very believable in the way it was written.
I felt that this believability started crumbling a little in the last third of the book, however. At some point in the novel, the plot and character motivations began to feel somewhat forced, the story fell into a predictable rhythm which culminated in an archetypal Hollywood-ish ending that was just a tad too convenient. That's the only reason why I would hesitate giving it 5 stars, but otherwise, I enjoyed The Warded Man immensely.
