The Songs of Eirren series by Edith Pattou

The first of the two books in this series, Hero's Song, was practically unreadable. Like many many teen fantasies, it suffered from some of the genres predictability and unoriginality. But this book really went above and beyond. I think a lot of it had to do with the author's language and descriptions. I have read tons and tons of fantasy, so you'd think that I would have become either bored with or at least inured to some of the repetition. I can see that Hero's Song would be enjoyable to many teen readers, as it follows the story of a young boy who is rather likable, as he goes on his quest and grows up a bit in the process. But I was consistently bored and felt like rolling my eyes throughout.
The second book, Fire Arrow, was better. The story is more original, although still following the basic quest plotline. But the things that bothered me in the first one did not trouble me so much this time. I am not sure if there was really much of a difference, but I at least enjoyed reading it.
When it comes to choosing a book to read for this genre, there are dozens and dozens of series and authors to choose from. Many are probably going to be derivative and unoriginal, but I have found more to be good than bad, overall. Hero's Song may not be as irritating to someone who is less familiar with the genre, and Fire Arrow can almost stand alone without it anyway. I, however, managed to get through them simply so that I could write my paper on the subject.