Scan barcode
brittanica_bold's review against another edition
5.0
Full review available at my blog: Brittanica Bold's Babblings
Glassdamn! This was a fantastic read! As a Brian McClellan virgin, I wasn’t really sure what to expect from this first book in his new series, or from him as a writer in general, but the sci-fi / fantasy nerd in me was definitely not disappointed!
This bad boy took me about 5 days to read, which is much longer than I will typically allow any single book to take me under for, but the book hangover is real!!! I’m a sucker for intense worldbuilding, ragtag groups of underdogs, coinciding timelines, and a bit of romance. This book had all of these things in spades!
What I liked about the book:
1. The worldbuilding was so well thought out and fantastical. There are several ongoing, linked storylines going at once, but they are done so well you don’t get confused by the jumps between characters.
Some things to expect while reading:
• A secret society that is particularly closed off to outsiders, but is down with the Assembly…
• Devia Kerite, aka the Purnian Dragon. The greatest battlefield commander in the world
• 1 traitor…2 traitor…3 traitor…GORE!
• A return to the battlefield
• Back-to-the-Future-style lighting powers
• A priest of Horuthe, a prominent death god
• Cthulhu-style monsters!
2. With worldbuilding and interconnected timelines this intense, the characters also have to be solid. I love a good ragtag, underdog team story and this one had all the great elements of that.
• Demir – I love how he have no intention of following tradition or the thoughts of the Assembly, he just wants to make the best life possible for his people. That is a true leader!
“The greater guild-families had tried to push him around when he was a young politician. They hadn’t succeeded then because he could outthink them. They wouldn’t success now because he had proper steel in his spine.”
With that said, he is definitely a flawed hero. He is cocky and arrogant at times, as well as plagued by deep self-doubt and PTSD because of the events of Holikan. He has this constant thought of wanting to abandon ship again when the going gets tough. Fortunately, he sticks it out and ends up finding himself / finding clarity on the battlefield again. He gets rid of his crutch on glass, thinks up something masterful without the use of witglass, and joins his soldiers in the melee like the great leader we know he can be.
• Thessa – I love that she is so f*cking brilliant!!! She is the true master!
Not only does she do a bunch of sh*t that no other siliceers have been able to do, but SHE SAVES HIM! I love a good the-girl-saves-the-guy storyline.
I also love that she is kind to everyone she meets, but she is not weak.
“Do not mistake my compassion for weakness. If you whisper a word…you will have an accident. You might lose an eye, or a hand, or get locked in a furnace when no one can hear your screams. Test me, and you will lose bits of you. That’s a promise.” – Damn! Thessa is not playing around!
Like Demir, she is flawed for sure. She jumps to a lot of conclusions, especially with Demir, and she tends to not think things through fully. Both of these can get her in a lot of trouble if she isn’t careful…Also, what the hell is with the “I could be Lady Grappo”-sh*t? Girl, you haven’t even slept with him, tone it down a bit until you find out if every bit of him is magical.
• Kizzie – God, I f*cking love Kizzie. That’s what’s going to make my assumptions going into book 2 hurt so bad.
I love how much of a total fighter she is, metaphorically and physically. As the bastard Vorcien, she definitely gets dealt low blows that she constantly has to rise against. She hunts down weak links like Magnum PI, fights like Elektra, and solves riddles like Alan Turing. She is basically the older sister I always wanted.
• Idrian – I really love the harshness that Idrian and his viewpoint brings to the table. We see Idrian having to react mostly to battlefield and mental strategy situations, and the dude is FIT!...except the whole thing about hearing voices and whatnot…BUT OTHERWISE, HE IS FIT! He is the heart and soul of his warrior group, the Ironhorns, and a real key player throughout the book.
I’m so sad for him because of his abusive past and how he won’t allow himself to get close to anyone. I mean, I get it, but still….
“As was his habit, he would bury his feelings until the end of the conflict, at which time he would properly grieve.” – Awwww, boo!
However, I will say, as much as he tries to shut himself off from people, he can’t help but jump in wherever help is needed and put his life on the line in front of others.
I love his relationship with Braileer, his vastly underqualified armorer who he wants to fire for the first week he knows him. Once Braileer shows that he will not leave Idrian’s side, even in intense battle, Idrian knows that he will not dismiss him despite his greenness. Because of this, and despite Idrian’s tendency to shut himself off from people, they grow close. In fact, there comes a pivotal moment towards the end of the book where Idrian makes a personal sacrifice for Braileer. Let’s hope that one works out!
Also…ok…I’m just going to throw this out there. Idrian gives off major dom vibes which I’m totally ok with.
Basically,
• Baby Montego – aka Demir’s adopted brother / best friend. Aka Kizzie’s childhood sweetheart. Aka world cudgeling champion.
Cudgeling – the national sport of the Empire. “Two contestants in the arena wore powerful foregeglass earrings to make them stronger and faster, and then beat the shit out of each other with weighted sticks until one of them forfeited. Or died.”
Dude is a beast! There is no other word for him. He is a normal person who scares people more than a glassdancer, which is badass. I wish we had more of him, but I have hope for this going into book 2!
3. This book really has so many great lines.
“Madness and greatness are separated only by the degree of success.” – Fact
“He’s said a lot of good things about you.” “That’s because he has a very poor judgment of character.” – Self-doubt is a b*tch.
“Purpose – not just pursuit of wealth or fame or sex or revenge but real purpose – had been thrust upon him.”- Yay! I love when the hero finds his/her purpose!
“Your optimism is foolhardy.” “And your despair is pointless.” – Only a brother can throw this kind of shade at you and get away with it.
“Remember, Demir, you can’t conquer your enemies until you conquer yourself.” – I tell myself this every day.
“The more you know, the better you can plan. Primary plans, secondary plans, tertiary plans. Plans for failed plans. Plans for the failed plans of failed plans. Information is not just useful, it is everything.” – Oh geez, this hits way too close to home.
“Don’t die. I’m starting to like you.” – Dawwww, Idrian <3
“You’re far too wise for your age.” “And you’re far too haunted for yours.” – Oh my god, age-gap romance! This is the start people!!!
“You are sending me to fail.” “Others would fail worse.” – Thanks for the vote of confidence, bro.
Why I knocked half a star off my rating:
1. This was super long. I should have known better when I saw that page count. It’s really not Brian’s fault. It’s not you, it’s me.
Assumptions going into book 2:
1. Baby Montego and Kizzie will get that tea date.
2. Thessa and Demir will definitely…(what’s the equivalent of Netflix and chill here?)…tempt fate and copulate? Eh, you get the gist.
3. Volos (hidden gem / reference for those who read the book!) actually is good and will probably die because of that.
4. I don’t think we’ve seen the last of Devia Kerite.
5. We definitely haven’t seen the worst of Papa Vorcien.
6. Please, Kizzie, don’t do it…I have minimal faith you won’t, but there is faith nonetheless.
7. I don’t think Braileer is going to play his fiddle anymore…
8. Idrian, I swear to god, I have a really bad feeling you are going to get hurt and it just might break me.
9. Godglass is the only glass a glassdancer cannot manipulate. So, that’s probably going to come back as a common theme for problems going forward.
10. That little girl Demir held in Holikan…yeah, I bet she’s Thessa’s little sister.
Special thank you to NetGalley, Macmillan-Tor/Forge, and Brian McClellan! I am leaving my review voluntarily.
4.5 stars!
Glassdamn! This was a fantastic read! As a Brian McClellan virgin, I wasn’t really sure what to expect from this first book in his new series, or from him as a writer in general, but the sci-fi / fantasy nerd in me was definitely not disappointed!
This bad boy took me about 5 days to read, which is much longer than I will typically allow any single book to take me under for, but the book hangover is real!!! I’m a sucker for intense worldbuilding, ragtag groups of underdogs, coinciding timelines, and a bit of romance. This book had all of these things in spades!
What I liked about the book:
1. The worldbuilding was so well thought out and fantastical. There are several ongoing, linked storylines going at once, but they are done so well you don’t get confused by the jumps between characters.
Some things to expect while reading:
• A secret society that is particularly closed off to outsiders, but is down with the Assembly…
• Devia Kerite, aka the Purnian Dragon. The greatest battlefield commander in the world
• 1 traitor…2 traitor…3 traitor…GORE!
• A return to the battlefield
• Back-to-the-Future-style lighting powers
• A priest of Horuthe, a prominent death god
• Cthulhu-style monsters!
2. With worldbuilding and interconnected timelines this intense, the characters also have to be solid. I love a good ragtag, underdog team story and this one had all the great elements of that.
• Demir – I love how he have no intention of following tradition or the thoughts of the Assembly, he just wants to make the best life possible for his people. That is a true leader!
“The greater guild-families had tried to push him around when he was a young politician. They hadn’t succeeded then because he could outthink them. They wouldn’t success now because he had proper steel in his spine.”
With that said, he is definitely a flawed hero. He is cocky and arrogant at times, as well as plagued by deep self-doubt and PTSD because of the events of Holikan. He has this constant thought of wanting to abandon ship again when the going gets tough. Fortunately, he sticks it out and ends up finding himself / finding clarity on the battlefield again. He gets rid of his crutch on glass, thinks up something masterful without the use of witglass, and joins his soldiers in the melee like the great leader we know he can be.
• Thessa – I love that she is so f*cking brilliant!!! She is the true master!
Not only does she do a bunch of sh*t that no other siliceers have been able to do, but SHE SAVES HIM! I love a good the-girl-saves-the-guy storyline.
I also love that she is kind to everyone she meets, but she is not weak.
“Do not mistake my compassion for weakness. If you whisper a word…you will have an accident. You might lose an eye, or a hand, or get locked in a furnace when no one can hear your screams. Test me, and you will lose bits of you. That’s a promise.” – Damn! Thessa is not playing around!
Like Demir, she is flawed for sure. She jumps to a lot of conclusions, especially with Demir, and she tends to not think things through fully. Both of these can get her in a lot of trouble if she isn’t careful…Also, what the hell is with the “I could be Lady Grappo”-sh*t? Girl, you haven’t even slept with him, tone it down a bit until you find out if every bit of him is magical.
• Kizzie – God, I f*cking love Kizzie. That’s what’s going to make my assumptions going into book 2 hurt so bad.
I love how much of a total fighter she is, metaphorically and physically. As the bastard Vorcien, she definitely gets dealt low blows that she constantly has to rise against. She hunts down weak links like Magnum PI, fights like Elektra, and solves riddles like Alan Turing. She is basically the older sister I always wanted.
• Idrian – I really love the harshness that Idrian and his viewpoint brings to the table. We see Idrian having to react mostly to battlefield and mental strategy situations, and the dude is FIT!...except the whole thing about hearing voices and whatnot…BUT OTHERWISE, HE IS FIT! He is the heart and soul of his warrior group, the Ironhorns, and a real key player throughout the book.
I’m so sad for him because of his abusive past and how he won’t allow himself to get close to anyone. I mean, I get it, but still….
“As was his habit, he would bury his feelings until the end of the conflict, at which time he would properly grieve.” – Awwww, boo!
However, I will say, as much as he tries to shut himself off from people, he can’t help but jump in wherever help is needed and put his life on the line in front of others.
I love his relationship with Braileer, his vastly underqualified armorer who he wants to fire for the first week he knows him. Once Braileer shows that he will not leave Idrian’s side, even in intense battle, Idrian knows that he will not dismiss him despite his greenness. Because of this, and despite Idrian’s tendency to shut himself off from people, they grow close. In fact, there comes a pivotal moment towards the end of the book where Idrian makes a personal sacrifice for Braileer. Let’s hope that one works out!
Also…ok…I’m just going to throw this out there. Idrian gives off major dom vibes which I’m totally ok with.
Basically,
• Baby Montego – aka Demir’s adopted brother / best friend. Aka Kizzie’s childhood sweetheart. Aka world cudgeling champion.
Cudgeling – the national sport of the Empire. “Two contestants in the arena wore powerful foregeglass earrings to make them stronger and faster, and then beat the shit out of each other with weighted sticks until one of them forfeited. Or died.”
Dude is a beast! There is no other word for him. He is a normal person who scares people more than a glassdancer, which is badass. I wish we had more of him, but I have hope for this going into book 2!
3. This book really has so many great lines.
“Madness and greatness are separated only by the degree of success.” – Fact
“He’s said a lot of good things about you.” “That’s because he has a very poor judgment of character.” – Self-doubt is a b*tch.
“Purpose – not just pursuit of wealth or fame or sex or revenge but real purpose – had been thrust upon him.”- Yay! I love when the hero finds his/her purpose!
“Your optimism is foolhardy.” “And your despair is pointless.” – Only a brother can throw this kind of shade at you and get away with it.
“Remember, Demir, you can’t conquer your enemies until you conquer yourself.” – I tell myself this every day.
“The more you know, the better you can plan. Primary plans, secondary plans, tertiary plans. Plans for failed plans. Plans for the failed plans of failed plans. Information is not just useful, it is everything.” – Oh geez, this hits way too close to home.
“Don’t die. I’m starting to like you.” – Dawwww, Idrian <3
“You’re far too wise for your age.” “And you’re far too haunted for yours.” – Oh my god, age-gap romance! This is the start people!!!
“You are sending me to fail.” “Others would fail worse.” – Thanks for the vote of confidence, bro.
Why I knocked half a star off my rating:
1. This was super long. I should have known better when I saw that page count. It’s really not Brian’s fault. It’s not you, it’s me.
Assumptions going into book 2:
1. Baby Montego and Kizzie will get that tea date.
2. Thessa and Demir will definitely…(what’s the equivalent of Netflix and chill here?)…tempt fate and copulate? Eh, you get the gist.
3. Volos (hidden gem / reference for those who read the book!) actually is good and will probably die because of that.
4. I don’t think we’ve seen the last of Devia Kerite.
5. We definitely haven’t seen the worst of Papa Vorcien.
6. Please, Kizzie, don’t do it…I have minimal faith you won’t, but there is faith nonetheless.
7. I don’t think Braileer is going to play his fiddle anymore…
8. Idrian, I swear to god, I have a really bad feeling you are going to get hurt and it just might break me.
9. Godglass is the only glass a glassdancer cannot manipulate. So, that’s probably going to come back as a common theme for problems going forward.
10. That little girl Demir held in Holikan…yeah, I bet she’s Thessa’s little sister.
Special thank you to NetGalley, Macmillan-Tor/Forge, and Brian McClellan! I am leaving my review voluntarily.
4.5 stars!
rachael2114's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
iroshiroi's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
funny
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
popcorn27's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
ash06's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
slow-paced
3.0
This book took me a while. It started out really slow, which made it hard for me to pick up. But I decided to push through and somewhere around 60% I became more interested and couldn’t wait to finish this one. Then..the epilogue happened….what?!! I was sure I wasn’t going to continue this serious until I got to the epilogue…that hooked me and now I NEED to know more!
jems_'s review against another edition
3.25
I‘m honestly not sure how to rate this.
Within the first half of this book, I switched from the physical German copy to the English audiobook and I‘m honestly not sure if I could’ve even finished it if I hadn’t done that.
The story was interesting and I am considering continuing this series especially with how it ended.
However, as a mostly character driven reader, I didn’t find myself particularly liking or caring about most of the characters (except for Baby).
None of them were particularly likable to me and I don’t think that was the intention. They either acted in ways I disliked, where I was glad for the audiobook as it kept going without me having to actively continue, because I might not have or I just never started caring about them at all.
In particular the relationships between the characters went way too damn fast and conflicts between them were solved easily to the point that it felt a little stupid. I think, without the audiobook this might’ve felt like too much of a drag for me to actively read because of the character problems I had.
As I said, I still think the story was decent (albeit a little uh too abstract in some regards imo) and I might just continue, but who knows.
Within the first half of this book, I switched from the physical German copy to the English audiobook and I‘m honestly not sure if I could’ve even finished it if I hadn’t done that.
The story was interesting and I am considering continuing this series especially with how it ended.
However, as a mostly character driven reader, I didn’t find myself particularly liking or caring about most of the characters (except for Baby).
None of them were particularly likable to me and I don’t think that was the intention. They either acted in ways I disliked, where I was glad for the audiobook as it kept going without me having to actively continue, because I might not have or I just never started caring about them at all.
In particular the relationships between the characters went way too damn fast and conflicts between them were solved easily to the point that it felt a little stupid. I think, without the audiobook this might’ve felt like too much of a drag for me to actively read because of the character problems I had.
As I said, I still think the story was decent (albeit a little uh too abstract in some regards imo) and I might just continue, but who knows.
peterkeep's review against another edition
5.0
First and foremost, I am a very big fan of Brian McClellan. Part of that is probably because I read and enjoyed his debut, Promise of Blood, soon after it came out, and have got to feel like I discovered his books before other people or something silly like that. Obviously that's not even really true (since his debut was extremely popular). He's also a nice guy that I've gotten to interact with a bit. So let's get that out of the way.
But yah, this book rules.
I was excited to see what Brian would do outside of the Powder Mage world, and he really brought it. I think he does a great job here or keeping this book similar enough to his Powder Mage books that it feels like he's created a kind of identity for himself as an author: we can know what to expect from him!
1. There is a cool magic system that allows for not only neat action-y/fight scenes, but also has a real influence on the way that society has evolved to incorporate that magic.
2. There is a mix of industrialization behind the magic and some more pure sorcery, and those two things have interesting conflicts with each other.
3. The plot is fast paced and action-oriented with a mix of military battle stuff and also some cool intriguing investigation type stuff. He seems to balance the mystery/investigator/detective stuff with the military and politics stuff really well.
4. He writes a big brute with some great character depth into the story.
This book checks all of those boxes, and honestly he might have done all 4 of these things better than ever here.
The story itself is super: a public assassination forces a failed prodigy to come home and take over the responsibility that he left and investigate the death, while a seemingly stable source of industrialized magic starts to mysteriously disappear, and local city politics bleed into larger-scale conflicts away from home. But the subplots with other characters are done really well too: an investigator that is trying to balance allegiances to her family that has kept her in the margins and her closest friend, an engineer trying to save the magic from dying, and a military man with a debt to pay.
Without spoiling anything, I want to end this by saying that it's fun to see Brian trying new things as well. From the review so far, it might seem like this is just another Powder Mage book set in a new world with glass magic instead of gunpowder magic. And like, it is in the ways I mentioned.
But it's also clear that Brian is trying new stuff, has different kinds of characters that exist in a different kind of society with different kinds of norms. There is one specific instance of a fight between a man and a woman that stems from a lack of communication, and Brian wraps it up in about 2 pages because these characters value communication! They stop, figure out their own issues and sort them out quickly, and then talk to each other. The immediate conflict is resolved, even if there are deep-seeded issues to work out. I loved seeing this: he is writing a very mature cast of characters where the big conflicts aren't petty squabbles.
He also has some really cool new things in this book that he's not done much of before that I am not mentioning...it was a ton of fun to read the build up to some of the reveals he has and then be completely surprised at the direction the books took.
So yah, this book is comfortable for those who have read Brian McClellan's stuff before, but super fresh and exciting.
I'll be a release-day reader for any other books in this series.
But yah, this book rules.
I was excited to see what Brian would do outside of the Powder Mage world, and he really brought it. I think he does a great job here or keeping this book similar enough to his Powder Mage books that it feels like he's created a kind of identity for himself as an author: we can know what to expect from him!
1. There is a cool magic system that allows for not only neat action-y/fight scenes, but also has a real influence on the way that society has evolved to incorporate that magic.
2. There is a mix of industrialization behind the magic and some more pure sorcery, and those two things have interesting conflicts with each other.
3. The plot is fast paced and action-oriented with a mix of military battle stuff and also some cool intriguing investigation type stuff. He seems to balance the mystery/investigator/detective stuff with the military and politics stuff really well.
4. He writes a big brute with some great character depth into the story.
This book checks all of those boxes, and honestly he might have done all 4 of these things better than ever here.
The story itself is super: a public assassination forces a failed prodigy to come home and take over the responsibility that he left and investigate the death, while a seemingly stable source of industrialized magic starts to mysteriously disappear, and local city politics bleed into larger-scale conflicts away from home. But the subplots with other characters are done really well too: an investigator that is trying to balance allegiances to her family that has kept her in the margins and her closest friend, an engineer trying to save the magic from dying, and a military man with a debt to pay.
Without spoiling anything, I want to end this by saying that it's fun to see Brian trying new things as well. From the review so far, it might seem like this is just another Powder Mage book set in a new world with glass magic instead of gunpowder magic. And like, it is in the ways I mentioned.
But it's also clear that Brian is trying new stuff, has different kinds of characters that exist in a different kind of society with different kinds of norms. There is one specific instance of a fight between a man and a woman that stems from a lack of communication, and Brian wraps it up in about 2 pages because these characters value communication! They stop, figure out their own issues and sort them out quickly, and then talk to each other. The immediate conflict is resolved, even if there are deep-seeded issues to work out. I loved seeing this: he is writing a very mature cast of characters where the big conflicts aren't petty squabbles.
He also has some really cool new things in this book that he's not done much of before that I am not mentioning...it was a ton of fun to read the build up to some of the reveals he has and then be completely surprised at the direction the books took.
So yah, this book is comfortable for those who have read Brian McClellan's stuff before, but super fresh and exciting.
I'll be a release-day reader for any other books in this series.
tosmith's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
inspiring
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Political intrigue hinting at even bigger mysteries, immersive world building with a fun and unique magic system and a cast of characters from all walks of life to show off this well-crafted world from all angles.
brendalovesbooks's review against another edition
3.0
This was fairly good, but there just wasn't anything very exciting about it. I didn't care very much for any of the characters, the plot was a bit boring a lot of the time, and the ending was a bit lackluster. I would potentially read the next book in the series, but it depends on how much I've forgotten, because I definitely wouldn't re-read this.
There were some interesting ideas here, and it really wasn't terrible, but I was never anxious to pick it up and read it, and it was way too easy to put down.
There were some interesting ideas here, and it really wasn't terrible, but I was never anxious to pick it up and read it, and it was way too easy to put down.