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3.83 AVERAGE
3.83 AVERAGE
adventurous
funny
mysterious
tense
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death, Emotional abuse, Violence
Minor: Xenophobia, Murder
Overall, this was an interesting read and I quite enjoyed it! I would call it a 60-40 book. The first, maybe, 60% felt difficult to get into and then once I hit that last 40% I needed to know how it was all going to go down. Lol
I liked that the characters were older. I actually liked most of the characters in general. I liked the dry and sarcastic humor. I liked the world, although I definitely got mixed up with the various factions and territories. (Could be because I was listening to the audiobook - reading may give a different experience.)
One thing I found quite jarring was the world-building tangents that came up mid-action and the occasional times the reader is basically addressed with Kalyna specifically explaining something to the reader.
Otherwise, looking forward to reading Book 2 in 2024.
I liked that the characters were older. I actually liked most of the characters in general. I liked the dry and sarcastic humor. I liked the world, although I definitely got mixed up with the various factions and territories. (Could be because I was listening to the audiobook - reading may give a different experience.)
One thing I found quite jarring was the world-building tangents that came up mid-action and the occasional times the reader is basically addressed with Kalyna specifically explaining something to the reader.
Otherwise, looking forward to reading Book 2 in 2024.
adventurous
funny
mysterious
tense
fast-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:
No
Necessity is the mother of invention. In Kalyna’s case, invention takes the form of cold reading, intelligence gathering, gumption, and a fair amount of lying. The necessity comes from her family. She is the last in a long line of people gifted with the ability to see the future; Kalyna did not get this gift, though she does her damndest to make her customers believe she did. In Elijah Kinch Spector’s highly entertaining novel, Kalyna the Soothsayer, necessity strikes again when Kalyna’s gift is “requisitioned” by a nearby prince and is spirited away by the prince’s agents in the dead of night...
Read the rest of my review at A Bookish Type.
Read the rest of my review at A Bookish Type.
A slow start and a slow middle, but a really interesting main character and voice, with a fun take on saving the world. I thought Kalyna was a little too nice all things considered but Dagmar and Gabor really lifted the end for me and I enjoyed the book overall.
Edit: I've sat with this book for a while and I continue to be impressed by it and how it stands out. It's thoughtful, creative, and unique. Bumping from 3 to 4 stars.
Edit: I've sat with this book for a while and I continue to be impressed by it and how it stands out. It's thoughtful, creative, and unique. Bumping from 3 to 4 stars.
3,5 stars for this book
I almost stopped reading this book at 40%, because it was SO long, and kind of boring sometimes. However, I am glad I did not!
The story, though very complex and hard to get into, was rich and interesting. There were multiple layers to the plot, without being too difficult to comprehend. The informations on the world were explained in a very clear way, there were just too much of it that my little head had trouble remembering everything at the beginning.
But the thing I absolutely, absolutely LOVED was Kalyna, our main character. She is messy, traumatized by her grandmother that insults her, hits her and tells her everyday that she is a waste of life, but she is also brave, and fun, and kind. Her sarcasm and cynic view of life was so full of humor and refreshing, I kept reading mainly to know more about her adventures! Writing with a first person POV can be tricky, but this was handled perfectly.
The other characters are just as lovable, and the representation, both of various ethnicities, sexualities and disabilities was great.
In summary, if you are not afraid of a long and rich book full of cynical humor, I highly recommend this!
Thanks to Erewhon books and Netgalley for providing me an ARC of this book.
I almost stopped reading this book at 40%, because it was SO long, and kind of boring sometimes. However, I am glad I did not!
The story, though very complex and hard to get into, was rich and interesting. There were multiple layers to the plot, without being too difficult to comprehend. The informations on the world were explained in a very clear way, there were just too much of it that my little head had trouble remembering everything at the beginning.
But the thing I absolutely, absolutely LOVED was Kalyna, our main character. She is messy, traumatized by her grandmother that insults her, hits her and tells her everyday that she is a waste of life, but she is also brave, and fun, and kind. Her sarcasm and cynic view of life was so full of humor and refreshing, I kept reading mainly to know more about her adventures! Writing with a first person POV can be tricky, but this was handled perfectly.
The other characters are just as lovable, and the representation, both of various ethnicities, sexualities and disabilities was great.
In summary, if you are not afraid of a long and rich book full of cynical humor, I highly recommend this!
Thanks to Erewhon books and Netgalley for providing me an ARC of this book.
adventurous
funny
mysterious
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
This was an impulse pick up in the new releases sections of my local library. Only regret is that it's the beginning of a series that is still being written. #fantasyreaderproblems
Kalyna’s family have been traveling soothsayers for generations, never laying down roots, making money off their Gift. Until Kalyna that is. She does not have the Gift but still has to support her ailing father and cantankerous grandmother. So she uses informants, educated guesses, her wits, and sometimes outright tricks to make her prophecies. Unfortunately, her skills are good enough to catch the attention of a noble. Kalyna is “voluntold” that her skills will be used to uncover threats against a king. Turns out, that doesn’t even scratch the surface. Kalyna and the royal court are about to get way more threats than they bargained for.
I did not expect what I got. There was a lot of world building and tons of political intrigue. But it wasn’t heavy handed in the way that some fantasy novels can be. We all know the ones. We dive in head first and so excited only to get stalled out by some long ranting description of area history. Spector didn’t do that. His world building was interspersed throughout the novel in small doses that made sense with the narrative. And while the book was only broken into large parts, each part has subchapters that made me feel like I was reading so fast.
Only thing that slowed down my reading on this one was pronunciations. I was so engaged that I felt like I had to get each character’s name just right so that meant I would sit there and say the name outloud a couple times until it sounded right. But then again, this is another fantasy reader problem and didn’t detract from the overall story.
Kalyna’s family have been traveling soothsayers for generations, never laying down roots, making money off their Gift. Until Kalyna that is. She does not have the Gift but still has to support her ailing father and cantankerous grandmother. So she uses informants, educated guesses, her wits, and sometimes outright tricks to make her prophecies. Unfortunately, her skills are good enough to catch the attention of a noble. Kalyna is “voluntold” that her skills will be used to uncover threats against a king. Turns out, that doesn’t even scratch the surface. Kalyna and the royal court are about to get way more threats than they bargained for.
I did not expect what I got. There was a lot of world building and tons of political intrigue. But it wasn’t heavy handed in the way that some fantasy novels can be. We all know the ones. We dive in head first and so excited only to get stalled out by some long ranting description of area history. Spector didn’t do that. His world building was interspersed throughout the novel in small doses that made sense with the narrative. And while the book was only broken into large parts, each part has subchapters that made me feel like I was reading so fast.
Only thing that slowed down my reading on this one was pronunciations. I was so engaged that I felt like I had to get each character’s name just right so that meant I would sit there and say the name outloud a couple times until it sounded right. But then again, this is another fantasy reader problem and didn’t detract from the overall story.
adventurous
funny
slow-paced
adventurous
mysterious
tense
This is an excellent, thrilling book about hanging on by the skin of one's teeth and somehow saving the world as you know it. I loved the morally grey protagonist who despite all odds and at great personal cost opted to become the hero. The world is so complex and the sheer number and variety of disabled characters warmed my heart, as did the book's queerness. All in all, a heartily enjoyable book!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Chronic illness, Emotional abuse, Mental illness, Violence, Murder, Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Ableism, Homophobia, Infertility, Physical abuse, Racism, Sexism, Toxic relationship, Xenophobia, Alcohol