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3.48 AVERAGE
3.48 AVERAGE
In my opinion this was actually FIRE and I don’t even read steampunk. But now I think I might.
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Let's hope the author hasn't given up the day job; fiction writing is not his forte. This book is an incoherent mess. Anyone who gave Symphony Of The Wind a 5 star rating must be related to the author in some way. That's the only plausible explanation.
DNF. I listened to this from Audible and I'm returning it. The reader chose exttremely odd voices for each of the main characters. They were at odds with the descriptions of their voices, ignored regional accents that were clear in the text itself, and just sounded ridiculous. It then became clear the reader wasn't paying attention to the text at all. He whispered sentences that were "exclaimed". He broke up sentences oddly in the middle because, I can only assume, of a line break. It was just bad.
I suspect this story is decent. I'll have to try again with the text. For now this gets 1 star for the audible version.
I suspect this story is decent. I'll have to try again with the text. For now this gets 1 star for the audible version.
* This is one of the SPFBO finalists for 2018 *
I picked this one up and instantly knew I would like it because the writing style was easy to connect with and I found the world to be a lot of fun. This is a book that managed to hook me in early, and keep me guessing throughout because there are a multitude of twists and turns I didn't see coming. I found the characters and world both very likeable, and I enjoyed hearing about the darker side of the world, the corrupt ruling powers and the scope of the story which will inevitably go on for a couple more books.
This has quite a few main characters, Serna, a young woman who is living in an orphanage but she is nearly old enough to join the Raincatcher guild and she has been apprenticing on a ship. She is a feisty one and she has a lot of daring, brave moments in the book which I liked. Later on she also learns that there is a lot more to her than we initially realise.
We also have Tiera, in a relationship with a Captain and a more minor character until she is forced to do something incredibly tragic. Her story from that point takes on a very bleak turn, and I liked seeing her PoV too as I felt that she added a lot of tension and movement into the story.
Tyson Gallows is a man desperate to find out what happened to his fiancé. She vanished and he knows there is more to the story than he has been told, and as the book goes on he discovers a lot more about the darker undercurrents of the society, some nefarious magic, and some nasty testing. His plot interacted well with the others and I found him likeable to read about.
The world is one where water needs to be shipped in by airships, electricity comes from bit giant spires, and people work for hire or for guilds that are fairly corrupt at times. There are brothels and people who pimp others out, and it's a pretty shady place to live to be honest. There is some hints at magic around, some experiments that seem to be slowly sweeping the nation, but it's not widely known yet and our main characters need to uncover what or who is behind it all. There's a lot of moments I enjoyed which come from having a darker world like this, and the imminent threat of war with a neighbouring country too.
Overall, I really enjoyed this and I found it an absolute pleasure to read and would definitely continue to read the series. I was pleasantly surprised by how many things I didn't see coming, and I would like to know what is going to happen next as we're left with some big questions. 4.25*s which is 8.5/10 for #SPFBO.
I picked this one up and instantly knew I would like it because the writing style was easy to connect with and I found the world to be a lot of fun. This is a book that managed to hook me in early, and keep me guessing throughout because there are a multitude of twists and turns I didn't see coming. I found the characters and world both very likeable, and I enjoyed hearing about the darker side of the world, the corrupt ruling powers and the scope of the story which will inevitably go on for a couple more books.
This has quite a few main characters, Serna, a young woman who is living in an orphanage but she is nearly old enough to join the Raincatcher guild and she has been apprenticing on a ship. She is a feisty one and she has a lot of daring, brave moments in the book which I liked. Later on she also learns that there is a lot more to her than we initially realise.
We also have Tiera, in a relationship with a Captain and a more minor character until she is forced to do something incredibly tragic. Her story from that point takes on a very bleak turn, and I liked seeing her PoV too as I felt that she added a lot of tension and movement into the story.
Tyson Gallows is a man desperate to find out what happened to his fiancé. She vanished and he knows there is more to the story than he has been told, and as the book goes on he discovers a lot more about the darker undercurrents of the society, some nefarious magic, and some nasty testing. His plot interacted well with the others and I found him likeable to read about.
The world is one where water needs to be shipped in by airships, electricity comes from bit giant spires, and people work for hire or for guilds that are fairly corrupt at times. There are brothels and people who pimp others out, and it's a pretty shady place to live to be honest. There is some hints at magic around, some experiments that seem to be slowly sweeping the nation, but it's not widely known yet and our main characters need to uncover what or who is behind it all. There's a lot of moments I enjoyed which come from having a darker world like this, and the imminent threat of war with a neighbouring country too.
Overall, I really enjoyed this and I found it an absolute pleasure to read and would definitely continue to read the series. I was pleasantly surprised by how many things I didn't see coming, and I would like to know what is going to happen next as we're left with some big questions. 4.25*s which is 8.5/10 for #SPFBO.
I got this book through TBRindR which means I got it for free which means nothing as I still will write whatever the fuck I want
Normally I’d start by telling you what kind of book I just read. Here I’d say “Oh that’s a fantasy-book” or maybe I would be more specific and while Symphony of the Wind clearly belongs to some sort of fantasy I’m not so sure on what label to put on it exactly but for now I’ll go with “Fantasy-Resident Evil-Spy Thriller with some Science Fiction”
This probably sounds weird and some of it may be just because of my exposure to certain media but that’s what it felt like.
Here I have to say that the world-building probably too much for some people in the beginning but as soon as that’s out of the way the story starts to pick up speed and never really slows down afterward. So yes the beginning can be overwhelming, confusing and be a bit to much but that allows the rest to breathe a little easier.
As I said too much for some people, I personally like when the world feels like it has a history and thus is a real place I can visit and that is the case here. Dalthea (hope I wrote that right) where most of the book takes place feels real and stays that way except maybe for the Resident Evil inspired stuff. Also I love airships (or ships in any form) in books.
Some of the things the characters (and the reader) knows or get told in the beginning gets challenged throughout the story and I found it very well written as I got that sense of “Aha!” or “Oh crap!” the same way as the characters.
There is very little magic in the story and it only really gets on full display in the final moments as such the magic is very soft and throughout the book you’re sometimes led to believe there is no magic and yes most of it is explained by science and someone never explained why they lead a mage guild and then there is a little bit of magic in the end.
With a book this length (and in this genre) there are quite a few characters so let’s start with something I didn’t like.
The main antagonist never really struck me with a reason as to why he is doing everything or at least I don’t feel as it’s explored enough. He has no pov-chapters but is featured in the conclusion to the book and just seems so off in the midst of all the other characters which are well written (or at least don’t need exploring) and I guess the reasoning of the villain will be enough for some people but I just like my evil a little more human than here.
Serena as one of the main characters happens to be also my favourite in the book. She is an orphan and clearly with green hair born to lead a book but I always felt like she reacted like a real person to events that happened to her. Most of the interactions by characters that are not trained fighters/assassins/military felt very possible an well written (and the others felt like an action movie or game). Serena starts out as a finished character there is little character growth with here but it fits her. She is a resilient girl that can take anything thrown at here and still go on. Throughout the story her view of herself gets challenged and I’d love seen that explored more in the sequel, I don’t want to spoil but not building on her new sense of self or how certain knowledge impacts here would make her feel more shallow than she deserves.
Gallows and Damien are bounty hunters and both deal with their own devils. The problems they face may be typical of male characters in need of growth in fantasy stories but both don’t really feel forced (okay maybe Damien). Especially Gallows while a typical problem to overcome is well written as his hurdles are written in the history of the country and don’t feel so arbitrary because of that.
Most of the side characters are some shade of “tough guy/gal” as you mostly deal with soldiers of some sort or other professions where I can see this type of person working or seeking out that form of employment.
That leaves us with a sometimes pulpy book I can’t put a label on with great characters if the author keeps writing in this way and maybe one tough guy too much that I really enjoyed and I love the mix of different genres I can see inspiring this book.
Normally I’d start by telling you what kind of book I just read. Here I’d say “Oh that’s a fantasy-book” or maybe I would be more specific and while Symphony of the Wind clearly belongs to some sort of fantasy I’m not so sure on what label to put on it exactly but for now I’ll go with “Fantasy-Resident Evil-Spy Thriller with some Science Fiction”
This probably sounds weird and some of it may be just because of my exposure to certain media but that’s what it felt like.
Here I have to say that the world-building probably too much for some people in the beginning but as soon as that’s out of the way the story starts to pick up speed and never really slows down afterward. So yes the beginning can be overwhelming, confusing and be a bit to much but that allows the rest to breathe a little easier.
As I said too much for some people, I personally like when the world feels like it has a history and thus is a real place I can visit and that is the case here. Dalthea (hope I wrote that right) where most of the book takes place feels real and stays that way except maybe for the Resident Evil inspired stuff. Also I love airships (or ships in any form) in books.
Some of the things the characters (and the reader) knows or get told in the beginning gets challenged throughout the story and I found it very well written as I got that sense of “Aha!” or “Oh crap!” the same way as the characters.
There is very little magic in the story and it only really gets on full display in the final moments as such the magic is very soft and throughout the book you’re sometimes led to believe there is no magic and yes most of it is explained by science and someone never explained why they lead a mage guild and then there is a little bit of magic in the end.
With a book this length (and in this genre) there are quite a few characters so let’s start with something I didn’t like.
The main antagonist never really struck me with a reason as to why he is doing everything or at least I don’t feel as it’s explored enough. He has no pov-chapters but is featured in the conclusion to the book and just seems so off in the midst of all the other characters which are well written (or at least don’t need exploring) and I guess the reasoning of the villain will be enough for some people but I just like my evil a little more human than here.
Serena as one of the main characters happens to be also my favourite in the book. She is an orphan and clearly with green hair born to lead a book but I always felt like she reacted like a real person to events that happened to her. Most of the interactions by characters that are not trained fighters/assassins/military felt very possible an well written (and the others felt like an action movie or game). Serena starts out as a finished character there is little character growth with here but it fits her. She is a resilient girl that can take anything thrown at here and still go on. Throughout the story her view of herself gets challenged and I’d love seen that explored more in the sequel, I don’t want to spoil but not building on her new sense of self or how certain knowledge impacts here would make her feel more shallow than she deserves.
Gallows and Damien are bounty hunters and both deal with their own devils. The problems they face may be typical of male characters in need of growth in fantasy stories but both don’t really feel forced (okay maybe Damien). Especially Gallows while a typical problem to overcome is well written as his hurdles are written in the history of the country and don’t feel so arbitrary because of that.
Most of the side characters are some shade of “tough guy/gal” as you mostly deal with soldiers of some sort or other professions where I can see this type of person working or seeking out that form of employment.
That leaves us with a sometimes pulpy book I can’t put a label on with great characters if the author keeps writing in this way and maybe one tough guy too much that I really enjoyed and I love the mix of different genres I can see inspiring this book.
Abandoned at 37%. There is a lot of merit in this book (worldbuilding, interesting characters, action…) but it developed too slowly for me and I gradually lost interest. I’m having a bit of a crisis with fantasy novels lately, with so many 500 plus pages books that demand more energy from the reader than the one they provide.
adventurous
challenging
dark
sad
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Well, this was an interesting read. The title sounded promising as did the summary of the story I would encounter.
Then I started reading. Parts of it were intense and all fight and battle and really quite good, then there were other, slower parts, and there the story fell apart for me, as it felt that the author tried to squeeze in as many fantasy tropes he ever could squeeze in, which for me was ways beyond what is sensible for a first book in a series.
And then there came the issue of representation of females/femininity in this book. And I had to find that females only got the traditional roles assigned that a female can have in an utterly male focussed point of view and that is that of wife, virgin or prostitute. And this, tbh, is just too boring.
Then I started reading. Parts of it were intense and all fight and battle and really quite good, then there were other, slower parts, and there the story fell apart for me, as it felt that the author tried to squeeze in as many fantasy tropes he ever could squeeze in, which for me was ways beyond what is sensible for a first book in a series.
And then there came the issue of representation of females/femininity in this book. And I had to find that females only got the traditional roles assigned that a female can have in an utterly male focussed point of view and that is that of wife, virgin or prostitute. And this, tbh, is just too boring.
Never really grabbed my attention. Couldn't get into the characters or world
A really intriguing, exciting steampunk adventure with airships, zombie-esque creatures, political intrigue, and even some monsters. Basically everything you could want in a fantasy adventure can be found in Symphony of the Wind.
I read the prequel novella "The Fury Yet to Come" before reading this book, but they can be read in any order and you're filled in on all the events of the novella throughout this book; given that, I would recommend reading the novella first if you were planning on reading both, so that you aren't reading it knowing everything that happens. I also felt that having the background knowledge of the novella helped flesh out Tyson Gallows' character as I read this book, understanding his reactions and motivations before they were fully revealed.
This was a great start to a new series that I'll surely be keeping up with as new entries are released. McKinnon did a great job of creating a fully-realized and lived-in world, providing plenty of details about Dalthea to transport the reader down to its corrupted streets while sprinkling in bits of history and elements of other regions and cultures to craft a vast, believable world with clashing cultures, countries, and beliefs. The novel basically takes place in one city, and it was fun getting to see a lot of different corners of it in such detail.
The characters are varied and great across the board. We have Tyson Gallows, the main character of the prequel who still suffers from PTSD from its events and spending each day not caring if he lives or dies; Serena, a young girl who wants nothing more than to be part of a Raincatcher crew on an airship but is being sought after by powerful, corrupt people throughout the city; Damien, a highly-trained assassin with warring personalities trying to push him over the edge into becoming a relentless psychopath; and that only scratches the surface of the different points-of-view we get into. Veronica, Tiera, and all the others offer unique perspectives and personalities and motivations that are equally compelling and exciting to watch unfold.
The storyline is complex, with a ton of different threads weaving throughout the book, which did cause a little bit of confusion for me, but it seemed intentional--I was just as in the dark as many of the characters about WHY these events were happening, and by the climax of the book all the different threads converged in an exhilarating, satisfying way.
And the ending really was satisfying, which is not always true in a series. But in the case of Symphony, a lot of the major threads were resolved, while still leaving a handful of questions dangling and setting up what promises to be an exciting adventure in book 2 with a much larger scope.
I read the prequel novella "The Fury Yet to Come" before reading this book, but they can be read in any order and you're filled in on all the events of the novella throughout this book; given that, I would recommend reading the novella first if you were planning on reading both, so that you aren't reading it knowing everything that happens. I also felt that having the background knowledge of the novella helped flesh out Tyson Gallows' character as I read this book, understanding his reactions and motivations before they were fully revealed.
This was a great start to a new series that I'll surely be keeping up with as new entries are released. McKinnon did a great job of creating a fully-realized and lived-in world, providing plenty of details about Dalthea to transport the reader down to its corrupted streets while sprinkling in bits of history and elements of other regions and cultures to craft a vast, believable world with clashing cultures, countries, and beliefs. The novel basically takes place in one city, and it was fun getting to see a lot of different corners of it in such detail.
The characters are varied and great across the board. We have Tyson Gallows, the main character of the prequel who still suffers from PTSD from its events and spending each day not caring if he lives or dies; Serena, a young girl who wants nothing more than to be part of a Raincatcher crew on an airship but is being sought after by powerful, corrupt people throughout the city; Damien, a highly-trained assassin with warring personalities trying to push him over the edge into becoming a relentless psychopath; and that only scratches the surface of the different points-of-view we get into. Veronica, Tiera, and all the others offer unique perspectives and personalities and motivations that are equally compelling and exciting to watch unfold.
The storyline is complex, with a ton of different threads weaving throughout the book, which did cause a little bit of confusion for me, but it seemed intentional--I was just as in the dark as many of the characters about WHY these events were happening, and by the climax of the book all the different threads converged in an exhilarating, satisfying way.
And the ending really was satisfying, which is not always true in a series. But in the case of Symphony, a lot of the major threads were resolved, while still leaving a handful of questions dangling and setting up what promises to be an exciting adventure in book 2 with a much larger scope.