Scan barcode
michael_kw's review against another edition
3.0
I would give 3.5 stars; but halves and 4 is to much. I don't generally put down books once I start reading them. Which is a good thing for this book because it took me 91 pages to get into it. I do look forward to reading others in the series. The gradual releasing of new characters throughout the book, I found forced me to read on.
queens_flame's review against another edition
4.0
Special thank you to St. Martin’s for reaching out to me to read & review. This in no way affects my opinions on the novel.
Now I absolutely adore fantasy novels, but the only other adult sci-fi fantasy series I’ve read was Nevernight by Jay Kristoff. And I’ve been meaning to get into more, so when I was reached out to review this series, I jumped at the chance, as it sounded extremely interesting and all the reviews sounded amazing.
For this specific novel in the series, there should be some trigger warnings (but please also note this is NOT a YA series): death of an LGBT+ character (right in the beginning) and there are some lesbophobic comments by a straight guy (who is also a villain). I have no place judging these scenes themselves, but in case that content makes anyone uncomfortable, those are my TW.
This first installment in the series was quick to impress me. It took me about 80 or so pages to actually get into the story, but when I did, I was very much intrigued from start to finish. The author paints an open, creative, intriguing magical and political system that I found fairly easy to follow. Usually with high epic fantasies such as these, things can get very confusing. And in a way, it was at first, but as the story progressed I picked up on things and remembered. There are many species, races, and names that are similar that had me confused but I was able to eventually push through with the constant use of the terms.
There are SO many characters in this series as well as many points of view, but each character was so different in their own way, with their own voices and challenges to go through. I had no trouble following along with each character. Some point of views I enjoyed better than others. I do feel like one of the main characters’s, Rylin, personality just didn’t stick out to me. He seemed very archetypal (hero) but remained static throughout this novel. Elenai, however, was my absolute favorite. I love how badass she is without even realizing she’s a badass, and how goddamn smart she is. I would die for her.
My only complaint about at least this first installment, and also in regards to the sequel (but more on that tomorrow) is that the author writes too much. Sometimes I felt lost in the descriptions of every single thing that was happening at every given moment. We don’t need constant descriptions of travel. Most of the novel I was like, okay, let’s get to the point.
I ended up plowing through most of this book one weekend because once the plot got started, I could barely put it down. There were scenes that made me chuckle, others that made me said, others that made me really feel for the characters. I think this is an amazing epic fantasy that is on par with a lot of big name fantasy writers on the shelves.
Now I absolutely adore fantasy novels, but the only other adult sci-fi fantasy series I’ve read was Nevernight by Jay Kristoff. And I’ve been meaning to get into more, so when I was reached out to review this series, I jumped at the chance, as it sounded extremely interesting and all the reviews sounded amazing.
For this specific novel in the series, there should be some trigger warnings (but please also note this is NOT a YA series): death of an LGBT+ character (right in the beginning) and there are some lesbophobic comments by a straight guy (who is also a villain). I have no place judging these scenes themselves, but in case that content makes anyone uncomfortable, those are my TW.
This first installment in the series was quick to impress me. It took me about 80 or so pages to actually get into the story, but when I did, I was very much intrigued from start to finish. The author paints an open, creative, intriguing magical and political system that I found fairly easy to follow. Usually with high epic fantasies such as these, things can get very confusing. And in a way, it was at first, but as the story progressed I picked up on things and remembered. There are many species, races, and names that are similar that had me confused but I was able to eventually push through with the constant use of the terms.
There are SO many characters in this series as well as many points of view, but each character was so different in their own way, with their own voices and challenges to go through. I had no trouble following along with each character. Some point of views I enjoyed better than others. I do feel like one of the main characters’s, Rylin, personality just didn’t stick out to me. He seemed very archetypal (hero) but remained static throughout this novel. Elenai, however, was my absolute favorite. I love how badass she is without even realizing she’s a badass, and how goddamn smart she is. I would die for her.
My only complaint about at least this first installment, and also in regards to the sequel (but more on that tomorrow) is that the author writes too much. Sometimes I felt lost in the descriptions of every single thing that was happening at every given moment. We don’t need constant descriptions of travel. Most of the novel I was like, okay, let’s get to the point.
I ended up plowing through most of this book one weekend because once the plot got started, I could barely put it down. There were scenes that made me chuckle, others that made me said, others that made me really feel for the characters. I think this is an amazing epic fantasy that is on par with a lot of big name fantasy writers on the shelves.
eb00kie's review against another edition
DNF 50% - Simple plot you can see a mile away, McGuffin, pleasant characters, but none too memorable
mferrante83's review against another edition
5.0
Sword and Sorcery fantasy writ large. If you like your action furious and your fantasy high this is a book you should seek out. Howard Andrew Jones is an author that continues to impress and I can't wait to see where this world goes next.
beasleysbooks's review against another edition
The writing style was very separated from the characters’ feelings. I like my adventures to either be in 1st person or to give the characters a lot of personality, and this didn’t have that.
tunamunki's review against another edition
Was hard to follow what was going on, poor characterization and not compelling to read.
diesmali's review against another edition
adventurous
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.25
jofzar's review
5.0
An amazing start to an new trilogy
I'm not sure how I heard about this book but it is a stunning tale of adventure and magic
It reminds me of the adventures of knights and magicians.
I'm not sure how I heard about this book but it is a stunning tale of adventure and magic
It reminds me of the adventures of knights and magicians.