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liszante's review
4.0
This book is a delight. Quick paced fantasy adventure in which our heroines try to save the world. Every success requires sacrifice. No overwrought angst or romance. And, even better, the character default is female. The gender rarely matters, but when a new character is introduced, they're more likely to be a woman than not. It is extremely refreshing to read an enjoyable fantasy in which that is the case and in which the characters are a diverse group of viewpoints and philosophies and none of them are an obvious mouthpiece for the author's politics (I might have had a bad experience or two in the past...). Anyway. If you want something to fun to read. If you're tired of everything being primarily men, but you don't want a book that makes women domineering brutes or men a joke. If you want an engaging cast, a bit of humor, and some difficult decisions, this is your book.
Now, for the negatives--the solutions came to them too easily. The characters still paid dearly for the solutions, but they also found them a bit conveniently. They didn't really have to work to figure out their next steps. The plot came to them or someone appeared to not only tell them exactly where to go, but guide them there. And each stop included a bit of background, a battle, and the next step in the ultimate quest. Revelations received little foreshadowing, save for a chapter or two before the actual reveal. I was reminded several times of a tabletop game.
The costs weren't always well-explored. Jena's payment, the first made, is really the only one that is shown to have a profound effect on a character. However, since the subsequent books are from other character points-of-view, her thoughts and nature are only observed, rather than felt or described. Niya's payment is shown to be a great sacrifice and has been built up over the course of the book so that the reader feels and knows how much it costs her. Afterward, though, she shows little need for adjustment. The others barely register. I realize that the rotating (book by book; there are five total) first person perspective complicates showing the internal life of other characters, but I'd have liked more in each person's book then before the next task is identified and the book ends.
Finally, while the fantasy world does have a nice mythology surrounding the dragons, fairies, and unicorns, the rest of it just 'our earth but not.' Tomoe is from not!Japan. Wolfram is from not!Russia. Niya really wants to go to not!Australia. Etc etc etc. Not necessarily a bad thing, but something to note.
But, like I said, this is a book to read for fun. And I did have fun reading it.
Now, for the negatives--the solutions came to them too easily. The characters still paid dearly for the solutions, but they also found them a bit conveniently. They didn't really have to work to figure out their next steps. The plot came to them or someone appeared to not only tell them exactly where to go, but guide them there. And each stop included a bit of background, a battle, and the next step in the ultimate quest. Revelations received little foreshadowing, save for a chapter or two before the actual reveal. I was reminded several times of a tabletop game.
The costs weren't always well-explored. Jena's payment, the first made, is really the only one that is shown to have a profound effect on a character. However, since the subsequent books are from other character points-of-view, her thoughts and nature are only observed, rather than felt or described. Niya's payment is shown to be a great sacrifice and has been built up over the course of the book so that the reader feels and knows how much it costs her. Afterward, though, she shows little need for adjustment. The others barely register. I realize that the rotating (book by book; there are five total) first person perspective complicates showing the internal life of other characters, but I'd have liked more in each person's book then before the next task is identified and the book ends.
Finally, while the fantasy world does have a nice mythology surrounding the dragons, fairies, and unicorns, the rest of it just 'our earth but not.' Tomoe is from not!Japan. Wolfram is from not!Russia. Niya really wants to go to not!Australia. Etc etc etc. Not necessarily a bad thing, but something to note.
But, like I said, this is a book to read for fun. And I did have fun reading it.
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