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3.85 AVERAGE
3.85 AVERAGE
I dunno. This book had such a strong concept, right up my alley. I was just… I didn’t care for any of the characters and found myself disinterested in what was going on. The book itself isn’t bad, the writing is pretty solid. But there’s a lot of combat sequences and that is a turn off for me.
This book has an interesting premise and is written well. For some reason, though, I could not get into it. I never cared for the characters or felt invested in the story, or entertained by it. There's nothing wrong with it that I can point out, so I guess it just wasn't for me, but I would recommend others to try it.
I felt about this sort of how I've felt about Neil Gaiman's and Robin Hobbs' books. They all have compelling stories to tell, but the telling of them just don't draw me in. So maybe if you like those authors, you'd also like this one.
I felt about this sort of how I've felt about Neil Gaiman's and Robin Hobbs' books. They all have compelling stories to tell, but the telling of them just don't draw me in. So maybe if you like those authors, you'd also like this one.
I don't know if I would have picked this up (I received it as part of a monthly book subscription), but I liked it well enough. Overall, I felt it was pretty well done. Occasionally some phrases or words didn't seem to fit the setting, but this was only my own perspective and very minor. The multiple POV's were easy to follow and still maintained one definable main character. I did crave more complexity to the villains' characters, but toward the end there was a glimpse of this. I was fully vested in the main character's success and well-being throughout. However, I'm undecided about continuing the series.
challenging
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Things I Liked
-writing style - super engaging, fast read despite its length
-character relationships - they seemed realistic and honest, although I have a hard time calling this "found family" because I tend to think of that trope as a little more fluffy than the relationships between these characters, there were also some great character development moments
-worldbuilding - I want to know more about how this world works and I now have even more questions than ever
Things I Didn't Love
-everyone in this book is motivated by revenge, yes they have their individual reasons for wanting it, but they all want revenge
-this motivation makes for an extremely violent and bloody book - so many fight descriptions
-the found family aspect felt forced, they didn't feel like a family to me
The end does give me hope of some redemption of these characters, but I'm still not 100% sure that I'll keep reading the series. I do love Cyrus' decision at the end and I want to see where it leads him.
.
Overall - 3.5⭐
-writing style - super engaging, fast read despite its length
-character relationships - they seemed realistic and honest, although I have a hard time calling this "found family" because I tend to think of that trope as a little more fluffy than the relationships between these characters, there were also some great character development moments
-worldbuilding - I want to know more about how this world works and I now have even more questions than ever
Things I Didn't Love
-everyone in this book is motivated by revenge, yes they have their individual reasons for wanting it, but they all want revenge
-this motivation makes for an extremely violent and bloody book - so many fight descriptions
-the found family aspect felt forced, they didn't feel like a family to me
The end does give me hope of some redemption of these characters, but I'm still not 100% sure that I'll keep reading the series. I do love Cyrus' decision at the end and I want to see where it leads him.
.
Overall - 3.5⭐
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Violence, Blood
Cyrus had a really bad first chapter. Like it's rough when the distant empire shows up and starts killing everybody. But then they also kill one of your gods, and your parents, and you end up a hostage in the same couple of pages. But, he eventually gets a chance to strike back thanks to outside revolutionaries. But is it all worth it?
I am a sucker for a good vengeance story, as long as the motivation is good. As this is the start to the series all of the cards are not out, but no one has gone "I'm doing it for the lols!" so I'll stick around.
Reasons to read:
-I liked the different POVs, each one gave other aspects of world building that were paced well
-The distribution of knowledge in the world makes sense
-I have to applaud THAT foreshadowing and I'm a bit ashamed I missed it considering my background
-World were gods are real and interact with the followers
-Big revenge
Cons:
-A bit of the just talk trope going on, I get why it was done but I saw it coming
I am a sucker for a good vengeance story, as long as the motivation is good. As this is the start to the series all of the cards are not out, but no one has gone "I'm doing it for the lols!" so I'll stick around.
Reasons to read:
-I liked the different POVs, each one gave other aspects of world building that were paced well
-The distribution of knowledge in the world makes sense
-I have to applaud THAT foreshadowing and I'm a bit ashamed I missed it considering my background
-World were gods are real and interact with the followers
-Big revenge
Cons:
-A bit of the just talk trope going on, I get why it was done but I saw it coming
adventurous
challenging
dark
reflective
tense
adventurous
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
challenging
dark
emotional
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