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3.61 AVERAGE
3.61 AVERAGE
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
adventurous
emotional
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
Dark academia crossed with fairy tales, for the brooding lesbians oblivious to the concept that someone might actually like them. Also, a fun little murder mystery and emotionally damaging.
The ending was kind of odd, though. Wilhelm was built up to be doing all of this evil stuff and then they’re just like… don’t worry about it?
adventurous
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
I knew 100 pages in that I wasn't feeling this and was trying my best to push through, but I'm already 60% in and it's not getting better. I have several problems with this book.
The world building is barely there from the beginning. Saft clearly put a lot of thought into the folklore and nothing else. The magic system? Disorganized and boring. Everyone just has magic and no sort of system is explained even though all of the main characters went to school and do publicly acknowledged research. The countries? Nothing big helps you tell them apart. You know where each character is from and the monsters it has but that falls flat too because the monsters get a better description than the King. The story feels like starting from the middle of the school year and your teachers just assume you know everything.
This was a bad start, because not only was the world not pulling me in but the characters are boring as hell. The author tries to make you care about them but honestly they could've been written as acquaintances who could barely stand each other and that would've been better than the half baked "childhood friends" background we got. Two of them are supposed to be lovers and it doesn't feel like it at all. I just couldn't care about a single one of them besides the Lorelei and Sylvia and barely that. The romance is not believable at all. Lorelei's crush felt one-sided and 60% they were still butting heads.
Not that I would've supported the romance or any friendships with the companions anyway. Throughout the expedition, we're spoon-fed the companions backstory and every time Lorelei, who's people are literally the most discriminated against, is used to humanize these people who would hate crime her and giggle. And this leads to my biggest gripe, how the Yevani are handled. This could've been a good story about how desperate the oppressed and trapped are in escaping their circumstances and the lengths they'd go. This could've been a story about taking down a tyrant, who's actions create people like Johann into the racists they are. Instead, every lesson that could've been learned by the readers and the characters is non-existent because of the crumbling world building and lackluster characters. I knew the author was white without even googling, especially after I read the spoilers for the end. You can't have a book where you express a clear us vs. them society and yet have your villains be the people against tyranny and imperialism and absolutely nothing gets solved.
The world building is barely there from the beginning. Saft clearly put a lot of thought into the folklore and nothing else. The magic system? Disorganized and boring. Everyone just has magic and no sort of system is explained even though all of the main characters went to school and do publicly acknowledged research. The countries? Nothing big helps you tell them apart. You know where each character is from and the monsters it has but that falls flat too because the monsters get a better description than the King. The story feels like starting from the middle of the school year and your teachers just assume you know everything.
This was a bad start, because not only was the world not pulling me in but the characters are boring as hell. The author tries to make you care about them but honestly they could've been written as acquaintances who could barely stand each other and that would've been better than the half baked "childhood friends" background we got. Two of them are supposed to be lovers and it doesn't feel like it at all. I just couldn't care about a single one of them besides the Lorelei and Sylvia and barely that. The romance is not believable at all. Lorelei's crush felt one-sided and 60% they were still butting heads.
Not that I would've supported the romance or any friendships with the companions anyway. Throughout the expedition, we're spoon-fed the companions backstory and every time Lorelei, who's people are literally the most discriminated against, is used to humanize these people who would hate crime her and giggle. And this leads to my biggest gripe, how the Yevani are handled. This could've been a good story about how desperate the oppressed and trapped are in escaping their circumstances and the lengths they'd go. This could've been a story about taking down a tyrant, who's actions create people like Johann into the racists they are. Instead, every lesson that could've been learned by the readers and the characters is non-existent because of the crumbling world building and lackluster characters. I knew the author was white without even googling, especially after I read the spoilers for the end. You can't have a book where you express a clear us vs. them society and yet have your villains be the people against tyranny and imperialism and absolutely nothing gets solved.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Xenophobia, Antisemitism, Murder
Moderate: Violence, Blood, Grief, Colonisation, War
Minor: Child death, Panic attacks/disorders, Sexual content, Toxic friendship
It was well written, but I just found it boring. I had a hard time staying interested throughout.
The cover is absolutely stunning though.
The cover is absolutely stunning though.
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
adventurous
challenging
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
I struggled to get into this one. It wasn't my favorite to read. I didn't feel much for the characters in all honesty.
