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3.97 AVERAGE
3.97 AVERAGE
All 578 pages of this (first book in a trilogy) could have been a one chapter prologue of the author was less in love with writing as the most annoying narrator ever. Every single page of this is tell, not show. Everyone loves Hadrian for no reason, even though he screws people over for basically no reason constantly and just doesn't really have a strong opinion on anything that happens to him or anyone he knows.
I recommend this to people who think Kvothe isn't annoying enough, Robin Hobb books are just too well written, and 'What if Space Society was Romans' is still a fresh new idea.
Our narrator Hadrian Marlow is the oldest and clever son of an evil lord, who favors his younger brute of a son over Hadrian. You can fill in every single blank and plot beat heading forward. Hadrian sucks and is an annoying loser, I would have picked Crispin too
The first 100 pages are the worst and it gets a little better after that. This is a book club book and I will not be reading any of the other ones
I recommend this to people who think Kvothe isn't annoying enough, Robin Hobb books are just too well written, and 'What if Space Society was Romans' is still a fresh new idea.
Our narrator Hadrian Marlow is the oldest and clever son of an evil lord, who favors his younger brute of a son over Hadrian. You can fill in every single blank and plot beat heading forward. Hadrian sucks and is an annoying loser, I would have picked Crispin too
The first 100 pages are the worst and it gets a little better after that. This is a book club book and I will not be reading any of the other ones
DNF on page 6.
I don’t usually review DNF’s, but I felt so strongly about this book that I wanted to give an explanation.
This was nearly intolerable for me. The prose is bombastic and melodramatic. The author’s influences are very apparent (Dune, massively). Hadrian as a main character is insufferable. He takes himself so seriously that in the space of four pages I rolled my eyes at least three times. The first person perspective traps you in his head and there is no possible escape.
By page six I was pretty sure I was going to throw myself out the window if I had to endure any more of Hadrian’s self importance. I was definitely not going to subject myself to him for roughly 600 more pages. This book might appeal to someone… but I felt like I was being force fed an overly dramatic, unsubtle, derivative story.
Ok. Rant over.
dark
slow-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
A book about nothing
adventurous
challenging
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
adventurous
dark
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
This novel took me almost a month to read, partially because I listened to it on audio. At first, I attempted to read this book through the library, but when I discovered that there were no other books in the series available, I decided to DNF it around page 40. I knew I wouldn’t be able to sustain not knowing how this series progressed. Then I found them on Hoopla, as audiobooks, and fell rightly in love them.
Empire of Silence can be a bit slow and melodramatic at times. This, however, is because that is just the way Hadrian is. I also believe it is a prologue to what is to come. That being said, it was incredibly charming and full of life. I struggled to love it because until the first half is over, you know you are mostly never going to see these characters again and they do not matter. But when they start to matter, it’s perfect. I fell in love with the cast and I am heavily it intrigued by the beautiful world building.
I also love Hadrian so much. He is a poet with a sword, I think, who will become a solider with a pen.
Empire of Silence can be a bit slow and melodramatic at times. This, however, is because that is just the way Hadrian is. I also believe it is a prologue to what is to come. That being said, it was incredibly charming and full of life. I struggled to love it because until the first half is over, you know you are mostly never going to see these characters again and they do not matter. But when they start to matter, it’s perfect. I fell in love with the cast and I am heavily it intrigued by the beautiful world building.
I also love Hadrian so much. He is a poet with a sword, I think, who will become a solider with a pen.
adventurous
dark
emotional
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
3.75
a little slow but enjoyable read nonetheless. excited to get to the next book.
a little slow but enjoyable read nonetheless. excited to get to the next book.
adventurous
dark
mysterious
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes