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talonsontypewriters's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
2.0
I had to start this over from the beginning about halfway in because I realized I hadn't understood anything that had happened in the previous 5 chapters, but even paying closer attention, this is a difficult novel to follow. Despite how much is happening, it also turned out to be quite underwhelming -- even boring -- for me.
The prose itself is fine, doesn't stand out as uniquely good or bad. There's a little too much telling over showing, though, particularly when it comes to characters' feelings and opinions -- and yet too little information when it comes to general exposition. This world has a lot of cool, complex elements to it -- seemingly traditional Tolkien/D&D-inspired cultures, some sci-fi elements, various systems of magic and religion -- but little work is put into earnestly fleshing them out or truly explaining them. I think some writers hear people complain about exposition dumps and just assume all consolidated blocks of exposition are unwanted, so never actually bother to list out how their world works, which I assume to be happening here.
The magic/religious aspects are probably the only things described in detail, and even then I don't think I understand the basics of the magic. Incorporating traveling between worlds could also be interesting, but the mechanics and terminology are vague; I was never able to figure out how the gates/Maze work, or even whether the "worlds" are meant to be on different planets in some solar system/universe, or even in different parallel timelines, or just locations within the same planet you can... warp to, or something to that effect? Weirdly, the one thing that this world does have in common with ours are other animals, which I feel like is another area of missed potential, though I might just be too into fantasy biology/ecology.
The different groups (unclear, again, whether they should be treated as nationalities, ethnicities, or entire species) are probably meant to be classic fantasy species -- I say "probably" because the most done to establish this is mentioning characteristics like tusks and ear types. Only a handful of descriptions even hint at values, traditions, cuisine, and so on that exist within these cultures, let alone differ between them. I assume from character names that the Qarsazhi use the name order of last followed by first and the Oshaaru don't use surnames, but this seems to not ever be directly stated at all, so it ends up just feeling like random flavor. Having some worldbuilding elements be there just to be there/"for fun" would be fine... if there were enough other well-developed descriptions to back them up. It feels almost as if Larkwood wanted to subvert overdone sword and sorcery tropes (villainous orcs vs heroic humans and elves, for instance), but then also figured the standard reader would fill in the blanks.
I picked "a mix" for whether this is plot-/character-driven, but somehow it doesn't actually feel like it's either? There's kind of a central plot, but it's pursued in a series of weirdly paced (alternately meandering and breakneck, neither with much real sense of urgency or risk) mini-quests. Most characters don't have much agency or personality of their own, carried along by the needs of either the current or overarching plot or other, equally flat characters. A lot of important development, like Csorwe's training and changing relationships with Sethennai and Tal, happens almost completely off-page.
The character voices are not very distinct either, which especially stands out in this setting, with everyone coming from completely different social classes, locations, languages, general upbringings and worldviews, etc -- surely there could have been at least a little more variation with regards to, say, senses of humor and sentence structure. Instead, multiple times, a POV would switch and I would have lost track of who was narrating within four paragraphs.
I did think the themes of personal and systematic exploitation and manipulation were interesting, and if the characters had been stronger, Csorwe's sort of "cycle" where she does for someone else what Sethennai did for her would have been super satisfying. The main romance, as well as some other dynamics, also could have been compelling, but its development is a bit too fast and, again, the individual characters felt shallowly written.
Had so much potential, but unfortunately my expectations were far from met.
The prose itself is fine, doesn't stand out as uniquely good or bad. There's a little too much telling over showing, though, particularly when it comes to characters' feelings and opinions -- and yet too little information when it comes to general exposition. This world has a lot of cool, complex elements to it -- seemingly traditional Tolkien/D&D-inspired cultures, some sci-fi elements, various systems of magic and religion -- but little work is put into earnestly fleshing them out or truly explaining them. I think some writers hear people complain about exposition dumps and just assume all consolidated blocks of exposition are unwanted, so never actually bother to list out how their world works, which I assume to be happening here.
The magic/religious aspects are probably the only things described in detail, and even then I don't think I understand the basics of the magic. Incorporating traveling between worlds could also be interesting, but the mechanics and terminology are vague; I was never able to figure out how the gates/Maze work, or even whether the "worlds" are meant to be on different planets in some solar system/universe, or even in different parallel timelines, or just locations within the same planet you can... warp to, or something to that effect? Weirdly, the one thing that this world does have in common with ours are other animals, which I feel like is another area of missed potential, though I might just be too into fantasy biology/ecology.
The different groups (unclear, again, whether they should be treated as nationalities, ethnicities, or entire species) are probably meant to be classic fantasy species -- I say "probably" because the most done to establish this is mentioning characteristics like tusks and ear types. Only a handful of descriptions even hint at values, traditions, cuisine, and so on that exist within these cultures, let alone differ between them. I assume from character names that the Qarsazhi use the name order of last followed by first and the Oshaaru don't use surnames, but this seems to not ever be directly stated at all, so it ends up just feeling like random flavor. Having some worldbuilding elements be there just to be there/"for fun" would be fine... if there were enough other well-developed descriptions to back them up. It feels almost as if Larkwood wanted to subvert overdone sword and sorcery tropes (villainous orcs vs heroic humans and elves, for instance), but then also figured the standard reader would fill in the blanks.
I picked "a mix" for whether this is plot-/character-driven, but somehow it doesn't actually feel like it's either? There's kind of a central plot, but it's pursued in a series of weirdly paced (alternately meandering and breakneck, neither with much real sense of urgency or risk) mini-quests. Most characters don't have much agency or personality of their own, carried along by the needs of either the current or overarching plot or other, equally flat characters. A lot of important development, like Csorwe's training and changing relationships with Sethennai and Tal, happens almost completely off-page.
The character voices are not very distinct either, which especially stands out in this setting, with everyone coming from completely different social classes, locations, languages, general upbringings and worldviews, etc -- surely there could have been at least a little more variation with regards to, say, senses of humor and sentence structure. Instead, multiple times, a POV would switch and I would have lost track of who was narrating within four paragraphs.
I did think the themes of personal and systematic exploitation and manipulation were interesting, and if the characters had been stronger, Csorwe's sort of "cycle" where she does for someone else what Sethennai did for her would have been super satisfying. The main romance, as well as some other dynamics, also could have been compelling, but its development is a bit too fast and, again, the individual characters felt shallowly written.
Had so much potential, but unfortunately my expectations were far from met.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Self harm, Murder, Gore, Injury/Injury detail, Death, Religious bigotry, Violence, Torture, and Body horror
Moderate: Animal death, Suicidal thoughts, Child abuse, Confinement, Toxic relationship, Emotional abuse, and Child death
Minor: Sexual content, Alcohol, and Vomit
sofipitch's review against another edition
adventurous
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? It's complicated
4.75
I ended up liking this a lot more than I thought I would given it is "high fantasy" (which I normally don't like). But I think that is because of how much it challenges high fantasy conventions. My favorite being instead of a good benevolent wizard (Merlin/Gandalf/Dumbledore) saving and training the young hero, what if they only had their own goals in mind, what if they were only investing in a weapon for later? What if being saved from a cult only meant you were willing to put up with shit bc at least it's better than the alternative? (I could chew on the Sethanai and Csorwe relationship dynamic forever, it's so good). Also instead of the "dying for a noble cause" BS it challenges the idea bc how can you be <I>sure</I> it's a noble cause? How do you know you weren't groomed into thinking this way so you can be used and discarded *cough cough every military ever cough*. I could go on and on. This book pisses on the "importance of the magic quest" as a story format. Another thing I liked is the world building is only given as it is relevant instead of hitting you with a firehose of facts no one will remember. So yeah, high fantasy that challenges everything I don't like about high fantasy. Also on top of a good story with interesting themes I found myself genuinely invested in the characters in a way I didn't think I would be. I normally put on audiobooks to fall asleep but this one kept me up wondering what would happen to Csorwe and Shuthmili
Content Warnings
Moderate: Body horror, Violence, Toxic relationship, Emotional abuse, Blood, and Torture
strwpup's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
funny
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Torture and Blood
Moderate: Emotional abuse and Toxic relationship
zoiejanelle's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
funny
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
(another audio rental from the library)
overall, the plot was pretty convoluted and i think i would have enjoyed this more as a physical book where i would ‘t miss any details. at times i wasn’t sure why each character was where or what they were doing, but in the second half everything came together and it was absolutely a wild ride.
despite the pacing issues and the time-skips, this was such a fun read. i genuinely had so much fun experiencing the character interactions and individual plots. Csorwe has my ENTIRE HEART and i will be thinking about her and Shuthmili every second of every day until i die. i love fantasy lesbians in space. (Tal was also fucking hilarious and i can’t wait to read more of him in the next book.)
i also loved the non-human protagonist and a style that combined DnD and sci-fi tropes. it was a really unique book—style and thematically—and i’m so glad i decided to read it. (based off one review that said “unrealistic. not EVERY character can be gay!”)
the messaging of each of our lived belonging to ourselves and the important of freedom really hit home for me. Csorwe and Shuthmili’s experiences in their religious cults and their unique reactions to their upbringings really touched me, and i wonder if the author has has her own experience with religious extremism or indoctrination.
i loved this, especially the end, and i am moving right along into the next one!!!
overall, the plot was pretty convoluted and i think i would have enjoyed this more as a physical book where i would ‘t miss any details. at times i wasn’t sure why each character was where or what they were doing, but in the second half everything came together and it was absolutely a wild ride.
despite the pacing issues and the time-skips, this was such a fun read. i genuinely had so much fun experiencing the character interactions and individual plots. Csorwe has my ENTIRE HEART and i will be thinking about her and Shuthmili every second of every day until i die. i love fantasy lesbians in space. (Tal was also fucking hilarious and i can’t wait to read more of him in the next book.)
i also loved the non-human protagonist and a style that combined DnD and sci-fi tropes. it was a really unique book—style and thematically—and i’m so glad i decided to read it. (based off one review that said “unrealistic. not EVERY character can be gay!”)
the messaging of each of our lived belonging to ourselves and the important of freedom really hit home for me. Csorwe and Shuthmili’s experiences in their religious cults and their unique reactions to their upbringings really touched me, and i wonder if the author has has her own experience with religious extremism or indoctrination.
i loved this, especially the end, and i am moving right along into the next one!!!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Confinement, Body horror, Violence, Blood, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Torture, Child death, Toxic relationship, Religious bigotry, and Murder
Minor: War
foxgl0v's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
funny
medium-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
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Toxic relationship, Child death, Murder, and Torture
Moderate: Gore, Religious bigotry, and Injury/Injury detail
starccato's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
Content Warnings
Graphic: Toxic relationship, Xenophobia, Torture, Emotional abuse, Murder, Abandonment, Blood, Body horror, Confinement, Cursing, Death, Gaslighting, Gore, Injury/Injury detail, Kidnapping, Religious bigotry, Suicidal thoughts, Toxic friendship, and Violence
Moderate: Drug use, Panic attacks/disorders, Medical content, Child death, and Alcohol
Minor: Animal death, Child abuse, Self harm, and Vomit
local_hat's review against another edition
adventurous
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
This is the first book in a long time that I sank in to and devoured within about 24 hours. At least the pannacotta didn't totally take that away.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Injury/Injury detail, Torture, Toxic relationship, and Violence
Moderate: Child death
therainbowshelf's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
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
4.0
This is the kind of book that made me ask "what was the point of everything else, then?" more than once. It is a pretty epic story, and I enjoyed having queer characters simply exist without their queerness being a major point of contention. This book wasn't for me (I thought for sure it would be!), but it's an excellent read
📚 The gist 📚: When a mysterious stranger rescues Csorwe from a sacrificial death, she devotes her new life to his murky quest.
📒Representation📒 wlw mc, mlm sc
💕 For readers looking for 💕: epic fantasy, multiple worlds, morally ambiguous and ancient gods, LGBTQ characters, magic, assassins
📚 The gist 📚: When a mysterious stranger rescues Csorwe from a sacrificial death, she devotes her new life to his murky quest.
📒Representation📒 wlw mc, mlm sc
💕 For readers looking for 💕: epic fantasy, multiple worlds, morally ambiguous and ancient gods, LGBTQ characters, magic, assassins
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood, Child death, Confinement, Death, Gaslighting, Religious bigotry, Violence, and Toxic relationship
Moderate: Torture and Xenophobia
Sacrifice, religious cultkylieqrada's review
adventurous
dark
emotional
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
This is the perfect book to finish my 2021 reading challenge on. I absolutely loved this!!! It will definitely not be everyone's cup of tea, but my god, it was mine! All the cups!!! Dark, eerie, queerie (hehehe), and character-driven with the most epic world-building. Csorwe and Shuthmilie are everything and Tal??? He adds that levity that balances it all out. It sort of gave me Senera/Relos Var from the A Chorus of Dragons series by Jenn Lyons vibes, which is HIGH PRAISE. I cannot wait for The Thousand Eyes.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood, Body horror, Confinement, Death, Drug use, Gore, Injury/Injury detail, Religious bigotry, Toxic relationship, Violence, and Torture
Moderate: Child abuse, Kidnapping, Murder, Suicidal thoughts, and Self harm
Minor: Child death
beforeviolets's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
4.75
The only reason it's not a 5 star is because it took me a little while to get into - though that might be because of a reading slump - but I have a feeling the second book will be a 5 star! (fingers crossed!)
For the rest of my life I will be desperately craving a queer fantasy book set in the world of LOTR and though this is most definitely NOT that (it can't exist until 2050 :/ ), it helped to temporarily fill that void as best it could and for that, I am grateful.
My thoughts on this book aren't particularly deep or poetic but let's get into it anyways. I loved the world that this was set in; it was like a society made up of fantasy religious cults - tell me you don't love that! - and there always seemed to be more to learn and understand about the corruption that is woven deeply into the foundation of each of those groups and the people in charge. All the information and action that was given to the reader felt well-earned, though I think the stakes took a bit of a hit in favor of the discovery and slow unraveling of the secrets of this world by our more innocent and curious narrators.
I absolutely adored Csorwe and found her to be such a strong, and easy-to-connect-with narrator. Even though I couldn't personally relate to her disposition or her personal experiences, I found her to be a reliable touchstone, and was easily able to understand and sympathize with her thoughts and feelings and actions. I loved Shuthmili (!!) and her strength and confidence and hunger for knowledge. Frankly, she's just so cool. Tal just might be my favorite character though. His dialogue was so funny and witty and snarky and I found myself laughing at his one-liners more than once. His narration is addictively charming and I couldn't help but want to spend more time in his mind. I hope we get to see more of his story along with Csorwe's and Shuthmili's in the next one. Thank goodness I only need to wait a month or two.
P.S. Dear Authors: please write more queer adult high fantasy because there is NOT enough and it's all my queer nerd heart craves.
For the rest of my life I will be desperately craving a queer fantasy book set in the world of LOTR and though this is most definitely NOT that (it can't exist until 2050 :/ ), it helped to temporarily fill that void as best it could and for that, I am grateful.
My thoughts on this book aren't particularly deep or poetic but let's get into it anyways. I loved the world that this was set in; it was like a society made up of fantasy religious cults - tell me you don't love that! - and there always seemed to be more to learn and understand about the corruption that is woven deeply into the foundation of each of those groups and the people in charge. All the information and action that was given to the reader felt well-earned, though I think the stakes took a bit of a hit in favor of the discovery and slow unraveling of the secrets of this world by our more innocent and curious narrators.
I absolutely adored Csorwe and found her to be such a strong, and easy-to-connect-with narrator. Even though I couldn't personally relate to her disposition or her personal experiences, I found her to be a reliable touchstone, and was easily able to understand and sympathize with her thoughts and feelings and actions. I loved Shuthmili (!!) and her strength and confidence and hunger for knowledge. Frankly, she's just so cool. Tal just might be my favorite character though. His dialogue was so funny and witty and snarky and I found myself laughing at his one-liners more than once. His narration is addictively charming and I couldn't help but want to spend more time in his mind. I hope we get to see more of his story along with Csorwe's and Shuthmili's in the next one. Thank goodness I only need to wait a month or two.
P.S. Dear Authors: please write more queer adult high fantasy because there is NOT enough and it's all my queer nerd heart craves.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal death, Toxic relationship, and Violence
Moderate: Self harm, Suicidal thoughts, and Torture