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crimsoncor's review against another edition
4.0
2/3 of a really good book. Feels like the ending spirals a little
mellyg's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
hopeful
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.5
raemo's review against another edition
3.0
This book had so much potential. Initially I could not put it down. The writing was so engaging and the twists and turns and tension that was built was incredible. I initially was thinking it would be a 5⭐️ read. But then it slowed and dragged and the ending had me feeling letdown. It also was very YA feeling which I wasn’t expecting… I give three stars because I think I’ll really enjoy her other works (her writing is incredible) but this one just wasn’t it for me.
skycrane's review against another edition
3.0
I think Starless has the same strengths as most of Jacqueline Carey's books, which is that there are characters I care about. This makes the first half of the book very good, as Khai grows up and develops as a character, and as he transitions from his life in a desert monastery to a life as a princess's bodyguard. The characters introduced later are also fairly interesting, but here the pacing becomes a problem, and there's just not enough time for them to fully become people. The main plot of the book doesn't really start until two thirds of the way through. Everything up to that point is setup. It's very good setup, but then the actual plot feels rushed.
The pacing is a bit of an issue, but the main problem with this book is that the entire story is foretold. This starts early on with the Seer, the leader of the brothers of the fortress of the winds. As you might guess by the title, he can see the branching paths of the future, and he uses this ability to guide his own actions and tell other characters what to do. Fortunately, he rarely talks about it much. It only gets worse later, when the prophecy hunters show up. After this point, all agency is removed from the characters. It's an incredibly unnatural style of storytelling, and one that is unfortunately common in fantasy. It removes all tension or uncertainty and, worst of all, erodes belief in the story world as a real place. It's like the author addresses the audience directly to say "Remember, the characters are just constructs I invented, and they only do what I write for them to do. Obviously you knew that, since this is a book, but sometimes people temporarily forget and get invested in the story world, and we can't be having that."
I still liked the book. It was enjoyable to read, but also infuriating.
The pacing is a bit of an issue, but the main problem with this book is that the entire story is foretold. This starts early on with the Seer, the leader of the brothers of the fortress of the winds. As you might guess by the title, he can see the branching paths of the future, and he uses this ability to guide his own actions and tell other characters what to do. Fortunately, he rarely talks about it much. It only gets worse later, when the prophecy hunters show up. After this point, all agency is removed from the characters. It's an incredibly unnatural style of storytelling, and one that is unfortunately common in fantasy. It removes all tension or uncertainty and, worst of all, erodes belief in the story world as a real place. It's like the author addresses the audience directly to say "Remember, the characters are just constructs I invented, and they only do what I write for them to do. Obviously you knew that, since this is a book, but sometimes people temporarily forget and get invested in the story world, and we can't be having that."
I still liked the book. It was enjoyable to read, but also infuriating.
mia_bee's review against another edition
4.0
Jacqueline Carey has an amazing talent for beautifully written prose. The world she has created in this book is so unique, both in terms of the people and her descriptions of the places and things they encounter. Her portrayal of the LGBTQ characters was well done and truly felt authentic. However, I only gave this book 4 stars because I feel like something is missing. I'll update this review if I ever figure out what it is.
youshouldreadthisif's review against another edition
adventurous
slow-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? No
3.75
ahlisa's review against another edition
adventurous
inspiring
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.5
This book is split into three parts that all have very different vibes to them. I saw quite a few reviews saying they loved one part but hated another part but people were mixed on which parts they loved or hated - which is to say, it was a very ambitious undertaking and your mileage may vary on which parts you'll love or hate. Or maybe you're the kind of person who loves all three parts, in which case this book is definitely for you.
If you like fighting school settings, coming of age, etc. you'll like the first part. You might also like the first part if you like sarcastic criminals with hearts of gold. If you like court intrigue, you might like the second part. If you like the standard "heroes band together to save the world" story with some seafaring mixed in, you'll probably like the last part.
I say "probably" and "might" because each part basically introduces an entirely new cast of secondary/minor characters, which makes it difficult to get fully invested for too long. On one hand this makes some sense, because the book is very long and I probably would've gotten sick of some characters' bullshit if they stuck around for all 500+ pages (case in point: for some reason I didn't mind Zariya's 'my darlings' until part 3). But on the other hand, I feel like I barely got to know any of the major players during part 2, and I only barely managed to muster up some emotion for the characters in part 3.
I'll also add that the prophecy stuff annoyed me as well. It was handled well in some parts, where the characters knew something had to happen but had no idea how to make it happen, but other times they literally consulted the prophecy to tell them exactly what to do next and it felt kind of ridiculous. There was room here to do something more interesting with it and I'm not sure why they never did. The whole journey just felt too safe.
That being said, it felt nice to take my time with this book and come back to the same whimsical fantasy world every day for the length of time it took me to read this. The prose is beautiful, the gods are terrifying and unique (though their personalities weren't explored all that much). I love and appreciate that this book tries to do something very different with their worldbuilding and with the story structure, even if it wasn't a complete knockout success in all aspects.
If you like fighting school settings, coming of age, etc. you'll like the first part. You might also like the first part if you like sarcastic criminals with hearts of gold. If you like court intrigue, you might like the second part. If you like the standard "heroes band together to save the world" story with some seafaring mixed in, you'll probably like the last part.
I say "probably" and "might" because each part basically introduces an entirely new cast of secondary/minor characters, which makes it difficult to get fully invested for too long. On one hand this makes some sense, because the book is very long and I probably would've gotten sick of some characters' bullshit if they stuck around for all 500+ pages (case in point: for some reason I didn't mind Zariya's 'my darlings' until part 3). But on the other hand, I feel like I barely got to know any of the major players during part 2, and I only barely managed to muster up some emotion for the characters in part 3.
That being said, it felt nice to take my time with this book and come back to the same whimsical fantasy world every day for the length of time it took me to read this. The prose is beautiful, the gods are terrifying and unique (though their personalities weren't explored all that much). I love and appreciate that this book tries to do something very different with their worldbuilding and with the story structure, even if it wasn't a complete knockout success in all aspects.
chloharr's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
vanessa_vee's review against another edition
2.0
I was walking up and down my public library dying for a fantasy. I just came off another fantasy series so I might have been hung over from it still. This book looked interesting but I found it very difficult to get into it. I gave it ten chapters and noticed I was skimming through the last chapter I read. I just couldn’t do it. Maybe in another timeline I’ll try again. Sigh
bryne's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
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
4.0