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4.07 AVERAGE
4.07 AVERAGE
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
adventurous
challenging
mysterious
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
“You could bow before them and they would still name you insolent. Power such as ours cannot be hidden.”
A Song of Legends Lost is the first book in a brand new epic fantasy trilogy and within the first few chapters, you can tell that it’s going to be a fascinating and complex story. There are many families, different kinds of magical abilities, and lots and lots of clan politics. It might take a while to understand it all (and to remember all the names of the minor characters) but there is a handy list at the start of the book (which I kept referring to). Love when those are included.
The plot itself was super interesting. It has all the exciting fantasy themes that I enjoy. Finding your power, taking revenge, challenging power structures, and discovering your history. The book also feels like a nice mix between fantasy and science fiction. It has some sci-fi elements that truly intrigued me and kept me guessing throughout the story.
I enjoyed the characters a lot. They were all morally grey and some were difficult to like, but they felt complex and real. Temi, Jinao and Elari were my favourites. With big multi POV stories like this one, there will be moments where you want to get back to a character from before, and in some instances there were some pretty big pauses between when you saw them again. Although I understood why, I still missed seeing the characters more consistently throughout the story. This is just a personal preference though, and once I got used to it, I just went with the flow.
I think you should give this one a try if you like:
⚔️Complex world-building
⚔️Multi POV
⚔️Unique ancestor magic
⚔️Slow-paced epic fantasy
⚔️Morally grey characters
⚔️Queernormative worlds
This is one of those books that will take a while to get into, but once you’re hooked you just have to know what will happen next. I’m looking forward to seeing where the story goes in the sequel.
A Song of Legends Lost is the first book in a brand new epic fantasy trilogy and within the first few chapters, you can tell that it’s going to be a fascinating and complex story. There are many families, different kinds of magical abilities, and lots and lots of clan politics. It might take a while to understand it all (and to remember all the names of the minor characters) but there is a handy list at the start of the book (which I kept referring to). Love when those are included.
The plot itself was super interesting. It has all the exciting fantasy themes that I enjoy. Finding your power, taking revenge, challenging power structures, and discovering your history. The book also feels like a nice mix between fantasy and science fiction. It has some sci-fi elements that truly intrigued me and kept me guessing throughout the story.
I enjoyed the characters a lot. They were all morally grey and some were difficult to like, but they felt complex and real. Temi, Jinao and Elari were my favourites. With big multi POV stories like this one, there will be moments where you want to get back to a character from before, and in some instances there were some pretty big pauses between when you saw them again. Although I understood why, I still missed seeing the characters more consistently throughout the story. This is just a personal preference though, and once I got used to it, I just went with the flow.
I think you should give this one a try if you like:
⚔️Complex world-building
⚔️Multi POV
⚔️Unique ancestor magic
⚔️Slow-paced epic fantasy
⚔️Morally grey characters
⚔️Queernormative worlds
This is one of those books that will take a while to get into, but once you’re hooked you just have to know what will happen next. I’m looking forward to seeing where the story goes in the sequel.
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
adventurous
challenging
dark
sad
tense
medium-paced
This book has lush, complex world building that felt real, a massive cast of 3 dimensional characters, and really epic moments and battles, would very much recommend for fans of epic fantasy
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
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:
Yes
Sometimes words blind. Sometimes words seek to obscure, not illuminate. To ensnare. If there is one thing you should know, as a monk, Father Boleo, it is the reductive nature of words.
Thank you Netgalley and Saga Press for this e-ARC in exchange for an honest review.
I have to admit that this took me a long time to read because it isn't my typical genre. It's a sweeping epic - set in a diverse, multi-cultural fantasy world with extraordinary magic and centuries of lies. I struggled a bit with the wide cast of characters and the alternating character POVs. It wasn't until 50% of the way into the book that things really started to click for me. Even then, after I finished the book, I have a feeling that I need to do a full re-read to completely understand all the intertwined paths of all the characters.
I'm thoroughly impressed by this as a debut novel. The world is rich, and I loved how we got to see 'invokers' (those who could summon the spirit of their ancestors from the ancestral realm), 'techwork' (mysterious remnants of a past civilization), and 'greybloods' (inhuman beings that wreak havoc on the nations) blend together. There are so many unanswered questions... I can tell that this is going to be a thoughtfully plotted trilogy!
Reminders for myself:
- Cloistered?? What is their purpose?
- Who is Vunaji and why is he chained?
- What really happened to the Scathed?
- Lyela?! What is her past?
- Julon? His note?
- The humanity of Greybloods? Lucy?
Thank you Netgalley and Saga Press for this e-ARC in exchange for an honest review.
I have to admit that this took me a long time to read because it isn't my typical genre. It's a sweeping epic - set in a diverse, multi-cultural fantasy world with extraordinary magic and centuries of lies. I struggled a bit with the wide cast of characters and the alternating character POVs. It wasn't until 50% of the way into the book that things really started to click for me. Even then, after I finished the book, I have a feeling that I need to do a full re-read to completely understand all the intertwined paths of all the characters.
I'm thoroughly impressed by this as a debut novel. The world is rich, and I loved how we got to see 'invokers' (those who could summon the spirit of their ancestors from the ancestral realm), 'techwork' (mysterious remnants of a past civilization), and 'greybloods' (inhuman beings that wreak havoc on the nations) blend together. There are so many unanswered questions... I can tell that this is going to be a thoughtfully plotted trilogy!
Reminders for myself:
- Cloistered?? What is their purpose?
- Who is Vunaji and why is he chained?
- What really happened to the Scathed?
- Lyela?! What is her past?
- Julon? His note?
- The humanity of Greybloods? Lucy?
adventurous
emotional
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
inspiring
reflective
tense
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
adventurous
dark
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes