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4.25 AVERAGE
4.25 AVERAGE
adventurous
dark
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:
No
Joe Abercrombie having some goofy fun with goofy characters.
A vampire, a werewolf, a magician/necromancer, a warrior, an elf, and a female bad-ass embark on a journey to protect a former young female thief who is destined to become an empress. Sound corny? Why the two stars.
A vampire, a werewolf, a magician/necromancer, a warrior, an elf, and a female bad-ass embark on a journey to protect a former young female thief who is destined to become an empress. Sound corny? Why the two stars.
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
4.75 ⭐️
✅ Multi-POV done so well, with such a loveable cast of anti-hero characters
✅ Some of the best written fight/action scenes I’ve ever read
✅ Amazing balance of character-driven story but with a great plot that moves at a good pace
✅ I personally enjoyed the balance of lightheartedness in amongst the high stakes and gore
❌ Didn’t quite get 5 stars because I personally never got to the ‘unputdownable’ reading stage
❌ This book requires quite a lot of attention and time to fully get into (but in my opinion it does reward you for it!)
As I said above, this book asks a lot of you in terms of attention and time, but really rewards you for it. I haven’t stopped thinking about the characters in this book since I finished it! They are so perfectly morally grey yet completely loveable in their own unique ways. Their individual development and how different character relationships form throughout the story is endearing, heartwarming and satisfying (sometimes in a bittersweet way).
This book is multi-POV and often has changing perspectives even within a chapter. This requires quite a bit of concentration when reading, but it also keeps the story feeling very dynamic and fast moving. There wasn’t a single bad perspective in this book, and I loved how the writing very clearly shifted to match the character. Some characters are selfish, some are doubtful, some are exhausted, and some are chaotic, and all of it is reflected so well in the writing.
One of my favourite things about this book was the action scenes. I’m not usually a big fan of long, drawn-out fight scenes in a book, and can find they get a bit ‘samey’ after a while. But the way they were written in this book was so refreshing - having the multiple POVs throughout action scenes added so much to the storytelling and kept things interesting. The characters themselves really drove the way the scenes played out, and the writing pulled you in through reading about their reactions to the circumstances, their thoughts, feelings and decisions.
I think this book is supposedly Joe Abercrombie’s take on ‘cosy’ fantasy. Having not read anything else by this author, I can’t comment on how this differs to his other books, but I personally really enjoyed the lighthearted undertones of the writing and how this contrasted with the gruesomeness of some of the situations. I think he struck a really nice balance here, although I could see how others might find the humour too distracting from the ‘seriousness’ and high stakes of the story.
Honestly the more I think about this book, the more I love it! But at the time of reading, it didn’t quite give me the 5 star feeling because it definitely felt like a lot of active effort to keep picking it up, and I never felt like I got to the addictive ‘I can’t put this down’ stage that I was hoping for. It is a LONG book, but if you’re willing to give it the time and your full attention, then I’d say it’s absolutely worth it.
adventurous
dark
funny
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
Interesting premise. LOVED Steven Pacey’s narration-he made it!
4.5 ⭐️
This one took some getting used to, but once the characters started growing on me I was hooked!
Joe Abercrombie has such a unique writing style that perfectly blends gritty darkness and violence with compelling humor.
This ragtag group of misfits- or “devils” to the religious world - includes a Polish werewolf, a necromancer, a vampire, an elf, and a knight who cannot die. This was the found family I didn’t know I needed. Those who, once you get to know them, are endearing in their own ways and painstakingly loyal to one another.
I’m not sure what that last chapter was all about, but it’s clearly setting up new characters for the next book. I’m excited to see where this series goes!
This one took some getting used to, but once the characters started growing on me I was hooked!
Joe Abercrombie has such a unique writing style that perfectly blends gritty darkness and violence with compelling humor.
This ragtag group of misfits- or “devils” to the religious world - includes a Polish werewolf, a necromancer, a vampire, an elf, and a knight who cannot die. This was the found family I didn’t know I needed. Those who, once you get to know them, are endearing in their own ways and painstakingly loyal to one another.
I’m not sure what that last chapter was all about, but it’s clearly setting up new characters for the next book. I’m excited to see where this series goes!
adventurous
funny
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
took me a while but i really enjoyed this i ADORED the characters
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
inspiring
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
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:
Yes
The start felt rather stereotypical and sluggish, but after it hooked on, it was a brilliant read. To follow the characters in their struggle was a joy.
I would have preferred a happier ending though.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Cursing, Death, Gore, Violence, Blood
Moderate: Body horror, Sexual content, Suicidal thoughts, Excrement, Vomit
Minor: Confinement
adventurous
tense
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