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cupiscent's review against another edition
3.0
This is a great exercise in style and atmosphere - as I said while reading, the Gormenghast is strong with this one. For my tastes, though, that leads to too tight a focus. The world is too tightly drawn around its central spire, the characters have too singular and straight a line, and the plot was complicated only by the interweaving of present and past lines of revelation... which also didn't work for me, as I found there were no surprises in the past storyline as it started getting towards the finale, merely confirmations of things that had been referenced already in the present line. It never really dug deeply enough into itself to give a richness of world, of character, or of story. And while I liked Lucien and Dino, I was convinced by neither Lucien's relationship with Rafaela, nor his antagonism with Golia, which left the emotional core of the novel a little hollow for me.
Nevertheless, an unusual and interesting addition to what fantasy's doing these days.
Nevertheless, an unusual and interesting addition to what fantasy's doing these days.
amyjstar's review against another edition
4.0
I received this from a goodreads giveaway =).
This book surprised me a lot. It started off with the plot straight away and didn't really explain the world or characters properly until a little further in, which I found a little confusing. But once I'd gotten into it properly, I really started to enjoy it.
It definitely had a fairy-tale vibe and got quite creepy at the end, which was unexpected but I enjoyed a lot.
This book surprised me a lot. It started off with the plot straight away and didn't really explain the world or characters properly until a little further in, which I found a little confusing. But once I'd gotten into it properly, I really started to enjoy it.
It definitely had a fairy-tale vibe and got quite creepy at the end, which was unexpected but I enjoyed a lot.
fredurix's review against another edition
3.0
Pretty neat coming of age story with shades of The Tempest. Also swordplay, violence and harsh language.
phee's review against another edition
2.0
Right. This sounded so interesting from the blurb. And to be honest the first few chapters weren’t bad. However. For me it ended up being a complete mess.
I’m not in any mood to write a review so what I’ll say is this. Every other chapter is a flashback. Such a big pet peeve of mine. The plot doesn’t really get moving until about halfway through and all the characters and their names confuse the hell out of me. It’s got some Italian influences that’s for sure, which is different and quite nice. But nothing is explained! You can’t give the reader a deformed race of people and keep everything all mysterious. I want details. Not to be thrown in the deep end and trying to stay afloat.
As I said, I’m in a bad mood and maybe that’s why I feel the way I do. I don’t care enough to write a full review. But regardless, I’m not continuing with this series.
I’m not in any mood to write a review so what I’ll say is this. Every other chapter is a flashback. Such a big pet peeve of mine. The plot doesn’t really get moving until about halfway through and all the characters and their names confuse the hell out of me. It’s got some Italian influences that’s for sure, which is different and quite nice. But nothing is explained! You can’t give the reader a deformed race of people and keep everything all mysterious. I want details. Not to be thrown in the deep end and trying to stay afloat.
As I said, I’m in a bad mood and maybe that’s why I feel the way I do. I don’t care enough to write a full review. But regardless, I’m not continuing with this series.
stevies_shenanigans's review against another edition
3.0
I enjoyed it but it's very character driven and focused on one particular pov. Which made this short book take me a long time to get through.
I may continue the series since it seems from the title, to have more to do with a character that I find interesting.
I may continue the series since it seems from the title, to have more to do with a character that I find interesting.
cindyc's review against another edition
4.0
It’s pretty rare for a book to really surprise me, since I normally already know quite a bit about the book, be it from reading reviews written by friends of mine or because I found it in a catalogue and it piqued my interest. ‘The Boy with the Porcelain Blade’ is a book that was on my radar since last year. It popped up quite a bit on social media, so my expectations were high. I can’t say all of them were met, but this was a great, solid debut novel. The story itself succeeded in surprising me and giving me a story that was unique and intelligent, at times a bit crazy and overall very imaginative.
The main character and the focus of this book is Lucien ‘Sinestra’ de Fontein. He is an Orfano, a deformed orphan that was left on the steps of the noble houses, or the Great Houses as they are called here. Lucien isn’t the only Orfano, there are a few of them and it is a big mystery where they’re from and what the reason is for their deformities. All of them have different disfigurements and though they are all accepted in one of the Great Houses, they aren’t loved. They are looked upon with fear and sometimes horror. But for some reason the nobles educate them and give them a chance to earn the name of their families. All these Great Houses can be found in the vast castle of Demesne, all of them linked and involved in constant rivalry, assassinations and political intrigue like only noble houses in a Fantasy tale can. The King also lives in this castle, but no one has seen him in years. He rules his Kingdom of Landfall mostly through his majordomo, a repulsive, old creature that walks around cloaked, with an impressive staff and a collection of swarming flies in the fold of his cloak.
It’s pretty clear from the very beginning that Lucien is having a tough time in the castle. We meet him as he is waiting to enter the testing chamber for his final trail, at age 18. Failing can mean expulsion or even worse, death. Taking the test is Maestro Superiore di Spada Giancarlo, the man Lucien hates most and probably the man who hates Lucien the most too. What happens during this test is the beginning of a rollercoaster of a tale that will push Lucien to his limits and beyond.
I absolutely loved the setting of this book. It has a definite Italian feel to it, from the decorations in the chambers to the clothing and the names. Having seen many Western, Oriental and desert settings in the books I’ve read lately, this Italian atmosphere was new and fresh. It also fitted the story perfectly. If something is typical about tales set in historical Italy, it is that it is full of arrogant nobility, intrigue, assassinations and lavish costumes. All of this can be found in ‘The Boy with the Porcelain Blade’.
The concept of the ‘Orfano’ is also very interesting. It’s all very mysterious: their ancestry, their deformities, the fact that Lucien for example bleeds clear fluid that turns blue and that Dino cries tears of blood. It gives them all something dark and gothic. When the truth about them was revealed I was a bit flabbergasted. I definitely hadn’t seen that one coming and I’m still not sure if I really like the explanation or not. I guess opinions will be divided about this plot twist. It’s a startling one and frankly also a pretty weird one. If this is something you like, this book will be a real hit for you.
In between the chapters where we follow Lucien in the present there are flashback chapters. This way of storytelling has become common in Fantasy books and here it was a very good addition to the flow of the story. It takes us back to key points in Lucien’s past where we learn little bits of information that all come together smoothly in the action-packed climax.
Lucien’s character was one I clicked with immediately. He was fleshed out really good and took you along in his story like you were there. Giancarlo was another character that was masterfully written, so cruel and treating Lucien so unfairly that it made my skin crawl.
I fell in love with Dino, though he isn’t particularly a character that has a lot of moments in the spotlight, he was just written in this certain way that charmed me from the very beginning. The other characters all have a distinctive role and none of them felt flat or unnecessary, everything just knitted together wonderfully.
Den Patrick’s writing is very good, no doubt about it. I read the book in just a few sittings, totally immersed in the story and the writing. He knows how to captivate his audience.
I liked ‘The Boy with the Porcelain Blade’, it’s a really good book and a great debut. It does have a few shortcomings and the major plottwist made me frown a bit. Like I said before, I’m still not sure how I feel about it, it’s either genius or weird. But if I look at the book as a whole, then I have to admit that it is a well written, dark book full of mystery, intrigue and awesome swordfights. Bring on the next book in the Erebus sequence!
The main character and the focus of this book is Lucien ‘Sinestra’ de Fontein. He is an Orfano, a deformed orphan that was left on the steps of the noble houses, or the Great Houses as they are called here. Lucien isn’t the only Orfano, there are a few of them and it is a big mystery where they’re from and what the reason is for their deformities. All of them have different disfigurements and though they are all accepted in one of the Great Houses, they aren’t loved. They are looked upon with fear and sometimes horror. But for some reason the nobles educate them and give them a chance to earn the name of their families. All these Great Houses can be found in the vast castle of Demesne, all of them linked and involved in constant rivalry, assassinations and political intrigue like only noble houses in a Fantasy tale can. The King also lives in this castle, but no one has seen him in years. He rules his Kingdom of Landfall mostly through his majordomo, a repulsive, old creature that walks around cloaked, with an impressive staff and a collection of swarming flies in the fold of his cloak.
It’s pretty clear from the very beginning that Lucien is having a tough time in the castle. We meet him as he is waiting to enter the testing chamber for his final trail, at age 18. Failing can mean expulsion or even worse, death. Taking the test is Maestro Superiore di Spada Giancarlo, the man Lucien hates most and probably the man who hates Lucien the most too. What happens during this test is the beginning of a rollercoaster of a tale that will push Lucien to his limits and beyond.
I absolutely loved the setting of this book. It has a definite Italian feel to it, from the decorations in the chambers to the clothing and the names. Having seen many Western, Oriental and desert settings in the books I’ve read lately, this Italian atmosphere was new and fresh. It also fitted the story perfectly. If something is typical about tales set in historical Italy, it is that it is full of arrogant nobility, intrigue, assassinations and lavish costumes. All of this can be found in ‘The Boy with the Porcelain Blade’.
The concept of the ‘Orfano’ is also very interesting. It’s all very mysterious: their ancestry, their deformities, the fact that Lucien for example bleeds clear fluid that turns blue and that Dino cries tears of blood. It gives them all something dark and gothic. When the truth about them was revealed I was a bit flabbergasted. I definitely hadn’t seen that one coming and I’m still not sure if I really like the explanation or not. I guess opinions will be divided about this plot twist. It’s a startling one and frankly also a pretty weird one. If this is something you like, this book will be a real hit for you.
In between the chapters where we follow Lucien in the present there are flashback chapters. This way of storytelling has become common in Fantasy books and here it was a very good addition to the flow of the story. It takes us back to key points in Lucien’s past where we learn little bits of information that all come together smoothly in the action-packed climax.
Lucien’s character was one I clicked with immediately. He was fleshed out really good and took you along in his story like you were there. Giancarlo was another character that was masterfully written, so cruel and treating Lucien so unfairly that it made my skin crawl.
I fell in love with Dino, though he isn’t particularly a character that has a lot of moments in the spotlight, he was just written in this certain way that charmed me from the very beginning. The other characters all have a distinctive role and none of them felt flat or unnecessary, everything just knitted together wonderfully.
Den Patrick’s writing is very good, no doubt about it. I read the book in just a few sittings, totally immersed in the story and the writing. He knows how to captivate his audience.
I liked ‘The Boy with the Porcelain Blade’, it’s a really good book and a great debut. It does have a few shortcomings and the major plottwist made me frown a bit. Like I said before, I’m still not sure how I feel about it, it’s either genius or weird. But if I look at the book as a whole, then I have to admit that it is a well written, dark book full of mystery, intrigue and awesome swordfights. Bring on the next book in the Erebus sequence!
natalierobinld's review against another edition
3.0
Not what I was hoping for - really a 3.5 -- will probably try the next book to see if i can get more into it. Was just too slow ...
thesffreader's review against another edition
3.0
3.5
I have mixed feelings with this one. I liked it but I was bored at some parts and the back and forth pacing was a bit weird to follow. The last hundred pages were pretty great so I may continue on with the next one, especially if the main character is Dino because he is definitely the best.
(also Lucien was the king of very bad decision which is why it did not get a full 4*)
Booketube-a-thon : book 5 : challenge : read a book where the author's surname starts with the same letter as yours (here P)
I have mixed feelings with this one. I liked it but I was bored at some parts and the back and forth pacing was a bit weird to follow. The last hundred pages were pretty great so I may continue on with the next one, especially if the main character is Dino because he is definitely the best.
(also Lucien was the king of very bad decision which is why it did not get a full 4*)
Booketube-a-thon : book 5 : challenge : read a book where the author's surname starts with the same letter as yours (here P)
vinayvasan's review against another edition
3.0
A difficult to review book which has as many things going for it as it has against. Invoking the best of Scott Lynch (in terms of the Renaissance Italian setting) and Robin Hobb (in terms of a young troubled disadvantaged protagonist), this is a coming of age tale that keeps you turning the page being so wonderfully written. On the flip side, it seems to be a remarkably small world, with the same people turning up on most occasions (#CoincidenceMuch) and not so much world building in what looks an intriguing world. As a result of it, things just rus through. While the ending is satisfying to an extent, it could have been much much more....