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4.06 AVERAGE
4.06 AVERAGE
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
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
OK, we’re actually done here. The book is well-written but the storytelling is predictable and slow to connect the subplots to the main plot or any compelling character development.
Yeah... considering all the praise this book gets I'm probably the problem, not the book's.
Basically, aside the excellent writing style everything else didn't work for me. All the characters felt incredibily flat especially the main protagonist, the plot couldn't keep me engaged, even some minor plot twists felt very disjointed of the kind: " Ahah, you know this character whom appeared at the begining of the book? Surprise surprise he's actually this and that".
And I was like:" Who? Ohhh... you mean that guy... alright then".
And albeit the concept of the world building was incredibly promissing with a massive tower with inumerous floors to be discovered, at some point the whole concept lost it's charm and I just couldn't get excited to know more about the Tower.
Like I said everything about this book felt flat to me.
I'm very surprised and a little sad but it is what it is :(
Basically, aside the excellent writing style everything else didn't work for me. All the characters felt incredibily flat especially the main protagonist, the plot couldn't keep me engaged, even some minor plot twists felt very disjointed of the kind: " Ahah, you know this character whom appeared at the begining of the book? Surprise surprise he's actually this and that".
And I was like:" Who? Ohhh... you mean that guy... alright then".
And albeit the concept of the world building was incredibly promissing with a massive tower with inumerous floors to be discovered, at some point the whole concept lost it's charm and I just couldn't get excited to know more about the Tower.
Like I said everything about this book felt flat to me.
I'm very surprised and a little sad but it is what it is :(
4.5✨ Bancroft’s writing is rich and compelling. Following Tom Senlin’s quest to find his wife turns into a chaotic journey of self exploration and friendship. Highly recommend for fiction fans who dabble in fantasy.
It’s never a good sign when you’ve read 3/4 of the novel and you realise there’s way too much left to unravel… disappointing for me that this was the first in a series, I totally missed that
This is very clearly another case of "It's not you, it's me". Senlin Ascends is a very competent book. The prose is well written, the characters are unique and the setting is intriguing. However, it just wasn't for me.
I felt the first three quarters of the book were a little meandering, almost Kafkian. Things keep happening to Senlin and he doesn't seem to have a lot of agency, which I guess makes sense given the main character's personality but it just felt like the plot was taking over when circumstances required it, which broke my suspension of disbelief. Most plot threads and seemingly inconsequential details do come together and receive an explanation later on, but I didn't find the payoff especially worthwhile. The book gets a bit more focused in the last quarter but, without spoiling anything, I didn't think the changes were extremely convincing or interesting.
With all that said, I have the impression that some of my thoughts are colored by my initial expectations. I wouldn't quite consider it a fantasy novel - I'd probably slot it into the magical realism or surrealism categories. I may have also been a victim of the hype surrounding the book.
I felt the first three quarters of the book were a little meandering, almost Kafkian. Things keep happening to Senlin and he doesn't seem to have a lot of agency, which I guess makes sense given the main character's personality but it just felt like the plot was taking over when circumstances required it, which broke my suspension of disbelief. Most plot threads and seemingly inconsequential details do come together and receive an explanation later on, but I didn't find the payoff especially worthwhile. The book gets a bit more focused in the last quarter but, without spoiling anything, I didn't think the changes were extremely convincing or interesting.
With all that said, I have the impression that some of my thoughts are colored by my initial expectations. I wouldn't quite consider it a fantasy novel - I'd probably slot it into the magical realism or surrealism categories. I may have also been a victim of the hype surrounding the book.
I absolutely loved it. Pulled me from the depths of a reading slump.
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:
N/A
adventurous
funny
lighthearted
mysterious
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Interesting premise and the world was wonderful. It was a good time and did not take long to read. However the pace was strange in the middle, and dragged on. Though my biggest issue is the strange relationship between Senlin and Marya as she was his student and I really disliked that aspect of this story.