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4.06 AVERAGE
4.06 AVERAGE
funny
lighthearted
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
adventurous
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
adventurous
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
sadly this has been sitting on my shelves for a couple years and while I am fascinated by the world this book is set in, Senlin himself is just not a character I think I'm going to grow to like. Plus I'm already getting major misogynistic vibes from all the men and not here for that either.
adventurous
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
N/A
Content Warnings
Moderate: Violence
Minor: Adult/minor relationship, Trafficking
adventurous
emotional
lighthearted
adventurous
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
This one is hard for me to rate accurately. I can say I liked it but I cant say why I didn't really love it. But I'll try.
On the one hand, I thought the writing style was charming and the main character is compelling in his way. The author really poured his own personality into Senlin and it shows. He's the right kind of awkward and naive that really lets you like him and also expect him to fail in amusing ways.
On the other hand, its surprisingly upbeat for how messy the world actually is which feels like both a deliberate choice and a somewhat mishandled literary device. If it was a children's book i'd understand but I felt a disconnect there.
I started out really enjoying this book and never really stopped at least liking it. It starts out with a vacation nightmare story that felt very believable when combined with the extremely naive protagonist. I didn't read the 'book jacket' and was going purely on the online praise for the series so this setting was not what I expected and I quite enjoyed it. When it gets to the meat of the story it starts to flag a little once the novelty wears off but the pace is excellent throughout. The contrast of the 'tower' to the guidebook quotes about it are usually entertaining and Senlin's evolution though the tower trials is mostly believable. The only exception to this being near the end of the book with his combat training but it was adequately handled at least.
I am recently having a difficult time with writer balance between appropriate breadcrumbs being left for a reveal and figuring out the reveal well ahead of the character realization. In this case it doesnt really hurt the character's decisions and is really just flavour so far but it can be catastrophic for my enjoyment in other books. I don't mean to brag and say I am good at this, because I feel like I'm not, but I like to be able to look back and see how well designed a secret reveal is without having it figured out by the first crumb left. Unfortunately, the world building is so deliberate and fair that I instantly knew what the author was leading up to. That doesn't really hurt the book but it does limit my sense of wonder which is important for this genre for me.
As mentioned, the world building is quite decent with its mixture of steampunk and alternative ancient history themes. Within that setting, the book definitely has themes of class and inequality, but it doesn't get bogged down with them and just kind of lets them breath as living parts of the story.
Finally, I felt the ending was very cliffhanger-y and a little too neatly wrapped for me to really feel like rushing back. Even though the characters were in danger quite often, I never felt like they wouldn't find a way out. Since it's an easily digestible writing style, and it has received a healthy amount of praise, I will finish the series just because there is enough here to keep me interested, and I don't feel like starting something new. I hope more risks are taken going forward.
On the one hand, I thought the writing style was charming and the main character is compelling in his way. The author really poured his own personality into Senlin and it shows. He's the right kind of awkward and naive that really lets you like him and also expect him to fail in amusing ways.
On the other hand, its surprisingly upbeat for how messy the world actually is which feels like both a deliberate choice and a somewhat mishandled literary device. If it was a children's book i'd understand but I felt a disconnect there.
I started out really enjoying this book and never really stopped at least liking it. It starts out with a vacation nightmare story that felt very believable when combined with the extremely naive protagonist. I didn't read the 'book jacket' and was going purely on the online praise for the series so this setting was not what I expected and I quite enjoyed it. When it gets to the meat of the story it starts to flag a little once the novelty wears off but the pace is excellent throughout. The contrast of the 'tower' to the guidebook quotes about it are usually entertaining and Senlin's evolution though the tower trials is mostly believable. The only exception to this being near the end of the book with his combat training but it was adequately handled at least.
I am recently having a difficult time with writer balance between appropriate breadcrumbs being left for a reveal and figuring out the reveal well ahead of the character realization. In this case it doesnt really hurt the character's decisions and is really just flavour so far but it can be catastrophic for my enjoyment in other books. I don't mean to brag and say I am good at this, because I feel like I'm not, but I like to be able to look back and see how well designed a secret reveal is without having it figured out by the first crumb left. Unfortunately, the world building is so deliberate and fair that I instantly knew what the author was leading up to. That doesn't really hurt the book but it does limit my sense of wonder which is important for this genre for me.
As mentioned, the world building is quite decent with its mixture of steampunk and alternative ancient history themes. Within that setting, the book definitely has themes of class and inequality, but it doesn't get bogged down with them and just kind of lets them breath as living parts of the story.
Finally, I felt the ending was very cliffhanger-y and a little too neatly wrapped for me to really feel like rushing back. Even though the characters were in danger quite often, I never felt like they wouldn't find a way out. Since it's an easily digestible writing style, and it has received a healthy amount of praise, I will finish the series just because there is enough here to keep me interested, and I don't feel like starting something new. I hope more risks are taken going forward.
This book is like The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus except much less colorful. It also has a semi-pretentious "quirky" feel that reminds me of The Night Circus, which was a chore to read. Yeah, it wasn't for me. I can see this coming out as a movie in the style of the newest Murder on the Orient Express with a lot of CGI. I didn't like the characters, the writing didn't grab me, and I didn't think the ending was worth it.
An excellent romp up the increasingly dark and forbidding Tower of Babel, as the entertainingly rigid Senlin pursues his lost wife. I came for the adventure and stayed for the protagonist, really great stuff.