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3.83 AVERAGE
3.83 AVERAGE
adventurous
dark
emotional
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
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
sad
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Content Warnings
Graphic: Rape, Violence
Das Buch hat am Anfang zu viel Vorgeplänkel, ich denk es hätte sehr davon profitiert den Leser mehr in die Handlung reinzuwerfen. Ich war bis zur Hälfte nur sehr mittelmäßig mitgerissen, es wurden zu viele Figuren umhergeworfen ohne irgendjemandem genug Persönlichkeit zu geben dass man investiert wäre. Die Welt hat Potential aber es fehlt da ein bisschen, das hätte man zum Beispiel mehr ausbauen können, so wirklich hat der Anfang mir das nämlich nicht gegeben. Richtig in Fahrt kam alles erst in den gefühlt letzten 5 Kapiteln (die Kapitel sind recht kurz und dafür mehr, das macht das Lesen aber nicht unangenehm), das wäre mir mehr zur Mitte des Buches hin lieber gewesen. Das Ende war zumindest gut um auf den nächsten Band vorzubereiten, auch wenn ich wie gesagt nicht genug mitgerissen wurde oder mich Figuren abgeholt hätten um den nächsten Teil dringend lesen zu wollen.
3 stars.
I was able to finish this book in just two sittings, so it's definitely compulsively readable. That being said, there were some things I really enjoyed, and others I didn't, thus the middle rating of 3 stars.
I really enjoyed the characters and their dynamics with each other. I'm such a sucker for a group of criminals needing to work together, and the author does a really good job playing with how all of these grey characters would interact when in a group. The character work also allowed the discussions of deep/ horrific trauma to be very poignant. Some of the reveals of characters' past lives were heart-wrenching. I also found the spotlight put on discrimination of LGBTQ individuals to be surprisingly prevalent- in a good way.
On to things that weren't my favorite, I had a love-hate relationship with the politics in this world. There were some situations that I thought were very well crafted and I really enjoyed watching the plot progress. However, there were other scenes where the solution to an issue felt a bit contrived or convenient and left me feeling dissatisfied with the end result.
I also found the writing to be hit or miss. I understand that we are viewing this world through one perspective, and thus the narrative voice can, and some would say should, be quite distinct; but that doesn't mean that it has to be repetitive. I found myself rolling my eyes at points with how often a phrase or idea was repeated. Some of this clunkiness was smoothed out by the end of the novel (possibly as the author hit a stride with his narrative voice), but that didn't make the beginning any easier to get through.
I will say that the magic in this world has me very intrigued though, and it was a very fast read, so I wouldn't be opposed to continuing on with the series.
I was able to finish this book in just two sittings, so it's definitely compulsively readable. That being said, there were some things I really enjoyed, and others I didn't, thus the middle rating of 3 stars.
I really enjoyed the characters and their dynamics with each other. I'm such a sucker for a group of criminals needing to work together, and the author does a really good job playing with how all of these grey characters would interact when in a group. The character work also allowed the discussions of deep/ horrific trauma to be very poignant. Some of the reveals of characters' past lives were heart-wrenching. I also found the spotlight put on discrimination of LGBTQ individuals to be surprisingly prevalent- in a good way.
On to things that weren't my favorite, I had a love-hate relationship with the politics in this world. There were some situations that I thought were very well crafted and I really enjoyed watching the plot progress. However, there were other scenes where the solution to an issue felt a bit contrived or convenient and left me feeling dissatisfied with the end result.
I also found the writing to be hit or miss. I understand that we are viewing this world through one perspective, and thus the narrative voice can, and some would say should, be quite distinct; but that doesn't mean that it has to be repetitive. I found myself rolling my eyes at points with how often a phrase or idea was repeated. Some of this clunkiness was smoothed out by the end of the novel (possibly as the author hit a stride with his narrative voice), but that didn't make the beginning any easier to get through.
I will say that the magic in this world has me very intrigued though, and it was a very fast read, so I wouldn't be opposed to continuing on with the series.
dark
funny
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
i just don't think this was for me. I was bored enough that I played games with the repetitive phrases used in the book. I saw many comparisons to the peaky blinders show...and yeah. There are many similarities. That being said, I liked PB and didn't much care for this.
dark
emotional
tense
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:
Yes
Loved this book
I really enjoyed this book.
Everything flowed really well, interesting characters and plot.
A Tudoresque setting with Peaky Blinders style narrative really works well (yes some of it borrows themes from Peaky Blinders but it is done in a really original way with an original story)
I enjoy many books where I don't really care about the characters; in Priest of Bones I actually care about many of the supporting characters, who are really.well.developed and intriguing. I think this is because they're flawed, human, certainly very grey.
The fact I got this book for 99p genuinely makes me feel guilty. Please give this a read (and buy the next one too) - loved it
I really enjoyed this book.
Everything flowed really well, interesting characters and plot.
A Tudoresque setting with Peaky Blinders style narrative really works well (yes some of it borrows themes from Peaky Blinders but it is done in a really original way with an original story)
I enjoy many books where I don't really care about the characters; in Priest of Bones I actually care about many of the supporting characters, who are really.well.developed and intriguing. I think this is because they're flawed, human, certainly very grey.
The fact I got this book for 99p genuinely makes me feel guilty. Please give this a read (and buy the next one too) - loved it
4.5 / 5 stars
This is what a short book should be like.
Very strong authorial voice, break-neck pace
and characters just fleshed out enough to be very interesting
and complement the plot.
This is what a short book should be like.
Very strong authorial voice, break-neck pace
and characters just fleshed out enough to be very interesting
and complement the plot.
dark
Priest of Bones is the first book in Peter McLean’s grimdark fantasy series War for the Rose Throne. Tomas Piety was once the leader of a successful street gang. Three years after he and most of his men are conscripted into the queen’s pointless war, they return home victorious but battleshocked and discarded. Back home to Ellinburg, he finds that his criminal empire has been stolen by outsiders. From taverns to brothels to gambling dens, he will lead his gang, the notorious Pious Men, in reclaiming it all.
This was a great start to the series. Dark and gritty, it doesn’t shy away from putting Tomas in a terrible light as the head of a criminal syndicate. Narrated by Tomas, he murders, steals, intimidates, and blackmails, and he is not ashamed of any of it. He is also capable of caring, admittedly just for his family and those he knows. He is also still reeling from the sheer brutality and futility of war in all that he has witnessed and experienced and suffers from what they call battle shock which we would now consider PTSD. Thug, criminal, businessman, soldier, priest—he is all of them and he is “the right man for the right job”.
I think this is the exact type of grimdark fantasy I can get behind. It is not morose or depressing or unreadably bleak and has a ton of action and intrigue. Bloody and brutal, it is a relatively short easy read with a straightforward story and fast pacing. The book is often compared to The Godfather and Peaky Binders, but as I have seen neither of them, I really cannot say how fair that is. As for me, I was thoroughly entertained.
Priest of Bones is a great brutal start to a grimdark fantasy series with a charismatic antihero lead.