Reviews

The Waking Land by Callie Bates

allyseirene's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging hopeful medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? No
  • Diverse cast of characters? N/A
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

2.75

A good story was in here somewhere, but it was hard to find. It would have all benefited from another pass or two through editing. The romance felt shoehorned in, and the love interest himself did not really make sense or seem fleshed out as a character. His roguishness at the beginning didn’t make any sense in context. Characters were given full names after their titles, only to be in a single transitional scene. It made it seem like they would be important, but they truly were just handmaids or stable boys that would never be heard from again. Don’t know why this wasn’t a DNF now that I am done, to be honest. Definitely won’t be seeking out the sequels.

wondermajica's review against another edition

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3.0

I received a digital copy of this book in exchange for a review.

My feelings about The Waking Land are a bit mixed. The first half of the book is mostly spent repeating the same stuff over and over again. I understand the need for world-building. It is a vital part of any story, especially one that is in a brand new world. However, the number of times the same history was repeated makes it feel like the author is assuming her readers are either incredibly stupid or have memory issues. My other issue with the world-building was how much useless information was also provided. We did not need to know the name of every servant or soldier. It felt like the spitting out of random names was being used, like much of the politics and history, as filler to stretch things out. These sections of the book dragged on and on and took quite a bit of enjoyment out of it. I also found myself incredibly annoyed by Elanna, who was immature, whiny, and obnoxiously indecisive. What I found to be the most annoying about her was the "everything is all my responsibility" mentality. The best feature of this story is definitely the world in which everything happens. I found myself wanting to know more about the side characters, previous rulers, and magic. The second half of the book was more focused on action and with the exception of a few battle scenes, made it worth getting through the first half. I was surprised at how neatly everything was tied up at the end though. I was under the assumption this was going to be book one of a new series (because of the time spent on world-building) but it seems this is just a stand alone. Regardless of all the things that annoyed me, I think that would be a shame. I would love to read more stories set in this world.

desertlover's review against another edition

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2.0

After seeing the cover and synopsis on NetGalley, I couldn’t request a review copy fast enough. Sadly, despite the interesting premise, this one fell completely flat for me. I am a huge fantasy fan and seldom find myself bored, but the magical and world building elements are completely overshadowed by the political ones. About half way into the story, I was no longer interested in the numerous factions and endless politics.

I didn’t dislike Elanna but never felt invested in her plight either. She is somewhat immature and cold to those who only wanted to help her and her people. The romantic element felt bizarre at times and completely rushed. Had this not been a review copy, I likely would have given up on finishing it.

I wouldn’t discourage anyone from reading this one, but wouldn’t recommend it either. I don’t see myself continuing on with the next installment. The author seems to have potential, but the story was too long and not focused on elements I enjoy.

*Thank you to NetGalley and Del Rey Books for my copy.*

elletivo's review against another edition

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3.0

Three stars is a generous rating.

This book had moments. The style was a bit jarring and took time to get used to, and more often than not I couldn’t get a feel for the pacing. The romance was, sorry to say, contrived.

It could be that I just didn’t get on with the main character. She complains, a lot. She runs away, a lot. She doesn’t get the message, A LOT. That frustrates me. And Jahan was just so...typical. Overall: meh. A lot of meh.

Readable, yes. Good at moments, yes. Would I recommend this to a friend? Nah son. NAH.

jpustka's review against another edition

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3.0

Meh...I really wanted to love this book. I was fascinated by the concept of the female protagonist being connected to the land but was disappointed in the story overall. The characters were not fleshed out and the story, even though it moved quickly, didn't really capture my interest. 2.5 stars

Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for a digital advance review copy of this book.

hrobison11's review against another edition

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3.0

This is very similar to moana but it's the earth rather than the water. The earth speaks to her and she has to free the spirits in order to right the wrongs of the past. It was well written but not an original story to me.

clairemat's review against another edition

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4.0

This book drew me in from the start. I haven’t read in quite a long time and I love a fantasy book like this. I was looking forward to the active revolution and war between the two nations, but when it started towards the end of the book I was not as hooked and it felt really slow, even tho it should have been where it picked up! I still really liked it and am excited to read the following books in the series

njrebecca's review against another edition

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adventurous emotional mysterious fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Plot
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.0

melodykmtx's review against another edition

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adventurous emotional hopeful fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.0

charlote_1347's review against another edition

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2.0

SOME SPOILERS AHEAD.

Good God, I thought this book would never end.

The 1st star was for the gorgeous cover and the come-hither premise. I spotted this baby in Waterstones and zeroed in on it. Unfortunately, it didn't meet my expectations. As a matter of fact, I found the blurb a tad misleading once I'd started reading. Bates promised an Uprooted-esque story with a damsel-over-the-knight's-steed relationship and didn't deliver.
The 2nd star was for the language. There was some truly beautiful imagery in the book but it was overshadowed by repetitive world-building and dialogue so boring that it flat-lined more often than not.

I would have given a 3rd star if the writing had been more varied. I don't mean on a syntax level - there was tension, there was variety and Bates's spelling, punctuation and grammar was good. No, by varied I mean I would have liked a change in pace. The narrative trotted on from chapter to chapter, and despite numerous, and often sudden, deaths, it didn't give me that desperately-turning-pages feeling.
I found Elanna almost unbearably frustrating and sorting that out would have got this book its 4th star. I knew I signed on for a coming-of-age story so the perspective was bound to shift quite rapidly with revelations/hormones/experience but I got whiplash from her. In the same paragraph she'd condemn her father's rebellion and then wonder how anyone could oppose it.
The 5th star (and this is a biggie) would have been Bates's if she'd sorted out whatever romance was supposed to be in the damn book. Jahan was a viable candidate, and Elanna's choice, but we were also offered Finn and another character I can't remember the name of and I didn't feel a connection with any of them. I didn't back their cause, I didn't feel sympathy and they didn't make me flutter and swoon like a schoolgirl. It wasn't even that they were unlikeable - there wasn't enough there for me to form an opinion off. The 'romance' in this book was woefully thin and unsatisfying to the extreme.

Final thoughts? It's already in my charity-shop-donations bin bag.