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han_nahreads's review against another edition
Had a tough time getting through the first half of the book, it was very slow to begin with and lost interest. Two weeks later I picked this book up again and could not stop reading it from halfway through. I love the character of Myranda, although sometimes it seemed like she was unconscious for most of the book. I got this free from Amazon on my kindle :)
astraia_sun's review against another edition
3.0
I struggled between two and three stars. I chose three because I do want to read the next book. The book was technically well written, and I did enjoy the plotline, but some of the dialogue and characterization was pretty stale. The dialogue I could forgive, since it's hard writing good dialogue for fantasy (at least in my opinion). The characterization bummed me out. Myranda was mostly there to be a pacifist prodigy. I didn't get a sense of her likes or dislikes. I knew what her motivation was, but it didn't feel like she really believed it. It felt more like lip service and her pacifism grated on my nerves far more than it should have.
As for Leo, I understand what Lallo was trying to do with his character, but I didn't actually like him at ALL until they made it through the caves to the magic village. Then I felt like he was a real character. I liked Deacon quite a bit, as besides Leo, I felt like he had the most personality out of all the characters. I do have a soft spot for bookish geniuses, so I think that might have something to do with it.
There were a couple scenes that felt incredibly unnecessary and took away from some of the storytelling. There is a particular scene between Calypso and Deacon that came at an awkward moment (switching perspectives from Myranda to Deacon in the middle of a section didn't sit well with me) and I think the scene would have been better served to be cut and have what was discussed play out naturally between the characters.
That being said, I kind of wish either Deacon or Leo had been the main characters as that would have greatly increased my interest in what was happening, but I understand why Myranda was chosen. I was torn between liking some of the magic instruction and skimming. I think the pacing was off a bit and I didn't quite connect with what was being said. Myn was also pretty annoying to me and I really didn't care for her role (even if her introduction was interesting to me).
I don't have all negatives to say. I did like Leo's ultimate characterization, and I want to know a lot more about him. That's most of the reason why I'm interested in reading the next book. Same with Deaco. I'm not entirely invested in seeing the war ended, but hopefully that'll change in the next book. It's not on my "autobuy" list, but I'll keep an eye out for it if I have an open weekend.
As for Leo, I understand what Lallo was trying to do with his character, but I didn't actually like him at ALL until they made it through the caves to the magic village. Then I felt like he was a real character. I liked Deacon quite a bit, as besides Leo, I felt like he had the most personality out of all the characters. I do have a soft spot for bookish geniuses, so I think that might have something to do with it.
There were a couple scenes that felt incredibly unnecessary and took away from some of the storytelling. There is a particular scene between Calypso and Deacon that came at an awkward moment (switching perspectives from Myranda to Deacon in the middle of a section didn't sit well with me) and I think the scene would have been better served to be cut and have what was discussed play out naturally between the characters.
That being said, I kind of wish either Deacon or Leo had been the main characters as that would have greatly increased my interest in what was happening, but I understand why Myranda was chosen. I was torn between liking some of the magic instruction and skimming. I think the pacing was off a bit and I didn't quite connect with what was being said. Myn was also pretty annoying to me and I really didn't care for her role (even if her introduction was interesting to me).
I don't have all negatives to say. I did like Leo's ultimate characterization, and I want to know a lot more about him. That's most of the reason why I'm interested in reading the next book. Same with Deaco. I'm not entirely invested in seeing the war ended, but hopefully that'll change in the next book. It's not on my "autobuy" list, but I'll keep an eye out for it if I have an open weekend.
callmecat's review against another edition
3.0
Miranda has such a loving heart and needs friends, so I hate to see her turn to anger and hatred and leave behind the only friend she has that she can talk to. The one thing that keeps her likeable is the level of competence she has. I loved her performance in the final test (that was so fun!!!) and I liked knowing that she could follow Lane into the cave and not have to be saved by him like some damsel. And maybe it works both ways--maybe I'm only able to handle her godlike level of competence with magic and quickly attained swordskills because of the negative personality traits that rose up to drag her down? I don't know.
But I still feel like I would like her better if she wasn't so cruel and if she had learned by now to be Lane's friend. I really hate how they antagonize each other now. I started reading the second book and that is still going on, there's no end of it in sight, so I put it on hiatus. I'm really really sick of her attitude. Also, that level of competence I praised? Well, the attitude hinders that SO MUCH and it's really annoying. She has terrrrrrrrrrrible judgment.
But I still feel like I would like her better if she wasn't so cruel and if she had learned by now to be Lane's friend. I really hate how they antagonize each other now. I started reading the second book and that is still going on, there's no end of it in sight, so I put it on hiatus. I'm really really sick of her attitude. Also, that level of competence I praised? Well, the attitude hinders that SO MUCH and it's really annoying. She has terrrrrrrrrrrible judgment.
darkcrystal1839's review against another edition
4.0
A wonderful fantasy epic on par with Tad Williams and J.R.R. Tolkien. Having read the whole series, I can say all three books were amazing - full of detail, action, romance, and above all, great story.
shadowdove87's review
3.0
I really really struggled with this book. The story itself is good and the descriptions are well written, but the speaking parts are so unsuited to the story and overly formal that it felt like a chore. I'm glad I read it, but I highly doubt that I'll read the others.
humanignorance's review against another edition
4.0
3.5 stars. Slow to get going, and the arcs with the generals discussing what seemed to be nothing of import were boring and tedious. Apart from that, the world-building was quite well done, and the magic system was interesting and well-written.
scopique's review against another edition
3.0
For a genre that is built on pure imagination, fantasy is generally hit or miss. It used to be enough to include "staples" like elves and dwarves, swords and magic, and call it a day, but authors have always tried to mix it up by making their works more "medieval" with only a sprinkling of the fantastic, trying to connect their otherworld with the one we know by presenting their work as being only one or two degrees off center.
This book started out more or less without surprises. There's an interminable war raging between nations, it's reasons long since forgotten. Everything is devoted to the war: resources, bodies, magic, and most importantly, minds. Anyone who expresses fatigue with the war is branded a sympathizer, and is lucky to be run out of town.
Naturally, the main character is one of these folks who sees war as a voracious monster, and not as a valiant struggle. It certainly doesn't make her popular wherever she goes, and she finds herself struggling to stay alive in exile. Her fortune changes when she finds the site of a small battle, and a mysterious and ornate sword that is obviously more than it appears.
The first half of the book is about Miranda's constant flight from would-be captors. The second is about her coming into her purpose in the world. The change from the latter to the former makes this seem like two different books, where the second is only marginally related to the first through switching to the point of view of other characters who are seeking Miranda.
What I liked the most about this book, though, was it's treatment of the art of magic. It's easy for an author to tell the reader that magic "just is" a force to tap into, like filling a canteen from a stream, but it's another thing to explain magic as more of a logical concept than something we have to take on faith. Lallo does a great job of making magic believable, leaving only a small shred of explanation to be accepted on face value.
The book ends abruptly, but there are other books available/forthcoming which continue the story. I thought this book was good enough to warrant picking up the next in the series, although I'm not jumping at the chance. The Book of Deacon is a comfortable read.
This book started out more or less without surprises. There's an interminable war raging between nations, it's reasons long since forgotten. Everything is devoted to the war: resources, bodies, magic, and most importantly, minds. Anyone who expresses fatigue with the war is branded a sympathizer, and is lucky to be run out of town.
Naturally, the main character is one of these folks who sees war as a voracious monster, and not as a valiant struggle. It certainly doesn't make her popular wherever she goes, and she finds herself struggling to stay alive in exile. Her fortune changes when she finds the site of a small battle, and a mysterious and ornate sword that is obviously more than it appears.
The first half of the book is about Miranda's constant flight from would-be captors. The second is about her coming into her purpose in the world. The change from the latter to the former makes this seem like two different books, where the second is only marginally related to the first through switching to the point of view of other characters who are seeking Miranda.
What I liked the most about this book, though, was it's treatment of the art of magic. It's easy for an author to tell the reader that magic "just is" a force to tap into, like filling a canteen from a stream, but it's another thing to explain magic as more of a logical concept than something we have to take on faith. Lallo does a great job of making magic believable, leaving only a small shred of explanation to be accepted on face value.
The book ends abruptly, but there are other books available/forthcoming which continue the story. I thought this book was good enough to warrant picking up the next in the series, although I'm not jumping at the chance. The Book of Deacon is a comfortable read.
typewriters87's review against another edition
4.0
Very good, I ran across the title in Book Bub as a steal of a deal, and liked it so much I got the rest in the series! I do wish this would get re-released and run through a really good edit. Sometimes it's just a word misspelled here and there, other times, he is substituted for she and other places it looks like the author forgot who had been speaking and who was meant to say a line.
Overall, nice, I really like the world created. Similar enough where things are familiar (north vs south, cold vs hot, slavery and freedom, magic vs elbow grease, different races (dwarves, elves, fairies) new ones (malthropes, 'cloaks', D'Kanoc (I think). This story starts out following a girl who seems to have nothing to do and falls into a world where she is a prodigy but still out of place. The creature that caught my attention by a LARGE margin, however, was the malthrope, which is why I am now currently reading Rise of the Red Shadow, the prequel to the series, and have enjoyed it immensely, maybe more so than the original Book of Deacon series, because now I am on to the second book and still enthralled by the malthrope and not that impressed by Myranda.
However, the first book is a lot of fun, a lot of thrills in the beginning and a lot of settling at the end, which is just you getting some really good information on how this world works (still interesting, I don't think it'll bore you). This book kept having small little twists where maybe I thought I knew what was going on and really had no idea, but it didn't feel like a huge trick the author was playing, very natural. Very family friendly, if you're looking for it, nothing too gory or obscene in here, just enough details to keep it real (there is head slicing etc) and interesting.
I say read it, and then read the prequel Rise of the Red Shadow before moving on.
Overall, nice, I really like the world created. Similar enough where things are familiar (north vs south, cold vs hot, slavery and freedom, magic vs elbow grease, different races (dwarves, elves, fairies) new ones (malthropes, 'cloaks', D'Kanoc (I think). This story starts out following a girl who seems to have nothing to do and falls into a world where she is a prodigy but still out of place. The creature that caught my attention by a LARGE margin, however, was the malthrope, which is why I am now currently reading Rise of the Red Shadow, the prequel to the series, and have enjoyed it immensely, maybe more so than the original Book of Deacon series, because now I am on to the second book and still enthralled by the malthrope and not that impressed by Myranda.
However, the first book is a lot of fun, a lot of thrills in the beginning and a lot of settling at the end, which is just you getting some really good information on how this world works (still interesting, I don't think it'll bore you). This book kept having small little twists where maybe I thought I knew what was going on and really had no idea, but it didn't feel like a huge trick the author was playing, very natural. Very family friendly, if you're looking for it, nothing too gory or obscene in here, just enough details to keep it real (there is head slicing etc) and interesting.
I say read it, and then read the prequel Rise of the Red Shadow before moving on.
avisham's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
I read the first two books of this series in my teens and didn't get around to the ones published after. This is my first re-read and I enjoyed The Book of Deacon so much! I'm excited to properly read the next 3 books and can't wait to see how the plot unfolds. I enjoy the all of the characters (even if Myranda is a tad whiney) and I'm excited to see their arks over the series.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Murder, Violence, Injury/Injury detail, and War
Minor: Injury/Injury detail, Blood, Gore, Kidnapping, Murder, Stalking, and Torture
hollydoesstuff's review
4.0
Got this for free. Wasn't sure what to expect, it was a bit slow getting into it, but I liked where it went. Myranda is likeable.