Reviews

this book is one of a kind.
thrown into a foreign world without much of an explanation, but held on. i’m so glad i did.
the last two thirds of the book i could not put it down. murder mystery in a haunted palace, in space, with modern humor. found myself snickering to myself several times. highly recommend hanging in there for the first third of the book, it’s setting up for a hell of a ride.

gothhotel's review against another edition

Go to review page

3.0

3.5. Very fun popcorn read with an engaging world and characters, if a bit trope-y. The fact that the magic system is basically vibe-based didn’t bug me because I’m an idiot but I could see that disappointing some. Loved the humor at first, especially in the muddy first section where not much happens, but it did get to be a bit repetitive and at times disrupted the flow of some scenes. MCU-style quips are fun every now snd then but when shit is hitting the fan you gotta be secure enough in the story you’re telling to focus on it. On the other hand, the ending is fantastic, as are many (if not all) of the character beats. I literally couldn’t put it down for the last 40% and I’m seriously considering buying the second one to cut the line at the library, which I never do. So while my review sounds negative I have to acknowledge that most of this worked for me. I just wouldn’t recommend it for everyone. If you want a queer pulpy read with some cool ideas, I recommend. If you want serious worldbuilding without a constant parade of winking puns and pop culture references, maybe look elsewhere.

abbief's review against another edition

Go to review page

30% in but I am still not immersed into the world or relating to any of the characters sadly. Might pick it up again.

hrohaley's review against another edition

Go to review page

halfway through the book and i just do not care about what happens to the characters. i think it was ambitious to set the story in this sci-fi space opera setting while being too vague about the plot. “go transcend to be a lyctor but you have to figure out the process of how bc we won’t tell you” is such a disorienting plot while the reader is already in an unfamiliar landscape. i tried to grapple onto any interest and made it halfway before i decided i just didn’t want to do it anymore. i heard it gets good in the last 100pgs but i do not have that level of motivation in me right now. maybe i’ll pick back up, but i’m dropping for now.

sigrunh's review against another edition

Go to review page

challenging dark emotional funny mysterious sad tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.0

aleareads's review against another edition

Go to review page

adventurous challenging dark funny mysterious tense slow-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

4.0

somecallmetickler's review against another edition

Go to review page

adventurous dark emotional funny mysterious medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

More...