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micksland's review against another edition
adventurous
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
3 stars
While I'm a huge fan of the author's "Murderbot" series, I thought this fantasy novel was somewhat lackluster.
The story alternates between two timelines, only one of which had an interesting plot. The present-day story involves a missing person and a tepid whodunnit mystery, while the flashback scenes (which take up about 50% of the novel) involve a daring escape and several excellent battle scenes. I kept wishing that the present-day scenes would end and send me back to the exciting part of the story.
The magic system is complex but under-explored. It seems that there are many different kinds of magic with their own limitations and uses, but none of the rules are fleshed out sufficiently for the magic to be used except as a deus ex machina.
I appreciated the exciting battle scenes and the potential for expansion in future installments, but this felt more like a debut novel than something by an experienced author.
While I'm a huge fan of the author's "Murderbot" series, I thought this fantasy novel was somewhat lackluster.
The story alternates between two timelines, only one of which had an interesting plot. The present-day story involves a missing person and a tepid whodunnit mystery, while the flashback scenes (which take up about 50% of the novel) involve a daring escape and several excellent battle scenes. I kept wishing that the present-day scenes would end and send me back to the exciting part of the story.
The magic system is complex but under-explored. It seems that there are many different kinds of magic with their own limitations and uses, but none of the rules are fleshed out sufficiently for the magic to be used except as a deus ex machina.
I appreciated the exciting battle scenes and the potential for expansion in future installments, but this felt more like a debut novel than something by an experienced author.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Confinement and Murder
Moderate: Genocide
hanz's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
I loved this. Martha Wells's worldbuilding is unlike anyone else's. This is my second of her fantasy books and both have very interesting worlds, and I'm looking forward to delving more into her older fantasy books.
I was captivated by this start to finish and was thinking about it when I wasn't reading it. It almost felt like another installment in a beloved series, despite never having read about these characters before.
I was captivated by this start to finish and was thinking about it when I wasn't reading it. It almost felt like another installment in a beloved series, despite never having read about these characters before.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Murder, Self harm, War, Genocide, Colonisation, Confinement, and Kidnapping
julesadventurezone's review against another edition
adventurous
reflective
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
4.25
The worldbuilding is very thick, so much so that even on a reread i haven't grasped all of it. Despite that I had a lovely time reading this book again, and found myself quite captivated, especially by the storyline set in the past. The main character Kai is so compelling and i love both his arcs.
My favourite relationship wasbetween Kai and Bashasa, who have this very fun desperate allies to mutual respect to tender friendship to possibly future lovers dynamic.
Kai and Ziede I didn't really care for until late in the book, whenshe helped him bury his former body.
Ziede is very cool but I feel like for a main character she was a little underdeveloped.
My favourite relationship was
Kai and Ziede I didn't really care for until late in the book, when
Ziede is very cool but I feel like for a main character she was a little underdeveloped.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Confinement, Grief, Genocide, Violence, Death, War, Injury/Injury detail, and Murder
Moderate: Child death
stephaniemcuervo's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Confinement, Death, War, Violence, Genocide, Murder, and Blood
Moderate: Death of parent, Gore, Grief, and Kidnapping
briely's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
4.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood, Death, Slavery, Violence, and War
Moderate: Genocide
Minor: Body horror and Confinement
softanimal's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child death, Colonisation, Genocide, Injury/Injury detail, War, and Confinement
msawyer77's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
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
4.0
Content Warnings
Minor: Confinement, Colonisation, Death, Genocide, Injury/Injury detail, Self harm, and Violence
scrubsandbooks's review against another edition
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
4.5
I thoroughly enjoyed this! This wasn't an easy book to get into. I learned pretty quickly that I had to keep tabbed the list of names and times and play really close attention to everything and everyone because Martha Wells spins a complex world in these pages and among two separate timelines that initially felt like they would be hard to follow. But the action picked up fairly quickly and you were drawn right into the conflict of the main character and his friends who have been taken captive and are trying to piece their found family and life back together to figure out how the heck it even happened.
This book felt more like an introduction to this world and to the political turmoil that is likely to play a huge role in the main character's future. While I don't see an indication on storygraph that it would be part of a series, the ending does set up a sort of an opening for a sequel and I am hoping it is because while a lot happens, it is still set up to read like a beginning of something bigger than what was in this book.
It is a pretty heavy info-packed book and it might take some tries to get into but when I stuck to it, I found the characters to be a whole mood ("I don't need rest, I'm fueled by spite"). Kai is straight up Le Tired, and Ziede wants to find her wife -- a relationship, by the way, that you get to see blossom in almost a mini arc between the two weaving timelines. The one is definitely worth a reread and I see it approaching the same level of "epic fantasy" as a lot of great ones published in the past.
This book felt more like an introduction to this world and to the political turmoil that is likely to play a huge role in the main character's future. While I don't see an indication on storygraph that it would be part of a series, the ending does set up a sort of an opening for a sequel and I am hoping it is because while a lot happens, it is still set up to read like a beginning of something bigger than what was in this book.
It is a pretty heavy info-packed book and it might take some tries to get into but when I stuck to it, I found the characters to be a whole mood ("I don't need rest, I'm fueled by spite"). Kai is straight up Le Tired, and Ziede wants to find her wife -- a relationship, by the way, that you get to see blossom in almost a mini arc between the two weaving timelines. The one is definitely worth a reread and I see it approaching the same level of "epic fantasy" as a lot of great ones published in the past.
Content Warnings
Graphic: War, Violence, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Genocide and Confinement
Minor: Slavery
scifi_rat's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Loveable characters? Yes
4.25
Plot: 4★
Prose: 4★
Pace: 3.75★
Concept/Execution: 4★/5★
Characters: 4.5★
Worldbuilding: 4★
Ending: 4.25★
Prose: 4★
Pace: 3.75★
Concept/Execution: 4★/5★
Characters: 4.5★
Worldbuilding: 4★
Ending: 4.25★
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Violence, War, Blood, Body horror, Injury/Injury detail, Murder, and Self harm
Moderate: Cursing, Physical abuse, Torture, Colonisation, Grief, Kidnapping, Confinement, and Fire/Fire injury
Minor: Abandonment, Animal death, and Vomit
persephonefoxx's review against another edition
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
4.25
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death and War
Moderate: Confinement