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3.5 AVERAGE
3.5 AVERAGE
Excellent - but now I need to get my hands on the second book...
Plot and characters are great
Plot and characters are great
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
slow-paced
It was okay the drama was good but the build up was such a drag and parts where quiet predictable and there wasnt lot of chemistry between the main charactors, this did have high potential to be epic
medium-paced
i liked... the concept of everything but i think the writing could be a little better. a lot of telling rather than showing & it started to irk me a little bit here and there. i wasn't a fan of the romance bc i didn't rlly understand why the two even liked each other aside from growing up with each other which im not the biggest fan of lol.
plot was interesting, and i didn't rlly guess anything so that was fun. not sure if im interested in the second book bc the ending was kind of eh? likeis Damian supposed to be the next incarnate of Chaos or something? do i want to know? not rlly lol. i'm ngl a lot of things felt very convenient too so the story could move along so that was a lil meh too. but overall not a bad story and super unique concepts. (at least for me)
plot was interesting, and i didn't rlly guess anything so that was fun. not sure if im interested in the second book bc the ending was kind of eh? like
adventurous
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
mysterious
reflective
sad
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I enjoyed this a lot more than I thought I would! I didn't have a bad feeling going into it or anything, it has just never really caught my eye before, but the storytelling was sooo good (hooray plot twist) and I fell in love with Roz and Damian.
adventurous
dark
emotional
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:
No
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
medium-paced
mysterious
medium-paced
Thankyou to NetGalley and Titan Books for a e-arc in exchange for an honest reveiew.
Narration- i really enjoy a dual POV narration and it helped with the pacing here (something that it struggled with in parts due to the writing being repetitive). Both the main characters did seem to get tedious at times as really reiterated their guilt, self loathing or anger at things that has happened in the past.
Story Plot- i love a good murder mystery and i do feel that this is the strongest/ most enjoyable part of the story for me. It kept me questioning things and despite the fact i did correctly guess at around 50% (due to some big hint being dropped) it didnt stop me enjoying it any less.
World building- The story is set in what seems like our Italy, except with a dash of magic. There's a strong commentary that looks at the politics behind religion that seems to parallel real world beliefs. I do wish it had showed more of the magic system as opposed to the politics of it- however this does leave it open to be developed more in the series.
Writing- i felt it was a little choppy and felt long and a little boring in parts... and then parts i was enjoying could have been developed further. It tried to be dark and atmospheric (and definitely succeeded at parts) but the immaturity of the characters ruined it for me.
Characters- liked them, but as i said i found them immature and repetitive. that being said, i do like the way that trauma was portrayed and maybe the trauma had stunted their maturity growth? I liked Damien SO much more than Roz. Roz infuriated me and she came across as a child spitting her dummy out (she did have genuine reason) but her anger was really all consuming and it made it difficult for me to like her. There romance was sweet at times and i loved that part of the story. I also love the friendship and loyalty between the security guards and Damian and would love more of that in the sequal.
Over all i did enjoy it! It just didnt blow me away or consume me... potentially because political fantasy isnt usually my kind of thing.. it has great potential going forward though!
Narration- i really enjoy a dual POV narration and it helped with the pacing here (something that it struggled with in parts due to the writing being repetitive). Both the main characters did seem to get tedious at times as really reiterated their guilt, self loathing or anger at things that has happened in the past.
Story Plot- i love a good murder mystery and i do feel that this is the strongest/ most enjoyable part of the story for me. It kept me questioning things and despite the fact i did correctly guess at around 50% (due to some big hint being dropped) it didnt stop me enjoying it any less.
World building- The story is set in what seems like our Italy, except with a dash of magic. There's a strong commentary that looks at the politics behind religion that seems to parallel real world beliefs. I do wish it had showed more of the magic system as opposed to the politics of it- however this does leave it open to be developed more in the series.
Writing- i felt it was a little choppy and felt long and a little boring in parts... and then parts i was enjoying could have been developed further. It tried to be dark and atmospheric (and definitely succeeded at parts) but the immaturity of the characters ruined it for me.
Characters- liked them, but as i said i found them immature and repetitive. that being said, i do like the way that trauma was portrayed and maybe the trauma had stunted their maturity growth? I liked Damien SO much more than Roz. Roz infuriated me and she came across as a child spitting her dummy out (she did have genuine reason) but her anger was really all consuming and it made it difficult for me to like her. There romance was sweet at times and i loved that part of the story. I also love the friendship and loyalty between the security guards and Damian and would love more of that in the sequal.
Over all i did enjoy it! It just didnt blow me away or consume me... potentially because political fantasy isnt usually my kind of thing.. it has great potential going forward though!