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chasinggrace's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.0
A fantastic, epic, detailed story of the battle for power in one of the most intricate worlds I’ve ever read about. This story examines the ethics of war, trust between friends and foes, betrayals of grand proportions, and how far one will go for what he believes is right.
The culture that the author creates is masterful and the world is lush. If you take the time to understand the intricacies of this land and its people, you’ll be transported.
However, it’s clear that this book is to be seen as a tool for world-building. While the pacing isn’t bad, the middle of the novel is bogged down with details - names, battles, animals, locations, places, gods, etc - that slow down the plot. I found this book difficult to want to pick up at times, because it isn’t something to be consumed lightly. There is a need to constantly remind myself of who is who, where everyone is, which god rules which state, what city is where, etc. Many characters are introduced just to be killed, but such is the matter of war.
Overall, I’m interested to see where this story goes, but I hope the next books are more intriguing than a war & peace play-by-play. I hope to feel more attached to the characters, hopefully through more intricate relationships. This was a slow-burn labor of love to read.
Favorite characters I hope to see explored in the following books: Jia, Gin, Kuni
The culture that the author creates is masterful and the world is lush. If you take the time to understand the intricacies of this land and its people, you’ll be transported.
However, it’s clear that this book is to be seen as a tool for world-building. While the pacing isn’t bad, the middle of the novel is bogged down with details - names, battles, animals, locations, places, gods, etc - that slow down the plot. I found this book difficult to want to pick up at times, because it isn’t something to be consumed lightly. There is a need to constantly remind myself of who is who, where everyone is, which god rules which state, what city is where, etc. Many characters are introduced just to be killed, but such is the matter of war.
Overall, I’m interested to see where this story goes, but I hope the next books are more intriguing than a war & peace play-by-play. I hope to feel more attached to the characters, hopefully through more intricate relationships. This was a slow-burn labor of love to read.
Favorite characters I hope to see explored in the following books: Jia, Gin, Kuni
Content Warnings
Graphic: Alcohol, Classism, Colonisation, Gore, Bullying, Injury/Injury detail, Slavery, Blood, Pregnancy, Self harm, War, Death, Animal death, Grief, Murder, Misogyny, and Suicide
isi__1's review
dark
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
2.25
This novel felt extremely ambitious. The plot spans many years, there‘s a ton of different named characters, a lot of them fairly relevant to the bigger picture, and all of it is told by an omniscient narrator. Thus, the reader always knows what every character in any scene is feeling and/or thinking at any point in time.
The focus of the story constantly switches between different sides of the war and also between more important characters and very minor characters.
The best way to describe this book is that it feels like reading a textbook about this important historical event: This battle happened at this place, then these characters met and had a discussion about this topic, then this other battle took place, then this person died, then another battle took place,…you get the gist.
I saw someone else describe this as “outlining a whole epic series“ which is a rather apt description, in my opinion.
Because the narration felt so clinical and impersonal, I had a hard time getting attached to the characters. In the same way you wouldn‘t really get attached to the characters in a history textbook. I‘ve heard that the sequel is a bit more character-driven. That‘s why I really want to try it. If it doesn‘t manage to pull me in, though, I‘m just gonna have to accept that this series might not be for me.
It very well is a case of this book just not working for me personally. I would still recommend checking it out if it sounds interesting, because it could be a new favorite for someone else.
The writer is certainly skilled and the book feels well-thought-out. The concept is definitely quite intriguing, but the execution simply didn‘t work for me.
I don‘t dislike this book, but I also don‘t care about it at all. It unfortunately left me with this feeling of apathy. Not necessarily what I‘m looking for when I‘m reading a book for entertainment.
The focus of the story constantly switches between different sides of the war and also between more important characters and very minor characters.
The best way to describe this book is that it feels like reading a textbook about this important historical event: This battle happened at this place, then these characters met and had a discussion about this topic, then this other battle took place, then this person died, then another battle took place,…you get the gist.
I saw someone else describe this as “outlining a whole epic series“ which is a rather apt description, in my opinion.
Because the narration felt so clinical and impersonal, I had a hard time getting attached to the characters. In the same way you wouldn‘t really get attached to the characters in a history textbook. I‘ve heard that the sequel is a bit more character-driven. That‘s why I really want to try it. If it doesn‘t manage to pull me in, though, I‘m just gonna have to accept that this series might not be for me.
It very well is a case of this book just not working for me personally. I would still recommend checking it out if it sounds interesting, because it could be a new favorite for someone else.
The writer is certainly skilled and the book feels well-thought-out. The concept is definitely quite intriguing, but the execution simply didn‘t work for me.
I don‘t dislike this book, but I also don‘t care about it at all. It unfortunately left me with this feeling of apathy. Not necessarily what I‘m looking for when I‘m reading a book for entertainment.
Content Warnings
Graphic: War
Moderate: Infidelity, Murder, Violence, Suicide, and Misogyny
Minor: Pregnancy
blacksphinx's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Suicide, Terminal illness, Torture, Misogyny, Infidelity, Animal death, Injury/Injury detail, War, Gore, Murder, and Violence
Moderate: Grief, Drug use, Pregnancy, Xenophobia, Slavery, Sexual assault, Child abuse, Fire/Fire injury, Death of parent, Trafficking, and Kidnapping
Minor: Infertility, Cannibalism, Excrement, and Colonisation
There is lots of talk of forcing women into sexual slavery. Eye injuries.shermansays's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
emotional
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence, War, and Suicide
Moderate: Classism
Minor: Pregnancy, Sexual assault, Slavery, Rape, and Cannibalism
macliffe's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
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? Yes
3.5
A really good book overall. I felt immersed in the world and very attached to some of the characters. The reason I marked it down was just because sometimes the world building was just a little too vast for me. The were so many locations and they’d get conquered by this person or that person so it was really hard to keep track of (I didn’t have access to a map which did not help. I would suggest reading the physical book of this and not listening to it on audio like I did just so it’s easier to keep things straight). I couldn’t tell a lot of the side characters apart from each other. I had other little nitpicks which bumped it down to a 3.5 for me, but I did always enjoy it overall. It did a great job of immersing me every time I picked it up again and I always wanted to keep reading.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Excrement, Misogyny, Torture, Infertility, Sexism, Violence, Death, Death of parent, Suicide, War, Murder, Gore, and Suicide attempt
Moderate: Sexual content and Child abuse
Minor: Animal cruelty, Blood, and Pregnancy
griffinthief's review against another edition
adventurous
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
Content Warnings
Moderate: Pregnancy, Murder, Kidnapping, Infidelity, Sexism, Suicide, Violence, and War
Minor: Alcohol, Animal death, Blood, Cannibalism, Death, and Death of parent
booksthatburn's review against another edition
adventurous
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
THE GRACE OF KINGS is the story of the shattering of one dynasty and the early forging of another. Two friends who take down an empire together become bitter enemies and are unable to walk away until one (or both) are utterly broken.
The third person narration mostly follows Mata and Kuni, then Jia, as well as a smattering of other perspectives as is necessary for the particular scene. There are interludes where the gods are commenting on events and taking sides, I like how they made it unambiguous that the gods exist and are interested, but that the humans are the main actors. It made their small interventions feel more meaningful, while keeping unquestioned the agency of the main characters.
Mata Zyndu is the last member of the Zyndu clan. Kuni Garu woos Jia Matiza and begins trying to improve his life by having literally any job in order to impress her parents. This doesn’t work very well (he strives to do the most interesting thing and very few available steady jobs can qualify as “most interesting”). He becomes a bandit early on in the narrative, which is how he meets Mata Zyndu. Jia is a source of stability for Kuni early on but eventually figures out how to claim more of a place for herself which isn’t as dependent on him for her story.
Kuni and Mata have different approaches from the beginning of their acquaintance. Early on they’re able to coordinate their strengths to great effect, but once things start falling apart their differences make small misunderstandings large and their newly-competing political goals slowly remove pressure to reconcile. Mata has this larger-than-life physical presence and strong principles, but his rigidity starts to get in the way. Kuni is flexible but directionless, moving from one small goal to the next, checking in with his friends and confidantes.
Kuni and Jia are best described as having a series of long-distance relationships with each other. They stay consistently important in each other’s lives, but they have to figure out how to balance their relationship, Kuni’s drive to do dangerous things, and Jia’s need to have a life that’s more than hoping he’ll be able to come home. I’m very pleased with the solution they reach, it works well for the narrative and for the characters involved.
The worldbuilding is very detailed in terms of politics and political history of the region where the story is set. Early on there’s an entire chapter which details the most relevant portions of that history. I think it’s a good test for whether you’re likely to enjoy the rest of the story. It felt a bit dry, partly because it was a lot of information at once, but I enjoyed the detail of it and within a few chapters I was very grateful for that early context. Kuni and Mata become political players because war is political and they decided to fight the Empire. I like being given the context to have an idea what certain moves could implicate for other things in play before they’re spelled out in the text, and being given the political histories early on was great for that.
The ending is fitting based on the flower motif and which flower is in the name of the series (it’s not the chrysanthemum). In particular I like how it allows for narrative stability at the very end while hinting at the shape of specific trouble to come.
I read this as an audiobook and I plan to read the rest of the series that way. It was easy to follow and I like the narrator.
The third person narration mostly follows Mata and Kuni, then Jia, as well as a smattering of other perspectives as is necessary for the particular scene. There are interludes where the gods are commenting on events and taking sides, I like how they made it unambiguous that the gods exist and are interested, but that the humans are the main actors. It made their small interventions feel more meaningful, while keeping unquestioned the agency of the main characters.
Mata Zyndu is the last member of the Zyndu clan. Kuni Garu woos Jia Matiza and begins trying to improve his life by having literally any job in order to impress her parents. This doesn’t work very well (he strives to do the most interesting thing and very few available steady jobs can qualify as “most interesting”). He becomes a bandit early on in the narrative, which is how he meets Mata Zyndu. Jia is a source of stability for Kuni early on but eventually figures out how to claim more of a place for herself which isn’t as dependent on him for her story.
Kuni and Mata have different approaches from the beginning of their acquaintance. Early on they’re able to coordinate their strengths to great effect, but once things start falling apart their differences make small misunderstandings large and their newly-competing political goals slowly remove pressure to reconcile. Mata has this larger-than-life physical presence and strong principles, but his rigidity starts to get in the way. Kuni is flexible but directionless, moving from one small goal to the next, checking in with his friends and confidantes.
Kuni and Jia are best described as having a series of long-distance relationships with each other. They stay consistently important in each other’s lives, but they have to figure out how to balance their relationship, Kuni’s drive to do dangerous things, and Jia’s need to have a life that’s more than hoping he’ll be able to come home. I’m very pleased with the solution they reach, it works well for the narrative and for the characters involved.
The worldbuilding is very detailed in terms of politics and political history of the region where the story is set. Early on there’s an entire chapter which details the most relevant portions of that history. I think it’s a good test for whether you’re likely to enjoy the rest of the story. It felt a bit dry, partly because it was a lot of information at once, but I enjoyed the detail of it and within a few chapters I was very grateful for that early context. Kuni and Mata become political players because war is political and they decided to fight the Empire. I like being given the context to have an idea what certain moves could implicate for other things in play before they’re spelled out in the text, and being given the political histories early on was great for that.
The ending is fitting based on the flower motif and which flower is in the name of the series (it’s not the chrysanthemum). In particular I like how it allows for narrative stability at the very end while hinting at the shape of specific trouble to come.
I read this as an audiobook and I plan to read the rest of the series that way. It was easy to follow and I like the narrator.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood, Gore, Violence, Child abuse, and Death
Moderate: Sexism, Misogyny, Pregnancy, Excrement, Fire/Fire injury, Genocide, Suicide, Torture, Self harm, Animal cruelty, Cannibalism, Murder, and Child death
becksusername's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
If you're into fantasy war books with lots of politics, this is the book for you. It is not the book for me. It was good, and I think the fact that I finished it is a testament to how well-written it is, but before the halfway mark I was thinking "can't we all just get along and be done with this nonsense?"
Content Warnings
Moderate: Animal death, Blood, Child abuse, Death, Gore, Infidelity, Misogyny, Murder, Physical abuse, Pregnancy, Slavery, Torture, Trafficking, Violence, War, and Xenophobia
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