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emuwithacomputer's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
reflective
slow-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
This book made me weep. Beautiful story full of fealty and friendship. I love Kip’s vision of a better life for every person in the world. A wonderful look at balancing family, culture, and tradition with your career and ambitions. The relationship between Kip and His Radiancy had me ready to read it again the moment I finished.
happyofme's review against another edition
adventurous
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
2.0
laryissa553's review against another edition
5.0
Perhaps 4 stars would be more appropriate as it did get repetitive but I just loved this overall so much. Such pure wholesomeness. I believe this is called cozy fantasy? Very much (thankfully) the opposite of grimdark.
katebird's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
reflective
slow-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
4.0
scbirch's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
relaxing
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? It's complicated
5.0
jjjo's review against another edition
hopeful
inspiring
relaxing
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
korevah's review against another edition
emotional
informative
inspiring
reflective
relaxing
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? No
5.0
emylisis's review against another edition
2.0
Look this book isn't for everyone. I thought it was for me, but alas it was not. DNF at 21% because this thing is LONG
Some people will love that it feels like an entire story has happened already, some people will say hey can we go back to that stuff that feels a lot more interesting? Some people will love the amount of focus on every single character no matter how minor, some people will find that frustrating. Some people will treasure how much detail is put into every single thing every single character does, some people will end up skimming paragraphs trying to get to something that actually matters to the story.
For me, this was a miss. I was sold on the idea of a pining, slow-burn romance filled with etiquette rules and magic, and this book gave me none of that. I found myself going to double-check if I was reading the right book because at the point I stopped there had been ZERO romance AT ALL. No longing glances, no tender moments, nothing. Apparently it happens eventually but good god was there a flatline of chemistry.
Another downside to this book in my opinion is there are no characters with flaws. The Emperor is perfect, he is perfectly kind and considerate of everyone at all times and never makes any mistakes ever. Every single one of his servants and guards are so loyal, thoughtful, and sympathetic that it honestly made them inter-changeable to read about. All of them behaved exactly the same way, as a weird sort of collective consciousness. The main character was sadly no different, he honestly seemed like just a randomly picked member out of the entourage to be the POV.
Things I Liked:
-Worldbuilding is extensive, detailed, and has an incredibly ethereal feeling. I could picture everything described very vividly
-Descriptions of art, architecture, clothing were likewise wonderful
-The whole idea of the Emperor being this God-like being that can't touch others is great, loved all of that. Too bad the actual guy is such a perfect beacon of selflessness that he doesn't feel like a real person.
Things I Did Not Like:
-More romance happened when a random Moon Goddess showed up for some reason, the main character and the Emperor don't even, like, talk? at all? They're in the same room together but more focus is on the Emperor's relationship with, like, the servants as a collective group.
-The main character truly feels like part of a Greek Chorus that comprises the Emperor's servants. The only thing that makes him stand out is that he's from this island nation they're vacationing at
-The whole book starting off during the vacation feels like a miss for me, this is supposed to be a huge upset in the status quo, but we as the readers have no idea what the status quo is supposed to be
Overall very sad about what I thought the story would be vs. what I got, but I can see this being extremely beloved by people who have read the Silmarillion
Some people will love that it feels like an entire story has happened already, some people will say hey can we go back to that stuff that feels a lot more interesting? Some people will love the amount of focus on every single character no matter how minor, some people will find that frustrating. Some people will treasure how much detail is put into every single thing every single character does, some people will end up skimming paragraphs trying to get to something that actually matters to the story.
For me, this was a miss. I was sold on the idea of a pining, slow-burn romance filled with etiquette rules and magic, and this book gave me none of that. I found myself going to double-check if I was reading the right book because at the point I stopped there had been ZERO romance AT ALL. No longing glances, no tender moments, nothing. Apparently it happens eventually but good god was there a flatline of chemistry.
Another downside to this book in my opinion is there are no characters with flaws. The Emperor is perfect, he is perfectly kind and considerate of everyone at all times and never makes any mistakes ever. Every single one of his servants and guards are so loyal, thoughtful, and sympathetic that it honestly made them inter-changeable to read about. All of them behaved exactly the same way, as a weird sort of collective consciousness. The main character was sadly no different, he honestly seemed like just a randomly picked member out of the entourage to be the POV.
Things I Liked:
-Worldbuilding is extensive, detailed, and has an incredibly ethereal feeling. I could picture everything described very vividly
-Descriptions of art, architecture, clothing were likewise wonderful
-The whole idea of the Emperor being this God-like being that can't touch others is great, loved all of that. Too bad the actual guy is such a perfect beacon of selflessness that he doesn't feel like a real person.
Things I Did Not Like:
-More romance happened when a random Moon Goddess showed up for some reason, the main character and the Emperor don't even, like, talk? at all? They're in the same room together but more focus is on the Emperor's relationship with, like, the servants as a collective group.
-The main character truly feels like part of a Greek Chorus that comprises the Emperor's servants. The only thing that makes him stand out is that he's from this island nation they're vacationing at
-The whole book starting off during the vacation feels like a miss for me, this is supposed to be a huge upset in the status quo, but we as the readers have no idea what the status quo is supposed to be
Overall very sad about what I thought the story would be vs. what I got, but I can see this being extremely beloved by people who have read the Silmarillion