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onthesamepage's review against another edition
I appreciated the scope of the world and the fact that all characters are Black. The prologue does a pretty good job in setting up a bit of intrigue. Unfortunately, I found my interest steadily waning afterwards.
There's a lot of worldbuilding and a lot of information at the beginning, so the start is incredibly slow. I didn't find much to latch onto in the characters, either. At the point where I stopped, which is 14% into a pretty big book, I still had no clear idea of where these characters were going and what they wanted to achieve.
I do think there's potential for an interesting story, I just don't think I'm the right reader for this book.
There's a lot of worldbuilding and a lot of information at the beginning, so the start is incredibly slow. I didn't find much to latch onto in the characters, either. At the point where I stopped, which is 14% into a pretty big book, I still had no clear idea of where these characters were going and what they wanted to achieve.
I do think there's potential for an interesting story, I just don't think I'm the right reader for this book.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Racial slurs, Torture, and Classism
lady_valhella's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Racism, Violence, Hate crime, Racial slurs, Suicide attempt, Classism, Police brutality, Pregnancy, and Slavery
seanml's review
adventurous
challenging
dark
mysterious
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
3.5
Son of the Storm is a good start to a fantasy series, with tons of potential. The pace of the book I found to be somewhat slow for a while, and a lack of drive in the voice made it so that I had a hard time getting through initially. There is also a large roster of characters to keep track of and racial castes, which were probably the hardest to remember. Despite that, Son of the Storm has a great deal of worldbuilding put into it. It also has a fun magic system that can allow for deus ex machina moments without feeling that they come out of nowhere. The last 100 pages pick up in speed, and that’s mostly thanks to Esheme, who is a wonderfully entertaining antagonist to follow. Looking forward to the second installment! 7/10.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood, Death of parent, Violence, Classism, Xenophobia, Death, and Murder
Moderate: Racial slurs, Child death, Genocide, Abortion, Animal death, Gore, Infidelity, Pregnancy, Injury/Injury detail, Racism, Colonisation, Fire/Fire injury, and Grief
Minor: Medical content, Miscarriage, Cursing, and Bullying
mandkips's review
challenging
reflective
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? Yes
3.25
Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence, Racism, and Death
Moderate: Racial slurs, Animal death, and Miscarriage
Minor: Abortion, Genocide, and Pregnancy
thoughtsontomes's review
informative
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
I struggled with whether I wanted to DNF this or not based on it not really gripping me but held on because there was a lot of promise. I did like what it set up enough to continue with the series.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence
Moderate: Racism, Racial slurs, Death of parent, and Genocide
Minor: Miscarriage
bookswithjk's review
reflective
tense
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
4.5
Another unique fantasy book that’s about racial tensions from an entirely different viewpoint. I had assumed that yellowskin referred to Asians, but after reading the author’s clarification, I was completely foolish to assume so, especially since there’s no indication of an Asian culture in a world that’s definitively African based/inspired. The magic system reminds me of Terry Brooks’ Elfstones, although with more costs/limitations.
Pacing wise, the story does start out slow - Part One does the hefty job of outlining the author’s vision, but the two subsequent parts run much faster. As for the characters, I didn’t really bond with them as much as I would have liked. Danso is at times irritatingly naive, although he does mature, Lilong is a wary outsider (understandably so), and Esheme is…well, she reads as sociopathic. They’re all interesting characters, however, and I’m more invested in our emperor, given the special circumstances of her powers.
All in all, I enjoyed it and am now eagerly waiting for the sequel!
Pacing wise, the story does start out slow - Part One does the hefty job of outlining the author’s vision, but the two subsequent parts run much faster. As for the characters, I didn’t really bond with them as much as I would have liked. Danso is at times irritatingly naive, although he does mature, Lilong is a wary outsider (understandably so), and Esheme is…well, she reads as sociopathic. They’re all interesting characters, however, and I’m more invested in our emperor, given the special circumstances of her powers.
All in all, I enjoyed it and am now eagerly waiting for the sequel!
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death, Gore, Murder, Violence, Racial slurs, and Fire/Fire injury
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