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dantastic's review against another edition
3.0
When his brother is killed, Cosimo de Medici declares war on the Lorraines. Too bad a close associate of the Medici family, Lorenzo, protege to Galileo, is in love with Lucia, daughter of Duke Lorraine...
I got this from Angry Robot via Netgalley.
In an alternate world resembling 16th century Italy, a plague has ravaged the world and much of humanity takes refuge in the Walled City where the Medicis and the Lorraines vie for superiority. The Medicis have Galileo and the Lorraines have Leonardo.
There was a lot of enjoyable stuff going on in this. While the basic plot resembles Romeo and Juliet, there's a whole lot of other things going on, like arcane science practiced by Galileo and Leonardo. The politics of the Walled City are explored, including the plague victims, and the nature of reality is touched upon. The mysterious Shadow Master and the Nameless One pull the strings from the shadows. I wasn't really sure where the story was going to go.
The writing was really good. There was some unexpected humor and Cormick painted a vivid picture of his world. I liked that The Shadow Master rose above it's Romeo and Juliet roots.
However, I'm not precisely sure what actually happened in the later parts of the book. I kind of understood what the machines of the ancients did but I found the ending really muddy. I liked parts of the book quite a bit but it lost me near the end. Three out of five stars.
I got this from Angry Robot via Netgalley.
In an alternate world resembling 16th century Italy, a plague has ravaged the world and much of humanity takes refuge in the Walled City where the Medicis and the Lorraines vie for superiority. The Medicis have Galileo and the Lorraines have Leonardo.
There was a lot of enjoyable stuff going on in this. While the basic plot resembles Romeo and Juliet, there's a whole lot of other things going on, like arcane science practiced by Galileo and Leonardo. The politics of the Walled City are explored, including the plague victims, and the nature of reality is touched upon. The mysterious Shadow Master and the Nameless One pull the strings from the shadows. I wasn't really sure where the story was going to go.
The writing was really good. There was some unexpected humor and Cormick painted a vivid picture of his world. I liked that The Shadow Master rose above it's Romeo and Juliet roots.
However, I'm not precisely sure what actually happened in the later parts of the book. I kind of understood what the machines of the ancients did but I found the ending really muddy. I liked parts of the book quite a bit but it lost me near the end. Three out of five stars.
branch_c's review against another edition
3.0
This was a mix of some very interesting concepts with some less interesting ones, and the result would depend on how cleverly these concepts were combined to tell the story. For me, McCormick did not quite succeed. The idea of the two houses competing to rule the city was a good one, and giving each side their own genius in the form of Galileo and Leonardo was extremely clever (though their houses are switched in the blurb on the back of the book - did the author not even get to proof that??). Unfortunately the relationships between the central characters and their close relations struck me as mostly squalid and unpleasant - maybe this was what the writer was going for, since clearly the whole system was unstable, its precariousness largely due to the rulers' clumsiness and lack of vision for their city. The "scientific" advances involving the blending of humans and mechanical devices were more magic than science, which again was not necessarily a bad concept, but I felt these needed to be explained a little better rather than left mysterious - after all, the geniuses should have known how this stuff worked. The twist at the end struck me as a little abrupt - an interesting idea, but if a writer's going to do something like that, I'd like it to not only unexpected, but also obvious in hindsight, and for me, this wasn't. Anyway, somewhat enjoyable.
sjj169's review against another edition
2.0
You would think that a book that starts off with a character saying "Tar my bung hole and use me for a keg!" would be epic. The beginning of this book is. There is a plague that is hitting the countryside and everyone is dying. Inside the walls of this kingdom though the scientist/apothecarists have discoved some spices that can be brewed as tea that staves off the plague. Two main families control that trade. Enter Romeo/Juliet type scenario.
The first 45% of this book was just so fun. There was even talk of making a huge iron man to fight the other family.
Enter into the second half. I have no clue where this story wanted to go. I did finish it and still don't really understand it. The ending was just..well I finished it.
I recieved a copy of this book from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.
The first 45% of this book was just so fun. There was even talk of making a huge iron man to fight the other family.
Enter into the second half. I have no clue where this story wanted to go. I did finish it and still don't really understand it. The ending was just..well I finished it.
I recieved a copy of this book from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.
chelsea_jack's review against another edition
3.0
I'm not really sure what to say about this one. It had some great elements - I loved the 'science' and steampunk meld, and the intrigues. Unfortunately intrigues layered upon schemes layered upon secrets and it was hard to really follow the story. I have no idea what happened at the end, and while there's going to be a sequel, I'm not sure how the two will tie together (i.e. whether or not answers are forthcoming).
Read this one if you're a huge fan of alt. history / renaissance Italy / romeo and juliet inspired romance (very light component).
Received via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
See my complete review at ToEachTheirOwnReviews.com
Read this one if you're a huge fan of alt. history / renaissance Italy / romeo and juliet inspired romance (very light component).
Received via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
See my complete review at ToEachTheirOwnReviews.com
expatamber's review against another edition
2.0
It's like if [b:Assassin's Creed: Renaissance|7205214|Assassin's Creed Renaissance (Assassin's Creed, #1)|Oliver Bowden|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1394133397s/7205214.jpg|7921323] & [b:Romeo and Juliet|18135|Romeo and Juliet|William Shakespeare|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1327872146s/18135.jpg|3349450] had a baby.
It felt like Renaissance steampunk, if that's even a thing.
Honestly, I liked this book but could only give it a 2 star rating. Maybe, 2.5? I didn't hate it, but I didn't really like it either. I enjoyed some aspects of the book, but overall it was just okay.
The whole story was confusing, especially the true identities of most of the characters. I kept thinking that the prodigious details would eventually weave into an elaborate and satisfying tale, but sadly that never happened. The ending was lackluster and frankly, a huge bummer.
I could see where the author wanted to go, and the concept seemed interesting to me (at first). It was overtly vague and choppy which only accomplished to keep me in a state of puzzlement from start to finish.
*I received this copy from NetGalley in return for an honest review, and opinions are mine alone.
It felt like Renaissance steampunk, if that's even a thing.
Honestly, I liked this book but could only give it a 2 star rating. Maybe, 2.5? I didn't hate it, but I didn't really like it either. I enjoyed some aspects of the book, but overall it was just okay.
The whole story was confusing, especially the true identities of most of the characters. I kept thinking that the prodigious details would eventually weave into an elaborate and satisfying tale, but sadly that never happened. The ending was lackluster and frankly, a huge bummer.
I could see where the author wanted to go, and the concept seemed interesting to me (at first). It was overtly vague and choppy which only accomplished to keep me in a state of puzzlement from start to finish.
*I received this copy from NetGalley in return for an honest review, and opinions are mine alone.
thiefofcamorr's review against another edition
Katharine is a judge for the Aurealis Awards. This entry is the personal opinion of Katharine herself, and does not necessarily reflect the opinion of any judging panel, the judging coordinator or the Aurealis Awards management team.
To be safe, I won't be recording my thoughts (if I choose to) here until after the AA are over.
To be safe, I won't be recording my thoughts (if I choose to) here until after the AA are over.
denizyildiz's review against another edition
2.0
2.5 Stars
Loved the world building- think the concept is an amazing idea.. but somehow this just didn't work for me.
Initially when I started this, I was totally blown away by it. The idea behind the world building? Genius.
The parallels between history and Shakespear's works linked with the imaginative fantasy aspect? Just mindblowing.
And then.... I found myself struggling through it.
I thought it's just my mood, so I set it aside. And read a couple of different books inbetween. Picked it up again... And the same thing happened. Over and over. I found it a task to finish.
Again I still think the world building is fabulous. It's really quite brilliant. And my favorite part of the book. I loved all the descriptions, the links to magic...well, simply all of it. And that's why I gave this 2.5 Stars rather than 1.5.
I do like the character building, in theory. In practice. I struggled. I get what Cormick was trying to convey. I did like the idea of it. But while I read it, I couldn't find myself connecting to any of the characters. Not a single one.
Which for me means, somehow the character building didn't work for me
The plot, is slow pace, complicated and full of twists and turns. Though again, it is clever, I found myself being bored by it.
All of this I actually put down to the writing style. It felt a bit stogy and old fashioned. Though I love flowery language, I love old liturature - and this definitely reminded me of some of my beloved classics... I missed the beauty of prose those said classics have.
Then and I think this is my absolutely biggest issue there were the multiple POVs. I like multiple POV. But here I simply thing less would have been more. There are too many character voices. It took away from the story flow but also more importantly, I think it made it impossible to connect to any character.
I really wish I would have like this more. I really do. But sadly it wasn't meant to be.
I might one day pick up the second book.. who knows? As I said, the idea behind this? Brilliant
Loved the world building- think the concept is an amazing idea.. but somehow this just didn't work for me.
Initially when I started this, I was totally blown away by it. The idea behind the world building? Genius.
The parallels between history and Shakespear's works linked with the imaginative fantasy aspect? Just mindblowing.
And then.... I found myself struggling through it.
I thought it's just my mood, so I set it aside. And read a couple of different books inbetween. Picked it up again... And the same thing happened. Over and over. I found it a task to finish.
Again I still think the world building is fabulous. It's really quite brilliant. And my favorite part of the book. I loved all the descriptions, the links to magic...well, simply all of it. And that's why I gave this 2.5 Stars rather than 1.5.
I do like the character building, in theory. In practice. I struggled. I get what Cormick was trying to convey. I did like the idea of it. But while I read it, I couldn't find myself connecting to any of the characters. Not a single one.
Which for me means, somehow the character building didn't work for me
The plot, is slow pace, complicated and full of twists and turns. Though again, it is clever, I found myself being bored by it.
All of this I actually put down to the writing style. It felt a bit stogy and old fashioned. Though I love flowery language, I love old liturature - and this definitely reminded me of some of my beloved classics... I missed the beauty of prose those said classics have.
Then and I think this is my absolutely biggest issue there were the multiple POVs. I like multiple POV. But here I simply thing less would have been more. There are too many character voices. It took away from the story flow but also more importantly, I think it made it impossible to connect to any character.
I really wish I would have like this more. I really do. But sadly it wasn't meant to be.
I might one day pick up the second book.. who knows? As I said, the idea behind this? Brilliant
aseel_reads's review against another edition
2.0
Wow, this has so much promise and it flopped SO HARD in the second half
Firstly, the blurb lies, Leonardo is with Lorraines and Galileo is with the Medicis.
The first half was really interesting, Romeo and Juliet type thing, we have science looking like magic, assassins and the plague, and some crazy cult people. Then we get this super airy "master"/assassin/prophecy type dude come in and it's still pretty cool.
And then everything hit the fan and I have no idea what happened. Did they get married??? Who this this dude??? And I checked the blurb for the second book in the series and the author has the AUDACITY TO WRITE ABOUT A WHOLE OTHER PLOT/CHARACTERS/SETTING, like why the freak are we not getting answers??
Firstly, the blurb lies, Leonardo is with Lorraines and Galileo is with the Medicis.
The first half was really interesting, Romeo and Juliet type thing, we have science looking like magic, assassins and the plague, and some crazy cult people. Then we get this super airy "master"/assassin/prophecy type dude come in and it's still pretty cool.
And then everything hit the fan and I have no idea what happened. Did they get married??? Who this this dude??? And I checked the blurb for the second book in the series and the author has the AUDACITY TO WRITE ABOUT A WHOLE OTHER PLOT/CHARACTERS/SETTING, like why the freak are we not getting answers??
bibliotropic's review
3.0
I don’t read much alternate history. This is largely because I admit to being quite ignorant about many historical events, different time periods and different places, and when it comes to alternate history, I nearly always feel like I’m missing something, like the story would be much better appreciated if I knew more about the time period that was being written about and played with.
Lucky for me, The Shadow Master did not feel this way at all. It was accessible history, placing the story in the middle of a setting that will feel familiar enough to anyone who read Shakespeare in high school. It has enough detail to make it feel authentic without getting bogged down in detail that will lose those who don’t have as much experience with Renaissance Italy. It’s a nice way to get your feet wet without feeling like you have to dive in head-first.
The story in The Shadow Master revolves primarily around Lucia and Lorenzo, star-crossed lovers from rival houses in the Walled City, the only city to withstand the plague that rages outside, killing and disfiguring by the thousands. Added to this is the murder-mystery and subsequent revenge story between said rival houses, with the Medici and Lorraine families at each others throats. Science versus religion also comes strongly into play through the story, with the two areas overlapping where technology and magic effectively combine. The stage is set for a complex story with plenty of potential for some epic events!
Unfortunately, much of what interested me the most in this novel actually took place behind the scenes. The plague, the religious tension, the fanatical High Priest, the man who decided he would become an angel, the people who were experimented on and are now kept in the catacombs beneath the city. These things were all given page time, but most of the story was about Lorenzo and Lucia, or Cosimo Medici’s revenge for the death of his brother. And while Cosimo was an interesting enough character (in part due to his instability and grief), Lorenzo and Lucia I found to be rather boring. There was little to them, really. Their defining characteristic was that they were in love and from rival houses. Lucia had a stubborn streak, Lorenzo has abilities in science/magic, but beyond that, I honestly couldn’t tell you anything else about them.
The second drawback is that most of the things that did interest me as I read this book happened rather randomly. I mentioned people who’d been experimented on, a man who wanted to become an angel, the High Priest starting a dangerous religious revival, the plague that rages outside the Walled City. All of these things fascinating, and most of them appear out of nowhere, have a surprise for possibly a single scene, and then no mention is really made of them after that. Especially in the second half of the book, this happens often. I don’t know whether many of these things were added solely for the sake of providing an interesting scene or two, or whether there’s something deeper that will get explored in a later novel, but unfortunately much of it came across as very haphazard. Few explanations and little follow-up did a lot to turn things from “very interesting” to “a jumbled mess.”
Something has to be said about the use of metaphor within this book, too. The Walled City is big on metaphors. Characters make jokes about how everyone there speaks in metaphor, that doing so is part of the culture, however annoying and unclear it may be even to the people who live there. So use of sexual metaphor was definitely fitting, when it was used. However, I regret to say that there’s no way I can take certain scenes seriously when they refer to breasts as “mountains of the goddess,” and a penis as “the ivory tower.” Appropriate for the story and setting, absolutely! Makes me raise an eyebrow and giggle like a twelve year old, also absolutely. Which takes some of the drama and tension away from certain scenes in which they’re used.
Still, there is a good amount of potential within The Shadow Master, and since this is only the first book of a series, I will give it a bit of a pass on not providing clear explanations to everything. There’s every chance that it was all meant to be a hook for later novels, however awkward those hooks may have been. And the idea of combining magic and technology so that the two are essentially one in the same, and then pitting that against religious doctrine that says technology is evil… I think, when it comes down to it, that the world Cormick set up turned out to be more interesting than the stories told within it.
(Book received in exchange for an honest review.)
Lucky for me, The Shadow Master did not feel this way at all. It was accessible history, placing the story in the middle of a setting that will feel familiar enough to anyone who read Shakespeare in high school. It has enough detail to make it feel authentic without getting bogged down in detail that will lose those who don’t have as much experience with Renaissance Italy. It’s a nice way to get your feet wet without feeling like you have to dive in head-first.
The story in The Shadow Master revolves primarily around Lucia and Lorenzo, star-crossed lovers from rival houses in the Walled City, the only city to withstand the plague that rages outside, killing and disfiguring by the thousands. Added to this is the murder-mystery and subsequent revenge story between said rival houses, with the Medici and Lorraine families at each others throats. Science versus religion also comes strongly into play through the story, with the two areas overlapping where technology and magic effectively combine. The stage is set for a complex story with plenty of potential for some epic events!
Unfortunately, much of what interested me the most in this novel actually took place behind the scenes. The plague, the religious tension, the fanatical High Priest, the man who decided he would become an angel, the people who were experimented on and are now kept in the catacombs beneath the city. These things were all given page time, but most of the story was about Lorenzo and Lucia, or Cosimo Medici’s revenge for the death of his brother. And while Cosimo was an interesting enough character (in part due to his instability and grief), Lorenzo and Lucia I found to be rather boring. There was little to them, really. Their defining characteristic was that they were in love and from rival houses. Lucia had a stubborn streak, Lorenzo has abilities in science/magic, but beyond that, I honestly couldn’t tell you anything else about them.
The second drawback is that most of the things that did interest me as I read this book happened rather randomly. I mentioned people who’d been experimented on, a man who wanted to become an angel, the High Priest starting a dangerous religious revival, the plague that rages outside the Walled City. All of these things fascinating, and most of them appear out of nowhere, have a surprise for possibly a single scene, and then no mention is really made of them after that. Especially in the second half of the book, this happens often. I don’t know whether many of these things were added solely for the sake of providing an interesting scene or two, or whether there’s something deeper that will get explored in a later novel, but unfortunately much of it came across as very haphazard. Few explanations and little follow-up did a lot to turn things from “very interesting” to “a jumbled mess.”
Something has to be said about the use of metaphor within this book, too. The Walled City is big on metaphors. Characters make jokes about how everyone there speaks in metaphor, that doing so is part of the culture, however annoying and unclear it may be even to the people who live there. So use of sexual metaphor was definitely fitting, when it was used. However, I regret to say that there’s no way I can take certain scenes seriously when they refer to breasts as “mountains of the goddess,” and a penis as “the ivory tower.” Appropriate for the story and setting, absolutely! Makes me raise an eyebrow and giggle like a twelve year old, also absolutely. Which takes some of the drama and tension away from certain scenes in which they’re used.
Still, there is a good amount of potential within The Shadow Master, and since this is only the first book of a series, I will give it a bit of a pass on not providing clear explanations to everything. There’s every chance that it was all meant to be a hook for later novels, however awkward those hooks may have been. And the idea of combining magic and technology so that the two are essentially one in the same, and then pitting that against religious doctrine that says technology is evil… I think, when it comes down to it, that the world Cormick set up turned out to be more interesting than the stories told within it.
(Book received in exchange for an honest review.)
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