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bipidin's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
funny
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence
Moderate: Death
Minor: Sexual assault
witcheep's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Pika-arvostelu: Kerronta on viipyilevää, miljöötä ja henkilöitä kuvaillaan paljon. Jos pitää eläväisestä kuvailusta ja uuteen moniulotteiseen fantasiamaailmaan tutustumisesta, kirja miellyttää varmasti. Jos taas kaipaa nopeatempoista toimintaa ja isoilla panoksilla pelaamista, sitä saa odottaa ensimmäisten sadan sivun ajan. Sitten kuitenkin myös juoni ottaa enemmän tuulta siipiensä alle.
Fantasiamaailman rakentuminen: Magian syvempi sävy esittelee kiinnostavan ajatuksen rinnakkaismaailmoista, joissa Lontoosta on olemassa neljä eri versiota, kukin eri suhteessa magian olemukseen ja käyttöön. Eri maailmojen välillä voivat matkustaa vain vahvat, mutta harvinaiset verimaagit eli antarit. Heidän voimansa ei periinny suvussa, vaan on arvoitus, miksi jollakin henkilöllä on tämä voima. Tämä rinnakkais-Lontoiden universumi on rakennettu niin tarkasti aina taikuuden toimintaperiaatteista eri maailmojen omiin kieliin, että uskon antareista paljastuvan vielä lisää tietoa jatko-osissa.
Henkilöt: Päähenkilö Kell esitellään voimakkaana verimaagina, joka virallisten kuninkaallisten tehtäviensä ohessa tekee sivubisnestä salakuljettajana. Tähän nähden hän on kuitenkin hämmentävän hyväuskoinen ja toistuvasti kävelee vailla epäilyksiä ansoihin kuin neito hädässä.Sen seurauksena Kell on useamman kerran vähällä menettää henkensä tai joutua orjuutetuksi, mutta onneksi on Lila pelastamassa päivän. Henkilöiden välisille suhteille annetaan kirjassa huomiota, mutta niillä on vielä paljon tilaa kehittyä eri suuntiin jatko-osissa.
Fantasiamaailman rakentuminen: Magian syvempi sävy esittelee kiinnostavan ajatuksen rinnakkaismaailmoista, joissa Lontoosta on olemassa neljä eri versiota, kukin eri suhteessa magian olemukseen ja käyttöön. Eri maailmojen välillä voivat matkustaa vain vahvat, mutta harvinaiset verimaagit eli antarit. Heidän voimansa ei periinny suvussa, vaan on arvoitus, miksi jollakin henkilöllä on tämä voima. Tämä rinnakkais-Lontoiden universumi on rakennettu niin tarkasti aina taikuuden toimintaperiaatteista eri maailmojen omiin kieliin, että uskon antareista paljastuvan vielä lisää tietoa jatko-osissa.
Henkilöt: Päähenkilö Kell esitellään voimakkaana verimaagina, joka virallisten kuninkaallisten tehtäviensä ohessa tekee sivubisnestä salakuljettajana. Tähän nähden hän on kuitenkin hämmentävän hyväuskoinen ja toistuvasti kävelee vailla epäilyksiä ansoihin kuin neito hädässä.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Physical abuse
Moderate: Gun violence, Self harm, Sexual harassment, Violence, Death, Kidnapping, Torture, Slavery, and Murder
Minor: Genocide, Sexual assault, and Misogyny
kiala's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
medium-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? No
4.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Gun violence, Death, Violence, Sexual assault, Blood, Emotional abuse, and Torture
Moderate: Bullying
willowbiblio's review
adventurous
dark
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
"Brands and scars, mutilations meant to bind what magic they could summon to their bodies. The weaker they were, the more scars they made on themselves, mining their flesh in a frantic attempt to hold on to what little power they had."
------------------------
I really enjoyed the idea behind this book, but the characters and extremely heavy foreshadowing made this a very low 4 stars for me. I think the magic and the idea of disparate yet connected Londons was inspired. A lot of the plot was hinted at from the early chapters, so nothing felt truly remarkable or surprising. I can see that we're headed for a return of Holland and an unveiling of Lila as a magician. The inner dialogues could have been a lot less descriptive for all POVs.
The lore of how the cultures of each London evolved and diverged was cool. It would have been an interesting move to have this be given to the reader as interludes that were flashbacks to the historical time, setting up potential prequels with new (historical) characters. This would have been more readable than having characters either info dump to themselves or one another- this method always feels sort of forced and awkward. If they've known it their whole lives, why are they explicitly explaining it to themselves/each other now? Sure, it's for the reader's benefit, but this method makes you realize you're reading. This is a general gripe I have with authors who info dump and take the high context route.
I wanted to be more excited about the history/differences between Londons because I think the potential is there for a really engaging story, but it's hard to get up the enthusiasm when every tease spoiled what could have been major reveals.Even the moment where Lila realizes there's bone in Astrid's floor. That's not surprising to the reader because every other character has commented on it somehow, so it feels false or less impactful when Lila notices. That moment could have been the *first* moment, and really driven home how horrific those characters were.
I'm looking forward to seeing if things get a bit more complex and entertaining in the next book. Definitely also how Schwab uses the whole life-sync brand which feels like it was lifted directly from Cassandra Clare's books but I'll reserve judgment for now.
------------------------
I really enjoyed the idea behind this book, but the characters and extremely heavy foreshadowing made this a very low 4 stars for me. I think the magic and the idea of disparate yet connected Londons was inspired. A lot of the plot was hinted at from the early chapters, so nothing felt truly remarkable or surprising. I can see that we're headed for a return of Holland and an unveiling of Lila as a magician. The inner dialogues could have been a lot less descriptive for all POVs.
The lore of how the cultures of each London evolved and diverged was cool. It would have been an interesting move to have this be given to the reader as interludes that were flashbacks to the historical time, setting up potential prequels with new (historical) characters. This would have been more readable than having characters either info dump to themselves or one another- this method always feels sort of forced and awkward. If they've known it their whole lives, why are they explicitly explaining it to themselves/each other now? Sure, it's for the reader's benefit, but this method makes you realize you're reading. This is a general gripe I have with authors who info dump and take the high context route.
I wanted to be more excited about the history/differences between Londons because I think the potential is there for a really engaging story, but it's hard to get up the enthusiasm when every tease spoiled what could have been major reveals.
I'm looking forward to seeing if things get a bit more complex and entertaining in the next book. Definitely also how Schwab uses the whole life-sync brand which feels like it was lifted directly from Cassandra Clare's books but I'll reserve judgment for now.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Self harm and Murder
Moderate: Sexual assault
seaweedmonsterletmego's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
A fun little book that serves as a great intro to a series (which it is), but doesn’t do great as a standalone. The adventure and world build is spectacular but you get the sense that it was too simplistic. I’m sure that the series overall is great, but this book tends to be a bit mid.
Content Warnings
Minor: Sexual assault
There is a scene that begins an assault but the woman is able to escape, this one is more explicit about the danger. Another scene has a woman in an alley alone with three men. Though the focus of this is more her confronting these men for a previous wrong, but could trigger some who have had a similar experience.meg_leigh's review
adventurous
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
mysterious
reflective
relaxing
sad
tense
fast-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
4.5
I love everything Schwab writes, and this is no different. I am so excited there are three more books in this series for me to read now.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood, Torture, and Death
Moderate: Sexual assault
moondragon8's review
adventurous
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.75
I'm putting the TL;DR up at the top, because I tend to ramble. TL;DR: Would probably be an excellent book for other people, unfortunately only a fairly good book for me.
I'm gonna be honest: I picked this one up mostly because I dabble frequently in Fallen London, and the premise of more Weird Londons seemed very in line with my taste. Unfortunately, this was not nearly as Londony as I had hoped, despite the high rate of Londons per London, and I had forgotten I kinda hate high fantasy.
Okay, hate is a strong word. To the book's credit: the prose is strong, there's a few really beautiful lines, and the worldbuilding is very solid and interesting, and conveyed in a way that isn't overwhelming but doesn't leave you in the dark. However, to me it seemed that the focus given to the (very rich and engaging!) world meant that the characters were sort of left to the wayside.
That's not to say there weren't some fun characters. Lila, the top hat wearing wannabe-pirate, was very fun, and arguably had a little character arc. I also liked the rakish Prince Rhy, when we saw him, and there were a couple very classically Londony side characters. (The weird (Danish?) regents of White London were good villains but deeply unpleasant characters– they gave me Game of Thrones vibes, which is a part of the British literary canon I could do without. Also, vaguely weird that they're Fantasy Danish and their magical attack dog is named Holland?? Were there Implications there I wasn't getting?)
Kell, though, was kind of a blank slate, which was a bit disappointing. He did spend a good portion of the bookbeing possessed by a One Ring-esque chunk of rock , and like 90% of it bleeding (really remarkable that the poor guy had any blood left by the end), and I guess that if I can't find any actual character in a main character, him being fucked up and covered in blood is a decent substitute. (I'm not kidding about this. I have rather weird tastes.)
My final note is that I was initially a bit concerned to see that this was a trilogy, but in the end was quite satisfied with how all the plot threads wrapped up. This book was a fun step outside my comfort zone, but it didn't force me to keep reading if I wasn't feeling it, which I really appreciated. I was a little disappointed tonever get to see Black London, and that they killed off Holland like that (or did they?? unclear, but his treatment both in-universe and narratively still left a bad taste in my mouth) , but I'll live. Lila's pirate adventures seem fun to read about, and I'm glad those who enjoyed this book will have more to read in this world, but I'm happy to leave it here.
(...Actually, I just realized they do leave one mystery hanging— something about Kell's special knife having K. L. on it, and the mystery of his origins, is mentioned at the beginning and then kinda dropped throughout and never explained or even brought up, which is probably why I didn't recall it until literally just now. Ah well.)
I'm gonna be honest: I picked this one up mostly because I dabble frequently in Fallen London, and the premise of more Weird Londons seemed very in line with my taste. Unfortunately, this was not nearly as Londony as I had hoped, despite the high rate of Londons per London, and I had forgotten I kinda hate high fantasy.
Okay, hate is a strong word. To the book's credit: the prose is strong, there's a few really beautiful lines, and the worldbuilding is very solid and interesting, and conveyed in a way that isn't overwhelming but doesn't leave you in the dark. However, to me it seemed that the focus given to the (very rich and engaging!) world meant that the characters were sort of left to the wayside.
That's not to say there weren't some fun characters. Lila, the top hat wearing wannabe-pirate, was very fun, and arguably had a little character arc. I also liked the rakish Prince Rhy, when we saw him, and there were a couple very classically Londony side characters. (The weird (Danish?) regents of White London were good villains but deeply unpleasant characters– they gave me Game of Thrones vibes, which is a part of the British literary canon I could do without. Also, vaguely weird that they're Fantasy Danish and their magical attack dog is named Holland?? Were there Implications there I wasn't getting?)
Kell, though, was kind of a blank slate, which was a bit disappointing. He did spend a good portion of the book
My final note is that I was initially a bit concerned to see that this was a trilogy, but in the end was quite satisfied with how all the plot threads wrapped up. This book was a fun step outside my comfort zone, but it didn't force me to keep reading if I wasn't feeling it, which I really appreciated. I was a little disappointed to
(...Actually, I just realized they do leave one mystery hanging— something about Kell's special knife having K. L. on it, and the mystery of his origins, is mentioned at the beginning and then kinda dropped throughout and never explained or even brought up, which is probably why I didn't recall it until literally just now. Ah well.)
Content Warnings
Graphic: Torture, Body horror, Murder, Cursing, Gun violence, Gore, Death, Grief, Confinement, Injury/Injury detail, Violence, Alcohol, Blood, and Child death
Moderate: Sexual harassment
Minor: Sexual assault, Cannibalism, and Colonisation
neverlandingonabook's review
adventurous
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood, Gun violence, Death, and Violence
Minor: Sexual assault
vagorsol's review
adventurous
dark
medium-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
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood, Violence, and Death
Moderate: Gun violence, Self harm, and Sexual assault
ninkendo64's review
adventurous
dark
hopeful
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Injury/Injury detail and Torture
Moderate: War, Blood, Murder, Death, and Violence
Minor: Sexual assault, Sexual violence, and Sexism