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3.92 AVERAGE
3.92 AVERAGE
This was a slog for me to get into. I was even thinking of not finishing. My third attempt at a Jim Butcher read. Nonetheless, I stuck with it and the pace and story picked up. I kept wanting to pronounce furies as furries, thinking of little animal characters. In fact, the powers or "craft" held by the folks in this tale are furies. The fury of a storm, for example. A wrath of emotion poured into bringing magic into being.
Getting to the point, I'd classify this as medieval fantasy. A Lord of the realm attempting to usurp the current ruler. Butcher made good use of his imagination with the characters and beasts he developed. More than a tad of butchery involved throughout. Pun intended.
The Goodreads reviews all say book two is better, so I will put my faith in that and start book two of this series. Fingers crossed.
Getting to the point, I'd classify this as medieval fantasy. A Lord of the realm attempting to usurp the current ruler. Butcher made good use of his imagination with the characters and beasts he developed. More than a tad of butchery involved throughout. Pun intended.
The Goodreads reviews all say book two is better, so I will put my faith in that and start book two of this series. Fingers crossed.
Good world building, little bit of a "special unique snowflake" main character, but he is well done and interesting, so he grows on you. The rest of the series is bloody fantastic.
adventurous
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
N/A
I like the storyline, but was not impressed with the writing itself. Which is odd, since I like Butcher's other series (Dresden Files). There was a lot of listening to characters puzzle things out ("If this, happens, then this, then if that, then maybe this?"), and using the same descriptions for a character every time someone met them (yes, her hair and skin are the same color, yes, it reminds you of a statue, I get it). But, whether it was because the story was really interesting or because it was an easy thing to listen to on my commute to work, I finished it. And I'm intrigued enough to listen to the next one.
adventurous
inspiring
medium-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:
Yes
A really solid start to the series. I find myself going back to read this series every few years.
There are so many small details that make the world created a fascinating and enjoyable world. It did, however, take a while to understand how the furies actually worked and that not only were they different elements, but each person had their own personal fury along with name.
I liked that the main character did not have the same abilities as those with furies which made him a more relateable character. He only has hit wits to work with. I was confused at first with Amara, I was thinking based on her 'graduation/final test' that she was younger, more Tavi's age than his uncle's which made for some unsettling bits until I got further into the story.
There was a good mix of slow, expositionaty bits along with the action. The differing cultures of Alera and the Marat was very well done, both were intriguing although at times I felt that at points we were expected, as an audience, to know/understand certain things without explanations.
I liked that the main character did not have the same abilities as those with furies which made him a more relateable character. He only has hit wits to work with. I was confused at first with Amara, I was thinking based on her 'graduation/final test' that she was younger, more Tavi's age than his uncle's which made for some unsettling bits until I got further into the story.
There was a good mix of slow, expositionaty bits along with the action. The differing cultures of Alera and the Marat was very well done, both were intriguing although at times I felt that at points we were expected, as an audience, to know/understand certain things without explanations.
Maybe 3.5 stars, but definitely worth reading. The characters aren't amazing, but I did end up caring about them and what happened and there was quite a bit of tension going on. The last half was much more exciting than the first half. I liked the high-magic aspect of the furies, it made the action scenes much more interesting, reminded me of [b:Mistborn: The Final Empire|68428|Mistborn The Final Empire (Mistborn, #1)|Brandon Sanderson|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1617768316l/68428._SY75_.jpg|66322]. I wasn't completely happy with the final "resolution" of the story, but it did wrap up satisfactorily as opposed to leaving you hanging. Narration was great.
Not sure if I'll get back to this series or not. Looks like there are 6 of them, so many books, so little time...
Not sure if I'll get back to this series or not. Looks like there are 6 of them, so many books, so little time...
adventurous
fast-paced
I really enjoyed this -- high fantasy, original world building, and not always predictable. Even the romance got me.
Review from Tenacious Reader: https://tenaciousreader.com/2024/03/19/review-furies-of-calderon-by-jim-butcher/
So, to feed my binge read cravings, I asked for recommendations of completed series that are books that you just can’t put down. This was one of the top recommendations, so I definitely had to give it a try.
My overall impression is that it is a good, familiar fantasy. Meaning, it feels like many other series, but that is not a bad thing. I mean it more in the sense of a comfort read, when you want a good orphan boy’s journey to become whatever it is Tavi becomes in future books, then this will be a good fit. I think we all sometimes crave a book or series that is “familiar”, yet new to us, and unique in some way. So far, It also has some unique/different traits, so its been an enjoyable read.
While there are several POVs, Tavi stands out as the main character. He is an orphan (shock!) raised by his aunt and uncle in a small community, more rural than in one of the cities.
The magic in this world is interesting. In Alera, there are furies, which I would describe as elemental beings that can influence their related element (air, fire, earth, water, etc). Pretty much everyone in Alera will bond with a fury, and then they can use the fury to manipulate the associated element. A person with a water fury can manipulate water and use it to aid in healing. This may be sort of a simplification of it, but gives you some idea.
And when I say basically everyone in Aleran has furies, I mean basically everyone but Tavi who is subjected to ridicule and bullying due to his lack of furycraft. So instead of having the main character be super powerful with magic, he’s considered a freak in that he has no special abilities. That said, he is very intelligent and resourceful, so I think he will do just fine because while Tavi has no ability to furycraft, it becomes clear he will be destined for greatness of some sort in future book.
My main complaint with this book is some of the battle scenes just went on longer than I cared to read them. That could be my mood, perhaps another day I would have been more into them, but this time, I found them a bit drawn out for my taste.
Overall, I enjoyed this one and look forward to reading the next book to find what happens with not just Tavi, but also some of the other characters as well.
So, to feed my binge read cravings, I asked for recommendations of completed series that are books that you just can’t put down. This was one of the top recommendations, so I definitely had to give it a try.
My overall impression is that it is a good, familiar fantasy. Meaning, it feels like many other series, but that is not a bad thing. I mean it more in the sense of a comfort read, when you want a good orphan boy’s journey to become whatever it is Tavi becomes in future books, then this will be a good fit. I think we all sometimes crave a book or series that is “familiar”, yet new to us, and unique in some way. So far, It also has some unique/different traits, so its been an enjoyable read.
While there are several POVs, Tavi stands out as the main character. He is an orphan (shock!) raised by his aunt and uncle in a small community, more rural than in one of the cities.
The magic in this world is interesting. In Alera, there are furies, which I would describe as elemental beings that can influence their related element (air, fire, earth, water, etc). Pretty much everyone in Alera will bond with a fury, and then they can use the fury to manipulate the associated element. A person with a water fury can manipulate water and use it to aid in healing. This may be sort of a simplification of it, but gives you some idea.
And when I say basically everyone in Aleran has furies, I mean basically everyone but Tavi who is subjected to ridicule and bullying due to his lack of furycraft. So instead of having the main character be super powerful with magic, he’s considered a freak in that he has no special abilities. That said, he is very intelligent and resourceful, so I think he will do just fine because while Tavi has no ability to furycraft, it becomes clear he will be destined for greatness of some sort in future book.
My main complaint with this book is some of the battle scenes just went on longer than I cared to read them. That could be my mood, perhaps another day I would have been more into them, but this time, I found them a bit drawn out for my taste.
Overall, I enjoyed this one and look forward to reading the next book to find what happens with not just Tavi, but also some of the other characters as well.