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3.76 AVERAGE
3.76 AVERAGE
RE-READ 10-2020
Silhara of Neith, scary mf, has a god of Corruption after his soul, a servant that regularly calls him a horses ass, a contentious relationship with the Conclave (wizards) and now a spy (Martise) in his midst that he has to train to get the info out of to defeat Corruption. And lots of oranges to pick.
He really, really, likes Martise and you know how these stories go back and forth until something truly beautiful emerges.
And it does- wonderful story!
Silhara of Neith, scary mf, has a god of Corruption after his soul, a servant that regularly calls him a horses ass, a contentious relationship with the Conclave (wizards) and now a spy (Martise) in his midst that he has to train to get the info out of to defeat Corruption. And lots of oranges to pick.
He really, really, likes Martise and you know how these stories go back and forth until something truly beautiful emerges.
And it does- wonderful story!
fast-paced
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
Admittedly, this is not my favorite story from Draven. I think you can tell this is one of her earlier works--her later stuff is much better with much more dynamic and interesting characters.
It's not that Martise or Silhara are bland or boring...there's just nothing really extraordinary about them either. Nothing that made me want to root for them or their romance.
Silhara is painted as a grumpy recluse, and he is a bit cantankerous, only he's not. He doesn't ever really abuse anybody, and he grows friggin' oranges. That's SooOOooo intimidating.
Martise is neither subservient nor sassy. She's neither willful nor spineless. She's sent to be a spy and isn't clever or conniving. She never actually manages to get any information out to anybody--doesn't discover anything <i>worth</i> telling, even. She's just... present.
We know nothing about Martise's past or her raising until the very last chapter of the book. And then we're expected to care that she's going to miss the people who say good bye to her? When we have no connection to them or relationship with them? It just feels like an afterthought.
The most interesting character in the book is the giant mute servant Gurn.
And it's a pity, because the story surrounding the lovers and the connection between them was actually pretty good.
The world building was good, it's always been easy to fall into Draven's worlds. The plot was also pretty good, and unique. I enjoyed the villain, the plight of the lovers, the final battle was exciting.
I dunno. I just... I don't <i>feel</i> anything for the characters.
It's not that Martise or Silhara are bland or boring...there's just nothing really extraordinary about them either. Nothing that made me want to root for them or their romance.
Silhara is painted as a grumpy recluse, and he is a bit cantankerous, only he's not. He doesn't ever really abuse anybody, and he grows friggin' oranges. That's SooOOooo intimidating.
Martise is neither subservient nor sassy. She's neither willful nor spineless. She's sent to be a spy and isn't clever or conniving. She never actually manages to get any information out to anybody--doesn't discover anything <i>worth</i> telling, even. She's just... present.
We know nothing about Martise's past or her raising until the very last chapter of the book. And then we're expected to care that she's going to miss the people who say good bye to her? When we have no connection to them or relationship with them? It just feels like an afterthought.
The most interesting character in the book is the giant mute servant Gurn.
And it's a pity, because the story surrounding the lovers and the connection between them was actually pretty good.
The world building was good, it's always been easy to fall into Draven's worlds. The plot was also pretty good, and unique. I enjoyed the villain, the plight of the lovers, the final battle was exciting.
I dunno. I just... I don't <i>feel</i> anything for the characters.
medium-paced
I picked this up after getting sent it in a book box. I wrongly assumed that I was released within the last few years. While reading I kept thinking to myself that writing style felt a little dated. Lo and behold it was published in 2009. It wasn’t a bad thing. Just some of the words and phrases are things you don’t read often these days.
Overall I really enjoyed the romance. I liked the slow burn vibes throughout the story. I was a little unsure how I would ultimately feel about the romance because the male main character kept being pretty rude about the female main characters looks at the beginning of the story. I think the author was Trying to portray that she was plain and unassuming besides her voice. By the end he had won me over and I was rooting for their relationship. There were a few spicy scenes throughout the second half of the book. Just a couple few cringy moments, where the author used words like “cunnus” to describe her female bits. The rest of the description was well done.
The side characters of the story were interesting as well. My particular favorite was Gern. The side characters and the Villians of the story felt well fleshed out for the most part.
I also liked the world building. The world was easy to picture, and had the perfect dark vibe that fit the story and world. I wish the magic was a little more clearly explained. Overall though I thought it was well written.
I would read other books from this author.
Overall I really enjoyed the romance. I liked the slow burn vibes throughout the story. I was a little unsure how I would ultimately feel about the romance because the male main character kept being pretty rude about the female main characters looks at the beginning of the story. I think the author was Trying to portray that she was plain and unassuming besides her voice. By the end he had won me over and I was rooting for their relationship. There were a few spicy scenes throughout the second half of the book. Just a couple few cringy moments, where the author used words like “cunnus” to describe her female bits. The rest of the description was well done.
The side characters of the story were interesting as well. My particular favorite was Gern. The side characters and the Villians of the story felt well fleshed out for the most part.
I also liked the world building. The world was easy to picture, and had the perfect dark vibe that fit the story and world. I wish the magic was a little more clearly explained. Overall though I thought it was well written.
I would read other books from this author.
Not my favorite Grace Draven, but I still really enjoyed it. Saving my comments for our Buddy Read dinner. :)
adventurous
mysterious
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
It wasn't a bad book, just very average. The beginning started off very interesting but it quickly got boring and I wound up skipping until I got to the very end. I felt like there wasn't enough world-building and there wasn't any romantic chemistry between the leads. I didn't really care for either of them, which is a shame because I thought that the FMC was a unique departure from the usual standard lead you see in most fantasy books.