Reviews tagging 'Child abuse'

Dreams of the Dying by Nicolas Lietzau

2 reviews

jayenhope's review

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adventurous dark fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? No
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

3.75

 There is so much to unpack here. I mean to book is a 703-page long tomb there's gonna be words.

I didn't get into this book by the gaming gateway, so, going in, I knew nothing. The Vyn universe was completely unknown to me. And from the outside perspective, I can say the author did a very good job of putting all the world-building in. I was totally prepared to get hit with a good 50 pages of info-dumping before anything happened. And while I am sure there were 50 pages of information in the book, they were scattered well enough to set the pace fluently.

One of the major issues this book deals with is Mental illness, while I can't say much on the topic due to lack of personal experience, I can say this: It was an experience in vividity. Through the visceral style of writing, the author, manages, extremely well, to get the image across. You know how the character suffers, you understand all their choices; right, wrong and the unavoidable.

There are pages upon pages of characters just discussing topics pertaining to politics, ethics, moral obligations, mass psychology, etc. You would think they'd be a bore. They are not! Each character puts forth such a different perspective and you are in mind to agree with them all. it's an effective way to develop your character, that's for sure.

There is this to say in the books opposition: The writing feels, in places, stiff and the short dialogue one dimensional. While I can attribute the first to 'lost in translation' (as I heard someone refer to it) the other is a genuine criticism.

The main plot explores Political upheaval and the romantic escapades of the MC (Bi and actually explored, I could weep). In other words, it never gets boring, and the fun to be had is always unexpected.

sorry, if the review is a bit awkward. I sleep deprived and need to get this out before sleep claims me and I auto reboot. 

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zedeleven's review

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adventurous challenging dark emotional hopeful mysterious reflective 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

5.0

Well that was completely and utterly fucked. In the best way possible. 

If you like any of: immersive world-building, solid characters, philosophical discussions about morality and/or determinism, dream-like alt realities, or depictions of various mental health issues then you will find something to enjoy here. 

For a debut novel this is beyond incredible and I definitely will be reading anything else in this universe!

If you see this before getting the book, get the hardback. The extra ~100 or so pages of historical notes, lectures, drawings and sketches, bestiary, and entire in-world language are super duper worth it. It "elevates" the book from something that I would read, enjoy, and put on the shelf gathering dust to something that I want to display as art!

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