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3.83 AVERAGE
3.83 AVERAGE
I will write a review later. I enjoyed but the characters weren't complete for me, their behaviour and attitude changed to sudden for me to find it believable. I did enjoy it enough to finish! :)
adventurous
relaxing
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
Finally! This exhausting marathon is over. I trudged my way through the first half, wondering why I was suddenly reading an excruciatingly detailed textbook of a fake history. But I held on, because reviews promised a more interesting, character-centered second half, where women were also finally given a voice in this pissing contest between silly boys. And I have to admit, I did start to enjoy some of the characters more, and some women were portrayed as more than men's tokens. There are interesting ideas in this book. But when all is said, and I reached the final sentence, I let out a tired sigh of relief. Now I need to read a guilty pleasure, something easy and silly, to rest and reset my brain. I won't be picking up the rest of the series.
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
This had a slow start but starting in part 2 things really started to pick up. While in general I liked the way the characters developed and they way they interacted with each other, I found the way no one could trust one another and inevitably became suspicious of or betrayed each other to be kind of exhausting and sad after a while. Especially the ending, both the part where Kuni ends up truly betraying Mata at the last, and afterwards when his entire retinue begins to scheme around him for self-preservation and/or power.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Torture, Violence, War
Moderate: Infidelity
Minor: Suicide
Overall solid book. Very utilitarian prose & most of the book felt like a history novel. However I loved the plot & characters(although they could’ve been more fleshed out). First half of the book was a slogggg tho. Doesn’t give easy answers to complex problems.
adventurous
medium-paced
adventurous
medium-paced
Finished Grace of Kings and i agree with the people, who say it feels like a very big prequel to a much bigger story (that i will read in the future).
The world really hooked me in the beginning. The setting was something i haven’t seen too much before and i was hyped to get a fantasy world mixed with many weird „silkpunk“ machines for the war, creative cities with spots the characters go to and bigger and smaller ideas that are extremely creative.
In the end this wasn’t the case as much as i hoped but it still had some elements in it. So far it felt more like a historical description of the wars in the timeframe of the book, with some insides into the characters and there desicions, smaller Silkpunk elements like airships and a lot of politics and intrigue.
I liked the characters we got. They had own identities, own desicions and especially the rivalries were interesting too read. My biggest problem is the romance in this book.
While the beginning was interesting and i loved the first of three big romances in this book, this later changed a lot due to many weird desicions, that i kinda understand, but still don’t like at all.
The second big romance in this book felt extremely flat and uninteresting that i can’t even write anything about it.
And the third one was so forced that, yeah it’s part of the story, but it never let me feel anything when they were together - which is maybe exactly what was planned with this
There are some characters that are not relevant at all and i also had problems to remember all the relevant people because there were just too many of them. Gladly the book has a list of the main characters at the beginning with a short explanation why we know them, which King they work for and what there role is. Helped me a lot to get trough this book.
Sadly - there was a big dip in quality after like 60% of the book with some chapters being extremely annoying to read. I know why they are there, but i‘m not sure if they were placed at the right time. Gladly the last 15% of the story were extremely good again which made my score raise it up to 4/5 again. The ending made me also very interested for the next books and i hope that we will get what i expected already for Grace of Kings
And with this it’s only 3370 pages left in the Dandelion Dynasty - oh
The world really hooked me in the beginning. The setting was something i haven’t seen too much before and i was hyped to get a fantasy world mixed with many weird „silkpunk“ machines for the war, creative cities with spots the characters go to and bigger and smaller ideas that are extremely creative.
In the end this wasn’t the case as much as i hoped but it still had some elements in it. So far it felt more like a historical description of the wars in the timeframe of the book, with some insides into the characters and there desicions, smaller Silkpunk elements like airships and a lot of politics and intrigue.
I liked the characters we got. They had own identities, own desicions and especially the rivalries were interesting too read. My biggest problem is the romance in this book.
While the beginning was interesting and i loved the first of three big romances in this book, this later changed a lot due to many weird desicions, that i kinda understand, but still don’t like at all.
The second big romance in this book felt extremely flat and uninteresting that i can’t even write anything about it.
And the third one was so forced that, yeah it’s part of the story, but it never let me feel anything when they were together - which is maybe exactly what was planned with this
There are some characters that are not relevant at all and i also had problems to remember all the relevant people because there were just too many of them. Gladly the book has a list of the main characters at the beginning with a short explanation why we know them, which King they work for and what there role is. Helped me a lot to get trough this book.
Sadly - there was a big dip in quality after like 60% of the book with some chapters being extremely annoying to read. I know why they are there, but i‘m not sure if they were placed at the right time. Gladly the last 15% of the story were extremely good again which made my score raise it up to 4/5 again. The ending made me also very interested for the next books and i hope that we will get what i expected already for Grace of Kings
And with this it’s only 3370 pages left in the Dandelion Dynasty - oh
Decades ago, the island kingdoms of Dara were reunited under a single banner by Emperor Mapidéré. A union born of bloodshed and constantly threatened by rebellion. But now that the emperor is on his deathbed, the rebellion grow, and the fragile union is on the verge of exploding.
It took me a good third of the book before I really got into The Grace of Kings. The problem (for me) in Epic Fantasies is the place the epic takes on the characters and/or world building. I was afraid it would be the case with this first book in The Dandelion Dynasty, but I’m happy to report that it was not.
Inspired by Chinese dynasties but with a steampunk twist through devices like airships and kites, the world building was very refreshing and unique. The use of these unusual devices also made the battles all the more fascinating in a fantasy book where the magic is very subtle. The fantastical elements can be found in the intervention of the Gods and the use of hallucinogens but are there, nonetheless.
The cast of characters is huge! And I must admit that I forgot most of them and probably missed a few. But Ken Liu did a breath-taking job with all of them. Apart from the two main characters, Kuni and Mata (which I will talk about later), all the others are supporting but without once feeling two dimensional. Liu took great pains to tell all of their stories and goals and how each of them impacted the plot, whether in a big or small way.
Now Kuni Garu and Mata Zyndu, our main characters. The first one is a low-born bandit dreaming of a better life, and the second a noble man, last of his clan seeking revenge. They have nothing in common except their goal, to lead their own rebellion and make Dara a better place. Yet a strong relationship develops between the two men and delivers a very complex relation that might change the course of the war.
My only real complaint is the representation of women in this book. We have very few of them despite the large cast of characters. However, this book is far from being sexist. There is no doubt that this book is heavily inspired by historical events, and we all know how women were viewed back then. Ken Liu really tries to put a feminist spin on it by bringing awareness to his characters and adding strong women, especially in the second half of the book.
It still felt a little short on the positive representation of strong women, but I’ve heard the second book made up for that, and with the Marshal's introduction in the last third of the book, I'm even more interested in reading more. I was also very surprised by how well the pace was handled. Juggling between back stories and present battles, Ken Liu does a fantastic job at keeping the reader engaged and intrigued.
It took me a good third of the book before I really got into The Grace of Kings. The problem (for me) in Epic Fantasies is the place the epic takes on the characters and/or world building. I was afraid it would be the case with this first book in The Dandelion Dynasty, but I’m happy to report that it was not.
Inspired by Chinese dynasties but with a steampunk twist through devices like airships and kites, the world building was very refreshing and unique. The use of these unusual devices also made the battles all the more fascinating in a fantasy book where the magic is very subtle. The fantastical elements can be found in the intervention of the Gods and the use of hallucinogens but are there, nonetheless.
The cast of characters is huge! And I must admit that I forgot most of them and probably missed a few. But Ken Liu did a breath-taking job with all of them. Apart from the two main characters, Kuni and Mata (which I will talk about later), all the others are supporting but without once feeling two dimensional. Liu took great pains to tell all of their stories and goals and how each of them impacted the plot, whether in a big or small way.
Now Kuni Garu and Mata Zyndu, our main characters. The first one is a low-born bandit dreaming of a better life, and the second a noble man, last of his clan seeking revenge. They have nothing in common except their goal, to lead their own rebellion and make Dara a better place. Yet a strong relationship develops between the two men and delivers a very complex relation that might change the course of the war.
My only real complaint is the representation of women in this book. We have very few of them despite the large cast of characters. However, this book is far from being sexist. There is no doubt that this book is heavily inspired by historical events, and we all know how women were viewed back then. Ken Liu really tries to put a feminist spin on it by bringing awareness to his characters and adding strong women, especially in the second half of the book.
It still felt a little short on the positive representation of strong women, but I’ve heard the second book made up for that, and with the Marshal's introduction in the last third of the book, I'm even more interested in reading more. I was also very surprised by how well the pace was handled. Juggling between back stories and present battles, Ken Liu does a fantastic job at keeping the reader engaged and intrigued.