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the_broken_cog's review
1.0
DNF 15%
I like complex worlds with depth. I like characters that have flaws and virtues in equal measure.
This book certainly has the first one. The unfortunate reality, however, is that the complexity is very much a case of being told and not shown. There are tons of references to things in the world which absolutely require you to go to the glossary at the back to make sense of. There are books where glossaries at the back are a nice addition, but not totally necessary. The Wheel of Time, as long-winded and intricate as it is, can be read without having to flip to the back of the book every other page. Cephrael's Hand? Not so much.
The names involved are needlessly obtuse. They're either practically unpronounceable gobbledygook, or so similar to the names of other characters in the book that you lose track of whether they are even distinct characters. Sometimes the names are misspelled and are, in fact, the same characters.
The author seems to like hiding some information that would be good to know as a reader while practically forcing you to read a miniature primer to have a hope of understanding the world even slightly. When you do read it, it is just a dry list of cross-referenced definitions of other parts of the glossary.
This book suffers from characters that fail to grab your attention early on, a serious case of "tell, don't show", and intentional obfuscation of the plot to the point where I don't even know why I was supposed to care. There is nothing about this book that makes me want to continue on.
I like complex worlds with depth. I like characters that have flaws and virtues in equal measure.
This book certainly has the first one. The unfortunate reality, however, is that the complexity is very much a case of being told and not shown. There are tons of references to things in the world which absolutely require you to go to the glossary at the back to make sense of. There are books where glossaries at the back are a nice addition, but not totally necessary. The Wheel of Time, as long-winded and intricate as it is, can be read without having to flip to the back of the book every other page. Cephrael's Hand? Not so much.
The names involved are needlessly obtuse. They're either practically unpronounceable gobbledygook, or so similar to the names of other characters in the book that you lose track of whether they are even distinct characters. Sometimes the names are misspelled and are, in fact, the same characters.
The author seems to like hiding some information that would be good to know as a reader while practically forcing you to read a miniature primer to have a hope of understanding the world even slightly. When you do read it, it is just a dry list of cross-referenced definitions of other parts of the glossary.
This book suffers from characters that fail to grab your attention early on, a serious case of "tell, don't show", and intentional obfuscation of the plot to the point where I don't even know why I was supposed to care. There is nothing about this book that makes me want to continue on.
cere's review
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
medium-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? No
5.0
rjgibson2806's review
adventurous
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.5
frogggirl2's review
3.0
Very uneven. Some interesting characters but not all main characters are interesting. Too much repetition in plots. Every character gets kidnapped at least once. Too much torture and rape. Magic system is deep, interesting and well explored. Some interesting plots and exciting action throughout. 3* book 1, 4* book 2, 2* book 3, 4* book 4.
gregg's review
3.0
I think when something gets compared to the Wheel of Time you have high expectations but then most books are compared to the Lord of Rings as well. In Cephrael's Hand you can clearly see that this story wants to fit into the mold of those of great books. The scope of the world building and the cast of characters is that of an epic scale so far. Did I like or agree with every detail of how this book was written not really. There are little things that are just bother me about how Trell's story unfolds. I wish she would gone in another direction but totally can see why wrote it the way she did. Ean seems like he is a smart and capable character but still makes some mistakes but so far has been punished for them to badly. Alyneri and Tavis are two characters with a lot for growth and should hopefully see that happen in upcoming books. Overall the rest of the characters are for the most part likable. In this first book you are just getting a taste of the magic system and didn't get overloaded with how it works. The world also has more to discover with the other peoples and countries.
anthonybfair's review
adventurous
challenging
emotional
hopeful
tense
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
4.25
havenkarma's review
adventurous
challenging
dark
hopeful
inspiring
mysterious
tense
slow-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? No
4.5
oberonmallory's review
4.0
Firstly, I am writing this review a month after reading the book so I will keep my review to the main highlights.
What I loved:
- Great world-building. Something really different. I loved the idea of the god-like Vestals and the history behind the world.
- I liked the mystery and build up of the character of Bjorn van Gelderen.
- I don't tend to enjoy fantasy in the desert, but McPhail's writing really changed my mind on it. The images she created in this environment were arguably her strongest.
- The languages used were also cool and quite different from many other fantasy languages, taking a more Arabic/Indian flavour which I enjoyed. One of my pet hates though with book languages though is the use of apostrophes mid word. Lots of authors use this but it is not always clear what this is meant to represent. Is it a glottal stop? Small thing but a little hint in the glossary for this would have been welcome!
What I wasn't too keen on:
- There was a good bit of repetition in one of the story lines, with the character going through the same cycle at least three times, I believe. Even he is fed up about it by the end of it. I am just not sure if every single repetition was worth it, ultimately
- I would like to see more of the inter-world politics which is hinted at by the role of the Vestals but perhaps this is something that will happen in the following books.
-Finally, another language point. Quite a few writers tend to use real life languages alongside their own. Hell, even Tolkien himself did it. Nothing wrong with that, but it is not really made clear why this is the case. Why is French and Greek used, does it symbolise the relationship between the 'real' language represented by English and these languages or is it just to give a 'flavour' of difference, rather than a whole foreign fantasy tongue?
McPhail at the beginning of the novel apologises for the amount of characters and heavy world building she puts the readers through. However, I really do not think this is the case, with the helpful glossary at the end, I very rarely struggled. It is a thoroughly built world and I did enjoy travelling through it. I am intrigued to see where the story goes, though hopefully with fewer kidnappings!
What I loved:
- Great world-building. Something really different. I loved the idea of the god-like Vestals and the history behind the world.
- I liked the mystery and build up of the character of Bjorn van Gelderen.
- I don't tend to enjoy fantasy in the desert, but McPhail's writing really changed my mind on it. The images she created in this environment were arguably her strongest.
- The languages used were also cool and quite different from many other fantasy languages, taking a more Arabic/Indian flavour which I enjoyed. One of my pet hates though with book languages though is the use of apostrophes mid word. Lots of authors use this but it is not always clear what this is meant to represent. Is it a glottal stop? Small thing but a little hint in the glossary for this would have been welcome!
What I wasn't too keen on:
- There was a good bit of repetition in one of the story lines, with the character going through the same cycle at least three times, I believe. Even he is fed up about it by the end of it. I am just not sure if every single repetition was worth it, ultimately
- I would like to see more of the inter-world politics which is hinted at by the role of the Vestals but perhaps this is something that will happen in the following books.
-Finally, another language point. Quite a few writers tend to use real life languages alongside their own. Hell, even Tolkien himself did it. Nothing wrong with that, but it is not really made clear why this is the case. Why is French and Greek used, does it symbolise the relationship between the 'real' language represented by English and these languages or is it just to give a 'flavour' of difference, rather than a whole foreign fantasy tongue?
McPhail at the beginning of the novel apologises for the amount of characters and heavy world building she puts the readers through. However, I really do not think this is the case, with the helpful glossary at the end, I very rarely struggled. It is a thoroughly built world and I did enjoy travelling through it. I am intrigued to see where the story goes, though hopefully with fewer kidnappings!
annasirius's review
In 2016/17, I listened to the first 3.5 to 4 hours of this as audiobook: 'I can see that the author shows much love for detail - too much for me to be able to savour it properly in this format. I've ordered a print copy.'
Well, I eventually took up the doorstopper of a book and tried to get into it, but it's a bad sign when the author already admits in a preface that there are too many characters in the book to remember them properly. Add to that strange character names, and I stand no chance at reading & savouring this...
Well, I eventually took up the doorstopper of a book and tried to get into it, but it's a bad sign when the author already admits in a preface that there are too many characters in the book to remember them properly. Add to that strange character names, and I stand no chance at reading & savouring this...
damarisr's review
4.0
I'm always on the lookout for new fantasy book series....after reading Terry Goodkind's Sword of Truth, Robert Jordan's Wheel of Time and George R.R. Martin's A Song of Ice and Fire, I was a bit sad that I couldn't find something else to read....then I read this book and I'm looking forward to what else she is going to write, I love having a lot of characters to tell me their story! The world is very detailed and the book is fast paced.
I love BALAJI!!!
I love BALAJI!!!