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dbookburke's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
1.0
carolinethereader's review against another edition
3.0
HMM... I have such mixed feelings about this book! Here's the deal:I think the world building was completely lacking (basically non-existent tbh). As was the character development. The perspective switched WAY too frequently and the entire story was missing the complexity and depth that I associate with high fantasy. BUT I still I enjoyed reading it a lot. I was engrossed in the story and powered through a 450 page book in a few days because I was so hooked. I'm gonna try and explain my thoughts a little better but who knows how that will go.
Godblind is a debut fantasy by Anna Stephens and I've gotta say that I enjoyed it. I initially thought the plot was really predictable because I thought I was super smart and had the whole plot worked out but it turned out I was wrong and the story surprised me which was fun. The politicking was well-done for the most part. The emphasis on religion was great as well- the different religions were one of the most well developed aspects of the world building in the book. The other thing that I think was good was some of the relationships between characters; they felt genuine and real. Honestly this book had solid foundations and could've been something much MUCH better so it's a shame that it wasn't.
There were just too many things in this book that dragged in down for me:
- SHORT CHAPTERS + TOO MANY PERSPECTIVES - I do love various perspectives in fantasy so for me to list it as a negative really means something. There are about 10 different character perspectives in Godblind and a few of them are unnecessary and repetitive. Not only that but the perspective switches every 3-5 pages so in this 400 page book we have about 100 chapters which is absolutely ridiculous. It means we get less character development because we are with them for a short conversation and then it switches to another character. Very frustrating.
- LACK OF CHARACTER DESCRIPTION AND DEVELOPMENT- Because of the switching perspectives and short chapters we don't get much introspection from the characters. A lot of the chapters are dialogue or action heavy (which is fine) but means we miss out on internal monologues and learning more about them. I don't feel like I know any of the characters particularly well which is very disappointing at the end of a long book. Also they never really get described. Like halfway through it gets mentioned that a character has red hair and I was like ??? and that made me realise that none of the characters had been properly described.
- PRETTY MUCH ZERO WORLD BUILDING- I knew that the Rilporans and Mireces didn't like each other and worshipped different Gods. I knew that Mireces people lived in a cold area and wore blue... and that's about it. I didn't know the style of dress in either area. I didn't know their culture or customs. I didn't know about different languages or even slang terms. I didn't know what kind of foods they ate in each area (like seriously we never get a food description). Like seriously there is no depth to this world and it's sooo disappointing because it's not that hard to slip in a mention of food or clothing or anything.
So yeah those are my thoughts. I still enjoyed this book and will probably pick up the next in the series but there's definitely stuff to be improved upon.
Godblind is a debut fantasy by Anna Stephens and I've gotta say that I enjoyed it. I initially thought the plot was really predictable because I thought I was super smart and had the whole plot worked out but it turned out I was wrong and the story surprised me which was fun. The politicking was well-done for the most part. The emphasis on religion was great as well- the different religions were one of the most well developed aspects of the world building in the book. The other thing that I think was good was some of the relationships between characters; they felt genuine and real. Honestly this book had solid foundations and could've been something much MUCH better so it's a shame that it wasn't.
There were just too many things in this book that dragged in down for me:
- SHORT CHAPTERS + TOO MANY PERSPECTIVES - I do love various perspectives in fantasy so for me to list it as a negative really means something. There are about 10 different character perspectives in Godblind and a few of them are unnecessary and repetitive. Not only that but the perspective switches every 3-5 pages so in this 400 page book we have about 100 chapters which is absolutely ridiculous. It means we get less character development because we are with them for a short conversation and then it switches to another character. Very frustrating.
- LACK OF CHARACTER DESCRIPTION AND DEVELOPMENT- Because of the switching perspectives and short chapters we don't get much introspection from the characters. A lot of the chapters are dialogue or action heavy (which is fine) but means we miss out on internal monologues and learning more about them. I don't feel like I know any of the characters particularly well which is very disappointing at the end of a long book. Also they never really get described. Like halfway through it gets mentioned that a character has red hair and I was like ??? and that made me realise that none of the characters had been properly described.
- PRETTY MUCH ZERO WORLD BUILDING- I knew that the Rilporans and Mireces didn't like each other and worshipped different Gods. I knew that Mireces people lived in a cold area and wore blue... and that's about it. I didn't know the style of dress in either area. I didn't know their culture or customs. I didn't know about different languages or even slang terms. I didn't know what kind of foods they ate in each area (like seriously we never get a food description). Like seriously there is no depth to this world and it's sooo disappointing because it's not that hard to slip in a mention of food or clothing or anything.
So yeah those are my thoughts. I still enjoyed this book and will probably pick up the next in the series but there's definitely stuff to be improved upon.
ink_and_pages_'s review against another edition
3.0
Godblind was a great read. Fast paced action, engaging characters and a awesome opening chapter.
To me it felt like I was reading an episode of a HBO tv series, very fast paced with heaps of cut-away sequences where time moved on and things happened without us as the readers being there, all books do this but it felt more noticeable somehow.
Looking forward to book 2 in this series.
To me it felt like I was reading an episode of a HBO tv series, very fast paced with heaps of cut-away sequences where time moved on and things happened without us as the readers being there, all books do this but it felt more noticeable somehow.
Looking forward to book 2 in this series.
reginacattus's review against another edition
4.0
Another Goodreads giveaway: a lovely ARC.
Like Game of Thrones? Well this book may not be GoT, but it uses a similar style, with chapters focusing on different characters, letting you peek into the psyche of the good and the reprensible. Even then, even with overlapping narratives, you can't trust anyone. Stephens throws a bunch of curve balls but none of them stop you loving the "good guys". A fascinating world of cruel gods and brutality that only lacks a map to make it real (in my arc at least). Definitely worth the read, and I look forward to reading the next installment when it comes.
Like Game of Thrones? Well this book may not be GoT, but it uses a similar style, with chapters focusing on different characters, letting you peek into the psyche of the good and the reprensible. Even then, even with overlapping narratives, you can't trust anyone. Stephens throws a bunch of curve balls but none of them stop you loving the "good guys". A fascinating world of cruel gods and brutality that only lacks a map to make it real (in my arc at least). Definitely worth the read, and I look forward to reading the next installment when it comes.
feyn's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.5
kitszy's review against another edition
3.0
3.5 would be more appropriate - a good read, dark in places and a bit of a slog in others, but overall good
yayaish's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.75
obiwannicoley's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
2.5
aroace_ants's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Ok so, the premise was great, the third quarter was fantastic so much shit was happening. love. The writing style was meh. The first section of the book has more challenging themes mentioned casually - rape, sexual assault, sexual (gendered) violence, yada yada - it got les through your the book but you have to read through a bit of it to get to the good plot. Considered dnfing just less that halfway through, glad I didn’t.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual violence, Sexual harassment, War, Sexism, Slavery, Rape, Sexual assault, Gore, and Body horror
Moderate: Death, Sexual violence, Death of parent, Gore, Blood, Animal death, and Slavery
Minor: Blood