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pepperpot's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
I got hooked on this book quickly and it kept my interest throughout the twists and turns of the story. Drothe is an smart narrator with strong opinions, and I enjoyed getting his close perspective. It's clear the author drew from a ton of knowledge and passion about medieval culture to create the world of Ildrecca, especially when it comes to the sword play and fight scenes. Although I'm not super interested in reading pages of detailed fights, Drothe's talent and tricks mostly kept me interested. I was most annoyed by the portrayal of female characters—although there's a solid handful that play interesting and important roles in Drothe's story, he always always has to describe them in a way that relates to their beauty or sexiness. None of the plentiful male characters get this treatment. It didn't annoy me so much as to make me lose interest in the book, but I kept noticing it and feeling frustrated. Other than that, it was an excellent read.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood, Cursing, Torture, Violence, Death, Fire/Fire injury, Injury/Injury detail, and Murder
Minor: Alcohol and Vomit
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