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3.86 AVERAGE
3.86 AVERAGE
Gave it 24% and just couldn’t get into it. Felt nothing really happened so far, and the book was more about the prose which just wasn’t for me.
challenging
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
Great dive into the micro-genre that is medieval horror. I had a great time on this, even though expectations raised by other reviews about how fever-dream-ish it would get left something to be desired, but not in a bad way. It was fantastical enough to keep met hooked in, but not as absurd or abstract to have me lose the thread of the plot while reading.
Voyne, Treila, and Phosyne are very fun leads to dive into this story with. Each have entirely different motivations and act very much in line with how they're characterized, yet are not beyond change. I was also very excited to finally have a love-triangle setup where it actually is a triangle and not one focal point branching off into two directions. Their interactions are the highlight, as is how they choose to tackle the problem of the Lady and Her Saints.
In particular Treila V. the Loving Saint was the battle of wits I kept an eye out for.
There's plenty of mystery left within this book; it starts with little background but the essential context that is needed. A good In Medias Res, because I think too much information in cookie-cut exposition paragraphs would take the tension out of what the reader is undoubtedly there for. Loses minute steam by the ending, but that doesn't make it any less worthy of a potential reread.
Voyne, Treila, and Phosyne are very fun leads to dive into this story with. Each have entirely different motivations and act very much in line with how they're characterized, yet are not beyond change. I was also very excited to finally have a love-triangle setup where it actually is a triangle and not one focal point branching off into two directions. Their interactions are the highlight, as is how they choose to tackle the problem of the Lady and Her Saints.
In particular Treila V. the Loving Saint was the battle of wits I kept an eye out for.
There's plenty of mystery left within this book; it starts with little background but the essential context that is needed. A good In Medias Res, because I think too much information in cookie-cut exposition paragraphs would take the tension out of what the reader is undoubtedly there for. Loses minute steam by the ending, but that doesn't make it any less worthy of a potential reread.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Violence, Cannibalism
Moderate: Death of parent
Minor: Injury/Injury detail
dark
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
dark
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
it was good but not good enough!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence, Cannibalism
dark
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Great at first but ultimately too long and gets confusing
dark
mysterious
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Content Warnings
Graphic: Gore, Cannibalism
challenging
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
When done well, a book that is confusing on purpose is a lot of fun to read. Unfortunately, this reads as if the author also had no idea what was going on. There’s a lot of cool imagery and potential for devastating character dynamics, but ultimately it’s like the author had a bunch of cool quotes she wanted to use and attempted to structure a narrative around them. Extremely disappointed. I wanted to love this so much.
There are some issues stemming from prioritizing vibes over anything else but the vibes are absolutely impeccable so I give it a pass.
challenging
dark
mysterious
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
I need to reread this, I feel insane afterwards