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libertyalleston's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
duchess's review against another edition
3.0
Entertaining, if generic. This book was really heavy-handed & try-hard in its attempts to sound 'feminist' by pushing multiple instances of wholly unjustified self-doubt due to being female followed up with "YOU CAN DO IT!!! GIRL POWER!!!" Normally this is all well and good, but the execution jars when it's done by a male author. That, and I would have appreciated 100% fewer uses of the phrase 'cunt-droppings'.
The ending was good though, and have to give this book a +1 for including a trans character, and this book has a killer cover sooooo maybe I'll keep track of book 2?
The ending was good though, and have to give this book a +1 for including a trans character, and this book has a killer cover sooooo maybe I'll keep track of book 2?
chknyght's review against another edition
4.0
So far the Empire of Storms is a solid fantasy read. The first is kind of a basic fantasy, though enjoyable and well-written, the second is where the series starts to grow into it’s own as the characters do. I look forward to picking up the third one.
faboolicious's review against another edition
4.0
This was an interesting and adventurous story. A young woman we come to know as Hope suffered a tragic loss and ended up being raised by a warrior who trains her in secret. Then we have a young man we come to know as Red. He suffered his own terrible loss, and has grown into being a thief, a conman, and adventurer. They come together by chance, and stay together for revenge. Naturally, things don't go smoothly, and the ending sets up for the next adventure. I was drawn in right away, and I cannot wait to find out what happens next!
crustydog19's review against another edition
3.0
It was a pretty good read, but it never felt like it was committed to something. I was never at a point where I NEEDED to know what happened next (part of why I took so long to read this book), with one exception. That exception was the ending when things finally started to pick up. I look forward to the next book though, as this one seemed like it was only done so it could bring the essential characters together. And as a side note I thought Brigga's character could have used a bit more development.
darcey_orchid's review against another edition
4.0
yeah pretty good, i liked the characters, i liked the storyline, i liked the language and the setting. key word: liked. i didn't love anything, but i definitely liked the story and thought that it accurately depicted the struggles of that annoying area between right and wrong. good, entertaining material!
milo_afc's review against another edition
4.0
The review can also be found here!
Earning comparisons to the likes of Brent Weeks’ The Night Angel trilogy and not just because it comes from the same publisher, Hope and Red is a novel that I’ve had my eye on for a while because even though I’m unfamiliar with Jon Skovrun’s novels the plot and summary was enough to draw my attention, and the eye-catching cover sealed the deal when I spotted this book at Waterstones a few weeks ago.
You can see why there have been comparisons made to The Night Angel Trilogy. Hope and Red also will no doubt appeal to fans of Kill Bill, Douglas Hulick’s Among Thieves and Scott Lynch’s Gentlemen’s Bastard Trilogy as well, with a great rich blend of martial arts, swashbuckling and grand adventure. The book focuses on two protagonists, a young woman named Bleak Hope, after her lost village, and Red, a thief/con artist. Both are given names that aren’t theirs. Both will have their world collide over the course of the novel, and it’s interesting to watch their approach as Skovron handles the pacing pretty well, throwing us into the world. It’s an engaging read that never slows down, spending enough time between the two characters to flesh them out enough so that the readers will look forward to spending more time with them going forward.
It was actually a surprise to see that these two characters don’t actually meet on page until about the midway section of the book, by which point Hope and Red kicks into overdrive. It takes time to explore both of their origins and really puts them first over the storyline, making this a character driven read helped by its rich setting in a diverse, amazing world full of rich ideas that really come flowing to life on the page. The societies that Hope and Red are in well created, with Red having to live in an urbanized area that is home to a constant divide between the upper and lower classes whilst Hope lives initially in the mysterious Vinchen Order, as well as at sea. Both characters have never fully quite found themselves at home in their respective worlds, with Red not quite fitting into the two classes of upper and lower.
The pacing mostly holds itself together well until the final act, but that’s only a minor problem that I had with this book because on the whole it’s a pretty great read that makes the most of its characters and setting, and kept me reading throughout and will have me coming back for the sequel.
Earning comparisons to the likes of Brent Weeks’ The Night Angel trilogy and not just because it comes from the same publisher, Hope and Red is a novel that I’ve had my eye on for a while because even though I’m unfamiliar with Jon Skovrun’s novels the plot and summary was enough to draw my attention, and the eye-catching cover sealed the deal when I spotted this book at Waterstones a few weeks ago.
You can see why there have been comparisons made to The Night Angel Trilogy. Hope and Red also will no doubt appeal to fans of Kill Bill, Douglas Hulick’s Among Thieves and Scott Lynch’s Gentlemen’s Bastard Trilogy as well, with a great rich blend of martial arts, swashbuckling and grand adventure. The book focuses on two protagonists, a young woman named Bleak Hope, after her lost village, and Red, a thief/con artist. Both are given names that aren’t theirs. Both will have their world collide over the course of the novel, and it’s interesting to watch their approach as Skovron handles the pacing pretty well, throwing us into the world. It’s an engaging read that never slows down, spending enough time between the two characters to flesh them out enough so that the readers will look forward to spending more time with them going forward.
It was actually a surprise to see that these two characters don’t actually meet on page until about the midway section of the book, by which point Hope and Red kicks into overdrive. It takes time to explore both of their origins and really puts them first over the storyline, making this a character driven read helped by its rich setting in a diverse, amazing world full of rich ideas that really come flowing to life on the page. The societies that Hope and Red are in well created, with Red having to live in an urbanized area that is home to a constant divide between the upper and lower classes whilst Hope lives initially in the mysterious Vinchen Order, as well as at sea. Both characters have never fully quite found themselves at home in their respective worlds, with Red not quite fitting into the two classes of upper and lower.
The pacing mostly holds itself together well until the final act, but that’s only a minor problem that I had with this book because on the whole it’s a pretty great read that makes the most of its characters and setting, and kept me reading throughout and will have me coming back for the sequel.
kittyg's review against another edition
4.0
I'm SO GLAD I have finally found a book I really liked this month! This is a new release and I have to say I am so happy I picked this up, becuase it has ended the spree of not-so-great books I've recently been reading.
This book is by an author I'd not yet read, although it's not a debut. I believe Skovron has written some YA books before, but this was his first foray into adult Fantasy, and I think it worked out (although you can certainly see that there are some YA troupes here)! This is kind of a cross between Pirates and Sword & Sorcery. It's definitely a book which I found super quick to get through, super easy to read, and one which kept me engaged throughout.
In the story we follow two main characters (later three) called Hope and Red. Hope is a young orphan we meet at the start just after her whole island and family have been slaughtered and she's left by pure chance, alone but alive. Hope joins a crew and sails to a monastery where she learns a lot more than just housework.
Red is another orphan child who is raised in a well off part of town, but when his family falls apart and gets sick and he's left alone he moves to the less desirable sections of town and sets up his new life there.
The third character we meet later on is called Brigga Linn and this character is definitely one of the more interesting ones in terms of magic. Brigga Linn is a Biomancer and has extraordinary powers, but when Brigga Linn decides to share the knowledge with the council the results are not what Brigga Linn wanted!
The story worked so well for me here becuase it's fun. There are some truly brutal moments, but there are also some really amusing moments and many of these are combined to make it an easy, bloody read. The pacing is fast and we do see the main two characters as young children and then young adults with some shifts in time happening so we skip over the stereotypical 'training' sequences. I really appreciated these shifts in time as it meant that the action got going a lot quicker and it was easy to enjoy.
One other element which I liked is that the book uses a lot of slang words and many of them were old english phrases which I just enjoyed a lot. There's a lot of crude language within this one, becuase many of the characters grew up in the slums, but that just added to the feisty charm for me and I liked that. 4*s from me, and I will for sure continue this series when book #2 is out! Recommended :)
This book is by an author I'd not yet read, although it's not a debut. I believe Skovron has written some YA books before, but this was his first foray into adult Fantasy, and I think it worked out (although you can certainly see that there are some YA troupes here)! This is kind of a cross between Pirates and Sword & Sorcery. It's definitely a book which I found super quick to get through, super easy to read, and one which kept me engaged throughout.
In the story we follow two main characters (later three) called Hope and Red. Hope is a young orphan we meet at the start just after her whole island and family have been slaughtered and she's left by pure chance, alone but alive. Hope joins a crew and sails to a monastery where she learns a lot more than just housework.
Red is another orphan child who is raised in a well off part of town, but when his family falls apart and gets sick and he's left alone he moves to the less desirable sections of town and sets up his new life there.
The third character we meet later on is called Brigga Linn and this character is definitely one of the more interesting ones in terms of magic. Brigga Linn is a Biomancer and has extraordinary powers, but when Brigga Linn decides to share the knowledge with the council the results are not what Brigga Linn wanted!
The story worked so well for me here becuase it's fun. There are some truly brutal moments, but there are also some really amusing moments and many of these are combined to make it an easy, bloody read. The pacing is fast and we do see the main two characters as young children and then young adults with some shifts in time happening so we skip over the stereotypical 'training' sequences. I really appreciated these shifts in time as it meant that the action got going a lot quicker and it was easy to enjoy.
One other element which I liked is that the book uses a lot of slang words and many of them were old english phrases which I just enjoyed a lot. There's a lot of crude language within this one, becuase many of the characters grew up in the slums, but that just added to the feisty charm for me and I liked that. 4*s from me, and I will for sure continue this series when book #2 is out! Recommended :)
tales_corner's review against another edition
5.0
Kurzbeschreibung:
Hope, erlebt schreckliches in Ihrer Kindheit und wächst seitdem bei einem Mönchsorden auf. Dort lernt sie nicht nur die Kampfkunst des Ordens sondern auch viel für Ihr späteres Leben. Dieses missfällt allerdings einigen Ordensmitgliedern und schon bald muss sich Hope auf den Weg in die große weite Welt machen…
Red, hat auch bereits einige Schicksalsschläge hinter sich, bevor er anfängt sich als Dieb durchzuschlagen. Sein Ziel ist es der beste Dieb aller Zeiten zu werden…
Eines Tages verbinden sich die beiden Schicksale von Hope und Red miteinander … Aber es gibt in der Welt noch viel mehr, wie z.B. die mysteriösen Biomanten, welche anscheinend die Natur kontrollieren können.
Klappentext:
Hope ist noch ein Mädchen, als ihr Dorf von den Magiern des Kaisers angegriffen und dem Erdboden gleich gemacht wird. Sie allein überlebt und findet in einem Kloster nicht nur Unterschlupf, sondern wird dort auch von den Kriegermönchen in den Kampfkünsten unterwiesen. Red ist ein Straßenjunge, der in den finsteren und überfüllten Gassen New Lavens zum besten Taschendieb heranwächst, den das Imperium je gesehen hat. Jahre vergehen – doch als Hope und Red einander auf schicksalhafte Weise begegnen, schließen sie einen Pakt, der die Zeit der Ungerechtigkeit beenden wird …
Fazit:
Die Geschichte hat mich von Anfang an gefesselt. Ich wollte permanent wissen wie es weiter geht und ich wollte das Buch nie zur Seite legen. Das ist natürlich immer ein sehr gutes Zeichen. Das Buch beginnt sehr spannend und ein wenig mysteriös und teilweise auch ziemlich Humorvoll. Die Spannung lässt auch beim weiterlesen nicht nach und die gesamte Geschichte hat einen tollen Fluss. Alles lässt sich locker – leicht lesen und es gibt keine unangenehmen längen. Langeweile kam bei mir jedenfalls absolut nicht auf.
Die Sprache / der Schreibstil passt zu der Geschichte und ist ziemlich dreckig, derb und rotzig. Aber genauso stelle ich mir eine Welt mit Piraten, Schurken und Halunken auch vor. Das häufige Fluchen störte mich also nicht, allerdings hätten die Flüche vielleicht noch ein wenig vielfältiger sein können. Die Charaktere sprechen oft in einem gewissen Slang und da wiederholen sich manche Sprüche und Wörter aber auch einfach häufiger.
Magie wird in der Geschichte auf besondere Art und Weise gewirkt und hat vor allem mit biologischen Veränderungen zu tun, was ich sehr erfrischend fand. Der Autor hat sich dazu wirklich viele Gedanken gemacht und etwas besonderes erschaffen. Meiner Meinung nach ein sehr gelungener Auftakt, welcher mich extrem gut unterhalten hat.
Sehr zu empfehlen für Fans von Schurken, Piraten und ähnlichem Gesocks gemischt mit Magie, Fantasy und einem Hauch Biologie und Wissenschaft. Wirklich eine Großartige Mischung.
Hope, erlebt schreckliches in Ihrer Kindheit und wächst seitdem bei einem Mönchsorden auf. Dort lernt sie nicht nur die Kampfkunst des Ordens sondern auch viel für Ihr späteres Leben. Dieses missfällt allerdings einigen Ordensmitgliedern und schon bald muss sich Hope auf den Weg in die große weite Welt machen…
Red, hat auch bereits einige Schicksalsschläge hinter sich, bevor er anfängt sich als Dieb durchzuschlagen. Sein Ziel ist es der beste Dieb aller Zeiten zu werden…
Eines Tages verbinden sich die beiden Schicksale von Hope und Red miteinander … Aber es gibt in der Welt noch viel mehr, wie z.B. die mysteriösen Biomanten, welche anscheinend die Natur kontrollieren können.
Klappentext:
Hope ist noch ein Mädchen, als ihr Dorf von den Magiern des Kaisers angegriffen und dem Erdboden gleich gemacht wird. Sie allein überlebt und findet in einem Kloster nicht nur Unterschlupf, sondern wird dort auch von den Kriegermönchen in den Kampfkünsten unterwiesen. Red ist ein Straßenjunge, der in den finsteren und überfüllten Gassen New Lavens zum besten Taschendieb heranwächst, den das Imperium je gesehen hat. Jahre vergehen – doch als Hope und Red einander auf schicksalhafte Weise begegnen, schließen sie einen Pakt, der die Zeit der Ungerechtigkeit beenden wird …
Fazit:
Die Geschichte hat mich von Anfang an gefesselt. Ich wollte permanent wissen wie es weiter geht und ich wollte das Buch nie zur Seite legen. Das ist natürlich immer ein sehr gutes Zeichen. Das Buch beginnt sehr spannend und ein wenig mysteriös und teilweise auch ziemlich Humorvoll. Die Spannung lässt auch beim weiterlesen nicht nach und die gesamte Geschichte hat einen tollen Fluss. Alles lässt sich locker – leicht lesen und es gibt keine unangenehmen längen. Langeweile kam bei mir jedenfalls absolut nicht auf.
Die Sprache / der Schreibstil passt zu der Geschichte und ist ziemlich dreckig, derb und rotzig. Aber genauso stelle ich mir eine Welt mit Piraten, Schurken und Halunken auch vor. Das häufige Fluchen störte mich also nicht, allerdings hätten die Flüche vielleicht noch ein wenig vielfältiger sein können. Die Charaktere sprechen oft in einem gewissen Slang und da wiederholen sich manche Sprüche und Wörter aber auch einfach häufiger.
Magie wird in der Geschichte auf besondere Art und Weise gewirkt und hat vor allem mit biologischen Veränderungen zu tun, was ich sehr erfrischend fand. Der Autor hat sich dazu wirklich viele Gedanken gemacht und etwas besonderes erschaffen. Meiner Meinung nach ein sehr gelungener Auftakt, welcher mich extrem gut unterhalten hat.
Sehr zu empfehlen für Fans von Schurken, Piraten und ähnlichem Gesocks gemischt mit Magie, Fantasy und einem Hauch Biologie und Wissenschaft. Wirklich eine Großartige Mischung.