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bailo2's review against another edition
4.0
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I wasn't sure what to expect going into this book, and I was even less sure when I started reading. It took me a while to get settled into the world, and here's why: this book is Pirates of the Caribbean meets the Godfather meets Elektra meets I-don't-even-know-what.
Say what?!
This book is the ultimate combination of pirates and ninjas with a fantastical, slightly sci-fi twist. I wasn't sure if it was going to work out. But to Skovron's credit, it totally did.
As a young child, a girl witnesses the horrifying massacre at the hands of the Empire's biomancers, mages capable of manipulating living materials. Traumatized and orphaned, she is taken in by a group of warrior monks called Vinchen and secretly trained in their ways despite females being forbidden from the Vinchen order. Unable to recall her own name, the monks give her the name Bleak Hope in honor of her destroyed village.
In another part of the empire, an eight year old boy finds himself orphaned by drugs and illnesses, forcing him out into the slums. He is discovered by the criminal Sadie the Goat, who recognizes his cleverness. takes him aboard her crew and calls him Red for his red eyes as a result of his mother's drug use during his pregnancy. Sadie teaches Red the ways of a wag, to fight, steal, and throw knives. Red grows up, esteeming to be the greatest thief in Paradise Circle.
We follow Hope and Red's individual stories till they converge when the two are older. They're both interesting characters, but follow familiar archetypes. Bleak Hope is the perfect name for our female heroine. She is stoic, solemn, and honorable. She's obsessed with the vow she's taken to avenge her village. Some might find her a bit lackluster since she's not your typical saucy, sarcastic woman that we often see in the warrior female lead roles. Personally, I'm a such a softie when it comes to stories about women taking on men's roles. And let's remember that she is a ninja after all: you know, quiet but deadly. Red, on the other hand, is the charismatic thief with a heart of gold. He's definitely the funnier one of the pair, but they end up complementing each other and making a great dynamic duo. Naturally,
While the pair can at times come off as "Mary and Gary Stu" with their mad skills and ability to overcome insurmountable tasks, I think what sells it was the world building. With the crazy mix of plot elements and tropes, Jon Skovron is able to pull it off by building a world that neatly connects them together and makes it believable. He creates rich cultures, social classes, and even an impressive vocabulary of unique lingo and curses; though be warned, crude references to genitalia are common in the dialogue.
The real reason I rated this a 4 star as opposed to a 5 was that the plot structure seemed a bit wonky to me, like the book almost should've been split into two parts. The plot structure I was always taught in English was: exposition, rising action, climax, falling action, resolution. This seemed to happen a few times within the book.
I'd be reading along and something crazy would be happening. I'm staring at my Kindle screen, saying to myself, "Oh my gosh, this is crazy, this has to be the climax of the story! Oh wait, I'm only 57% through the book..." This may have happened a few times, which drove me a little nuts. I feel that perhaps emotionally I might've felt a deeper connection to the Hope and Red if the book had been split in half.
But, I will say the ending note that the book left off on was surprising, totally unexpected, and left me anxious to see what happens next.
All in all, I call that a success! The book is being released on Tuesday, so go out and get it!
Disclaimer: I received a free ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review!
Tootle loo, darlings! Till next time!
I wasn't sure what to expect going into this book, and I was even less sure when I started reading. It took me a while to get settled into the world, and here's why: this book is Pirates of the Caribbean meets the Godfather meets Elektra meets I-don't-even-know-what.
Say what?!
This book is the ultimate combination of pirates and ninjas with a fantastical, slightly sci-fi twist. I wasn't sure if it was going to work out. But to Skovron's credit, it totally did.
As a young child, a girl witnesses the horrifying massacre at the hands of the Empire's biomancers, mages capable of manipulating living materials. Traumatized and orphaned, she is taken in by a group of warrior monks called Vinchen and secretly trained in their ways despite females being forbidden from the Vinchen order. Unable to recall her own name, the monks give her the name Bleak Hope in honor of her destroyed village.
In another part of the empire, an eight year old boy finds himself orphaned by drugs and illnesses, forcing him out into the slums. He is discovered by the criminal Sadie the Goat, who recognizes his cleverness. takes him aboard her crew and calls him Red for his red eyes as a result of his mother's drug use during his pregnancy. Sadie teaches Red the ways of a wag, to fight, steal, and throw knives. Red grows up, esteeming to be the greatest thief in Paradise Circle.
We follow Hope and Red's individual stories till they converge when the two are older. They're both interesting characters, but follow familiar archetypes. Bleak Hope is the perfect name for our female heroine. She is stoic, solemn, and honorable. She's obsessed with the vow she's taken to avenge her village. Some might find her a bit lackluster since she's not your typical saucy, sarcastic woman that we often see in the warrior female lead roles. Personally, I'm a such a softie when it comes to stories about women taking on men's roles. And let's remember that she is a ninja after all: you know, quiet but deadly. Red, on the other hand, is the charismatic thief with a heart of gold. He's definitely the funnier one of the pair, but they end up complementing each other and making a great dynamic duo. Naturally,
Spoiler
there's also a romance element between the two, but it wasn't all soppy and gross, thank goodness.While the pair can at times come off as "Mary and Gary Stu" with their mad skills and ability to overcome insurmountable tasks, I think what sells it was the world building. With the crazy mix of plot elements and tropes, Jon Skovron is able to pull it off by building a world that neatly connects them together and makes it believable. He creates rich cultures, social classes, and even an impressive vocabulary of unique lingo and curses; though be warned, crude references to genitalia are common in the dialogue.
The real reason I rated this a 4 star as opposed to a 5 was that the plot structure seemed a bit wonky to me, like the book almost should've been split into two parts. The plot structure I was always taught in English was: exposition, rising action, climax, falling action, resolution. This seemed to happen a few times within the book.
I'd be reading along and something crazy would be happening. I'm staring at my Kindle screen, saying to myself, "Oh my gosh, this is crazy, this has to be the climax of the story! Oh wait, I'm only 57% through the book..." This may have happened a few times, which drove me a little nuts. I feel that perhaps emotionally I might've felt a deeper connection to the Hope and Red if the book had been split in half.
But, I will say the ending note that the book left off on was surprising, totally unexpected, and left me anxious to see what happens next.
All in all, I call that a success! The book is being released on Tuesday, so go out and get it!
Disclaimer: I received a free ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review!
Tootle loo, darlings! Till next time!
hank's review against another edition
2.0
50% DNF. My cutoff standard for rating it. The writing was stilted, the transitions from one part to another jerky and beginner-ish. The characters lacked depth and although the world was intriguing, it failed to overcome the other flaws.
kurostar88's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
sad
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
5.0
dearestdorian's review against another edition
5.0
So much fun!
Hope and Red is an adult fantasy book, but it has the economy of style and fast-paced writing that YA is known for. I was instantly attached to every character - Sadie the Pirate Queen! Red the artistic orphan! Bleak Hope, a trainee warrior with the coolest name ever! Nettles! Filler! Hurlo! Brigga Lin! Awesome, awesome, awesome.
I read this book more than a week ago, and I still remember character names without having to look them up. That's rare. That means this book left an impression on me, stronger than most other things I've read.
The magic system is incredibly interesting, and the worldbuilding was so easy to slip right into. I felt like I was wandering the streets with Hope and Red, and the slang was both creative and easy to understand without even having to think about it.
There's a lot of plot packed into this book, but it never stops moving. Events lead right into one another, and it's very difficult to find a stopping point that won't absolutely torture the reader. You gotta eat, drink, pee, and sleep sometime, but where is this scene going, what's happening next?!
Scenes where magic is used as a weapon? Grotesque and terrifying, but also very effectively described. The author is very keen to unsettle the reader in those moments, and yeah wow, it works.
I've got both sequels sitting in my cart right now. Just waiting for payday.
Hope and Red is an adult fantasy book, but it has the economy of style and fast-paced writing that YA is known for. I was instantly attached to every character - Sadie the Pirate Queen! Red the artistic orphan! Bleak Hope, a trainee warrior with the coolest name ever! Nettles! Filler! Hurlo! Brigga Lin! Awesome, awesome, awesome.
I read this book more than a week ago, and I still remember character names without having to look them up. That's rare. That means this book left an impression on me, stronger than most other things I've read.
The magic system is incredibly interesting, and the worldbuilding was so easy to slip right into. I felt like I was wandering the streets with Hope and Red, and the slang was both creative and easy to understand without even having to think about it.
There's a lot of plot packed into this book, but it never stops moving. Events lead right into one another, and it's very difficult to find a stopping point that won't absolutely torture the reader. You gotta eat, drink, pee, and sleep sometime, but where is this scene going, what's happening next?!
Scenes where magic is used as a weapon? Grotesque and terrifying, but also very effectively described. The author is very keen to unsettle the reader in those moments, and yeah wow, it works.
I've got both sequels sitting in my cart right now. Just waiting for payday.
blodeuedd's review against another edition
3.0
Gangs, warriors, pirates and thieves.
First there is Bleak Hope (not her real name, that would be rather depressing), who ends up with a bunch of monks and becomes a warrior. A truly kick ass warrior who is all about honor. So she lives on her island and trains and..well duh, leaves so the stories can become one.
Red is a thief and lives in a city ruled by gangs, that is the underworld is ruled by them. The Imps patrol the rest and protect the good folk. As for Red, aye I liked him, he had grown up differently and was kinder cos of it. He also had that smile you can not say no to.
Oh and there is some pirating in there too ;)
And creepy magicians called Biomancers and those are really really evil, I did not see a single one one do a good thing. You will see.
Ass-kicking, pirating, running, danger and an ending that made me all whaat? What next?! More is sure in store for us, and I am curious.
First there is Bleak Hope (not her real name, that would be rather depressing), who ends up with a bunch of monks and becomes a warrior. A truly kick ass warrior who is all about honor. So she lives on her island and trains and..well duh, leaves so the stories can become one.
Red is a thief and lives in a city ruled by gangs, that is the underworld is ruled by them. The Imps patrol the rest and protect the good folk. As for Red, aye I liked him, he had grown up differently and was kinder cos of it. He also had that smile you can not say no to.
Oh and there is some pirating in there too ;)
And creepy magicians called Biomancers and those are really really evil, I did not see a single one one do a good thing. You will see.
Ass-kicking, pirating, running, danger and an ending that made me all whaat? What next?! More is sure in store for us, and I am curious.
_camk_'s review against another edition
4.0
I really enjoyed Hope and Red.
Both characters were enjoyable and somewhat reminded of Kaz and Inej from Six of Crows.
Both characters were enjoyable and somewhat reminded of Kaz and Inej from Six of Crows.
klacebo's review against another edition
4.0
This has been a fun first instalment in a promising epic fantasy series with a hint of steampunk for flavour. I liked the characters who were not overly broody, as one might expect of the premise, and also the feminist undertones, which weren't blatantly in-your-face. And the narration, if you go for the audiobook, was distinguishing and superb. I'll definitely continue with the rest of the series and hopefully I won't be disappointed.
satwood01's review against another edition
5.0
What a ride! a thoroughly entertaining read that I enjoyed from start to finish. The world, characters and action were top-notch, and if the plot seems pedestrian at first, just wait until the end. I can't recommend this enough. It's everything you want in a fantasy novel, with some creative slang thrown in for good measure.
milabeille's review against another edition
5.0