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steve_pagechewing's review against another edition
5.0
Before we get into the review, we should talk first about Sarah Chorn. Sarah is an author, editor, blogger, reviewer and editor at Grimdark Magazine. I don't know how she finds time in the day.
I wasn't quite sure to what to expect with Seraphina's Lament. The over looks like a dark fantasy and grimdark mix with a touch of horror. That's pretty much what it is, but it managed to have me invested in the characters and world in ways that doesn't happen too often. The story revolves around a group of characters who live in a world of oppression and struggle from a government that controls their lives and livelihoods. I don't want to say too much about this part of the story because it's something that unravels as you read, but you can feel the oppressive nature of this government and it's control over some of our characters. The odds are stacked against them and it's just hard to enough to stay alive. There is little hope at times. In the darkest of times you'll find glimpses of humanity, people doing their small part knowing in the big picture it's futile but still refusing to bend.
Sarah's writing style is very lyrical and poetic. I found myself writing down lines from the book because they were so well constructed and beautiful, sometimes even laughing during a really troubling scene because the word choices were just so clever.
When I was about halfway through this book, author and friend P.L. Stuart mentioned this book was as dark as Michael R. Fletcher's Beyond Redemption. At the time I didn't think it was that dark, but after finishing I can agree it's on par with that world in having you feel the hopelessness the characters feel. There is one death in particular that really got to me. While reading it my heart was pounding because we could see this death coming for a while now but you almost become accustomed to something happening to prevent this horrible thing from happening to a character you are invested in. But I also knew Sarah wasn't going to pull any punches and the world that has already been established set the table that this isn't that kind of world. The final moments of this character was something I didn't want to read but I couldn't put it down. When it was over, I had to set the book down and walk around for a few minutes.
There are different character arcs that we follow, but we spend enough time with each one that switching back and fourth didn't bother me. When we switch POV's too fast and too often I have difficulty being invested, but that wasn't the case here. The arcs all come together at some point and everything becomes clear when they do. The conclusion was very satisfying and left me feeling like I just read a story bigger than what I thought I was reading, left me with questions I didn't expect. This is one of my favorite books of the year, it will easily make my top 10 or even 5.
If you're a fan of dark fantasy, grimdark, fantasy or horror you should give Saraphina's Lament a try.
I wasn't quite sure to what to expect with Seraphina's Lament. The over looks like a dark fantasy and grimdark mix with a touch of horror. That's pretty much what it is, but it managed to have me invested in the characters and world in ways that doesn't happen too often. The story revolves around a group of characters who live in a world of oppression and struggle from a government that controls their lives and livelihoods. I don't want to say too much about this part of the story because it's something that unravels as you read, but you can feel the oppressive nature of this government and it's control over some of our characters. The odds are stacked against them and it's just hard to enough to stay alive. There is little hope at times. In the darkest of times you'll find glimpses of humanity, people doing their small part knowing in the big picture it's futile but still refusing to bend.
Sarah's writing style is very lyrical and poetic. I found myself writing down lines from the book because they were so well constructed and beautiful, sometimes even laughing during a really troubling scene because the word choices were just so clever.
When I was about halfway through this book, author and friend P.L. Stuart mentioned this book was as dark as Michael R. Fletcher's Beyond Redemption. At the time I didn't think it was that dark, but after finishing I can agree it's on par with that world in having you feel the hopelessness the characters feel. There is one death in particular that really got to me. While reading it my heart was pounding because we could see this death coming for a while now but you almost become accustomed to something happening to prevent this horrible thing from happening to a character you are invested in. But I also knew Sarah wasn't going to pull any punches and the world that has already been established set the table that this isn't that kind of world. The final moments of this character was something I didn't want to read but I couldn't put it down. When it was over, I had to set the book down and walk around for a few minutes.
There are different character arcs that we follow, but we spend enough time with each one that switching back and fourth didn't bother me. When we switch POV's too fast and too often I have difficulty being invested, but that wasn't the case here. The arcs all come together at some point and everything becomes clear when they do. The conclusion was very satisfying and left me feeling like I just read a story bigger than what I thought I was reading, left me with questions I didn't expect. This is one of my favorite books of the year, it will easily make my top 10 or even 5.
If you're a fan of dark fantasy, grimdark, fantasy or horror you should give Saraphina's Lament a try.
joelteon's review against another edition
5.0
Potential best book of the year
Wow! I was desperate to read every single word that Sarah wrote in this novel. It is only March and I've read some great books this year, but this could far and away be the best book I read this year. Sarah has edited some of these great books and from her writing I can see why people utilise her services. Her writing was phenomenal, the language so powerful and evocative.
I wish that there was a date for the sequel so that I could throw inordinate amounts of money straight into her bank account. Thankfully she has a complete trilogy that is apparently insanely amazing, I'm off to see straight away how this compares to that series.
Never before have I read a story with this many points of view that so effortlessly kept the story progressing without hiccups or boredom. I don't care which character you name, they were all my favourite.
What could the potential future hold for these characters? I MUST know. Give me Seraphina, give me Mouse, give me the Bone Lord. My gosh, give me more of this desolate world and let me see how anyone recovers from the disastrous events that just unfolded.
I also read this book in 2 days because I cold NOT put it down.
Wow! I was desperate to read every single word that Sarah wrote in this novel. It is only March and I've read some great books this year, but this could far and away be the best book I read this year. Sarah has edited some of these great books and from her writing I can see why people utilise her services. Her writing was phenomenal, the language so powerful and evocative.
I wish that there was a date for the sequel so that I could throw inordinate amounts of money straight into her bank account. Thankfully she has a complete trilogy that is apparently insanely amazing, I'm off to see straight away how this compares to that series.
Never before have I read a story with this many points of view that so effortlessly kept the story progressing without hiccups or boredom. I don't care which character you name, they were all my favourite.
What could the potential future hold for these characters? I MUST know. Give me Seraphina, give me Mouse, give me the Bone Lord. My gosh, give me more of this desolate world and let me see how anyone recovers from the disastrous events that just unfolded.
I also read this book in 2 days because I cold NOT put it down.
iridescence93's review against another edition
3.0
2.5* She's a good writer and the premise of doing a thinly veiled fantasy interpretation of an an atrocity on the level of the Holocaust that we don't talk about enough is interesting but unfortunately I just find the unrelenting bleakness is too much. Most of the characters in this book are genuinely good people who just get tortured by events beyond their control. It's like Game of Thrones if we only hear about things Ramsay Bolton and Joffrey do.
Some people may enjoy this but I found it hard going.
Some people may enjoy this but I found it hard going.
mxsallybend's review against another edition
5.0
As much as I have grown increasingly tired of the whole grimdark movement, I am the first to admit it's a subgenre with enormous potential, if done right . . . and, as is the case here, with style. Give me characters I care about, a mythology that excites me, and a mystery that draws me ever forward, and I'll gladly wallow in whatever darkness you want to surround me with.
Seraphina's Lament is a darkly beautiful book, full of gloriously nightmarish imagery. Sarah Chorn has a narrative voice so polished, it seems impossible that this should be her first full-length novel. You can't help but walk away from it wondering how many 'good' books she discarded along the way to arrive at the 'great' book that she brought to publication. The last time an author's voice confronted me so powerfully, and got me so excited about a book, it was Michael R. Fletcher and his own grimdark masterpiece Beyond Redemption.
On the surface, everything about this plays against what I look for in a fantasy. It is grimdark, rather than epic. It forgoes the very English forests and villages of traditional fantasy for a Russian-inspired landscape that's cold and barren. It places themes over plot, and powerful personal conflicts over grand external battles. There is nary a sorcerer, a dragon, or an amusing halfling thief to be found, but there are gods - both ancient and newborn - that dominate the world. Finally, the whole story stresses the telling of things over the doing of things, with dialogue being more crucial than narrative. It's precisely the kind of book I would normally say was easier to appreciate than enjoy, except I did enjoy this - in fact, I enjoyed reading it as much as I enjoyed what I read.
What I think struck me most about Sarah's writing, however, was the way in which she detailed horrible acts of decadence and depravity, without celebrating them or glorifying them. I had not really given it much thought before, but I think that is one of my biggest issues with grimdark genre. When monstrous orgies of rape and cannibalism are written to be exciting, or are thrust in your face for nothing more than shock value, we all-too quickly become tolerant of them. Here, those moments are presented as evidence of how the world is failing, and of how humanity is falling. We're not meant to be excited, we're meant to feel anger and sorrow, with the narrative going so far as to validate those feelings by casting judgement on its own atrocities. It's a story that almost seems self-aware, without being artificial or contrived.
Seraphina, the tortured slave with agony-fueled thoughts is one of the best characters I have come across in ages. She is not your typical heroine or protagonist. Driven less by noble motives, and more by the all-consuming hunger for revenge, Seraphina draws the reader like a moth to the flame. Her brother, Neryan, is more the kind of character you might expect Seraphina to be, complete with his role as a father-figure to Mouse, but so much more than that. As for Premier Eyad, he is unquestionably the villain, a man we want to see burn slowly and painfully, but he is not a scene-chewing cliché, he is a brutal revolutionary whose began with reasonable ideas, if not necessarily good ones.
I am trying very hard not to say much about the plot, because I know I wouldn't want spoilers to derail a moment of my obsession, but know that those gods I mentioned earlier, and the notion of Becoming, is central to it all. So often we see the notion of Becoming equated with heroism, sacrifice, and redemption, but not here. In a world where religion has been outlawed, to Become means to be Broken, not raised up, and one's purpose is not to save the world but Break it.
None of what I am saying, however, really captures Seraphina's Lament. I am tempted to say the story is far more than the sum of its parts, but the truth is that it's all about those parts. No one piece works on its own, or can be fully appreciated in isolation. It's in how Sarah Chorn constructs the story, and in how all those pieces fit, clash, overlap, and strain across the gaps between them that the experience of reading this falls. An extraordinary novel with an even more extraordinary voice.
https://beauty-in-ruins.blogspot.com/2019/02/fantasy-review-seraphinas-lament-by.html
Seraphina's Lament is a darkly beautiful book, full of gloriously nightmarish imagery. Sarah Chorn has a narrative voice so polished, it seems impossible that this should be her first full-length novel. You can't help but walk away from it wondering how many 'good' books she discarded along the way to arrive at the 'great' book that she brought to publication. The last time an author's voice confronted me so powerfully, and got me so excited about a book, it was Michael R. Fletcher and his own grimdark masterpiece Beyond Redemption.
On the surface, everything about this plays against what I look for in a fantasy. It is grimdark, rather than epic. It forgoes the very English forests and villages of traditional fantasy for a Russian-inspired landscape that's cold and barren. It places themes over plot, and powerful personal conflicts over grand external battles. There is nary a sorcerer, a dragon, or an amusing halfling thief to be found, but there are gods - both ancient and newborn - that dominate the world. Finally, the whole story stresses the telling of things over the doing of things, with dialogue being more crucial than narrative. It's precisely the kind of book I would normally say was easier to appreciate than enjoy, except I did enjoy this - in fact, I enjoyed reading it as much as I enjoyed what I read.
What I think struck me most about Sarah's writing, however, was the way in which she detailed horrible acts of decadence and depravity, without celebrating them or glorifying them. I had not really given it much thought before, but I think that is one of my biggest issues with grimdark genre. When monstrous orgies of rape and cannibalism are written to be exciting, or are thrust in your face for nothing more than shock value, we all-too quickly become tolerant of them. Here, those moments are presented as evidence of how the world is failing, and of how humanity is falling. We're not meant to be excited, we're meant to feel anger and sorrow, with the narrative going so far as to validate those feelings by casting judgement on its own atrocities. It's a story that almost seems self-aware, without being artificial or contrived.
Seraphina, the tortured slave with agony-fueled thoughts is one of the best characters I have come across in ages. She is not your typical heroine or protagonist. Driven less by noble motives, and more by the all-consuming hunger for revenge, Seraphina draws the reader like a moth to the flame. Her brother, Neryan, is more the kind of character you might expect Seraphina to be, complete with his role as a father-figure to Mouse, but so much more than that. As for Premier Eyad, he is unquestionably the villain, a man we want to see burn slowly and painfully, but he is not a scene-chewing cliché, he is a brutal revolutionary whose began with reasonable ideas, if not necessarily good ones.
I am trying very hard not to say much about the plot, because I know I wouldn't want spoilers to derail a moment of my obsession, but know that those gods I mentioned earlier, and the notion of Becoming, is central to it all. So often we see the notion of Becoming equated with heroism, sacrifice, and redemption, but not here. In a world where religion has been outlawed, to Become means to be Broken, not raised up, and one's purpose is not to save the world but Break it.
None of what I am saying, however, really captures Seraphina's Lament. I am tempted to say the story is far more than the sum of its parts, but the truth is that it's all about those parts. No one piece works on its own, or can be fully appreciated in isolation. It's in how Sarah Chorn constructs the story, and in how all those pieces fit, clash, overlap, and strain across the gaps between them that the experience of reading this falls. An extraordinary novel with an even more extraordinary voice.
https://beauty-in-ruins.blogspot.com/2019/02/fantasy-review-seraphinas-lament-by.html
joannethefairy's review against another edition
5.0
This book was brilliant!!
The story is sooo unique.
Every page was an adventure as you figured out this world right along with the characters, however the book never felt like it was info-dumping, so masterfully was every little piece revealed.
And the writing is beautiful. Poignant and lyrical.
But by far the best best best part of this book were the characters. The reader was privy to every multi-faceted aspect and it was such a wonderful experience to dive deep deep down into these characters and see all their motivations, relationships, fears and joys.
As a reader I became very attached to every character - something that happens very rarely in my reading experience - in most books there is one (or more) characters that I just don’t connect with or have views/motivations I don’t understand or agree with and so their struggles don’t resonate with me so I don’t become invested in them.
In this book the minutiae of all the characters was so well fleshed out that I was right there with every character knowing their views, motivations and feelings about their world, their place it and how the other characters fitted into their world view. Simply amazing.
I was so excited to learn that this is the first in a trilogy as well.
5 Stars - Amazing characters. Amazing world. Amazing story. Just sooo good!
The story is sooo unique.
Every page was an adventure as you figured out this world right along with the characters, however the book never felt like it was info-dumping, so masterfully was every little piece revealed.
And the writing is beautiful. Poignant and lyrical.
But by far the best best best part of this book were the characters. The reader was privy to every multi-faceted aspect and it was such a wonderful experience to dive deep deep down into these characters and see all their motivations, relationships, fears and joys.
As a reader I became very attached to every character - something that happens very rarely in my reading experience - in most books there is one (or more) characters that I just don’t connect with or have views/motivations I don’t understand or agree with and so their struggles don’t resonate with me so I don’t become invested in them.
In this book the minutiae of all the characters was so well fleshed out that I was right there with every character knowing their views, motivations and feelings about their world, their place it and how the other characters fitted into their world view. Simply amazing.
I was so excited to learn that this is the first in a trilogy as well.
5 Stars - Amazing characters. Amazing world. Amazing story. Just sooo good!
emhamill's review
5.0
Every once in a while you read a book that's unlike anything you've ever read. Seraphina's Lament is that book.
Part fantasy, part zombie, and all grimdark, the book blew me away. Sarah Chorn's prose is lyrical, heartbreaking poetry in so many places that I just had to stop and digest some of the merciless beauty at times.
Seraphina is a fire talent, a kind of Dark Phoenix in a broken body that seethes with rage. Her twin, Varyen, is a water elemental: shapeless and lost without Seraphina, who is enslaved by a dictator. Vaddon is a revolutionary with lightning in his veins, and grief in his heart for the man his husband has become - the dictator Eyad, a despotic and cruel man with mind talents that keep his citizens in fear.
When these literal forces of nature come together, manipulated and molded by an ancient god, the world will burn.
This book is not for the weak of heart. Cannibalism among starving people is prominent, and the harsh conditions of the Sunset Lands are based on the horrific event of the Holomodor (Ukrainian Genocide) in Russia in the early 30's.
I can't say enough good things about this book, but its strengths were some of its weaknesses for me, too. I found myself rushing through the last third to "get to the good stuff" and was completely rewarded. I waffled on a rating between four and five stars because of that, but ultimately, this book is a work of art and deserves five because, goddamn, this is a DEBUT NOVEL and it knocked my socks off.
Part fantasy, part zombie, and all grimdark, the book blew me away. Sarah Chorn's prose is lyrical, heartbreaking poetry in so many places that I just had to stop and digest some of the merciless beauty at times.
Seraphina is a fire talent, a kind of Dark Phoenix in a broken body that seethes with rage. Her twin, Varyen, is a water elemental: shapeless and lost without Seraphina, who is enslaved by a dictator. Vaddon is a revolutionary with lightning in his veins, and grief in his heart for the man his husband has become - the dictator Eyad, a despotic and cruel man with mind talents that keep his citizens in fear.
When these literal forces of nature come together, manipulated and molded by an ancient god, the world will burn.
This book is not for the weak of heart. Cannibalism among starving people is prominent, and the harsh conditions of the Sunset Lands are based on the horrific event of the Holomodor (Ukrainian Genocide) in Russia in the early 30's.
I can't say enough good things about this book, but its strengths were some of its weaknesses for me, too. I found myself rushing through the last third to "get to the good stuff" and was completely rewarded. I waffled on a rating between four and five stars because of that, but ultimately, this book is a work of art and deserves five because, goddamn, this is a DEBUT NOVEL and it knocked my socks off.
esop's review
4.0
Sarah Chorn has created a fascinating world known as the Sunset Lands, filled with a dynamic, intertwined cast of characters hurtling toward a volatile, unknown fate.
The setting of the book was interesting, something that I haven't encountered before in a novel. The Sunset Lands are plagued by famine, leading to unrest among its populace, who resort either to secret revolutionary measures or, more often in most cases, cannibalism.
We follow a cast of several core characters in the Sunset Lands (as well as dipping into the POVs of a few other unfortunate souls in interludes), and I really enjoyed the complex character relationships between everybody. My favorite was Vadden, who we quickly learn was deeply involved with the country's less-than-stellar leader back when he was a revolutionary himself. I spent the whole book looking forward to their inevitable confrontation at the climax.
I suppose that's where my one criticism of the book would be, though. Chorn created a lot of rich characters with interesting, complicated relationships to each other, but I don't feel like any of those threads were explored as fully as they could have been. Each character shares highly emotional scenes with others, but I didn't feel fully invested in their relationships so those moments didn't land quite as hard; I wanted to know them better, as well as Chorn clearly knows and cares for them. There's a lot underneath the surface there, and I wish we had gotten to see more.
But the book concludes with a huge event, one that dramatically shifts the direction the series is going in, giving us hints at the world's history and lore that I hope are explored in further books, because the mystery of what exactly is going on and the purpose of it has truly hooked me.
The setting of the book was interesting, something that I haven't encountered before in a novel. The Sunset Lands are plagued by famine, leading to unrest among its populace, who resort either to secret revolutionary measures or, more often in most cases, cannibalism.
We follow a cast of several core characters in the Sunset Lands (as well as dipping into the POVs of a few other unfortunate souls in interludes), and I really enjoyed the complex character relationships between everybody. My favorite was Vadden, who we quickly learn was deeply involved with the country's less-than-stellar leader back when he was a revolutionary himself. I spent the whole book looking forward to their inevitable confrontation at the climax.
I suppose that's where my one criticism of the book would be, though. Chorn created a lot of rich characters with interesting, complicated relationships to each other, but I don't feel like any of those threads were explored as fully as they could have been. Each character shares highly emotional scenes with others, but I didn't feel fully invested in their relationships so those moments didn't land quite as hard; I wanted to know them better, as well as Chorn clearly knows and cares for them. There's a lot underneath the surface there, and I wish we had gotten to see more.
But the book concludes with a huge event, one that dramatically shifts the direction the series is going in, giving us hints at the world's history and lore that I hope are explored in further books, because the mystery of what exactly is going on and the purpose of it has truly hooked me.
writingwwolves's review
4.0
Rating: 4.5 Stars
I was so excited to get my teeth into a gritty, adult fantasy & Sarah’s work hit the spot perfectly! In this book we get to see the best & the worst of humanity, we experience love & hate in their purest forms, & in their most complicated forms, & we get to see the making & the unmaking of mankind. I loved the concept of this story, something which I can’t explain without spoiling the plot, & because of the creativity that has gone into it, I was clueless about where things were heading. This is a book that allows you to work out the basic idea of the ending, but everything up until that point is impossible to predict & I loved that. I was full of questions throughout, but in a more-ish & intoxicating kind of way. Seraphina’s Lament could quite easily be a strong standalone, but it’s clear that Sarah has so much more to give with this series, & I cannot wait!
⚠️ This book includes famine, poverty, classism, starvation, people being set on fire, murder, cannibalism, slavery, “forced labour” camps, arson, disability caused by violence, chronic pain, ableism in the form of deliberately making life harder for the disabled character, detailed & gory torture, dissection & some sexual references ⚠️
♿️ Title character Seraphina is disabled after being badly beaten by another character in the story; this happens before the events of the book, but there are some details of what happened. Author Sarah Chorn is also disabled, like myself, & her portrayal of a disabled character in a fantasy story was incredibly refreshing. Despite the transformations that occur in the book, Seraphina is never ‘cured’ & I’m very grateful to Sarah for that. Seraphina is shown to be in pain a lot but, in my opinion, it’s an accurate portrayal of living with a disability & I feel that it is excellent representation ♿️
I was sent a digital copy of this book by the author in return for an honest review.
Extended Review to follow.
I was so excited to get my teeth into a gritty, adult fantasy & Sarah’s work hit the spot perfectly! In this book we get to see the best & the worst of humanity, we experience love & hate in their purest forms, & in their most complicated forms, & we get to see the making & the unmaking of mankind. I loved the concept of this story, something which I can’t explain without spoiling the plot, & because of the creativity that has gone into it, I was clueless about where things were heading. This is a book that allows you to work out the basic idea of the ending, but everything up until that point is impossible to predict & I loved that. I was full of questions throughout, but in a more-ish & intoxicating kind of way. Seraphina’s Lament could quite easily be a strong standalone, but it’s clear that Sarah has so much more to give with this series, & I cannot wait!
⚠️ This book includes famine, poverty, classism, starvation, people being set on fire, murder, cannibalism, slavery, “forced labour” camps, arson, disability caused by violence, chronic pain, ableism in the form of deliberately making life harder for the disabled character, detailed & gory torture, dissection & some sexual references ⚠️
♿️ Title character Seraphina is disabled after being badly beaten by another character in the story; this happens before the events of the book, but there are some details of what happened. Author Sarah Chorn is also disabled, like myself, & her portrayal of a disabled character in a fantasy story was incredibly refreshing. Despite the transformations that occur in the book, Seraphina is never ‘cured’ & I’m very grateful to Sarah for that. Seraphina is shown to be in pain a lot but, in my opinion, it’s an accurate portrayal of living with a disability & I feel that it is excellent representation ♿️
I was sent a digital copy of this book by the author in return for an honest review.
Extended Review to follow.
joannethefairy's review
5.0
This book was brilliant!!
The story is sooo unique.
Every page was an adventure as you figured out this world right along with the characters, however the book never felt like it was info-dumping, so masterfully was every little piece revealed.
And the writing is beautiful. Poignant and lyrical.
But by far the best best best part of this book were the characters. The reader was privy to every multi-faceted aspect and it was such a wonderful experience to dive deep deep down into these characters and see all their motivations, relationships, fears and joys.
As a reader I became very attached to every character - something that happens very rarely in my reading experience - in most books there is one (or more) characters that I just don’t connect with or have views/motivations I don’t understand or agree with and so their struggles don’t resonate with me so I don’t become invested in them.
In this book the minutiae of all the characters was so well fleshed out that I was right there with every character knowing their views, motivations and feelings about their world, their place it and how the other characters fitted into their world view. Simply amazing.
I was so excited to learn that this is the first in a trilogy as well.
5 Stars - Amazing characters. Amazing world. Amazing story. Just sooo good!
The story is sooo unique.
Every page was an adventure as you figured out this world right along with the characters, however the book never felt like it was info-dumping, so masterfully was every little piece revealed.
And the writing is beautiful. Poignant and lyrical.
But by far the best best best part of this book were the characters. The reader was privy to every multi-faceted aspect and it was such a wonderful experience to dive deep deep down into these characters and see all their motivations, relationships, fears and joys.
As a reader I became very attached to every character - something that happens very rarely in my reading experience - in most books there is one (or more) characters that I just don’t connect with or have views/motivations I don’t understand or agree with and so their struggles don’t resonate with me so I don’t become invested in them.
In this book the minutiae of all the characters was so well fleshed out that I was right there with every character knowing their views, motivations and feelings about their world, their place it and how the other characters fitted into their world view. Simply amazing.
I was so excited to learn that this is the first in a trilogy as well.
5 Stars - Amazing characters. Amazing world. Amazing story. Just sooo good!