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3.58 AVERAGE
3.58 AVERAGE
adventurous
challenging
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Several bold ways to tell the story and portrait interesting characters. Sometimes it becomes a bit difficult to grasp everything, and in a way that is the intention, but other times a bit more clarity are wished for.
This world is chock full of horrific wonders. No one has a name, all has been lost to a demonic overtaking and people are nothing but food or foder. Yet, some have survived, some still fight.
The Vagrant has one goal, take his prize to the Shining City, appease the Seven and fulfill the mission his predecessor failed to achieve. Yet, there is one other thing that drives him, something he keeps hidden away and something that is intent on making its presence known.
A baby.
This story is told in a different way than what I am used to reading or enjoying. However, for the purpose of this story, I felt that it worked really well. There are flashbacks and the story is told from an omniscient narrator. Typical in magical realism or fairy tales, this style seems odd for an adult fantasy novel but I found myself sucked into the story and immersed in the Vagrants tale.
It was also interesting to have the story told about a man who cannot speak. It forces the narrative to be stronger and the side characters to come to the forefront. And the side characters are absolutely fantastic! I don't want to get into spoilers but there are a couple who will grip your heart and not let go.
The Vagrant is also a character who has honor for the sake of good in abundance. So often we are given characters who are traumatized and live in a grey area of morality, and I thoroughly enjoy those types but it was also refreshing to see someone who is just "good".
Needless to say, I loved this book and I can't wait to read more in this series. That ending was phenomenal.
The Vagrant has one goal, take his prize to the Shining City, appease the Seven and fulfill the mission his predecessor failed to achieve. Yet, there is one other thing that drives him, something he keeps hidden away and something that is intent on making its presence known.
A baby.
This story is told in a different way than what I am used to reading or enjoying. However, for the purpose of this story, I felt that it worked really well. There are flashbacks and the story is told from an omniscient narrator. Typical in magical realism or fairy tales, this style seems odd for an adult fantasy novel but I found myself sucked into the story and immersed in the Vagrants tale.
It was also interesting to have the story told about a man who cannot speak. It forces the narrative to be stronger and the side characters to come to the forefront. And the side characters are absolutely fantastic! I don't want to get into spoilers but there are a couple who will grip your heart and not let go.
The Vagrant is also a character who has honor for the sake of good in abundance. So often we are given characters who are traumatized and live in a grey area of morality, and I thoroughly enjoy those types but it was also refreshing to see someone who is just "good".
Needless to say, I loved this book and I can't wait to read more in this series. That ending was phenomenal.
This one was tough:
-Fascinating world, great setting
-Couldn't love any of the characters. I felt like the third person limited narrative made it difficult to get to know any of the characters
-Fascinating world, great setting
-Couldn't love any of the characters. I felt like the third person limited narrative made it difficult to get to know any of the characters
I really did try to get in to the book. I had it on my kindle and would open it almost daily but could not get through it. Which is rare for me.
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
(Review originally appeared on www.grmatthews.com)
The Vagrant is Floaty-Dark-Fantasy with an edge of Lovecraft. The title character, and it is from his viewpoint that we follow most of the story, does not speak. He has no voice except that is used to draw the magic from his sword. The Vagrant’s goal in life is to safely transport a baby girl from the site of tragic loss to a city of safety in the far north.
What you have is a simply structured journey story. The Vagrant goes from A to B to C and at each place must face a threat to himself or the baby. He makes friends and companions from those that seek to harm him, seeming to have the ability, without words, to bring out the best in them. Those perceived as evil are the easiest to trust, as the “good” continually betray the Vagrant.
The world-building is done well and interesting. This is not medieval fantasy, more a future fantasy with edges of Sci-Fi. There are moments of utter tenderness that brought tears to my eyes and the language, the prose, is poetic. In the end, there is redemption, hope and hints for book 2.
The Vagrant is Floaty-Dark-Fantasy with an edge of Lovecraft. The title character, and it is from his viewpoint that we follow most of the story, does not speak. He has no voice except that is used to draw the magic from his sword. The Vagrant’s goal in life is to safely transport a baby girl from the site of tragic loss to a city of safety in the far north.
What you have is a simply structured journey story. The Vagrant goes from A to B to C and at each place must face a threat to himself or the baby. He makes friends and companions from those that seek to harm him, seeming to have the ability, without words, to bring out the best in them. Those perceived as evil are the easiest to trust, as the “good” continually betray the Vagrant.
The world-building is done well and interesting. This is not medieval fantasy, more a future fantasy with edges of Sci-Fi. There are moments of utter tenderness that brought tears to my eyes and the language, the prose, is poetic. In the end, there is redemption, hope and hints for book 2.
After finishing this book, I thought for a bit and concluded that there was really no part of the book I disliked. Hence the 5 star rating.
This book does dystopian right. I am generally sceptical of this sub-genre but the author put beautifully written characters in a very well imagined world and introduced a couple of plot elements to set it apart from the stock dark dystopian book.
The worldbuilding is excellent. The author does a really good job mapping out the devastated world and its various features in a plausible manner. The writing quality is good, though I have read better.
What makes this book stand out are the characters. The Vagrant - the primary protagonist who never talks. A baby - doing baby stuff, in a very effective way. A goat. Being a very stubborn goat. It is in the interaction of these disparate and unconventional elements and the author's stellar ability to move along by description the plot that sets this book apart.
This book does dystopian right. I am generally sceptical of this sub-genre but the author put beautifully written characters in a very well imagined world and introduced a couple of plot elements to set it apart from the stock dark dystopian book.
The worldbuilding is excellent. The author does a really good job mapping out the devastated world and its various features in a plausible manner. The writing quality is good, though I have read better.
What makes this book stand out are the characters. The Vagrant - the primary protagonist who never talks. A baby - doing baby stuff, in a very effective way. A goat. Being a very stubborn goat. It is in the interaction of these disparate and unconventional elements and the author's stellar ability to move along by description the plot that sets this book apart.
adventurous
mysterious
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:
Complicated
adventurous
dark
emotional
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes