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cait's review
It's all happening so fast & I don't know who any of these people are, what their personalities are like, or anything about this world.
Content Warnings
Minor: Confinement, Death of parent, Murder, Blood, Child abuse, War, Death, Gore, Violence, and Colonisation
swagggmaster69's review
2.0
It was cool to read a book that had Filipino mythology and Filipino history, but the characters, story, and writing wasn't that good. There was little character development and a few characters were very likeable to me. The two main characters were made a few questionable choices or seemed dumb during certain parts of the story. The story's pacing was also confusing and had too many parts to it. There could have been more action included in the book. The ending also seemed rush and kind of out of nowhere. Maybe in book 2 there will be more consequences for the two main characters' actions and more of an explanation of some characters. Finally, the book could use some editing. There were parts where a space between sections would help make the story less confusing, some character typos, and also parts of the story where characters in the scene were forgotten. Overall, I appreciate a book that has Filipino influence, but the story was weak and confusing.
justasking27's review
3.0
I loved the setting and the Filipino history & mythology referenced in this book, but I couldn't get past the flaws. The characters all felt flat and often reacted in confusing ways, it was hard to follow some of the reasons for plot twists, and my copy had enough typos and copyediting errors that I had to go back and re-read sections to figure out what the author was trying to say. Overall, a bit disappointing.
mothandnessieread's review
3.0
Before saying anything about this story, I will admit that I know next to nothing about the history and stories of the Bakunawa. I conducted a bit of research before diving into this story in hopes of making this a better reading experience for myself, but my knowledge is still lacking.
As a lover of fantasy novels, I was really excited to not only read a new fantasy story but one that worked with actual mythology as well. While I enjoyed the plotline of this story and the incorporation of the Bakunawa story with interesting characters, I ultimately found the characters a bit lacking. Despite alternating between a couple of viewpoints throughout the story, I never felt like I truly got to know any of the characters, or that they were thoroughly fleshed out, relatable ones. And, even though a romantic subplot was approached, it never felt natural or like it fit into the story.
This novel is a decent start to a series, though I’m not sure I’ll continue it. This story may suit people that know the Bakunawa lore better than I do, but I can’t speak with certainty on that point. I received a free copy of this story from Hidden Gems and am choosing to leave an honest review of it.
As a lover of fantasy novels, I was really excited to not only read a new fantasy story but one that worked with actual mythology as well. While I enjoyed the plotline of this story and the incorporation of the Bakunawa story with interesting characters, I ultimately found the characters a bit lacking. Despite alternating between a couple of viewpoints throughout the story, I never felt like I truly got to know any of the characters, or that they were thoroughly fleshed out, relatable ones. And, even though a romantic subplot was approached, it never felt natural or like it fit into the story.
This novel is a decent start to a series, though I’m not sure I’ll continue it. This story may suit people that know the Bakunawa lore better than I do, but I can’t speak with certainty on that point. I received a free copy of this story from Hidden Gems and am choosing to leave an honest review of it.
daja's review
I love the cultural additions to this story but it’s the actual craft of writing that’s making me put this down. There’s pacing problems, chapter structure problems (where sometimes it just ended and I felt like I didn’t read anything important the entire chapter), also it’s dual POV where at least one of the characters feel like a filler point of view. I thought maybe it’s dual POV because it will show them falling for each other. I don’t think that’ll happen though. They met once, were separated and are now reuniting but they don’t mention attraction. I wish I liked it better because the world is interesting. The execution is just lacking, though.
honeyreads1066's review
adventurous
hopeful
inspiring
fast-paced
3.5
First and foremost, I know nothing about Filipino culture or the history and stories about the Bakunawa so this would be the first story based on a myth that I had no previous knowledge about.
It took a moment since I am not Filipino and a few google searches to understand some of the roles and terminology but Lee makes it easy to get very quickly without dumping a large amount of information at you.
The book started and a really fast pace which continued until the very end. Usually, this is something I enjoy, I like things to move quickly and I did, to begin with here however, there were some relationships and plot points that I felt could have been better with longer time spent on them.
Despite that, I did enjoy the plot, while it essentially is very simple with a clear goal, many other elements of it worked not only as detours but places of growth. It brought a lot to the overarching story.
The characters I don't particularly have strong feelings about, though I love the growth of Lin-ay and I felt that Makanas's growth was natural and felt real.
Overall, I enjoyed myself. I have so many questions and theories because it is just enough for you to think one thing but still have so many questions and be curious about the outcomes of other things. I will be reading the second book and I would recommend it because it's fun and interesting and it's a story about a myth I've never heard before.
It took a moment since I am not Filipino and a few google searches to understand some of the roles and terminology but Lee makes it easy to get very quickly without dumping a large amount of information at you.
The book started and a really fast pace which continued until the very end. Usually, this is something I enjoy, I like things to move quickly and I did, to begin with here however, there were some relationships and plot points that I felt could have been better with longer time spent on them.
Despite that, I did enjoy the plot, while it essentially is very simple with a clear goal, many other elements of it worked not only as detours but places of growth. It brought a lot to the overarching story.
The characters I don't particularly have strong feelings about, though I love the growth of Lin-ay and I felt that Makanas's growth was natural and felt real.
Overall, I enjoyed myself. I have so many questions and theories because it is just enough for you to think one thing but still have so many questions and be curious about the outcomes of other things. I will be reading the second book and I would recommend it because it's fun and interesting and it's a story about a myth I've never heard before.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Slavery and Violence
Moderate: Confinement
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