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rwatkins's review against another edition
4.0
4/5 stars - Overall: 19/25
A fantastic read with a slow mystery driving the narrative, grim and unique characters, a dark urban fantasy setting and balanced writing. Perfect for fans of weird urban fantasy and grimdark settings.
Characters 3.5/5: Follows a trio of thieves that includes a young woman developing prophetic powers, a man slowly turning into Marvel's version of The Thing, and a ghoul that feeds on the flesh of the dead. They each receive major external changes through the course of the story, but there isn't much focus on, or execution of, internal change.
Plot 3.5/5: A bit of a meandering mystery plot unfolds around a heist gone wrong and some mystical happenings. There is a b-plot involving a possible rising rebellion.
Setting 4.5/5: While not wide in the scope of world, the city this story is limited to and takes place in is very detailed and developed. From the power factions to religion to history, a lot of things are included to flesh out the worldbuilding without being overwhelming. The magic is kept undefined and mysterious, with some vague connections to alchemy and divine interference. There is a lot of creativity here, from a Candlestick police force to ghouls and worm-sorcerers living in abandoned underground subway tunnels. I got some major Perdido Street Station style vibes/influences.
Style 4/5: There is a healthy blend of short, simple sentences and longer, more descriptive portions that made for an enjoyable balance in prose. There are some stalled sections, that felt a little like side-questing, but chapters are short and pacing is quick. There isn't much time spent on reflection or improvements, as the things do moving forward. Some small parts can be difficult to keep up with, due to some overuse of head-hopping, but most of the story is clear and easy enough to follow.
Themes 3.5/5: Expect darker themes at work here, with betrayal, abuse of power, corruption, lawful brutality and lack of oversight as key players. Disease, death, secret histories, crime and punishment, bounty-hunting and all sorts of ideas get introduced but are mostly left underdeveloped.
A fantastic read with a slow mystery driving the narrative, grim and unique characters, a dark urban fantasy setting and balanced writing. Perfect for fans of weird urban fantasy and grimdark settings.
Characters 3.5/5: Follows a trio of thieves that includes a young woman developing prophetic powers, a man slowly turning into Marvel's version of The Thing, and a ghoul that feeds on the flesh of the dead. They each receive major external changes through the course of the story, but there isn't much focus on, or execution of, internal change.
Plot 3.5/5: A bit of a meandering mystery plot unfolds around a heist gone wrong and some mystical happenings. There is a b-plot involving a possible rising rebellion.
Setting 4.5/5: While not wide in the scope of world, the city this story is limited to and takes place in is very detailed and developed. From the power factions to religion to history, a lot of things are included to flesh out the worldbuilding without being overwhelming. The magic is kept undefined and mysterious, with some vague connections to alchemy and divine interference. There is a lot of creativity here, from a Candlestick police force to ghouls and worm-sorcerers living in abandoned underground subway tunnels. I got some major Perdido Street Station style vibes/influences.
Style 4/5: There is a healthy blend of short, simple sentences and longer, more descriptive portions that made for an enjoyable balance in prose. There are some stalled sections, that felt a little like side-questing, but chapters are short and pacing is quick. There isn't much time spent on reflection or improvements, as the things do moving forward. Some small parts can be difficult to keep up with, due to some overuse of head-hopping, but most of the story is clear and easy enough to follow.
Themes 3.5/5: Expect darker themes at work here, with betrayal, abuse of power, corruption, lawful brutality and lack of oversight as key players. Disease, death, secret histories, crime and punishment, bounty-hunting and all sorts of ideas get introduced but are mostly left underdeveloped.
nclcaitlin's review against another edition
3.5
Cari, Rat, and Spar - a nomad girl, a ghoul, and a Stone Boy -three thieves pulled into a centuries old magical war between ancient beings, mages, and humanity.
Sadly, it is not the start of a joke and will probably end in the destruction of the city of Guerdon. A refuge from the war that rages beyond its borders.
The worldbuilding is definitely the highlight and strength of this book. The utter uniqueness of this steampunk world which creates an expansive and immersive city.
Sometimes, I do feel that this overshadowed the plot as the worldbuilding overwhelms the story, the plot seeming to be driven by this element.
I really liked the idea of saints and gods acting through vessels. It reminded me of T Kingfisher’s Saints of Steel series.
The city was ready for change. The old order was starting to melt away, and we swam in the meltwater.
I think you could read this as a standalone without continuing with books two and three and still feel extremely satisfied with how it is wrapped up.
shawniebooks's review
3.0
There was so much going on during the last quarter of the book that I probably missed details and connections. I found most of the characters unlikable and wished to see more connection between them. They fell a bit flat for me. On the flip side, many aspects of the world and magic system, such as the saints, tallowmen and stone men, were creative, new and interesting.
dboyd22's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
tshim's review against another edition
3.0
This author shows a heckuva lot of promise, but the book's a swing and a miss and a baseball to the eye.
The best way I can put it is this: If you've ever read a China Mieville book, you're familiar with one of my favorite aspects of the New Weird movement, which is the stage of the book where you start to get your bearings in the slightly skew world the book creates, and your puzzlement transitions smoothly into a simultaneous horror and wonder. This book forgot the wonder, and didn't make me care about the characters enough to offset the grimdark turn.
The Gutter Prayer combines an amazing amount of stuff I really really like in books, but puts it together in an unfortunate way. I loved lots of small things about the author's writing style, I enjoyed the plotting, I adored the world, but this is a painful book for me as a reader. I hope the author takes another crack at it, because I'd love to see his vision realized well.
The best way I can put it is this: If you've ever read a China Mieville book, you're familiar with one of my favorite aspects of the New Weird movement, which is the stage of the book where you start to get your bearings in the slightly skew world the book creates, and your puzzlement transitions smoothly into a simultaneous horror and wonder. This book forgot the wonder, and didn't make me care about the characters enough to offset the grimdark turn.
The Gutter Prayer combines an amazing amount of stuff I really really like in books, but puts it together in an unfortunate way. I loved lots of small things about the author's writing style, I enjoyed the plotting, I adored the world, but this is a painful book for me as a reader. I hope the author takes another crack at it, because I'd love to see his vision realized well.
cbroderick226's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.75
protomolecule's review against another edition
3.0
I picked this series because I love Bloodborne and I heard this book had some of the vibes, and it does! The city of Guerdon is as much of a character here as Yharnam is in Bloodborne and there are nods here and there to the game and other media, but I appreciate how this book took all those Lovecraftian ideas and did something different and original with them.
Unfortunately I never quite loved the main character and one of the subplots just seemed like a waste of time that ended up going nowhere.
But overall I enjoyed this book enough to continue reading the series, and book 2, which I'm currently reading, is a huge improvement.
Unfortunately I never quite loved the main character and one of the subplots just seemed like a waste of time that ended up going nowhere.
But overall I enjoyed this book enough to continue reading the series, and book 2, which I'm currently reading, is a huge improvement.
mankan's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
lorelie's review against another edition
adventurous
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.5
Decent read, a bit slow and I had a hard time following all of the different characters.
If I read the series it will be in the future.
If I read the series it will be in the future.
bookish_satty's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
4.0
A great and unique read. Awesome world building and fast paced plot with tons of action and suspense. Truly an epic ending which left me shocked and speechless for quite sometime. Hoping to read Book 2 soon.