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yorkshirepud's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.25
The Gutter Prayer offers immense world building and a heavy plot that, for me, carried the book. So if you are into books where you are immersed from the offset into a world full of interesting candle creatures, stone men and ghouls, this book is perfect. I loved that the creatures and plagues were relatively unseen in fantasy books, unlike elves and vampires and sirens. It was refreshing, however...
I found that the characters, especially for the first part of the book, were very two dimensional. It was obvious that each of the main trio were coded to a certain stereotype and I felt that it took a long portion of the book for the characters to get fleshed out. This could have been that the main trio were going through similar plot lines, but the main characters just felt like the saying "same character, different font". There were even chapters written from Rat's POV where it mistakenly referenced Rat as Spar. I've read a few other reviews saying they loved Aleena and I feel the same but that's because she had a distinct voice. She was relatable and a breath of fresh air in the book. I even found myself preferring Eladora because at least she got a character arc and acted consistently. But Aleena definitely carried the characters aspect of the book for me which is a shame and I really hope that the next book explores characters a bit more.
I had high hopes for this book and am glad that the plot made up for the lack of character development in my opinion. The ending was a little rushed so am looking forward to see how it affects everything in the sequel 🤞🤞
I found that the characters, especially for the first part of the book, were very two dimensional. It was obvious that each of the main trio were coded to a certain stereotype and I felt that it took a long portion of the book for the characters to get fleshed out. This could have been that the main trio were going through similar plot lines, but the main characters just felt like the saying "same character, different font". There were even chapters written from Rat's POV where it mistakenly referenced Rat as Spar. I've read a few other reviews saying they loved Aleena and I feel the same but that's because she had a distinct voice. She was relatable and a breath of fresh air in the book. I even found myself preferring Eladora because at least she got a character arc and acted consistently. But Aleena definitely carried the characters aspect of the book for me which is a shame and I really hope that the next book explores characters a bit more.
I had high hopes for this book and am glad that the plot made up for the lack of character development in my opinion. The ending was a little rushed so am looking forward to see how it affects everything in the sequel 🤞🤞
Content Warnings
Graphic: Cannibalism, Gore, Blood, Death, and Fire/Fire injury
hrryfrmhme's review against another edition
medium-paced
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Body horror, and Vomit
Moderate: Cannibalism and Gore
Minor: War
ok7a's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death and Terminal illness
Moderate: Ableism, Cannibalism, and Kidnapping
Minor: Child death, Death of parent, War, and Sexual content
the_escapist's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
funny
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.75
This book deserves more attention.
There’s a small cast of characters: a man turning to stone, a thief occasionally involuntarily slammed by visions, a ghoul who eats people, an investigator, and a scholar who are all linked together due to a heist gone wrong.
There’s really just two main POVs and a few other minor ones so keeping track of characters isn’t too much work. It’s all set in the same city so the worldbuilding isn’t too daunting.
The writing style is great – it reads very vividly and smoothly, and it has a unique vibe compared to other fantasy stories.
The world isn’t that technologically far behind ours, and there are a lot of humanoid monsters very much present. It can be a bit gory and has definite horror influences (think men made of wax, eldritch worm creatures, body parts in jars etc), but it’s not to the extent that it shifts the genre to horror. The monsters were the most stand out and most memorable part for me.
The balancing of action and character was well done and it’s the most original new fantasies I’ve read in a while.
There’s a small cast of characters: a man turning to stone, a thief occasionally involuntarily slammed by visions, a ghoul who eats people, an investigator, and a scholar who are all linked together due to a heist gone wrong.
There’s really just two main POVs and a few other minor ones so keeping track of characters isn’t too much work. It’s all set in the same city so the worldbuilding isn’t too daunting.
The writing style is great – it reads very vividly and smoothly, and it has a unique vibe compared to other fantasy stories.
The world isn’t that technologically far behind ours, and there are a lot of humanoid monsters very much present. It can be a bit gory and has definite horror influences (think men made of wax, eldritch worm creatures, body parts in jars etc), but it’s not to the extent that it shifts the genre to horror. The monsters were the most stand out and most memorable part for me.
The balancing of action and character was well done and it’s the most original new fantasies I’ve read in a while.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Chronic illness, Confinement, Gore, and Violence
Minor: Body horror, Cannibalism, Death, Death of parent, Drug use, Grief, Gun violence, Medical trauma, Murder, and Police brutality
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