Reviews tagging 'Medical trauma'

The Gutter Prayer by Gareth Hanrahan

1 review

the_escapist's review against another edition

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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. 

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