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3.83 AVERAGE
3.83 AVERAGE
Readers of fantasy will probably like this title more than I did. The world building is incredibly specific from history to information about banking in this world. Personally, I felt like this was a very long exposition for book 2. It wasn't until I was about 75% through the book that the real action started. At that point I was committed and finished and while I am curious about what will happen to this character in the future, I probably will not pick up the sequel.
dark
tense
slow-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:
No
Too slow. Nothing really seemed to be happening. Something interesting would almost happen… but then it wouldn’t. The main character is also pretty dull.
dark
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
dark
adventurous
challenging
mysterious
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
3.5 overall pretty excellent, I liked the slight fantasy flavor in amongst all the plotting
Thanks to NetGalley and Knopf Publishing for the eARC.
A lush and atmospheric historical fantasy, densely plotted and richly detailed -- but in the end it feels very empty, as if all that detail and atmosphere were colorful tapestries hanging in an abandoned palazzo. The narrator/protagonist Davico is deceived by others time after time, and deceives himself time after time, and yet after 500+ pages never learns any lessons from his repeated failures or changes his behavior.
This novel feels similar in some ways to the novels of GGK, but without the lyricism, optimism and catharsis.
As authors continue to invent historical fantasy worlds, why must they continue to inflict sexual violence upon their female characters? It is beyond tiresome.
A lush and atmospheric historical fantasy, densely plotted and richly detailed -- but in the end it feels very empty, as if all that detail and atmosphere were colorful tapestries hanging in an abandoned palazzo. The narrator/protagonist Davico is deceived by others time after time, and deceives himself time after time, and yet after 500+ pages never learns any lessons from his repeated failures or changes his behavior.
This novel feels similar in some ways to the novels of GGK, but without the lyricism, optimism and catharsis.
As authors continue to invent historical fantasy worlds, why must they continue to inflict sexual violence upon their female characters? It is beyond tiresome.