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thehappylittleelf's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Even though it touched on some of the tropes I tend to not like ( Ending on a cliffhangar, why???? ), I thought this was very good! It kept me entertained, and I am interested in seeing where this adventure takes us.
Of the three point-of-view characters, I liked Gwenna's story best even though she was my least favorite main character. I liked Ruc as a main character, but his story wasn't as interesting as Gwenna's. Funny that, right? Akiil had an interesting story, too, though his is very incomplete.
The side characters added a lot to the story. Kiel the Historian was a favorite, and I hope he has a point of view in a future book.
Overall, it was a worthwhile experience. The story won't convert people who aren't fans of fantasy, but it also gives fantasy fans exactly what they want.
Of the three point-of-view characters, I liked Gwenna's story best even though she was my least favorite main character. I liked Ruc as a main character, but his story wasn't as interesting as Gwenna's. Funny that, right? Akiil had an interesting story, too, though his is very incomplete.
The side characters added a lot to the story. Kiel the Historian was a favorite, and I hope he has a point of view in a future book.
Overall, it was a worthwhile experience. The story won't convert people who aren't fans of fantasy, but it also gives fantasy fans exactly what they want.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child abuse, Murder, Torture, Violence, Abandonment, Bullying, Cursing, Excrement, Gore, Injury/Injury detail, Physical abuse, Slavery, Blood, Body horror, Child death, Classism, Confinement, Death, Emotional abuse, Mental illness, and Vomit
Moderate: Sexism and Misogyny
readundancies's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
lighthearted
mysterious
reflective
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Welcome to an ordeal of epic proportions.
Because I am still overwhelmed by this masterpiece of fantasy that adorns my shelves. And I don't say that lightly - this is an undertaking that is worthy of such praise. Mostly because, it makes you work for it.
A lot.
And let me tell you, to say I am here for it would be a massive understatement. Anything less than what I feel for this story would be an insult.
I knew when it picked it up and started it that it would be something special. But to be honest, I had no idea what kind of reading journey I was about to embark upon. I'm still in awe at how much Brian Staveley has made me feel. Emotions didn't just run wild in this reading endeavour, they were all encompassing and flying freely - kicking my ass straight up into the stratosphere, bullying me a bit mid air and then forcefully chucking me back towards the earth so that gravity could have it's way with me just to do it all it over again a couple of pages later.
It took me over a month to get through this 700+ pages of heavy. And yeah, I'm using heavy as a noun here because that is what this book does to you. There is emotional weight to this sucker and it is more than a descriptive adjective, it is a physical and tangible mass that was crushing my soul in the best possible way. And I knew it would probably take a hot minute. But I thought it well worth the wait to read in suspense for the moment where I could wholeheartedly fall for this book and fucking commit. It took 200 pages, but when it finally happened, I knew I was in the presence of greatness. A 5 star read and I wasn't even halfway through yet - I just knew. I felt it in my bones. Heard it whispering to my subconscious despite me having to take multiple breaks to just process what was going on.
We start off set upon the difficult task to slowly piece together what the lives of three very different citizens is like under the thrall of the Annurian empire; Gwenna fucking Sharpe (who very quickly usurped the position of being my absolute favourite female character lead ever), a disgraced former soldier, stripped of her rank and effectively banished upon what is arguably her descent into exile; Ruc, the increasingly captivating priest who was raised by the gods he now denounces in the name of love, the goddess Eira, and yet who he seems destined to serve once more; and Akiil, a thief turned monk turned con-man whose ties to the Annurian empire allow him to pierce their bubble and promptly get caught in their web of domination as he tries to keep his head above water. This is the epitome of a character driven novel with a well-crafted plot and worldbuilding that makes you wish you could experience it all yourself.
And at this point I should probably spend the rest of my time discussing the characterization. Which is fantastic, let that be said. There are so many characters (ahem Kiel, ahem Yerrin, ahem etc.) that are not explicit when they speak; everything is spoken in riddles and half truths and is tinged with a hint of incoherence and madness and it’s kind of wonderful and I adore it. It really adds a mysterious ambience to the reading experience and while I don’t understand everything that’s being said, I’m thoroughly enjoying the ride. Because all of the characters - every single one - evokes some level of emotion from me.
But Gwenna Sharpe.
[Gwenna FUCKING Sharpe.]
Gwenna Sharpe specifically needs to have her moment in the spotlight because Gwenna stole the show for me and ran away with it, and I couldn't help but follow her avidly down her harrowing path of painful struggle. I was gripped and enthralled and instead of talking about all of the other characters who were still solid in their own rights and probably deserve a mention, I feel an overwhelming need to climb upon my soapbox and PREACH about why you also need to love this character.
Gwenna Sharpe embodies the mantle of a reluctant heroine, so much so that the weariness of being a soldier and surrounded by constant death and destruction is effortlessly framed against the guilt that follows failure and grief. Her character is elevated by the desperation that she feels when framed through the lens of the fog of depression that she has been steeping in for so long that it’s become familiar. That same desperation and tension is felt by the Annurian empire as a whole, and the parallels it lends itself to with Gwenna’s existential crisis force her to follow the orders of someone else so that the blame for any wrongdoings that occur do not lie solely on her shoulders. The pressure and the power she held as a leader and person in charge of others, whose livelihoods depended on her decision making ability and to not only represent their wants and needs but also anticipate them, thoroughly overwhelmed her. And so she loses her drive, and her purpose. To watch her slowly succumb to her situation and let the apathy choke the life outta her is difficult because it evokes such a strong response out of me, but holy shit is it beautiful to witness.
The concept of incarceration is explored in a way that I find entirely fascinating. So many parallels between Gwenna’s literal imprisonment upon the Dawnbreaker in the brig, the cage of guilt she has structured around herself in her mind, the lack of choice she has in having Rat forced upon her and into her care, the sickness of Menkiddoc that runs through her veins yet is held at bay by the matzcel that envelops her finger - she is constantly surrounded by walls both not of and of her own making and it is a heavy burden but she trudges on. She is fallible yet she persists and if that is not the definition of what it means to be human, I don’t know what is.
Let me now take a step down from the top of my soapbox and discuss plot. It feels like the plot is paced fairly quickly despite it not actually being so. It’s incredibly immersive and the writing is impressionable in a classic sort of way in that it’s heavy but compelling, deep but unpretentious and despite the underlying tension that rings throughout the tone of this book, it still manages to be often remarkably profound. The writing is just so good. Plot wise, I had no idea where we were going for the majority of the novel and even when I thought I did, it only took a moment for me to realize that I was sadly misinformed and how dare I assume to understand greatness when I am clearly not Worthy? Basically, I was living for the plot and was unconcerned at what destination I would arrive at because the journey there was STRAIGHT-UP SCENIC AF.
One of my favourite aspects of the novel was the humour and sense of levity in the writing that is often subtle, but it’s there if you're attuned to it. Staveley has this way of laying the story out so that the delivery masks the humour and only lets flashes of it out, but if you can hear the humour in the tone of words it’s very effective at tempering the heaviness of the story itself. It’s kind of brilliant. Case in point, the ending has this very pivotal moment of what can only be described as casual cannibalism and it’s startling to the point of amusement and I can’t handle how much I adore it. Which says something about me I suppose, but I don’t even care because I am here for it.
And yeah, I feel bereft after finishing this.
It’s so good.
Go read it.
Because I am still overwhelmed by this masterpiece of fantasy that adorns my shelves. And I don't say that lightly - this is an undertaking that is worthy of such praise. Mostly because, it makes you work for it.
A lot.
And let me tell you, to say I am here for it would be a massive understatement. Anything less than what I feel for this story would be an insult.
I knew when it picked it up and started it that it would be something special. But to be honest, I had no idea what kind of reading journey I was about to embark upon. I'm still in awe at how much Brian Staveley has made me feel. Emotions didn't just run wild in this reading endeavour, they were all encompassing and flying freely - kicking my ass straight up into the stratosphere, bullying me a bit mid air and then forcefully chucking me back towards the earth so that gravity could have it's way with me just to do it all it over again a couple of pages later.
It took me over a month to get through this 700+ pages of heavy. And yeah, I'm using heavy as a noun here because that is what this book does to you. There is emotional weight to this sucker and it is more than a descriptive adjective, it is a physical and tangible mass that was crushing my soul in the best possible way. And I knew it would probably take a hot minute. But I thought it well worth the wait to read in suspense for the moment where I could wholeheartedly fall for this book and fucking commit. It took 200 pages, but when it finally happened, I knew I was in the presence of greatness. A 5 star read and I wasn't even halfway through yet - I just knew. I felt it in my bones. Heard it whispering to my subconscious despite me having to take multiple breaks to just process what was going on.
We start off set upon the difficult task to slowly piece together what the lives of three very different citizens is like under the thrall of the Annurian empire; Gwenna fucking Sharpe (who very quickly usurped the position of being my absolute favourite female character lead ever), a disgraced former soldier, stripped of her rank and effectively banished upon what is arguably her descent into exile; Ruc, the increasingly captivating priest who was raised by the gods he now denounces in the name of love, the goddess Eira, and yet who he seems destined to serve once more; and Akiil, a thief turned monk turned con-man whose ties to the Annurian empire allow him to pierce their bubble and promptly get caught in their web of domination as he tries to keep his head above water. This is the epitome of a character driven novel with a well-crafted plot and worldbuilding that makes you wish you could experience it all yourself.
And at this point I should probably spend the rest of my time discussing the characterization. Which is fantastic, let that be said. There are so many characters (ahem Kiel, ahem Yerrin, ahem etc.) that are not explicit when they speak; everything is spoken in riddles and half truths and is tinged with a hint of incoherence and madness and it’s kind of wonderful and I adore it. It really adds a mysterious ambience to the reading experience and while I don’t understand everything that’s being said, I’m thoroughly enjoying the ride. Because all of the characters - every single one - evokes some level of emotion from me.
But Gwenna Sharpe.
[Gwenna FUCKING Sharpe.]
Gwenna Sharpe specifically needs to have her moment in the spotlight because Gwenna stole the show for me and ran away with it, and I couldn't help but follow her avidly down her harrowing path of painful struggle. I was gripped and enthralled and instead of talking about all of the other characters who were still solid in their own rights and probably deserve a mention, I feel an overwhelming need to climb upon my soapbox and PREACH about why you also need to love this character.
Gwenna Sharpe embodies the mantle of a reluctant heroine, so much so that the weariness of being a soldier and surrounded by constant death and destruction is effortlessly framed against the guilt that follows failure and grief. Her character is elevated by the desperation that she feels when framed through the lens of the fog of depression that she has been steeping in for so long that it’s become familiar. That same desperation and tension is felt by the Annurian empire as a whole, and the parallels it lends itself to with Gwenna’s existential crisis force her to follow the orders of someone else so that the blame for any wrongdoings that occur do not lie solely on her shoulders. The pressure and the power she held as a leader and person in charge of others, whose livelihoods depended on her decision making ability and to not only represent their wants and needs but also anticipate them, thoroughly overwhelmed her. And so she loses her drive, and her purpose. To watch her slowly succumb to her situation and let the apathy choke the life outta her is difficult because it evokes such a strong response out of me, but holy shit is it beautiful to witness.
The concept of incarceration is explored in a way that I find entirely fascinating. So many parallels between Gwenna’s literal imprisonment upon the Dawnbreaker in the brig, the cage of guilt she has structured around herself in her mind, the lack of choice she has in having Rat forced upon her and into her care, the sickness of Menkiddoc that runs through her veins yet is held at bay by the matzcel that envelops her finger - she is constantly surrounded by walls both not of and of her own making and it is a heavy burden but she trudges on. She is fallible yet she persists and if that is not the definition of what it means to be human, I don’t know what is.
Let me now take a step down from the top of my soapbox and discuss plot. It feels like the plot is paced fairly quickly despite it not actually being so. It’s incredibly immersive and the writing is impressionable in a classic sort of way in that it’s heavy but compelling, deep but unpretentious and despite the underlying tension that rings throughout the tone of this book, it still manages to be often remarkably profound. The writing is just so good. Plot wise, I had no idea where we were going for the majority of the novel and even when I thought I did, it only took a moment for me to realize that I was sadly misinformed and how dare I assume to understand greatness when I am clearly not Worthy? Basically, I was living for the plot and was unconcerned at what destination I would arrive at because the journey there was STRAIGHT-UP SCENIC AF.
One of my favourite aspects of the novel was the humour and sense of levity in the writing that is often subtle, but it’s there if you're attuned to it. Staveley has this way of laying the story out so that the delivery masks the humour and only lets flashes of it out, but if you can hear the humour in the tone of words it’s very effective at tempering the heaviness of the story itself. It’s kind of brilliant. Case in point, the ending has this very pivotal moment of what can only be described as casual cannibalism and it’s startling to the point of amusement and I can’t handle how much I adore it. Which says something about me I suppose, but I don’t even care because I am here for it.
And yeah, I feel bereft after finishing this.
It’s so good.
Go read it.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood, Body horror, Death, Gore, Grief, Injury/Injury detail, Misogyny, Murder, Sexual harassment, Violence, and War
Moderate: Cannibalism, Colonisation, and Physical abuse
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