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3.78 AVERAGE
3.78 AVERAGE
adventurous
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
What an ending, I was not expecting that at all! I cannot wait for Son of the Poison Rose, book #2 in the Kagen the Damned series. The good news is I don't have to wait long because it is set to release in January.
I love that Jonathan jumps right into the story and builds the world throughout the book. Kagen is an interesting character; you start off disliking him because he is full of self-loathing, he is always drunk, and he is kind of a jerk. Then his character is pulled out of his drunken stupor and he starts becoming the hero you want him to be. I love the supporting cast of characters and the kick in the butt they provided Kagen so that he could do what was needed.
I love that Jonathan jumps right into the story and builds the world throughout the book. Kagen is an interesting character; you start off disliking him because he is full of self-loathing, he is always drunk, and he is kind of a jerk. Then his character is pulled out of his drunken stupor and he starts becoming the hero you want him to be. I love the supporting cast of characters and the kick in the butt they provided Kagen so that he could do what was needed.
adventurous
dark
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
sad
tense
fast-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
I kept going despite regularly considering stopping in the first half and then finishing it up felt worthwhile in the end. The fast pace, well written characters, interesting world, and need for vengeance jumping off the page were what pulled me though. The grimdark is a lot to manage at times though. They levels of horror and horrific violence are very high. The first half of the book felt like endless misery and I kept waiting and waiting for something to appear that I could latch onto for a sense that things could turn around, and that the whole thing wasn't just going to be snapshots of awful things going on across the empire due to early events in the book. That did happen eventually, but getting there was a lot.
It is very epic. The characters are likeable and fun. The world is compelling. The vengeance plot is easy to get behind. The action parts are satisfying and great. Overall it is fast paced, but there are a couple side characters with a side thread that took quite awhile to get anywhere, and the main character has one detour that didn't feel like it added anything and could have been shortened a lot.
So there is a lot to like but on the other hand the early parts of the book lean hard into grimdark in a way that doesn't feel like it adds anything beyond wallowing in misery (If that kind of thing affects you a lot I would give this book a pass). In the end I am still left wanting to read the sequel. If you like epic fantasy with definite H.P. Lovecraft and Conan the Barbarian influences and don't mind dark stuff this is worth picking up.
It is very epic. The characters are likeable and fun. The world is compelling. The vengeance plot is easy to get behind. The action parts are satisfying and great. Overall it is fast paced, but there are a couple side characters with a side thread that took quite awhile to get anywhere, and the main character has one detour that didn't feel like it added anything and could have been shortened a lot.
So there is a lot to like but on the other hand the early parts of the book lean hard into grimdark in a way that doesn't feel like it adds anything beyond wallowing in misery (If that kind of thing affects you a lot I would give this book a pass). In the end I am still left wanting to read the sequel. If you like epic fantasy with definite H.P. Lovecraft and Conan the Barbarian influences and don't mind dark stuff this is worth picking up.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Alcoholism, Child abuse, Gore, Rape, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Violence, Blood, Grief, Colonisation, War
Moderate: Body horror, Torture, Death of parent, Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Animal cruelty, Suicidal thoughts
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Violence, Blood, Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Alcoholism, Animal cruelty, Child death, Confinement, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Grief, Cannibalism, Religious bigotry, Death of parent, Alcohol, War
adventurous
dark
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
So far the storytelling is not keeping me interested. Like there’s no eventful stuffs happening. It might be the audiobook format so I’ll try with the audiobook later
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual violence, War
adventurous
dark
funny
mysterious
tense
medium-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:
Yes
Ray Porter brings Jonathan Maberry’s stories to life. They are my FAVORITE literary combo. Nothing better for escapist entertainment in my opinion.
adventurous
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child death, Violence, Murder, War
Moderate: Child abuse, Child death, Rape, Torture
This book captured every ounce of my attention from page one. Even with its hefty page count I was not ready for it to end. From its opening chapter I was urged forward to witness the extent of the vengeance Kagen was attempting. There was a LOT going on in this book. While not all scenes are action packed, something pivotal was almost always happening. The descriptions of battle, torture and murder are not for the faint of heart. These scenes ironically are deftly balanced out by Kagen himself. Whether the author intended it or not, I found a considerable amount of humor in the book mainly due to Kagen's lamenting to the gods and his quips with others.
Maberry presents almost everything that a dark epic fantasy should have: a darkly mysterious magical usurper, a far away island populated by cult followers, a haunted tower, outliers set on reverting the empire back to before the resurgence of magic, unexplained secrets, and a main character set on death and revenge. The author so skillfully wrote this that one cannot help while reading to visualize the plot unfold as it would on the big screen. This series could definitely be the next big thing.
I received a copy of this title via NetGalley.
Maberry presents almost everything that a dark epic fantasy should have: a darkly mysterious magical usurper, a far away island populated by cult followers, a haunted tower, outliers set on reverting the empire back to before the resurgence of magic, unexplained secrets, and a main character set on death and revenge. The author so skillfully wrote this that one cannot help while reading to visualize the plot unfold as it would on the big screen. This series could definitely be the next big thing.
I received a copy of this title via NetGalley.
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Kagen the Damned is one of those books that I am really glad I pushed through to the end. (I am a huge fan of his Rot & Ruin series, so I was happy to see him venture into fantasy.) I wasn't a huge fan of Kagen in the beginning however, and his whining definitely rubbed me the wrong way, but when I reflected on his character development throughout the book, it made sense. The story certainly started with a bang and the battle at the beginning was epic, with the imperial city being destroyed and Kagen fighting to save the royal family as well as his own family.
Turns out that Kagen is actually a strong character despite his many character flaws, though he isn't very likeable. He is consumed with guilt and anger and turns to alcohol and petulance to stem his guilt, behaving in such a way you just want to slap him. He is supposed to be the most feared captain of the palace guards, but his behaviour just turns you right off his character. Personally, I think the author was trying to show his privilege and what happens to that privilege when everything is taken from you. You can be the best of whatever, but it is through your actions when things are tough that you show your merit, and Kaden needed to learn this lesson. Naturally, he quits drinking, decides to kill the Witch-King, and the reader is supposed to be understanding of his behaviours up to this point. Uh, no. And for a captain of the guard, he seems to be overly trusting, especially when an entire empire is destroyed so quickly, whereas I would be looking for who betrayed what and whom when something like this happens so quickly and would trust no one.
There are also a couple of secondary story lines that being developed as well involved a couple of nuns named Miri and Ryssa as well as a woman named Mother Frey who seems to be more of a spy than a leader of a religious house. I wasn't a big fan of the story line between Miri and Ryssa for a variety of reasons, but I think if I heard the word 'sweetheart' one more time, I thought I would scream as it sounded so condescending. I did feel overall that the character development for most of the characters was a bit more one-dimensional than I would have liked as the author did tend to focus more on the plot and world-building. It's not than the characters are forgettable, it's just that they are not that complex so I am hoping to dig more into their personalities in future books as we get to know more of the world.
I thought the writing was strong and enjoyed the world-building. It was not hard to understand the culture and history of the world and the historical glimpses of some events from the past made me want to learn more as they were tantalizing. Although there wasn't as much magic as I thought there would be, this was an empire that did suppress it so I am curious as to how it will play a role in the next book as people develop their skills once again or as people no longer keep it hidden. It should be interesting to see the development. The story could be bloody and grim, fast-paced at times with a lot happening in a short period of time, and pretty gritty. Yup, I flinched quite a few times. And whhile the ending was satisfying, it did end on a cliffhanger and a lot of threads developed in this book have yet to be resolved.
Verdict
Kagen the Damned was an action-packed first entry into what I think will be an interesting series. While I wasn't a fan of Kagen at the beginning, he did grow on me as I learned more about him and his past and his character development was one of the themes of the book, strength is not given, it is earned through one's actions, not privilege. Turns out this was a dark and twisty story, with many interesting elements, and while I was not a fan of all of them, as in the relationship between Mira and Ryssa, there was definitely enough that I am looking forward to the ARC I received of book 2, Son of the Poison Rose.