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3.63 AVERAGE
3.63 AVERAGE
I loved the fantasy world building. You had me at bone trees. But something was missing in the story.
The story was really hard to follow as it was tough to keep track of all the characters. The concepts aren’t explained super well at the start, but once you get past the first quarter of the book things get a bit easier to comprehend and so the book becomes a lot more enjoyable. Some violent scenes that I would not recommend for those who find that uncomfortable, but aside from that it’s an interesting concept and a well-unraveled mystery with a good mix in of politics and a diverse cast of characters (though i swear everyone in this book is ashen blond???).
if you like dark fantasy with a politics focus, you’ll probably enjoy this
if you like dark fantasy with a politics focus, you’ll probably enjoy this
dark
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
3.5 stars
This one is very difficult to rate because while I loved some parts of it, like the necromancer 'magic' and the main character's journey of self discovery, there were a few flaws, too. The world wasn't too fleshed out, which was a pity but there was sufficient information, so it's a minor thing. But the cast of character's was huge and listening as an audiobook didn't help, I sometimes didn't know who was who especially the princes. The story was the biggest problem as it was unevenly paced sometimes too focused on Charm and her ghosts and then switching to the main plot in a confusing way. The two plots didn't entertwine smoothlessly.
So most of the rating goes for the 'magic' system and the girl power. The rest well... it was overall enjoyable.
This one is very difficult to rate because while I loved some parts of it, like the necromancer 'magic' and the main character's journey of self discovery, there were a few flaws, too. The world wasn't too fleshed out, which was a pity but there was sufficient information, so it's a minor thing. But the cast of character's was huge and listening as an audiobook didn't help, I sometimes didn't know who was who especially the princes. The story was the biggest problem as it was unevenly paced sometimes too focused on Charm and her ghosts and then switching to the main plot in a confusing way. The two plots didn't entertwine smoothlessly.
So most of the rating goes for the 'magic' system and the girl power. The rest well... it was overall enjoyable.
adventurous
mysterious
slow-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
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
medium-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
It’s not quite like anything else I’ve read and I enjoyed the way it was written. I think there are some holes that can be poked in the plot (like - didn’t the emperor know about at least Orum if not also John?) but it’s a good and unique exploration of trauma, abuse, and grief and how someone would deal with it. I didn’t see any of the plot reveals coming and (when I understood what was happening) I was pretty into it!
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
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
adventurous
hopeful
mysterious
sad
fast-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
I finally gave up after being uninterested and confused for 35 chapters. The writing style was fine, the narrator was solid, but I didn't care about any of the characters or the plot at all. Who killed the emperor? I’ll never know
DNF. I thought this was an interesting concept but I was incredibly confused the entire time. I stuck it out till 75% through the book hoping it would start to make more sense, but it did not. And maybe it’s because I listened to it, but I had a really hard time differentiating between the characters.