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jwolflink3's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
funny
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
theogb451's review against another edition
4.0
If you ever wanted to read a fantasy book set on the 'African' continent rather than the 'European' one then this is it. There is violence and there is sex - it's definitely up there with the Game of Thrones TV series on the balance of sex and violence (A Song of Ice and Fire tends to have a huge amount more violence than actual on-page sex) but it suits the genre, which is both a gritty Sword and Sorcery story and in part a noir-like thriller.
The prose is highly poetic and at times I had to re-read passages to get what was happening, particularly some dialogue where it was hard to quite be sure who said what.
I'm struggling between 4 stars and 5, TBH. I gave it 4 stars only because the final parts of the novel (it is in 6 parts) lost a lot of momentum for me and also there seemed less at stake for the characters.
The prose is highly poetic and at times I had to re-read passages to get what was happening, particularly some dialogue where it was hard to quite be sure who said what.
I'm struggling between 4 stars and 5, TBH. I gave it 4 stars only because the final parts of the novel (it is in 6 parts) lost a lot of momentum for me and also there seemed less at stake for the characters.
zidian's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
After finishing this book, I had to sit down for a bit and re-evaluate. My second thought was to immediately start re-reading it.
Pros: incredible world-building (from the kingdoms and their traditions to the creatures that live within it), such a diverse and nuanced cast of characters (you could give me only dialogue and I could probably tell you who's speaking), captivating mystery
Cons: pacing (the chapters were too long, and it bounced from being too slow to too many things happening at once), overly-open content (the writing style itself was pretty good but sometimes felt like it was vulgar for vulgarity's sake - like I get it, the tracker can smell *everything* when he hunts someone down, you don't need to tell me that he can smell the person's shit after the third time), too many trigger warnings (especially within the first half of the book, there was some form of abuse, SA, torture, cannibalism and more on pretty much every page ).
Pros: incredible world-building (from the kingdoms and their traditions to the creatures that live within it), such a diverse and nuanced cast of characters (you could give me only dialogue and I could probably tell you who's speaking), captivating mystery
Cons: pacing (the chapters were too long, and it bounced from being too slow to too many things happening at once), overly-open content (the writing style itself was pretty good but sometimes felt like it was vulgar for vulgarity's sake - like I get it, the tracker can smell *everything* when he hunts someone down, you don't need to tell me that he can smell the person's shit after the third time), too many trigger warnings (especially within the first half of the book, there was some form of
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood, Body horror, Cursing, Death, Misogyny, Murder, Incest, Abortion, Child abuse, Medical trauma, Animal cruelty, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Rape, Death of parent, Domestic abuse, Sexual harassment, Infidelity, Gore, Cannibalism, Sexism, Pedophilia, Mental illness, Torture, Sexual violence, and Physical abuse
chelsea_mh's review against another edition
2.5
Might have enjoyed this more if I read as a book rather than listening to as an audiobook due to length
afroditi86's review against another edition
4.0
I just put this down and therefore it's not easy to come back to reality and write a review. It was a very very good read. The world building for one was amazing and the characters so skillfully crafted. I had lost my reading mojo as of late but this book brought it back.
I'm looking forward for the next two installments in the trilogy.
I'm looking forward for the next two installments in the trilogy.
kuraias's review against another edition
1.0
Really not my jam. I wish I'd been less stubborn and just given up instead of hoping it would change.
It's not a bad book, I just hated it.
The writing is in a conversational style like someone telling a story (which is 24h long) and bragging about his achievements. There's tons of graphic violence, much of it should really come with a content note, a lot of sex (which is described in such an unappealing way that it's straight-up repulsive -- kind of impressive as a feat), and the overall story gets lost in those retellings of violence and sex. If that sounds appealing, give the book a shot. If you can get through the first 1-2 chapters and enjoy it, it may be for you.
It's not a bad book, I just hated it.
The writing is in a conversational style like someone telling a story (which is 24h long) and bragging about his achievements. There's tons of graphic violence, much of it should really come with a content note, a lot of sex (which is described in such an unappealing way that it's straight-up repulsive -- kind of impressive as a feat), and the overall story gets lost in those retellings of violence and sex. If that sounds appealing, give the book a shot. If you can get through the first 1-2 chapters and enjoy it, it may be for you.
alisaws88's review against another edition
2.0
I can see why people either love or hate this book. It was too much for me personally but I don’t deny that James is an interesting writer.
sarahwiltshire's review against another edition
I hadn't read any Maton James and thought that I would start with this one, as it's part of his 'Dark Star' trilogy. I haven't just had enough dedicated time to do the book justice, as I feel reading it in big chunks would help to really get into the style of the book. I've read the first section and have found it quite violent and sometimes difficult to follow. I will perhaps try it again in the future.