Take a photo of a barcode or cover
4.01 AVERAGE
4.01 AVERAGE
adventurous
challenging
reflective
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
adventurous
challenging
dark
funny
inspiring
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
adventurous
challenging
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
One of the most inspiring books I've read in a while. It starts out as a traditional swords-and-sorcery fantasy based around an alternate, low-tech world that happens to have a giant library full of wonders and secrets. But then the further we go, the more we learn of an expanded cosmos, of time loops that traverse many eras, a romance between our two mains (that I love!), the idea that this alternate world may not actually be so alternate after all (wink wink), and an expanding cast of characters that can split up at times but usually reunites in the end. I found myself loving all the characters - Livira is exactly my type of hero, and I love her dynamic with Evar. But that's not to sell short the dynamics with the squads - Livira's fellow students in the Library and childhood pals from the Dust, and Evar's foster family in his version of the Library. The friendships and familial relationships are given nearly as much weight as the romance aspect, and if you read this, you're not gonna want a bad thing to happen to a single character. Oh, and lest we forget the plot twists - this has one of the greatest plot twists I've seen in the genre, though I'm not gonna spoil it. Let's just say perception is everything, and it's NOT something that would've worked in a visual format, e.g., a movie/TV show. This is only possible because it's in book format, and that's all I'll say. Kudos also to the twist villain revealed at the end - I'm quite fond of how that jerk showed up and started monologuing, as well as how this character was foreshadowed the whole time but you never really had enough context to know what you were looking at until it was spelled out.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Racism, Xenophobia, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, Classism
Moderate: Genocide, Hate crime, Slavery, Violence, Colonisation, War
Minor: Adult/minor relationship, Sexual content, Abandonment
Racism is a topic heavily explored via the allegory of fantastical nonhuman races. Unfortunately, surprisingly lacking in queer content despite the vast cast of characters and discussion of societal prejudice.
adventurous
mysterious
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
mysterious
reflective
sad
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:
Complicated
I enjoyed this book a lot, the two story lines where both interesting.
And I was invested in finding out how they would come together.
It is hard to write more without telling to much about the story, this is a book you need to experience yourself.
Thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for providing me with a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review!
And I was invested in finding out how they would come together.
It is hard to write more without telling to much about the story, this is a book you need to experience yourself.
Thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for providing me with a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review!
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
adventurous
challenging
mysterious
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
adventurous
dark
emotional
inspiring
mysterious
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Sadly, I gave up on this book. According to my ereader i managed to get through 52% of the book. I had high hopes for this one. The advertising materials sounded so good. I have even read one other book my Mr. Lawrence, and as i look back on my review of that one, i did manage to finish it, i find that i only gave that one a three as well. So it appears that Mr. Lawrence and I don't see eye to eye on fantasy writing.
This one starts out great. I love the two main characters. There is some quality action and the story has a good pace in the beginning but for me anyway it begins to drag. I kept going but ultimately i have given up. my apologies to you Mr. Lawrence. We will have to agree to disagree.
This one starts out great. I love the two main characters. There is some quality action and the story has a good pace in the beginning but for me anyway it begins to drag. I kept going but ultimately i have given up. my apologies to you Mr. Lawrence. We will have to agree to disagree.