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jjcrafts's review
3.0
I felt at times, and anyone who has read the book knows specifically what times, that it was gruesome for the sake of being gruesome. This is not a Scott Lynch type of fantasy, this is an Abercrombie or Mark Lawrence dark fantasy, and if you’re fans of those books then you will love this one. Expect it dark ….. All the way through.
I’m a little annoyed that dark fantasy books like this always seem to be set in a world that is sexist and homophobic. Yes there are main characters who defy those and prove them wrong, it isn’t the tone of the book itself, But I find it annoying that this is nearly always a thing.
The second half got better in my opinion. It drifted away from these problems and I did really enjoy reading it but in the end I felt like there wasn’t enough. I was there for Crys, I liked him from the first chapter he gets. I think he’s the one we’re being made to route for. There are lots of hints at where his story is going but by the end of the book his story hadn’t actually started yet. It just didn’t feel like a full book to me. I know its part of a series but to be a book needs a little rounding off and tying up of ends rather than just stopping.
I’m a little annoyed that dark fantasy books like this always seem to be set in a world that is sexist and homophobic. Yes there are main characters who defy those and prove them wrong, it isn’t the tone of the book itself, But I find it annoying that this is nearly always a thing.
The second half got better in my opinion. It drifted away from these problems and I did really enjoy reading it but in the end I felt like there wasn’t enough. I was there for Crys, I liked him from the first chapter he gets. I think he’s the one we’re being made to route for. There are lots of hints at where his story is going but by the end of the book his story hadn’t actually started yet. It just didn’t feel like a full book to me. I know its part of a series but to be a book needs a little rounding off and tying up of ends rather than just stopping.
terry_saunders's review against another edition
4.0
Gday all,
For the first half of this book I would have rated it as a three.
There was times that I struggled with the multiple POV and the very quick chapters. As the story built and I became more invested this was less and less of a issue for me.
While there are very much some dark elements in the book I feel that they are part of the story and not written to just tick a box so that there are trigger warnings.
Great book overall and looking forward to the rest of the series.
For the first half of this book I would have rated it as a three.
There was times that I struggled with the multiple POV and the very quick chapters. As the story built and I became more invested this was less and less of a issue for me.
While there are very much some dark elements in the book I feel that they are part of the story and not written to just tick a box so that there are trigger warnings.
Great book overall and looking forward to the rest of the series.
nyphren's review against another edition
4.0
apparently grimdark only works for me when it's not written by cis straight men
etienne02's review against another edition
5.0
Incroyable que ce livre ne fasse pas plus parler de lui. Quel livre! J’avais des attentes relativement élevées et elles furent surpassées à tous les niveaux. C’est sombre (grimdark fantasy), mais tellement bon. On est un peu laissé à nous-mêmes et cela prend environ 60-70 pages pour vraiment s’y repérer, les personnages, les lieux, les différents clans, etc., en tout cas c’est ce que ça m’a pris moi. Une fois l’intégration de l’univers, c’est une balade épique du début à la fin, assez peu d’action/bataille dans la première moitié, mais la deuxième en est presque uniquement composé. Un y mélange intrigue politique, trahison, religion, guerre/bataille épique, le retour sur Terre de dieux barbares et extrêmement violents (c’est cet élément qui m’a d’abord convaincu) et plus. Vraiment un livre à lire pour les fans de fantastique (fantasy) qui n’ont pas peur de se plonger dans quelque chose de plus sombre. La seule mauvaise nouvelle est que le deuxième tome n’est pas encore traduit alors je vais devoir attendre encore un peu pour lire la suite, mais définitivement un livre que je vais me procurer dès sa sortie!! Wow!!
freya's review against another edition
dark
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Gore, Violence, Blood, and Murder
melluvsbooks's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? N/A
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
tom_morgan's review against another edition
5.0
This whole triology is a treat to the reader. I'm not one for reviews - so instead a thanks to the Author for crating a great triology
thebibliophilegirl's review against another edition
4.0
When I was going into this book, I thought it sounded amazing. It sounded kind of like Game of Thrones... in a way?? It's definitely a fantasy and it deals with different Gods, fighting over realms and family feuds. And I was exactly right. But it was just that. Fighting, blood, gore, torture, with a bit of romance thrown in for good measure.
The Mireces worship the bloodthirsty Red Gods. Exiled from Rilpor a thousand years ago, and left to suffer a harsh life in the cold mountains, a new Mireces king now plots an invasion of Rilpor’s thriving cities and fertile earth.
Dom Templeson is a Watcher, a civilian warrior guarding Rilpor’s border. He is also the most powerful seer in generations, plagued with visions and prophecies. His people are devoted followers of the god of light and life, but Dom harbours deep secrets, which threatens to be exposed when Rillirin, an escaped Mireces slave, stumbles broken and bleeding into his village.
Meanwhile, more and more of Rilpor’s most powerful figures are turning to the dark rituals and bloody sacrifices of the Red Gods, including the prince, who plots to wrest the throne from his dying father in the heart of the kingdom. Can Rillirin, with her inside knowledge of the Red Gods and her shocking ties to the Mireces King, help Rilpor win the coming war?
Ok, so you've got a gist of what the book is about. Let me just start out by saying that this book had a very slow start for me. It just seemed like it was dragging forever. There were way too many characters and I couldn't keep up. I had to keep a note of who was related to who and who was working for who. It got to about 40% and I finally knew what was going on, who the characters were and I understood the concept of the Gods more. There was also a bit towards the end of the book where I felt like crying in happiness because one of the ships finally happened
The writing style and the description were beautiful and even though I was confused about the characters, the plot was still pretty exciting which is why I might actually give this a re-read in the near future. I think by re-reading this book, I'll enjoy it even more because I'll have a better understanding of each other the characters and I'll know who is related to whom, which characters are fighting for which side, and I'm hoping that I'll understand the concept of Dom's knowings a bit more as I'm still confused by them.
Warning: contains triggers of rape, abuse and death.
Disclaimer: this book was sent to me by the publisher in exchange for an honest review
The Mireces worship the bloodthirsty Red Gods. Exiled from Rilpor a thousand years ago, and left to suffer a harsh life in the cold mountains, a new Mireces king now plots an invasion of Rilpor’s thriving cities and fertile earth.
Dom Templeson is a Watcher, a civilian warrior guarding Rilpor’s border. He is also the most powerful seer in generations, plagued with visions and prophecies. His people are devoted followers of the god of light and life, but Dom harbours deep secrets, which threatens to be exposed when Rillirin, an escaped Mireces slave, stumbles broken and bleeding into his village.
Meanwhile, more and more of Rilpor’s most powerful figures are turning to the dark rituals and bloody sacrifices of the Red Gods, including the prince, who plots to wrest the throne from his dying father in the heart of the kingdom. Can Rillirin, with her inside knowledge of the Red Gods and her shocking ties to the Mireces King, help Rilpor win the coming war?
Ok, so you've got a gist of what the book is about. Let me just start out by saying that this book had a very slow start for me. It just seemed like it was dragging forever. There were way too many characters and I couldn't keep up. I had to keep a note of who was related to who and who was working for who. It got to about 40% and I finally knew what was going on, who the characters were and I understood the concept of the Gods more. There was also a bit towards the end of the book where I felt like crying in happiness because one of the ships finally happened
The writing style and the description were beautiful and even though I was confused about the characters, the plot was still pretty exciting which is why I might actually give this a re-read in the near future. I think by re-reading this book, I'll enjoy it even more because I'll have a better understanding of each other the characters and I'll know who is related to whom, which characters are fighting for which side, and I'm hoping that I'll understand the concept of Dom's knowings a bit more as I'm still confused by them.
Warning: contains triggers of rape, abuse and death.
Disclaimer: this book was sent to me by the publisher in exchange for an honest review