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booksthatburn's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
*I received a free review copy in exchange for an honest review of this book.
Jian is the Hero of Prophecy, the central figure of an entire religion. But the prophecy was wrong, a new master says he's not ready to fight, and it seems like everyone wants him dead.
I savored this, I genuinely didn't want it to be over because it does so many things so well. Jian starts out as a kind of annoying kid and then gradually transforms into a less annoying young person who has finally had to make hard decisions and live with the consequences. Taishi is a war artist who teaches Jian because his former teachers were mucking it up and she couldn't stand for it. She's curmudgeonly and extremely competent in that way that fits her character, and her dynamic with Jian is what he needs without being what he wants.
The worldbuilding is rich and detailed, with an immersive style where things are only explained as the characters have reason to think of that specific detail, and even more is conveyed through their interactions. The various factions are introduced gradually and it was pretty easy to keep track of everyone because they have distinct and memorable backgrounds and goals which are shown when they first appear. I generally have a lot of trouble keeping track of character names but I did much better this time because of how they were handled.
The explanation for how the prophecy could go wrong is nuanced and fits the world so well, it's really well done. The plot has slower times of travel or hiding, punctuated by violence when the various factions run into each other. They have different things they want which all center on a couple of people, and some of those goals are fundamentally incompatible. The pacing is good, the calm times are usually filled with smaller bits of character growth (something Jian sorely needs).
This is fantastic, a must-read for lovers of fantasy, revolution, and assassins. I'm looking forward to the sequel!
Jian is the Hero of Prophecy, the central figure of an entire religion. But the prophecy was wrong, a new master says he's not ready to fight, and it seems like everyone wants him dead.
I savored this, I genuinely didn't want it to be over because it does so many things so well. Jian starts out as a kind of annoying kid and then gradually transforms into a less annoying young person who has finally had to make hard decisions and live with the consequences. Taishi is a war artist who teaches Jian because his former teachers were mucking it up and she couldn't stand for it. She's curmudgeonly and extremely competent in that way that fits her character, and her dynamic with Jian is what he needs without being what he wants.
The worldbuilding is rich and detailed, with an immersive style where things are only explained as the characters have reason to think of that specific detail, and even more is conveyed through their interactions. The various factions are introduced gradually and it was pretty easy to keep track of everyone because they have distinct and memorable backgrounds and goals which are shown when they first appear. I generally have a lot of trouble keeping track of character names but I did much better this time because of how they were handled.
The explanation for how the prophecy could go wrong is nuanced and fits the world so well, it's really well done. The plot has slower times of travel or hiding, punctuated by violence when the various factions run into each other. They have different things they want which all center on a couple of people, and some of those goals are fundamentally incompatible. The pacing is good, the calm times are usually filled with smaller bits of character growth (something Jian sorely needs).
This is fantastic, a must-read for lovers of fantasy, revolution, and assassins. I'm looking forward to the sequel!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Grief, Blood, Violence, Murder, and Death
Moderate: Drug abuse, Vomit, Child death, Suicidal thoughts, Death of parent, Xenophobia, Cursing, Sexism, Excrement, Alcoholism, and Alcohol
Minor: Ableism, Slavery, Cannibalism, and Self harm
kindra_demi's review against another edition
adventurous
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
1.0
Review content warning: suicide (mentioned in the spoiler section)
I was so excited going into this book because of the premise of it. Chosen one but something got messed up and he isn't the chosen one? It sounded so interesting to me! And I will give that the plot ideas are great, but the execution failed.
My biggest complaint is the fact the one thought that gets the entire ball rolling for Jian and Taishi is based on (the following is a vague spoiler of what starts Jian and Taishi journey)a false sense of security from sloppy politicians. If the dukes really did their work, they would know that the Eternal Khan will reincarnate and if Jian still has any form of power or influence as the prophecy originally said, then killing him doesn't make sense. And if he doesn't have power or influence, even staging his death to look like an accident/suicide, the people of the Tiandi religion wouldn't want to listen to the dukes and would rather go find their next prophecy child when the Eternal Khan returned.
If you ever want to read a story written with heavy influence of toxic masculinity, this is the book for you. In the beginning it did make sense, our main character Jian was trained by several different masters and had the world catered to him because he was the Hero of Prophecy. He wasn't even allowed to be scratched, so yeah it makes sense that there is going to be extreme levels of arrogance when you think the entire world is below you. But there comes a certain point where you should see a change and some growth from the characters and you don't. The characters fell flat. The women could only be strong or damsels in distress, no in between. Everyone was the best and the strongest, until they weren't. And even when they weren't, they still somehow were?
Many times it felt as if the author was just trying to hit a word count because there would be descriptions or comments that were repeated throughout the chapters for no reason or he would use certain words in an attempt to sound smart, but really it just took me out of the story so I could see what the word meant.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an advanced reader copy in exchange for an honest review.
I was so excited going into this book because of the premise of it. Chosen one but something got messed up and he isn't the chosen one? It sounded so interesting to me! And I will give that the plot ideas are great, but the execution failed.
My biggest complaint is the fact the one thought that gets the entire ball rolling for Jian and Taishi is based on (the following is a vague spoiler of what starts Jian and Taishi journey)
If you ever want to read a story written with heavy influence of toxic masculinity, this is the book for you. In the beginning it did make sense, our main character Jian was trained by several different masters and had the world catered to him because he was the Hero of Prophecy. He wasn't even allowed to be scratched, so yeah it makes sense that there is going to be extreme levels of arrogance when you think the entire world is below you. But there comes a certain point where you should see a change and some growth from the characters and you don't. The characters fell flat. The women could only be strong or damsels in distress, no in between. Everyone was the best and the strongest, until they weren't. And even when they weren't, they still somehow were?
Many times it felt as if the author was just trying to hit a word count because there would be descriptions or comments that were repeated throughout the chapters for no reason or he would use certain words in an attempt to sound smart, but really it just took me out of the story so I could see what the word meant.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an advanced reader copy in exchange for an honest review.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood, Cursing, Injury/Injury detail, Murder, Violence, Death, and War
Minor: Animal death, Alcohol, and Bullying
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