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3.62 AVERAGE
3.62 AVERAGE
3.5 rounded up to a 4.
I find it a little difficult to rate this book because there is quite a bit of it that I really enjoyed, but overall I just found it rather boring. I initially read this book because I requested the sequel in Netgalley not realizing that it was #2 in a series. I was excited by the premise, and thought there would be a murder mystery with political machinations at the center, however that is not what I got. Let me start with the things I liked
1.) The characters- I really like Sammish as a character, She was really well written and had growth as a character, that was believable and what you want in a protagonist. She starts as mousy and quiet (both skills that help her in her role in theft), no one notices her and she is kind of a doormat. In the end she is the character who has the strength to see that something is wrong in Kithimar and to do something about it. The other protagonist Alys (who I am assuming is supposed to be the main protagonist) is not nearly as interesting. In the story, Alys loses her brother which is the catalyst for the whole book. She broods through the rest of the book and makes dumb choice after dumb choice. I like that a fantasy novel is trying to grapple with an important topic like grief, because I don't see that very often, I just am not sure that it was handled well. I loved all of the side characters from the street thieves, to Alys' mother, to the "bad" guys that are manipulating Alys. All of these characters were fleshed out the right amount, with interesting quirks.
2.) The World building is great in this book, many other reviewers have remarked on this and I have to agree with them. It was easy to fall into the city of Kithimar, because it was described in such detail without belaboring the point or info dumping. The city unfolded in a natural way, which is a testament to the writing of Abraham.
3) The writing style in this was good. It is hard for me to articulate what about the writing worked for me, however, as long as the writing is not flowery or dense I can usually get along with it ok.
Things I didn't enjoy:
1.) The pace- I really enjoyed the pace of the book in any section that did not have Alys, every time she was brought in I found my mind wandering. I just found all of her sections repetitive. Her sections just threw the whole pace off for me.
Overall I enjoyed the book. I will say that I am worried that the next book is the same time frame from another POV, as this does not tend to work for me.
I find it a little difficult to rate this book because there is quite a bit of it that I really enjoyed, but overall I just found it rather boring. I initially read this book because I requested the sequel in Netgalley not realizing that it was #2 in a series. I was excited by the premise, and thought there would be a murder mystery with political machinations at the center, however that is not what I got. Let me start with the things I liked
1.) The characters- I really like Sammish as a character, She was really well written and had growth as a character, that was believable and what you want in a protagonist. She starts as mousy and quiet (both skills that help her in her role in theft), no one notices her and she is kind of a doormat. In the end she is the character who has the strength to see that something is wrong in Kithimar and to do something about it. The other protagonist Alys (who I am assuming is supposed to be the main protagonist) is not nearly as interesting. In the story, Alys loses her brother which is the catalyst for the whole book. She broods through the rest of the book and makes dumb choice after dumb choice. I like that a fantasy novel is trying to grapple with an important topic like grief, because I don't see that very often, I just am not sure that it was handled well. I loved all of the side characters from the street thieves, to Alys' mother, to the "bad" guys that are manipulating Alys. All of these characters were fleshed out the right amount, with interesting quirks.
2.) The World building is great in this book, many other reviewers have remarked on this and I have to agree with them. It was easy to fall into the city of Kithimar, because it was described in such detail without belaboring the point or info dumping. The city unfolded in a natural way, which is a testament to the writing of Abraham.
3) The writing style in this was good. It is hard for me to articulate what about the writing worked for me, however, as long as the writing is not flowery or dense I can usually get along with it ok.
Things I didn't enjoy:
1.) The pace- I really enjoyed the pace of the book in any section that did not have Alys, every time she was brought in I found my mind wandering. I just found all of her sections repetitive. Her sections just threw the whole pace off for me.
Overall I enjoyed the book. I will say that I am worried that the next book is the same time frame from another POV, as this does not tend to work for me.
Thanks to NetGalley and Orbit Books for the eARC!
I expected the beginning of a big, flashy fantasy epic, but this turned out to be a quieter and more introspective kind of fantasy. While the author sets the story events in a big city, the character focus is on the little people and their little lives on its poorer fringes. Sure, there is some political plotting going on with the ruling family, but how much does that matter to the person who is just trying to scrape together enough coins to get a bite to eat and a warm place to sleep, before they have to do it all over again the next day?
Another focus of the story is what grief does to a person, and how hard they try to hold onto the memory of their departed loved ones. Alys's path could have turned out very differently if she didn't have that kind of loss to deal with.
The atmosphere of the story had a constant feeling of time passing and the turning of the seasons, which reminded me a little of the author's Long Price quartet.
The only flaw in this book is that it was nearly a perfect one-book standalone story. I would have been content to leave the characters where they were at the end of the book, but apparently the author didn't feel the same way, since it's the start of a trilogy.
I expected the beginning of a big, flashy fantasy epic, but this turned out to be a quieter and more introspective kind of fantasy. While the author sets the story events in a big city, the character focus is on the little people and their little lives on its poorer fringes. Sure, there is some political plotting going on with the ruling family, but how much does that matter to the person who is just trying to scrape together enough coins to get a bite to eat and a warm place to sleep, before they have to do it all over again the next day?
Another focus of the story is what grief does to a person, and how hard they try to hold onto the memory of their departed loved ones. Alys's path could have turned out very differently if she didn't have that kind of loss to deal with.
The atmosphere of the story had a constant feeling of time passing and the turning of the seasons, which reminded me a little of the author's Long Price quartet.
The only flaw in this book is that it was nearly a perfect one-book standalone story. I would have been content to leave the characters where they were at the end of the book, but apparently the author didn't feel the same way, since it's the start of a trilogy.
Decently plotted, although the POV switches were a bit much. Worldbuilding was cool. I didn't much care for Alys, but liked Sammish fine.
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:
No
challenging
slow-paced
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
adventurous
dark
mysterious
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
DNF, finished 12%, found no reason to keep turning the page
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
challenging
dark
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
A book that has lots of world building, this could be off putting to some but I thought it helped make the fictional city of Kithamar come alive
You are quickly thrown into a murder mystery that soon develops into a story about family, grief, loyalty and friendship
I thought all the characters were really interesting, so much so sometimes they actually took the spotlight away from the main protagonist but I still enjoyed following their story
Although I didn’t think it had the strongest of plots, theres still enough here to keep you invested. Secrets are slowly uncovered but I found myself craving more. I can’t help thinking this was done intentionally with plans for the rest of the series but I will have to wait and see
I enjoyed how the book ended, it wrapped up some parts of the story whilst also setting up the next instalment of this trilogy, Blade of Dream, which is out very soon
You are quickly thrown into a murder mystery that soon develops into a story about family, grief, loyalty and friendship
I thought all the characters were really interesting, so much so sometimes they actually took the spotlight away from the main protagonist but I still enjoyed following their story
Although I didn’t think it had the strongest of plots, theres still enough here to keep you invested. Secrets are slowly uncovered but I found myself craving more. I can’t help thinking this was done intentionally with plans for the rest of the series but I will have to wait and see
I enjoyed how the book ended, it wrapped up some parts of the story whilst also setting up the next instalment of this trilogy, Blade of Dream, which is out very soon