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3.86 AVERAGE
3.86 AVERAGE
adventurous
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
adventurous
emotional
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
Принцесса без власти. Воин без дома. Убийца без самого себя.
Император Кин восседает на Алом Троне уже более 17 лет, и для Киссии идет мирное время. Но не все готовы смириться с властью узурпатора, ведь путь Кина к трону был усеян войной и трупами, и все эти 17 лет несогласные плели план мести. Грядет буря перемен.
Беря данную книгу в руки, по моему мнению, нужно помнить, что перед нами первая книга из серии, и по окончанию прочтения «Мы оседлаем бурю» мы не получим ответы на большинство вопросов, а почти все с чем мы останемся это желанием начать читать продолжение (только вот беда, на момент написания рецензии официального перевода нету). Не малую часть книги, автор расставляет фигуры действующих лиц, смазывает шестеренки сюжета, подготавливает почву для главного конфликта, и мы, наблюдая, за тремя разносторонними протагонистами, все это время находимся в постоянном чувстве тревоги, ибо автору прекрасно удаётся создавать и поддерживать атмосферу грядущая катастрофической опасности. И мы осознаем, что не все доживут до финала, что впереди нас ждет только ужас войны и потерь.
"Император служит своему народу. В тот день, когда народ начнет служить императору, империя падет." Император Кин.
Другая сильная сторона книги – данная серии способна холь немного, но утихомирить зуд от нехватки «Игр престолов». Тут тоже полно борьбы за власть, заговоров, предательств, интриг. И конечно же смертей действующих лиц, за которых вы возможно даже болели (или ненавидели). И хоть все эти составляющие не достигают уровня Мартина, равнодушными вас все равно не оставит.
Из слабых сторон могу выделить одного из трех главных протагонистов – Рах. Уже очень он наивные, и глупый персонаж, который еще раздражает своими фиксации на традициях. Так же, хоть книга и о войне, сами сражения тут незапоминающиеся и описаны очень вскользь.
Финальная оценка 3,5 из 5. Очень крепкая вступительная в серию книга, вызывающая интерес как будет развиваться история дальше, но само по себе держится она не очень, и гештальты точно не закроет.
Император Кин восседает на Алом Троне уже более 17 лет, и для Киссии идет мирное время. Но не все готовы смириться с властью узурпатора, ведь путь Кина к трону был усеян войной и трупами, и все эти 17 лет несогласные плели план мести. Грядет буря перемен.
Беря данную книгу в руки, по моему мнению, нужно помнить, что перед нами первая книга из серии, и по окончанию прочтения «Мы оседлаем бурю» мы не получим ответы на большинство вопросов, а почти все с чем мы останемся это желанием начать читать продолжение (только вот беда, на момент написания рецензии официального перевода нету). Не малую часть книги, автор расставляет фигуры действующих лиц, смазывает шестеренки сюжета, подготавливает почву для главного конфликта, и мы, наблюдая, за тремя разносторонними протагонистами, все это время находимся в постоянном чувстве тревоги, ибо автору прекрасно удаётся создавать и поддерживать атмосферу грядущая катастрофической опасности. И мы осознаем, что не все доживут до финала, что впереди нас ждет только ужас войны и потерь.
"Император служит своему народу. В тот день, когда народ начнет служить императору, империя падет." Император Кин.
Другая сильная сторона книги – данная серии способна холь немного, но утихомирить зуд от нехватки «Игр престолов». Тут тоже полно борьбы за власть, заговоров, предательств, интриг. И конечно же смертей действующих лиц, за которых вы возможно даже болели (или ненавидели). И хоть все эти составляющие не достигают уровня Мартина, равнодушными вас все равно не оставит.
Из слабых сторон могу выделить одного из трех главных протагонистов – Рах. Уже очень он наивные, и глупый персонаж, который еще раздражает своими фиксации на традициях. Так же, хоть книга и о войне, сами сражения тут незапоминающиеся и описаны очень вскользь.
Финальная оценка 3,5 из 5. Очень крепкая вступительная в серию книга, вызывающая интерес как будет развиваться история дальше, но само по себе держится она не очень, и гештальты точно не закроет.
adventurous
emotional
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
I'm not entirely sure why but I believe I underestimated this book. It was a deep, complex, story with a lot going on. I thought I would start it and just tear through it like so many other easy readers. Oh, how wrong was I and delighted by what I discovered.
The story has a clashing of cultures that I found intriguing. There is a depth to them that I feel like is only barely touched on in this book. I hope to learn more about these cultures in the next installment of the series. The same can be said for the world's magic, if that is what I can call it. It certainly isn't a sword and sorcery type of tale but there are elements of the mystic at play here. However, the number one draw for me was the political maneuvering. It was complicated and had drastic effects on the plot.
I had some issues with pacing, a couple of typos, I didn't love any of the characters until very late in the book. You know just a few nitpicks here and there. I was a bit confused that with the depth and detail of We Ride the Storm that there was not a reoccurring discussion about exactly why the defending Kisian army quiet simply gets it's ass kicked continually.
Anywho, I had a good time here. I look forward to book two at some point.
The story has a clashing of cultures that I found intriguing. There is a depth to them that I feel like is only barely touched on in this book. I hope to learn more about these cultures in the next installment of the series. The same can be said for the world's magic, if that is what I can call it. It certainly isn't a sword and sorcery type of tale but there are elements of the mystic at play here. However, the number one draw for me was the political maneuvering. It was complicated and had drastic effects on the plot.
I had some issues with pacing, a couple of typos, I didn't love any of the characters until very late in the book. You know just a few nitpicks here and there. I was a bit confused that with the depth and detail of We Ride the Storm that there was not a reoccurring discussion about exactly why the defending Kisian army quiet simply gets it's ass kicked continually.
Anywho, I had a good time here. I look forward to book two at some point.
A great fast paced epic fantasy!
This book weaves three POV characters together, each from a different culture, as a continent transforming war begins. I liked each of the main characters but I thought Miko definitely stole the show. This book had a little bit of everything: political intrigue, warfare, magic. While the book felt satisfying as a self-contained unit, it is obviously setting up a trilogy and laying some intriguing groundwork for escalation in books two and three.
My only quibble was that there were a lot of unnecessary minor character. You don't really need to keep track of them, so it isn't confusing in that sense, but they sort of crowd out the minor characters that do matter from reaching their full potential.
In general I would definitely recommend this book to lovers of epic fantasy. Especially anyone who enjoys a little Grimdark flare, military fantasy, or political intrigue. The writing is strong and overall the book is very entertaining, picking up speed to a strong conclusion.
Definitely worth the read!
This book weaves three POV characters together, each from a different culture, as a continent transforming war begins. I liked each of the main characters but I thought Miko definitely stole the show. This book had a little bit of everything: political intrigue, warfare, magic. While the book felt satisfying as a self-contained unit, it is obviously setting up a trilogy and laying some intriguing groundwork for escalation in books two and three.
My only quibble was that there were a lot of unnecessary minor character. You don't really need to keep track of them, so it isn't confusing in that sense, but they sort of crowd out the minor characters that do matter from reaching their full potential.
In general I would definitely recommend this book to lovers of epic fantasy. Especially anyone who enjoys a little Grimdark flare, military fantasy, or political intrigue. The writing is strong and overall the book is very entertaining, picking up speed to a strong conclusion.
Definitely worth the read!
* This is a finalist in the 2018 #SPFBO so I read it as a judge *
I had heard a lot of hype surrounding this book when I went into it, so naturally I had some high expectations. I think this book has even been suggested as the book which could win the competition this year, and I was very excited to get to it because it's a big old epic with Asian influence, and I thought it would be exactly my kind of read. Maybe I expected a little too much from it, because whilst it was a likeable read and one I enjoyed on the whole, there was one main PoV that I really disliked and that soured some of the story for me.
This is a fantasy world with a twist. Although we do have an Emperor who sits in his palace we also have the Levanti, a culture of horse-riding warriors. The world takes a lot of inspiration from Japanese culture in particular, and I found that I really enjoyed that, because Feudal Japan is an era I love to read about... I definitely think you got the strong atmosphere whilst reading this of a world with a lot of backstory, I believe that there is actually a previous series which is set in this world and follows some of the characters who are older in this book. Personally, I have not read the other series so I think maybe some of the associations and set up could have been slightly lost on me.
The characters we follow are quite different people, we have Rah e'Torin who is a Levanti. He is trying to lead his people to safety but they are soon captured and they end up working with people who seem to have differed their beliefs from the traditional ways. Next we have Princess Miko who is a hostage at the Emperor's palace as her mother is married to the Emperor, but she is not his daughter and she is know as the daughter of a traitor. Finally we have Cass who is a whore/assassin all in one with a strange presence who lives in her mind.
I'll start by talking about Rah...I hated this character. Honestly there wasn't anything that felt 'good' in terms of characterisation to me. He was sickly sweet, kind, and quite boring to read about (and the majority of the reason I didn't give this a higher rating comes down to him). I don't usually persevere when I read a book with a character that I hate so much, but I did with this one because the other two plotlines were far more interesting, but I just took an instant dislike to Rah's lack of action and compliance, and found him so dull. I definitely think this is a personal thing and not a reflection of the writing because I know many others have loved this character, but for me he just bored me and I found his scenes and chapters to be a struggle.
Onto better things, I really enjoyed Miko as a character. At first I thought maybe she was going to fall into the trap of being a pretty but useless object of desire as the story starts with her mother saying she needs to marry, but quickly Miko proved her worth. Miko defied many of my preconceptions, and I found her to be a great character for her bold determination and the way that she struggled on despite overwhelmingly bad odds. In the end I think she took top spot for the character I most enjoyed reading about, and I think she's one I would like to see more of.
Finally Cass is a character that I found fascinating at first and last but her story didn't grip me quite as much as Miko's I was constantly asking questions in my head when it came to Cass as I feel she is the most mysterious of the characters and I think she has a lot to bring to the story. I definitely think we will see more of her as time goes on, and I believe that Cass was one of the better developed in terms of backstory at the start too.
The plot of this one felt fairly moderate throughout although the ending is pretty dramatic with warfare on all fronts. I think if you're used to reading fantasy then this would work well for you, but it's got a slower start.
There is very little magic in this world as it's a low fantasy, although you do see hints of it. I would have liked to see more but again this is just personal preference :)
In the end I enjoyed two out of three of the plots and now that many of the characters have come together I believe that Rah's plot may well pick up in book #2. It was a solidly written book throughout and I have no complaints on the editing, but I was slightly put off by the one plot that just didn't work for me. I gave it 3*s overall which is a 6/10 for #SPFBO.
I had heard a lot of hype surrounding this book when I went into it, so naturally I had some high expectations. I think this book has even been suggested as the book which could win the competition this year, and I was very excited to get to it because it's a big old epic with Asian influence, and I thought it would be exactly my kind of read. Maybe I expected a little too much from it, because whilst it was a likeable read and one I enjoyed on the whole, there was one main PoV that I really disliked and that soured some of the story for me.
This is a fantasy world with a twist. Although we do have an Emperor who sits in his palace we also have the Levanti, a culture of horse-riding warriors. The world takes a lot of inspiration from Japanese culture in particular, and I found that I really enjoyed that, because Feudal Japan is an era I love to read about... I definitely think you got the strong atmosphere whilst reading this of a world with a lot of backstory, I believe that there is actually a previous series which is set in this world and follows some of the characters who are older in this book. Personally, I have not read the other series so I think maybe some of the associations and set up could have been slightly lost on me.
The characters we follow are quite different people, we have Rah e'Torin who is a Levanti. He is trying to lead his people to safety but they are soon captured and they end up working with people who seem to have differed their beliefs from the traditional ways. Next we have Princess Miko who is a hostage at the Emperor's palace as her mother is married to the Emperor, but she is not his daughter and she is know as the daughter of a traitor. Finally we have Cass who is a whore/assassin all in one with a strange presence who lives in her mind.
I'll start by talking about Rah...I hated this character. Honestly there wasn't anything that felt 'good' in terms of characterisation to me. He was sickly sweet, kind, and quite boring to read about (and the majority of the reason I didn't give this a higher rating comes down to him). I don't usually persevere when I read a book with a character that I hate so much, but I did with this one because the other two plotlines were far more interesting, but I just took an instant dislike to Rah's lack of action and compliance, and found him so dull. I definitely think this is a personal thing and not a reflection of the writing because I know many others have loved this character, but for me he just bored me and I found his scenes and chapters to be a struggle.
Onto better things, I really enjoyed Miko as a character. At first I thought maybe she was going to fall into the trap of being a pretty but useless object of desire as the story starts with her mother saying she needs to marry, but quickly Miko proved her worth. Miko defied many of my preconceptions, and I found her to be a great character for her bold determination and the way that she struggled on despite overwhelmingly bad odds. In the end I think she took top spot for the character I most enjoyed reading about, and I think she's one I would like to see more of.
Finally Cass is a character that I found fascinating at first and last but her story didn't grip me quite as much as Miko's I was constantly asking questions in my head when it came to Cass as I feel she is the most mysterious of the characters and I think she has a lot to bring to the story. I definitely think we will see more of her as time goes on, and I believe that Cass was one of the better developed in terms of backstory at the start too.
The plot of this one felt fairly moderate throughout although the ending is pretty dramatic with warfare on all fronts. I think if you're used to reading fantasy then this would work well for you, but it's got a slower start.
There is very little magic in this world as it's a low fantasy, although you do see hints of it. I would have liked to see more but again this is just personal preference :)
In the end I enjoyed two out of three of the plots and now that many of the characters have come together I believe that Rah's plot may well pick up in book #2. It was a solidly written book throughout and I have no complaints on the editing, but I was slightly put off by the one plot that just didn't work for me. I gave it 3*s overall which is a 6/10 for #SPFBO.
We Ride the Storm // Devin Madson
While this wasn’t the first book I started this year (that honor goes to Elantris), it was the first book I finished in 2021 because let me tell you, once Devin Madson sucks you into a story, she doesn’t let you go until you turn the last page. This book took me on an absolutely wild ride and I loved every minute of it! I wish everyone could start their year off with a bang like I did.
I’ve noticed that the majority of my favorite fantasy books have multiple narrators and it seems that three is the number many authors fall on. I like that a lot when it is well done because you get a better understanding of what’s going on along the way. Madson chose three very different characters in her story. They came from different cultures, were raised in different social classes and systems, had widely different personalities and attitudes, and have or were preparing for very different occupations. When it came to choosing varying POVs, she really couldn’t have done any better. I love how her writing made you feel empathetic towards each one. She made you want the best for them but the entire way through it was difficult to determine how all of them could come out on top in the end without sacrificing someone’s happiness along the way.
By having such different characters we got to learn about the three main cultures that were addressed in this book. The Levanti social system couldn’t have been any more different from Kisia and Chiltae, and it was absolutely fascinating to learn about their traditions. The setup for the other two countries felt much more familiar at first glance but there were still interesting nuances to learn about them nonetheless. I didn’t know until I finished the book that this series is set in the same world as Madson’s previous series, The Vengeance Trilogy, and I definitely want to check that out to get a better understanding of everything though you do not need to have read those to enjoy this book. Due to having these vastly different characters, we also get to understand their unique motivations, which is providing us with all kinds of intrigue from start to finish. While we do get to learn plenty about the world itself, this never stopped the action from happening. And let me tell you, once it started, it never slowed down until the end. Madson puts both elements – the world-building and the action – together very well though where they complement each other rather than stealing the limelight.
Minor spoilers ahead for trigger warnings (rape/brutality):
I was initially scared away from this book last year when I saw reviewers write about how gory it is. I’m not saying it isn’t that – you do learn about certain things in detail, such as how to cut off someone’s head – but it definitely was not nearly as bad as expected. There is a lot of killing and hurting people, there is rape, there is psychological abuse. But at least to me, someone that really struggles with rape scenes and excessive brutality, this wasn’t done in a way that put unnecessary attention on those actions and they weren’t detailed in a disturbing way either. It’s hard to describe honestly but if you want to take the beheading as an example, the importance isn’t in the brutality of it; it is important culturally to help the souls of those slain bodies move on in the afterlife so the people performing the severing of heads do it out of respect for those fallen, even if they weren’t on their side. It has a much different feel to it than sheer brutality and goriness for the shock effect.
While this wasn’t the first book I started this year (that honor goes to Elantris), it was the first book I finished in 2021 because let me tell you, once Devin Madson sucks you into a story, she doesn’t let you go until you turn the last page. This book took me on an absolutely wild ride and I loved every minute of it! I wish everyone could start their year off with a bang like I did.
I’ve noticed that the majority of my favorite fantasy books have multiple narrators and it seems that three is the number many authors fall on. I like that a lot when it is well done because you get a better understanding of what’s going on along the way. Madson chose three very different characters in her story. They came from different cultures, were raised in different social classes and systems, had widely different personalities and attitudes, and have or were preparing for very different occupations. When it came to choosing varying POVs, she really couldn’t have done any better. I love how her writing made you feel empathetic towards each one. She made you want the best for them but the entire way through it was difficult to determine how all of them could come out on top in the end without sacrificing someone’s happiness along the way.
By having such different characters we got to learn about the three main cultures that were addressed in this book. The Levanti social system couldn’t have been any more different from Kisia and Chiltae, and it was absolutely fascinating to learn about their traditions. The setup for the other two countries felt much more familiar at first glance but there were still interesting nuances to learn about them nonetheless. I didn’t know until I finished the book that this series is set in the same world as Madson’s previous series, The Vengeance Trilogy, and I definitely want to check that out to get a better understanding of everything though you do not need to have read those to enjoy this book. Due to having these vastly different characters, we also get to understand their unique motivations, which is providing us with all kinds of intrigue from start to finish. While we do get to learn plenty about the world itself, this never stopped the action from happening. And let me tell you, once it started, it never slowed down until the end. Madson puts both elements – the world-building and the action – together very well though where they complement each other rather than stealing the limelight.
Minor spoilers ahead for trigger warnings (rape/brutality):
I was initially scared away from this book last year when I saw reviewers write about how gory it is. I’m not saying it isn’t that – you do learn about certain things in detail, such as how to cut off someone’s head – but it definitely was not nearly as bad as expected. There is a lot of killing and hurting people, there is rape, there is psychological abuse. But at least to me, someone that really struggles with rape scenes and excessive brutality, this wasn’t done in a way that put unnecessary attention on those actions and they weren’t detailed in a disturbing way either. It’s hard to describe honestly but if you want to take the beheading as an example, the importance isn’t in the brutality of it; it is important culturally to help the souls of those slain bodies move on in the afterlife so the people performing the severing of heads do it out of respect for those fallen, even if they weren’t on their side. It has a much different feel to it than sheer brutality and goriness for the shock effect.
*Thank you to Orbit for sending me an advanced copy of this book!*
I'll be honest, for the first 100 or so pages, I did not like this book. I found it dry and just couldn't really get into it.
Then around the 150 page mark... I could. not. stop. reading.
The last third of this book was absolutely incredible. I couldn't believe how the author made the overarching plot so intricate - by the end I almost wanted to go from the beginning again to appreciate the smaller details that I'm sure I missed.
The best part of this book for me though, was the characters. With three POVs, with three very differing takes on the plot, the characters felt so complex with their own motivations for what they were doing. Their voices were so distinct that when you turned to a new chapter, even without noting the name, you knew whose head you were in. It was masterfully executed, and it is not an simple achievement, particularly for a (traditionally published) debut author.
I did find some issues with the pacing in the last 50-or so pages, but I think that is absolutely fair. Considering this series promises not to let up, I imagine it was difficult finding a place to stop.
Overall this was one of the biggest surprises I've had in a long time, and I cannot wait for the sequel.
*Thanks again to Orbit for sending me a review copy!*
I'll be honest, for the first 100 or so pages, I did not like this book. I found it dry and just couldn't really get into it.
Then around the 150 page mark... I could. not. stop. reading.
The last third of this book was absolutely incredible. I couldn't believe how the author made the overarching plot so intricate - by the end I almost wanted to go from the beginning again to appreciate the smaller details that I'm sure I missed.
The best part of this book for me though, was the characters. With three POVs, with three very differing takes on the plot, the characters felt so complex with their own motivations for what they were doing. Their voices were so distinct that when you turned to a new chapter, even without noting the name, you knew whose head you were in. It was masterfully executed, and it is not an simple achievement, particularly for a (traditionally published) debut author.
I did find some issues with the pacing in the last 50-or so pages, but I think that is absolutely fair. Considering this series promises not to let up, I imagine it was difficult finding a place to stop.
Overall this was one of the biggest surprises I've had in a long time, and I cannot wait for the sequel.
*Thanks again to Orbit for sending me a review copy!*
Well written fantasy in an original setting, sort of an Asian frontier/Mongolian mix. I wasn't too interested in the world-building; what pulled me in most was the story itself. Good book to cleanse your palate of typical epic fantasies.