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3.95 AVERAGE
3.95 AVERAGE
Very fun, solid read if you're a fantasy reader. Great for a debut novel. Look forward to reading the rest of the series.
A grim and dark military fantasy story about the children of the emperor, and what they do when the emperor dies. There are three major characters.
Valyn, who is in elite military training, and the most enjoyable character to read. Following the brutal efforts to become a soldier, and solve the mystery surrounding an assassination attempt on his life.
Adare, who was just there. She seems like a cool character to learn about, but has total of 5 whole chapters in the book.
And lastly Kaden, who is in a monastery learning to become a monk. Kaden's story has the most impact on what the greater scope of the series could be. But his story is so enjoyable to read simply because of the philosophy and thought exercises that he must endure to become a monk. They're very interesting and the level of enlightenment that the monks are searching for, feels very attainable in the real world.
At times the prose felt off, either it was slightly repetitive. It felt like in the author's desire to be adult with their prose, they hit the synonym button to find a "better" word for the situation. Almost all of the times, this works really well, painting a vivid and lush picture of the world. But there are some times where the word choice feels disjointed.
Overall, I had a great time with this book. It was really fun to read, even though it just ends, with very little resolution. I'm excited to read the next book in the series.
Valyn, who is in elite military training, and the most enjoyable character to read. Following the brutal efforts to become a soldier, and solve the mystery surrounding an assassination attempt on his life.
Adare, who was just there. She seems like a cool character to learn about, but has total of 5 whole chapters in the book.
And lastly Kaden, who is in a monastery learning to become a monk. Kaden's story has the most impact on what the greater scope of the series could be. But his story is so enjoyable to read simply because of the philosophy and thought exercises that he must endure to become a monk. They're very interesting and the level of enlightenment that the monks are searching for, feels very attainable in the real world.
At times the prose felt off, either it was slightly repetitive. It felt like in the author's desire to be adult with their prose, they hit the synonym button to find a "better" word for the situation. Almost all of the times, this works really well, painting a vivid and lush picture of the world. But there are some times where the word choice feels disjointed.
Overall, I had a great time with this book. It was really fun to read, even though it just ends, with very little resolution. I'm excited to read the next book in the series.
Brilliant, violent, and plenty of mystery to draw me in. Loved the dichotomy of the two brothers and can't wait to find out more about the story. This book sets the stage for what may end up being one of my new favourite series!
This was decent but nothing that I'm going to demand other people read. A lot of the secondary characters were underdeveloped, and I felt like the female characters, though not pushovers, were largely there to provide color or provoke pain for male characters when they are injured or killed.
Read This Review & More Like It At Ageless Pages Reviews
Three siblings, Adare, a master politician; Valyn, an elite soldier; and Kaden, a disciplined monk, use their unique talents to solve three individual mysteries that weave together into a larger conspiracy for their father’s throne. While the plot could come out of dozens of Tor books, The Emperor’s Blades doesn’t read like your typical high fantasy. The language is lush and challenging, overflowing with descriptions that almost tip to purple. Its prose is the true star and is very impressive. It’s so good, and such a pleasure to read, that it almost makes up for the fact that the first three quarters of the novel are actually very light on events.
The emperor is murdered! Off screen. A prostitute is tortured! Off screen. A monster attacks the monastery! Off screen. Every thing in Adare’s storyline! Off. Screen. It’s frustrating.
Instead, we spend a lot of time Kaden and Valyn, seeing the ins and outs and daily struggles of their very different training regimens. I will say, I loved watching Valyn learn to be at Kettral. In a genre where we’re expected to just accept that a farmboy can be a blademaster in 3 months or a different farmboy can suddenly command armies without flaw, I liked seeing the boys work for their gifts. Kaden’s was a bit more hit or miss for me, as his training is very internal and mostly comprised of menial labor while his teacher delivers long, exposition-filled monologues. It did let me feel very close to the character and humanized him, which is good considering the nature of his talents.
I wanted to love Adare just as much, but, I’m not kidding, she gets five chapters. Worse, they’re spaced out across the four-six month time line, making every thing that happens in her area seem disjointed and distant. Her big reveal moment, (all three of the kids get one,) lacked impact, because we hadn’t been allowed to grow to like the characters involved. The way she handled it showed guts and the political mind we’d been told she possessed, but again, I just needed to see more of her to justify her inclusion.
None of the reveals had enough payoff for me. As I said, Adare’s lacked emotion. Valyn’s was the most “ah ha!”, as pieces finally came together, but the villain was still...exactly who we suspected. Kaden’s last few chapters actually had several surprises and probably the biggest reveals, but it was all shrugged off in the text. Again, some of this is Kaden’s skill, which renders him emotionally vacant, but none of the side characters acted like these events were out of the ordinary, either. (Hint, they really, really are.)
I liked the boys a lot, and that’s why it’s frustrating that they act too old and unaffected, (Kaden is 17, Valyn is 16. So why, when they see Valyn’s 15 year old sniper, do they both think, “she looks like a child!”, when they’re children, too?) This is a problem with a lot of books in the genre, but it’s still a pet peeve. They both go through a lot, there’s no denying that, but their voices read well beyond their years and nothing seemed to shock them. Either age them up or let me feel some childlike confusion and frustration.
On the plus side, the few battles we get are very well written. I’m especially fond of the entirety of Hull’s Trial. The world building is aces. I would have liked an expanded glossary, but that’s a quibble. The author has taken the time to build a whole world, not just what’s immediately important to the plot, and it shows. Likewise, there’s not a ton of magic, but what we do see is logical and consistent with the system that’s been explained.
In the end, I can overlook some frustrating pacing and an underdeveloped third POV for really great writing, tight world building, and complex characters. Truly, the author is on to something special with this series and I can’t wait for it to continue. If he expands Adare’s POV and remembers that not all the plot lines need to come to a climax at once, (this isn’t porn, it’s fantasy,) I think book two will be a five-star knockout.
Original: Between 3.5 and 4.
An absolutely beautifully written high fantasy, marred by an underdeveloped third POV, occasionally awkward pacing, and the fact that it read like a book twice its length. Full review to come.
Three siblings, Adare, a master politician; Valyn, an elite soldier; and Kaden, a disciplined monk, use their unique talents to solve three individual mysteries that weave together into a larger conspiracy for their father’s throne. While the plot could come out of dozens of Tor books, The Emperor’s Blades doesn’t read like your typical high fantasy. The language is lush and challenging, overflowing with descriptions that almost tip to purple. Its prose is the true star and is very impressive. It’s so good, and such a pleasure to read, that it almost makes up for the fact that the first three quarters of the novel are actually very light on events.
The emperor is murdered! Off screen. A prostitute is tortured! Off screen. A monster attacks the monastery! Off screen. Every thing in Adare’s storyline! Off. Screen. It’s frustrating.
Instead, we spend a lot of time Kaden and Valyn, seeing the ins and outs and daily struggles of their very different training regimens. I will say, I loved watching Valyn learn to be at Kettral. In a genre where we’re expected to just accept that a farmboy can be a blademaster in 3 months or a different farmboy can suddenly command armies without flaw, I liked seeing the boys work for their gifts. Kaden’s was a bit more hit or miss for me, as his training is very internal and mostly comprised of menial labor while his teacher delivers long, exposition-filled monologues. It did let me feel very close to the character and humanized him, which is good considering the nature of his talents.
I wanted to love Adare just as much, but, I’m not kidding, she gets five chapters. Worse, they’re spaced out across the four-six month time line, making every thing that happens in her area seem disjointed and distant. Her big reveal moment, (all three of the kids get one,) lacked impact, because we hadn’t been allowed to grow to like the characters involved. The way she handled it showed guts and the political mind we’d been told she possessed, but again, I just needed to see more of her to justify her inclusion.
None of the reveals had enough payoff for me. As I said, Adare’s lacked emotion. Valyn’s was the most “ah ha!”, as pieces finally came together, but the villain was still...exactly who we suspected. Kaden’s last few chapters actually had several surprises and probably the biggest reveals, but it was all shrugged off in the text. Again, some of this is Kaden’s skill, which renders him emotionally vacant, but none of the side characters acted like these events were out of the ordinary, either. (Hint, they really, really are.)
I liked the boys a lot, and that’s why it’s frustrating that they act too old and unaffected, (Kaden is 17, Valyn is 16. So why, when they see Valyn’s 15 year old sniper, do they both think, “she looks like a child!”, when they’re children, too?) This is a problem with a lot of books in the genre, but it’s still a pet peeve. They both go through a lot, there’s no denying that, but their voices read well beyond their years and nothing seemed to shock them. Either age them up or let me feel some childlike confusion and frustration.
On the plus side, the few battles we get are very well written. I’m especially fond of the entirety of Hull’s Trial. The world building is aces. I would have liked an expanded glossary, but that’s a quibble. The author has taken the time to build a whole world, not just what’s immediately important to the plot, and it shows. Likewise, there’s not a ton of magic, but what we do see is logical and consistent with the system that’s been explained.
In the end, I can overlook some frustrating pacing and an underdeveloped third POV for really great writing, tight world building, and complex characters. Truly, the author is on to something special with this series and I can’t wait for it to continue. If he expands Adare’s POV and remembers that not all the plot lines need to come to a climax at once, (this isn’t porn, it’s fantasy,) I think book two will be a five-star knockout.
Original: Between 3.5 and 4.
An absolutely beautifully written high fantasy, marred by an underdeveloped third POV, occasionally awkward pacing, and the fact that it read like a book twice its length. Full review to come.
Excellent! Kept me on the edge of my seat. Great characters, engaging and surprising story.
Reading this book was just…
The prologue was so intriguing and definitely made me fly through the first one hundred pages. But after that getting through this book was a nightmare. The only motivation I had was Valyn who I think should be the only MC in this entire series. I could care less about Kaden or Adare. I had higher expectations of Adare’s point of view since she was in the freaking kingdom when this whole shebang was going down, but nope.
The ending was just so, so predictable especially when you consider the roles these characters had throughout the story. Maybe the next books will be better but I’m too tired to figure it out. I will not be continuing this series.
Also, just a note on something. I noticed some people not liking the fact that a religion existed in this world and that made me go lol. I disagree with points of view that are completely against the religion in the Chronicle of the Unhewn Throne world. Keep in mind that the kingdom is more of an empire that is bent on conquest–a major similarity with most large empires throughout history. I think the mythology wasn’t unnecessarily interwoven and served a purpose for the kingdom’s needs and religious beliefs. Maybe if this empire was relevant in 2019 I’d get the reviews pointing this out but I feel like it suited the setting… just a heads up if you want to try this book out but don’t want any religious influence.
You guys don’t know how badly I wanted to like this book. And I tried. I did my best. I ended up spending the rest of freaking January getting through this because I really didn’t want another DNF so early in the year and was convinced that this book was going to get better. 21 DAYS WERE SPENT IN FINISHING THIS BOOK.
The prologue was so intriguing and definitely made me fly through the first one hundred pages. But after that getting through this book was a nightmare. The only motivation I had was Valyn who I think should be the only MC in this entire series. I could care less about Kaden or Adare. I had higher expectations of Adare’s point of view since she was in the freaking kingdom when this whole shebang was going down, but nope.
The ending was just so, so predictable especially when you consider the roles these characters had throughout the story. Maybe the next books will be better but I’m too tired to figure it out. I will not be continuing this series.
Also, just a note on something. I noticed some people not liking the fact that a religion existed in this world and that made me go lol. I disagree with points of view that are completely against the religion in the Chronicle of the Unhewn Throne world. Keep in mind that the kingdom is more of an empire that is bent on conquest–a major similarity with most large empires throughout history. I think the mythology wasn’t unnecessarily interwoven and served a purpose for the kingdom’s needs and religious beliefs. Maybe if this empire was relevant in 2019 I’d get the reviews pointing this out but I feel like it suited the setting… just a heads up if you want to try this book out but don’t want any religious influence.
Listened to on Audible (excellent narrator by the way)
A good solid fantasy more in the vein of Abercrombie than Rothfuss (or Sanderson for that matter). I really enjoyed this as it had all of the good features of Abercrombie fantasies, which I really enjoy, without getting quite so overwhelmingly depressing.
Excellent and diverse characters, though the "wing" teammates are a bit cookie-cutter, who I really want to watch as the series progresses.
A good solid fantasy more in the vein of Abercrombie than Rothfuss (or Sanderson for that matter). I really enjoyed this as it had all of the good features of Abercrombie fantasies, which I really enjoy, without getting quite so overwhelmingly depressing.
Excellent and diverse characters, though the "wing" teammates are a bit cookie-cutter, who I really want to watch as the series progresses.
Hey! I really liked this! Great world building, nicely interweaving plotlines and intriguing enough that I've requested the second one from the library.
In addition to being painfully slow, this book was incredibly sexist. Every single woman was labeled (implicitly or explicitly) either a "bitch" or a "whore," and the one female character who actually had a little bit of a personality was sexually assaulted and fridged to motivate the main male character. I was disgusted at how much the author described every. single. women's breasts and body shape. Moreover, the carefree attitude toward prostitution (of minors, nonetheless!) and sexual assault was completely unacceptable.
Even if the book hadn't been sexist, there was so much wasted space. The book could have very easily been cut in half without missing anything exciting/pivotal to the plot. Kaden's storyline, for instance, contributed very little. I wasn't even sure of what the overarching plot was until around 60% in, when the story started picking up. It was much too late by then.
Even if the book hadn't been sexist, there was so much wasted space. The book could have very easily been cut in half without missing anything exciting/pivotal to the plot. Kaden's storyline, for instance, contributed very little. I wasn't even sure of what the overarching plot was until around 60% in, when the story started picking up. It was much too late by then.