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aestass's review
adventurous
challenging
dark
funny
tense
fast-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? Yes
3.25
The spook is across between A Darker Shade of Magic and Six of Crows. However, it lacks the crispness of either book and borrows a tad too many elements from each plotline for my taste. While this is not in the realm of plagiarism by any mean, as someone who’s previously read both ADSOM & SOC, the similarity was distracting. I did enjoy the moral grayness of the characters, and the concept of the Incarnate. I think that the ending of the book is where the author really shined, but I feel like we were missing some backstory about what led to the death of the previous rulers of Verchiél. I also thought that Dabrua and Silje’s characters were intriguing but could have been executed better.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content and Violence
gen_wolfhailstorm's review
adventurous
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
5.0
Thank you so much to S.A. Christianson for reaching out to me and providing me with a physical arc copy. All opinions remain my own.
When I first read the synopsis of this tale, it came to mind something familiar of Garth Nix's Angel Mage, which, being an author I very much enjoy, I was looking forward to seeing how this story compared.
It definitely had all the buzz words/themes I loved from Angel Mage (4 characters, opposing desires, godly powers), but it was definitely its own world and I absolutely loved being able to explore it.
Part one set the scene incredibly. We got to meet all four of our main players, got to see what stakes were up for grabs and ventured into the beginning of the drama and chaos and the set up as we knew it. It was great.
Although we mainly saw the perspective of Gabriel and Zoe, I think we saw a decent amount of everyone's personalities to give an idea of how complex their character development would be going forward.
At this point, I think Gabe was my favourite. He was very saucy, with his flirtatious ways, simmering danger, and carelessly throwing caution and responsibility to the wind. I was looking forward to getting better acquainted with Zoe.
Part two introduced more depth to characters, introduction to new characters and some amazing exploration and world building. The plot thickened incredibly, became irrevocably entangled and delightful mysterious. I didn't know who to trust.
It was our chance to learn more about Niklas and Silje, and by the gods, I loathed Silje. I was really hoping we'd get some sort of redemption arc from her but... well, you'll just have to read it to see!
Part three really ramped up in pace and action. There were battles at every corner, heart-to-hearts and betrayals galore, leading to an incredible climax, and dear I say... a tinge of a cheeky cliffhanger?
The character development was astronomical and this far in the story, I thought I knew where my loyalties lie. Thought indeed...
All the queerness was just *chefs kiss*, to die for! So much lgbtqia+ representation and I was living for it. There were a few saucy romances and flings that I found myself lusting after too.
The one thing that I couldn't help pondering on from time to time is that I can't say I found it to scream Victorian-era. I personally felt like it could have been set in any historical context, as there was a lack of specific Victorian context to really set that time and place. However, I don't know an awful lot of that era, so perhaps there were subtleties in the paraphernalia of the time that just went over my head. I can't be sure.
I really hope there's more to come from this author because S.A. Christianson's debut really blew everything out of the water.
I'd highly recommend this to fantasy lovers, and even those just dipping their toes into the genre!
When I first read the synopsis of this tale, it came to mind something familiar of Garth Nix's Angel Mage, which, being an author I very much enjoy, I was looking forward to seeing how this story compared.
It definitely had all the buzz words/themes I loved from Angel Mage (4 characters, opposing desires, godly powers), but it was definitely its own world and I absolutely loved being able to explore it.
Part one set the scene incredibly. We got to meet all four of our main players, got to see what stakes were up for grabs and ventured into the beginning of the drama and chaos and the set up as we knew it. It was great.
Although we mainly saw the perspective of Gabriel and Zoe, I think we saw a decent amount of everyone's personalities to give an idea of how complex their character development would be going forward.
At this point, I think Gabe was my favourite. He was very saucy, with his flirtatious ways, simmering danger, and carelessly throwing caution and responsibility to the wind. I was looking forward to getting better acquainted with Zoe.
Part two introduced more depth to characters, introduction to new characters and some amazing exploration and world building. The plot thickened incredibly, became irrevocably entangled and delightful mysterious. I didn't know who to trust.
It was our chance to learn more about Niklas and Silje, and by the gods, I loathed Silje. I was really hoping we'd get some sort of redemption arc from her but... well, you'll just have to read it to see!
Part three really ramped up in pace and action. There were battles at every corner, heart-to-hearts and betrayals galore, leading to an incredible climax, and dear I say... a tinge of a cheeky cliffhanger?
The character development was astronomical and this far in the story, I thought I knew where my loyalties lie. Thought indeed...
All the queerness was just *chefs kiss*, to die for! So much lgbtqia+ representation and I was living for it. There were a few saucy romances and flings that I found myself lusting after too.
The one thing that I couldn't help pondering on from time to time is that I can't say I found it to scream Victorian-era. I personally felt like it could have been set in any historical context, as there was a lack of specific Victorian context to really set that time and place. However, I don't know an awful lot of that era, so perhaps there were subtleties in the paraphernalia of the time that just went over my head. I can't be sure.
I really hope there's more to come from this author because S.A. Christianson's debut really blew everything out of the water.
I'd highly recommend this to fantasy lovers, and even those just dipping their toes into the genre!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death and Death of parent
Minor: Xenophobia, Violence, and Homophobia
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