Scan barcode
aabnet's review
adventurous
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
mrtnk's review
adventurous
funny
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
earthurnreads's review
adventurous
lighthearted
relaxing
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.25
elizalicart's review
3.0
A slow start. I will admit I almost put it down to move onto another book on my list! Fortunately I persevered, and I do love the characters. I felt I was able to connect with both Ridge and Sardelle, and I loved the humour that Jaxi brought into situations. I also loved that Sardelle's reactions towards coming out as a witch were quite believable, as were Ridge's thoughts and opinions. I loved their dynamic, but I was totally not expecting that steamy scene in the cave! (Not that I didn't like it... I mean... It was kind of sexy...*cough*).
Anyway! I will say that the story felt very short - it's hard to tell the true length of something on a Kindle, but it did feel like not much happened from beginning to end. However, it terms of writing style, there were a few things that stood out to me;
The first was world building, it was done very well and in a very believable way! I can't imagine how much work it must have taken to create this entire new universe from scratch in the way Buroker did.
The second is about the mental dialogue between Jaxi and Sardelle - I thought it flowed very well between Sardelle's thoughts, to Jaxi's responses, and Sardelle's responses, without ever explicitly saying what was what.
The third, of course, is the layout of the chapters and 'sub-chapters'. I loved the way the point of view changed between Ridge and Sardelle, and by following each character more questions were raised about the other, and also some were answered from the previous section. Very clever, and had me hooked! Each section had it's own consistent tone, which I loved.
In all a good read. I have the first three books and will definitely be continuing onto the next ones. I have no idea what direction they'll take, but I'm hoping for much more magic! I gave this three stars because I felt the story really could have gone on. I don't think very much happened, and I wasn't as hooked as other books have lead me to be. It was incredibly well written, and that's what the majority of my rating is attributed to.
Anyway! I will say that the story felt very short - it's hard to tell the true length of something on a Kindle, but it did feel like not much happened from beginning to end. However, it terms of writing style, there were a few things that stood out to me;
The first was world building, it was done very well and in a very believable way! I can't imagine how much work it must have taken to create this entire new universe from scratch in the way Buroker did.
The second is about the mental dialogue between Jaxi and Sardelle - I thought it flowed very well between Sardelle's thoughts, to Jaxi's responses, and Sardelle's responses, without ever explicitly saying what was what.
The third, of course, is the layout of the chapters and 'sub-chapters'. I loved the way the point of view changed between Ridge and Sardelle, and by following each character more questions were raised about the other, and also some were answered from the previous section. Very clever, and had me hooked! Each section had it's own consistent tone, which I loved.
In all a good read. I have the first three books and will definitely be continuing onto the next ones. I have no idea what direction they'll take, but I'm hoping for much more magic! I gave this three stars because I felt the story really could have gone on. I don't think very much happened, and I wasn't as hooked as other books have lead me to be. It was incredibly well written, and that's what the majority of my rating is attributed to.
tatertot2005's review
adventurous
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
shu_long's review
4.0
I've enjoyed every Lindsay Buroker book I've read, though I was slightly hesitant to pick up a new series. Very happy I did. If anything, I think this new series is an even more mature and well written story than the first book I fell for in her Emperor's Edge series. The characters are well fleshed out, the story is focused and the action is well paced and tight. The premise is also rather original, which is a pleasure to find in this genre. Already reading the next book.
annkniggendorf's review
3.0
I got a free copy of this book because I reviewed some of Lindsay Buroker's books before. Quite a few of her previous works are on my "favorites" shelf. These facts won't alter my opinion about [b:Balanced on the Blade's Edge|21797289|Balanced on the Blade's Edge|Lindsay Buroker|https://d202m5krfqbpi5.cloudfront.net/books/1396094126s/21797289.jpg|41051808].
However, that [a:Linnea Sinclair|202269|Linnea Sinclair|https://d202m5krfqbpi5.cloudfront.net/authors/1200676158p2/202269.jpg]'s [b:An Accidental Goddess|352727|An Accidental Goddess|Linnea Sinclair|https://d202m5krfqbpi5.cloudfront.net/books/1388350894s/352727.jpg|342952] is also an all time favorite of mine does alter it, because - frankly - for a little more than half the book I felt as if reading the same story.
Get me right, this is in no way a case of copycat or even plagiarism. [b:Balanced on the Blade's Edge|21797289|Balanced on the Blade's Edge|Lindsay Buroker|https://d202m5krfqbpi5.cloudfront.net/books/1396094126s/21797289.jpg|41051808] is sufficiently different from [b:An Accidental Goddess|352727|An Accidental Goddess|Linnea Sinclair|https://d202m5krfqbpi5.cloudfront.net/books/1388350894s/352727.jpg|342952]. One is steampunk, the other is space opera. One heroine risks being burned as a witch, the other risks being worshiped. One plays in a mining prison, the other on a deprecated space station infested by parrots. But the flow of the plot, the plot evolving events, even the characters' dynamic are similar to a T, resulting in me having a hard time remembering what version belonged into which book until the plot started separating at around 70% into the ebook.
That doesn't mean [b:Balanced on the Blade's Edge|21797289|Balanced on the Blade's Edge|Lindsay Buroker|https://d202m5krfqbpi5.cloudfront.net/books/1396094126s/21797289.jpg|41051808] is a bad book, judged on its own it's a solid four stars, fun, entertaining, and a great way to spend a rainy weekend if you like steampunk and/or romance with a good dose of action and believable characters. :)
However, if you also know (and love) [a:Linnea Sinclair|202269|Linnea Sinclair|https://d202m5krfqbpi5.cloudfront.net/authors/1200676158p2/202269.jpg]'s [b:An Accidental Goddess|352727|An Accidental Goddess|Linnea Sinclair|https://d202m5krfqbpi5.cloudfront.net/books/1388350894s/352727.jpg|342952], you might feel more familiar and precognizant of the developing plot than you'd like.
For me, I frankly like "Fix-it" Mak and Simon, the crystal ship from [b:An Accidental Goddess|352727|An Accidental Goddess|Linnea Sinclair|https://d202m5krfqbpi5.cloudfront.net/books/1388350894s/352727.jpg|342952] better than I like Ridge and Jaxi, the juvenile sword in [b:Balanced on the Blade's Edge|21797289|Balanced on the Blade's Edge|Lindsay Buroker|https://d202m5krfqbpi5.cloudfront.net/books/1396094126s/21797289.jpg|41051808]. Also, if [b:An Accidental Goddess|352727|An Accidental Goddess|Linnea Sinclair|https://d202m5krfqbpi5.cloudfront.net/books/1388350894s/352727.jpg|342952] had been [a:Lindsay Buroker|4512224|Lindsay Buroker|https://d202m5krfqbpi5.cloudfront.net/authors/1292869920p2/4512224.jpg]'s inspiration for it, a line of acknowledgment would have been nice, so that readers knowing both books might expect the parallels.
However, that [a:Linnea Sinclair|202269|Linnea Sinclair|https://d202m5krfqbpi5.cloudfront.net/authors/1200676158p2/202269.jpg]'s [b:An Accidental Goddess|352727|An Accidental Goddess|Linnea Sinclair|https://d202m5krfqbpi5.cloudfront.net/books/1388350894s/352727.jpg|342952] is also an all time favorite of mine does alter it, because - frankly - for a little more than half the book I felt as if reading the same story.
Get me right, this is in no way a case of copycat or even plagiarism. [b:Balanced on the Blade's Edge|21797289|Balanced on the Blade's Edge|Lindsay Buroker|https://d202m5krfqbpi5.cloudfront.net/books/1396094126s/21797289.jpg|41051808] is sufficiently different from [b:An Accidental Goddess|352727|An Accidental Goddess|Linnea Sinclair|https://d202m5krfqbpi5.cloudfront.net/books/1388350894s/352727.jpg|342952]. One is steampunk, the other is space opera. One heroine risks being burned as a witch, the other risks being worshiped. One plays in a mining prison, the other on a deprecated space station infested by parrots. But the flow of the plot, the plot evolving events, even the characters' dynamic are similar to a T, resulting in me having a hard time remembering what version belonged into which book until the plot started separating at around 70% into the ebook.
That doesn't mean [b:Balanced on the Blade's Edge|21797289|Balanced on the Blade's Edge|Lindsay Buroker|https://d202m5krfqbpi5.cloudfront.net/books/1396094126s/21797289.jpg|41051808] is a bad book, judged on its own it's a solid four stars, fun, entertaining, and a great way to spend a rainy weekend if you like steampunk and/or romance with a good dose of action and believable characters. :)
However, if you also know (and love) [a:Linnea Sinclair|202269|Linnea Sinclair|https://d202m5krfqbpi5.cloudfront.net/authors/1200676158p2/202269.jpg]'s [b:An Accidental Goddess|352727|An Accidental Goddess|Linnea Sinclair|https://d202m5krfqbpi5.cloudfront.net/books/1388350894s/352727.jpg|342952], you might feel more familiar and precognizant of the developing plot than you'd like.
For me, I frankly like "Fix-it" Mak and Simon, the crystal ship from [b:An Accidental Goddess|352727|An Accidental Goddess|Linnea Sinclair|https://d202m5krfqbpi5.cloudfront.net/books/1388350894s/352727.jpg|342952] better than I like Ridge and Jaxi, the juvenile sword in [b:Balanced on the Blade's Edge|21797289|Balanced on the Blade's Edge|Lindsay Buroker|https://d202m5krfqbpi5.cloudfront.net/books/1396094126s/21797289.jpg|41051808]. Also, if [b:An Accidental Goddess|352727|An Accidental Goddess|Linnea Sinclair|https://d202m5krfqbpi5.cloudfront.net/books/1388350894s/352727.jpg|342952] had been [a:Lindsay Buroker|4512224|Lindsay Buroker|https://d202m5krfqbpi5.cloudfront.net/authors/1292869920p2/4512224.jpg]'s inspiration for it, a line of acknowledgment would have been nice, so that readers knowing both books might expect the parallels.
autumusprime's review
adventurous
funny
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
rock_mom's review
adventurous
funny
lighthearted
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A
4.0
lost_goddess's review
3.0
It's not a dragon shifter or dragon anything book, so I took off a half point. Action, adventure was good. Characters were simple and shallowly developed. I'm reading the next one only because I feel like the writer might improve with a 2nd book. Though another prison setting seems tedious.