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reliures's review against another edition
4.0
4.5 Such a good dark fantasy book !! Complex characters, very original worldbuilding, the inclusion of LGBT/NB characters was the cherry on top! The end esp the reveal about a certain character’s fate has me excited for a sequel.
thereadingtrashqueen's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
3.5
randi_in_horrorland's review against another edition
2.0
I’ve received this book in exchange for an honest review!
This book takes place in a magic driven world. The magic is called aether. There are many different wielders—aethertwisters, mirajin, or dokojin. This world is ruled by a Sachem. The only issue is, their Sachem is currently possessed by an evil dokojin with an agenda of its own! The wife of the Sachem, Jalice, is kidnapped by Annalasia, an assassin. The whole goal is to bring down the Sachem and bring peace back to the realm.
What I liked:
-The plot was interesting and kept me wanting to read more. I’m definitely interested in learning the outcome of what happens in the next book!
-The dark fantasy feel this book gave off makes it worth the read.
What I didn’t like:
-The characters were generally unlikeable. For me, most characters have to be likeable or at least relatable and none of them had that quality. They were all “trigger happy” as I like to call it. And Jalice was just plain annoying.
-The lack of explanation into what the characters are was confusing. What exactly is a dokojin? I still don’t know. I’m also a little blurry with what an aethertwister is.
-The switching between character perspectives could’ve been done more smoothly. It took me a few sentences into each chapter to figure out who I’m reading as.
This book takes place in a magic driven world. The magic is called aether. There are many different wielders—aethertwisters, mirajin, or dokojin. This world is ruled by a Sachem. The only issue is, their Sachem is currently possessed by an evil dokojin with an agenda of its own! The wife of the Sachem, Jalice, is kidnapped by Annalasia, an assassin. The whole goal is to bring down the Sachem and bring peace back to the realm.
What I liked:
-The plot was interesting and kept me wanting to read more. I’m definitely interested in learning the outcome of what happens in the next book!
-The dark fantasy feel this book gave off makes it worth the read.
What I didn’t like:
-The characters were generally unlikeable. For me, most characters have to be likeable or at least relatable and none of them had that quality. They were all “trigger happy” as I like to call it. And Jalice was just plain annoying.
-The lack of explanation into what the characters are was confusing. What exactly is a dokojin? I still don’t know. I’m also a little blurry with what an aethertwister is.
-The switching between character perspectives could’ve been done more smoothly. It took me a few sentences into each chapter to figure out who I’m reading as.
monikasbookblog's review against another edition
4.0
This book is a sci-fi dark fantasy that revolves around three women. Jalice, the wife of a tribe’s chief is kidnapped by Annilasia and Delilee. These two women, attempt to purify the corrupt tribe grounds. The story gets really interesting when Jalice discovers her own past and realises her true self. The story is a great treat for fantasy lovers and has magic almost everywhere. Some parts seems slow, because of the dialogues, but overall the story flow is well suited for scifi fantasy. Its a woman against man story thats very well written. The language is easy to understand and this book is definitely going in my re-read pile!
Thank you NetGalley, the author Jesse Nolan Bailey for a reader’s copy of the book.
Thank you NetGalley, the author Jesse Nolan Bailey for a reader’s copy of the book.
goblinsstolemybrain's review against another edition
4.0
What’s it about?
JoJ is a dark fantasy that centres around a kidnapping plot that rapidly grows into something unexpected. Jalice is ripped away from her lavish lifestyle and we quickly learn that nothing is what it seems. Who can we trust? What is real? There’s evil lurking around somewhere…
What did I like?
JoJ feels unique. While there is a journey, there’s no epic quest where the chosen one needs to fulfil their destiny (not that there’s anything wrong with that - I love an epic quest!). The story here is very dark and focuses on some of the less savoury parts of human nature. As you can guess, jealousy is important, but so are the lengths people will go to in order to get what they want. Are the sacrifices our new friends make in this story worth it? And were the costs their prices to pay or have they made someone else foot the bill? This is the kind of story that sticks in your head long after you’ve finished the book.
The pace of the storytelling is relentless, never giving the reader the chance to catch their breath. You feel like you're right there in the action!
My dark and twisted heart loved the scenes featuring gore. Give me a vat of blood and guts and I’m over the moon. These scenes were written perfectly; covering just enough detail to get the ick factor, while also using the shock to further tell the story. Nothing was done for shits and giggles; everything has a purpose.
What didn’t I like?
This story was fantastic, so this may seem like nitpicking… but… I felt like some of the terms (such as Dokojin, flayers, etc) could have been better explained. Snippets of detail were peppered throughout the novel, but I still found it difficult to picture what a Dokojin looked like.
Would I recommend it?
Absolutely. JoJ feels fresh and new, while also feeling dark and dangerous. I can’t wait to see where the next part of the story takes us.
JoJ is a dark fantasy that centres around a kidnapping plot that rapidly grows into something unexpected. Jalice is ripped away from her lavish lifestyle and we quickly learn that nothing is what it seems. Who can we trust? What is real? There’s evil lurking around somewhere…
What did I like?
JoJ feels unique. While there is a journey, there’s no epic quest where the chosen one needs to fulfil their destiny (not that there’s anything wrong with that - I love an epic quest!). The story here is very dark and focuses on some of the less savoury parts of human nature. As you can guess, jealousy is important, but so are the lengths people will go to in order to get what they want. Are the sacrifices our new friends make in this story worth it? And were the costs their prices to pay or have they made someone else foot the bill? This is the kind of story that sticks in your head long after you’ve finished the book.
The pace of the storytelling is relentless, never giving the reader the chance to catch their breath. You feel like you're right there in the action!
My dark and twisted heart loved the scenes featuring gore. Give me a vat of blood and guts and I’m over the moon. These scenes were written perfectly; covering just enough detail to get the ick factor, while also using the shock to further tell the story. Nothing was done for shits and giggles; everything has a purpose.
What didn’t I like?
This story was fantastic, so this may seem like nitpicking… but… I felt like some of the terms (such as Dokojin, flayers, etc) could have been better explained. Snippets of detail were peppered throughout the novel, but I still found it difficult to picture what a Dokojin looked like.
Would I recommend it?
Absolutely. JoJ feels fresh and new, while also feeling dark and dangerous. I can’t wait to see where the next part of the story takes us.
sydneysbooknook's review
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.25
mandalynreads's review against another edition
4.5
Book Review: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6tfmBt58U-s&list=PLy9tQQoBL4XI-qQRvPMv-LwgTSQiJiySS&index=5
The Jealousy of Jalice is a dark fantasy/sci-fi book.
"The Realms have split apart, the Stones of Elation have been hidden, and warnings of dokojin drift among the tribes. The land and its people are corrupted. The Sachem, chief of the Unified Tribes, is to blame."
Firstly, I loved this book. From the moment I read the first line until the ending. Not only was the writing easy to read, but it had a flow that kept the story moving. It balanced on a fine line between telling my what I needed to know and not telling me enough in order to peak my curiosity.
The next thing that pulled me into the story was the representation. Not only were the people diverse representing different sexualities and genders but also the cultures. This is not your average fantasy story that is based off of Medieval Europe. The book enthralled me into learning about all of the customs in this story that I could have ignored the plot entirely and enjoyed it.
And yet... the plot held up too. I felt like I couldn't predict what was coming next, but was not surprised to the point of disinterest. The story mostly follows two females as one kidnaps the other, who just so happens to be the "queen" of this land (the quotes are because she is never referred to as a queen but instead the Tecalica). They used to be friends as children, but something happened and now one is a ruler and the other an assassin. Shortly you learn that one of them has lost many of their memories, and the story turns to helping them solve their pasts in order to protect the kingdom's future.
I didn't necessarily like these woman, but I never felt like I should. The idea that I could read a book about two woman and not love either of them but not be annoyed by them is a breath of fresh air. They were well rounded with faults and strengths, allowing them to feel more real than many other characters I get to read about today.
The ONLY thing keeping this book from being a five star review is the ending. I was loving the twists and turns of the plot up until the last 5%. At that point I felt a though I should have known more about the world than I did. Since the author blessedly never did an info dump, I had to learn about the culture as the characters interacted with it. This opened up a great way for my to be slowly introduced to new things, but also meant that right up until the end I was still learning. So not a necessarily bad thing, just a small matter of preference on my part.
Also I didn't realize this was going to be a series until the last page... All I can say now is, sign me up for the sequel!
I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.
The Jealousy of Jalice is a dark fantasy/sci-fi book.
"The Realms have split apart, the Stones of Elation have been hidden, and warnings of dokojin drift among the tribes. The land and its people are corrupted. The Sachem, chief of the Unified Tribes, is to blame."
Firstly, I loved this book. From the moment I read the first line until the ending. Not only was the writing easy to read, but it had a flow that kept the story moving. It balanced on a fine line between telling my what I needed to know and not telling me enough in order to peak my curiosity.
The next thing that pulled me into the story was the representation. Not only were the people diverse representing different sexualities and genders but also the cultures. This is not your average fantasy story that is based off of Medieval Europe. The book enthralled me into learning about all of the customs in this story that I could have ignored the plot entirely and enjoyed it.
And yet... the plot held up too. I felt like I couldn't predict what was coming next, but was not surprised to the point of disinterest. The story mostly follows two females as one kidnaps the other, who just so happens to be the "queen" of this land (the quotes are because she is never referred to as a queen but instead the Tecalica). They used to be friends as children, but something happened and now one is a ruler and the other an assassin. Shortly you learn that one of them has lost many of their memories, and the story turns to helping them solve their pasts in order to protect the kingdom's future.
I didn't necessarily like these woman, but I never felt like I should. The idea that I could read a book about two woman and not love either of them but not be annoyed by them is a breath of fresh air. They were well rounded with faults and strengths, allowing them to feel more real than many other characters I get to read about today.
The ONLY thing keeping this book from being a five star review is the ending. I was loving the twists and turns of the plot up until the last 5%. At that point I felt a though I should have known more about the world than I did. Since the author blessedly never did an info dump, I had to learn about the culture as the characters interacted with it. This opened up a great way for my to be slowly introduced to new things, but also meant that right up until the end I was still learning. So not a necessarily bad thing, just a small matter of preference on my part.
Also I didn't realize this was going to be a series until the last page... All I can say now is, sign me up for the sequel!
I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.
inemuri's review against another edition
- Loveable characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
amac_reads's review against another edition
4.0
This book was a fascinating dark fantasy (but set really far into the future?) with several twists and turns. There were many elements that were left unexplained, including the magic of the world, the creatures/their origins, etc. that made it difficult to piece some things together, but hopefully these will be explained in the sequels. The characters were fine overall but none were super engaging or relatable. However, the story and the creatures were absolutely interesting.
There was a fae creature and the author decided to use "fae" and "faer" as their pronouns without explaining that's what he was doing. While I appreciate what the author was trying to do, in fantasy worlds being fae is a race not a gender, so sticking with the "z" pronouns would have made more sense. This was something that broke my focus on the story which was a little frustrating.
Overall this is a long but solid read, and I look forward to the author creating more engaging characters and writing more world lore in the next works.
I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.
There was a fae creature and the author decided to use "fae" and "faer" as their pronouns without explaining that's what he was doing. While I appreciate what the author was trying to do, in fantasy worlds being fae is a race not a gender, so sticking with the "z" pronouns would have made more sense. This was something that broke my focus on the story which was a little frustrating.
Overall this is a long but solid read, and I look forward to the author creating more engaging characters and writing more world lore in the next works.
I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.
andrewl600's review against another edition
3.0
Title: The Jealousy of Jalice
Author: Jesse Nolan Bailey
Rating: ★★★☆☆
I enjoyed the world that the book took place in. It seemed large and like I, as a reader, was only scratching the surface. There was so much more that we could discover if we just kept exploring.
I liked the idea of the story, but for some reason I don't think it stuck with me very much. It's not that the book itself was bad, but I never really found any moments that hooked me in.
There was nothing that turned me off of the book, it just sort of felt okay the whole time I was reading it.
I honestly don't have much else to say, and it kind of upsets me because I spent a lot of time reading the book, but I don't want to just tell you that everything was okay.
The characters were hit and miss. I wasn't a fan of Jalice. Her writing seemed inconsistent to me, and she brought down some enjoyment for me. But other than that, most characters were okay.
To counteract the mediocre character development, I will admit that I liked the story's premise; Jalice at first believing she has been kidnapped, then realizing the truth behind all the lies she has been told.
Author: Jesse Nolan Bailey
Rating: ★★★☆☆
I enjoyed the world that the book took place in. It seemed large and like I, as a reader, was only scratching the surface. There was so much more that we could discover if we just kept exploring.
I liked the idea of the story, but for some reason I don't think it stuck with me very much. It's not that the book itself was bad, but I never really found any moments that hooked me in.
There was nothing that turned me off of the book, it just sort of felt okay the whole time I was reading it.
I honestly don't have much else to say, and it kind of upsets me because I spent a lot of time reading the book, but I don't want to just tell you that everything was okay.
The characters were hit and miss. I wasn't a fan of Jalice. Her writing seemed inconsistent to me, and she brought down some enjoyment for me. But other than that, most characters were okay.
To counteract the mediocre character development, I will admit that I liked the story's premise; Jalice at first believing she has been kidnapped, then realizing the truth behind all the lies she has been told.