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emtees's review
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
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? Yes
3.75
Cassa and her friends dream of bringing down the council that rules their home city of Eldra, manipulating prophesy to keep the people oppressed and under control. Even though the rebellion that rocked the city for a century ended four years ago - and took Cassa’s parents, its leaders, with it - Cassa is determined to keep its legacy alive. But when she and her friends are betrayed and arrested while breaking into the Citadel at the center of the city to investigate a series of mysterious deaths, their focus turns from overthrowing the government to keeping their own lives. Fleeing into the tunnels beneath the Citadel ahead of their executions, Cassa and her friends discover a whole labyrinth of caves and passages, a potential ally, and a secret that promises to help them take down the council for good. But the deeper they get into the council’s secrets, the more conflicting goals and loyalties threaten to tear their group apart. They all may share a common goal, but some of them have more to lose than the others, and Cassa may be the only one willing to give up everything to see the council destroyed.
I liked this book, especially the second half. There’s a lot to like about it. I didn’t love it, though, and I think that comes down to a mix of unfair expectations and some unnecessarily complicated writing that undermined the strengths of the book. But I want to focus on the good stuff first, so:
Characters: I loved all the characters in this book, but Cassa was probably my favorite, if only because Soria wasn’t afraid to make her real, even if it also made her frustrating and at times unlikeable. She’s what a rebel leader should be - strong, brave, committed but also ruthless, angry and willing to make morally grey choices. I’ve seen some complaints that the “found family” vibes didn’t work for this book because the characters didn’t really like each other, but that only applied to Cassa, and even with her, I didn’t get the impression the other characters didn’t like her, just that they understood, correctly, that they didn’t come first for her. It’s a bold choice to write a book centered on teamwork and found family and then make your main character someone who you’re never sure won’t just let everyone else die if it helps her achieve her goals, but it was a smart move with Cassa and made her really stand out in the sea of YA fantasy heroines. None of the other characters were as distinctive but I still found them all interesting. Actually, Chancellor Dane, the enemy-turned-maybe-ally might have been my second favorite. He was an interesting guy even if he was also a terrible person.
The characters were also nicely diverse - a mix of ethnic appearances, mental health and disability rep (including possibly the first hypermobility disorder rep I’ve seen in a fantasy book?), a range of sexual orientations, body size, etc.
Relationships: All of the relationships were enjoyable. There’s one romance, which was very sweet, but there were also a lot of strong, complicated friendships. One of my favorite things in fiction is when platonic relationships are given the same complexity and emotional depth as romantic relationships and that was definitely true here. Cassa’s relationships with her ex, Evander, and his sister Alys were probably my favorites. There was such a mix of love and frustration and hurt feelings and loyalty in both of them.
Magic: The concept of this world is so interesting. Eldra is a city that runs on prophecy, passed down from ancient seers who predicted the future of the city. Over the centuries, prophecy has gone from a means of helping people to a tool of oppression. The Council has been able to completely control the people of the city by leaning on supposedly infallible prophecies. The description of an entire section of the city being massacred because a prophecy said there would be an uprising there - the unfairness of it and the way the people have no recourse - was chilling. There are also multiple other types of magic in this world and the way they interact with each other is really interesting and makes the council a formidable foe for the heroes. How do you fight someone who can know your thoughts just by seeing your face, and can steal your memories so that they end up knowing more about your own plans than you do? (The memory stealing was my favorite part of the magic; Soria used it in really intriguing ways to complicate the plot and add twists.)
The ending: I won’t spoil it, but the ending was extremely satisfying on both a plot and character level, and just technically, the writing of it was done really well.
Okay, so those were the strengths. Now, the weaknesses. First off, this is not a heist book. I love heist books, I always give them a ratings bump, so while it’s not necessarily a flaw of this book, it was a disappointment. There is a heist, but it happens before the book begins; the actual opening is the main cast being sentenced for their part in it. Later, there is a lot of sneaking in and out of the Citadel and coming up with intricate plans but it never rises to the heights of a truly good heist.
My biggest issue with the book, though, is the structure. As I said, it starts right after something exciting has happened. The first third or so is the team escaping from prison after be arrested for their break-in, and the story then rushes forward, introducing mysteries and unreliable characters and leaving a lot for the reader to figure out. Perhaps realizing that she’d established this group and their goals without letting us see any of that happening, Soria uses a series of flashbacks, scattered through the story, to show how the characters met and became a team, and also how some of the antagonists got involved in the plot. These flashbacks are the weakest parts of the book and really dragged it down for me. The ones focused on character relationships are boring and don’t tell us anything we couldn’t figure out from context in the main storyline, and the ones focused on the antagonists end up making their story feel less important than it actually is. The flashbacks also end up really confusing the timeline and making the plot more difficult to follow instead of less - so many things happened “four years ago” that it didn’t seem possible they could all be happening the same year. And the use of flashbacks to events “years ago” made the young ages of the characters seem even less realistic than they were.
There are also some weaknesses in the worldbuilding - while I liked the magic system a lot, the world really didn’t hold up for me, especially for a stand-alone fantasy where it won’t be fleshed out further in other volumes. The “rebellion,” especially, felt like a barely thought-through idea. For one thing, it’s called “the rebellion,” which is extremely generic, and for another it… went on for a hundred years? Without either being stopped or accomplishing anything? And then the leaders were killed so suddenly it’s over except for a couple teenagers? After one hundred years? I kept thinking the long time-frame was there because we were going to find out something about the rebellion’s origins that had been forgotten over all those years, but nope. Plus, for no reason, Soria made the point of explaining that Eldra is just one city in a larger nation, which has a queen and a population who care nothing about the council or prophecies. In which case, why don’t people just… move? There doesn’t seem to be any evidence they are being stopped, or any explanation for why this one city is worth dying for, and again, they’ve had one hundred years.
I liked this book, especially the second half. There’s a lot to like about it. I didn’t love it, though, and I think that comes down to a mix of unfair expectations and some unnecessarily complicated writing that undermined the strengths of the book. But I want to focus on the good stuff first, so:
Characters: I loved all the characters in this book, but Cassa was probably my favorite, if only because Soria wasn’t afraid to make her real, even if it also made her frustrating and at times unlikeable. She’s what a rebel leader should be - strong, brave, committed but also ruthless, angry and willing to make morally grey choices. I’ve seen some complaints that the “found family” vibes didn’t work for this book because the characters didn’t really like each other, but that only applied to Cassa, and even with her, I didn’t get the impression the other characters didn’t like her, just that they understood, correctly, that they didn’t come first for her. It’s a bold choice to write a book centered on teamwork and found family and then make your main character someone who you’re never sure won’t just let everyone else die if it helps her achieve her goals, but it was a smart move with Cassa and made her really stand out in the sea of YA fantasy heroines. None of the other characters were as distinctive but I still found them all interesting. Actually, Chancellor Dane, the enemy-turned-maybe-ally might have been my second favorite. He was an interesting guy even if he was also a terrible person.
The characters were also nicely diverse - a mix of ethnic appearances, mental health and disability rep (including possibly the first hypermobility disorder rep I’ve seen in a fantasy book?), a range of sexual orientations, body size, etc.
Relationships: All of the relationships were enjoyable. There’s one romance, which was very sweet, but there were also a lot of strong, complicated friendships. One of my favorite things in fiction is when platonic relationships are given the same complexity and emotional depth as romantic relationships and that was definitely true here. Cassa’s relationships with her ex, Evander, and his sister Alys were probably my favorites. There was such a mix of love and frustration and hurt feelings and loyalty in both of them.
Magic: The concept of this world is so interesting. Eldra is a city that runs on prophecy, passed down from ancient seers who predicted the future of the city. Over the centuries, prophecy has gone from a means of helping people to a tool of oppression. The Council has been able to completely control the people of the city by leaning on supposedly infallible prophecies. The description of an entire section of the city being massacred because a prophecy said there would be an uprising there - the unfairness of it and the way the people have no recourse - was chilling. There are also multiple other types of magic in this world and the way they interact with each other is really interesting and makes the council a formidable foe for the heroes. How do you fight someone who can know your thoughts just by seeing your face, and can steal your memories so that they end up knowing more about your own plans than you do? (The memory stealing was my favorite part of the magic; Soria used it in really intriguing ways to complicate the plot and add twists.)
The ending: I won’t spoil it, but the ending was extremely satisfying on both a plot and character level, and just technically, the writing of it was done really well.
Okay, so those were the strengths. Now, the weaknesses. First off, this is not a heist book. I love heist books, I always give them a ratings bump, so while it’s not necessarily a flaw of this book, it was a disappointment. There is a heist, but it happens before the book begins; the actual opening is the main cast being sentenced for their part in it. Later, there is a lot of sneaking in and out of the Citadel and coming up with intricate plans but it never rises to the heights of a truly good heist.
My biggest issue with the book, though, is the structure. As I said, it starts right after something exciting has happened. The first third or so is the team escaping from prison after be arrested for their break-in, and the story then rushes forward, introducing mysteries and unreliable characters and leaving a lot for the reader to figure out. Perhaps realizing that she’d established this group and their goals without letting us see any of that happening, Soria uses a series of flashbacks, scattered through the story, to show how the characters met and became a team, and also how some of the antagonists got involved in the plot. These flashbacks are the weakest parts of the book and really dragged it down for me. The ones focused on character relationships are boring and don’t tell us anything we couldn’t figure out from context in the main storyline, and the ones focused on the antagonists end up making their story feel less important than it actually is. The flashbacks also end up really confusing the timeline and making the plot more difficult to follow instead of less - so many things happened “four years ago” that it didn’t seem possible they could all be happening the same year. And the use of flashbacks to events “years ago” made the young ages of the characters seem even less realistic than they were.
There are also some weaknesses in the worldbuilding - while I liked the magic system a lot, the world really didn’t hold up for me, especially for a stand-alone fantasy where it won’t be fleshed out further in other volumes. The “rebellion,” especially, felt like a barely thought-through idea. For one thing, it’s called “the rebellion,” which is extremely generic, and for another it… went on for a hundred years? Without either being stopped or accomplishing anything? And then the leaders were killed so suddenly it’s over except for a couple teenagers? After one hundred years? I kept thinking the long time-frame was there because we were going to find out something about the rebellion’s origins that had been forgotten over all those years, but nope. Plus, for no reason, Soria made the point of explaining that Eldra is just one city in a larger nation, which has a queen and a population who care nothing about the council or prophecies. In which case, why don’t people just… move? There doesn’t seem to be any evidence they are being stopped, or any explanation for why this one city is worth dying for, and again, they’ve had one hundred years.
styanax's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
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
3.75
thepetitepunk's review against another edition
3.0
Okay I’m definitely lying with my star rating. This is probably more of a 3 star book. Maaaaybe a 2.5 star but that seems kind of low. However, I’m giving it 4 stars anyways because it kind of feels like it’s my fault for the odds being against this book for several reasons:
1. I don’t like fantasy (I’m reading this for a book club)
2. I don’t like multiple POVs
3. I don’t like listening to fantasy or books with multiple POVs as audiobooks…and this has both of those elements (my hold for the physical book at the library never came ☹️)
4. I don’t like heavily plot-based books
You know what, as I’m writing this review, I decided to move my rating down to 3 stars. The beginning was so strong and I just assumed I kind of stopped paying attention in the second half because this was an audiobook and it’s easy to get distracted with an audiobook, but that’s not true. I love audiobook. I think I just got bored with Beneath the Citadel. :(
I really loved the LGBTQ+ representation and I was intrigued by the characters, but things started to drag for me. It definitely wasn’t a bad book, but I wasn’t hooked. I personally don’t think multiple POVs is a strong writing technique unless each perspective is incredibly unique and offers something new to the plot line. But yeah, such mixed feelings on this one. With the first few chapters, I thought this was finally going to be the fantasy book that made me like fantasy. But the same thing happened to be as always when it comes to fantasy—I got bored and stopped paying attention. I’ll leave it as 3 stars for a neutral rating but I am absolutely not the person you’re looking for if you want opinions on the fantasy genre. Boo. I just wanna be like the Cool Kids and enjoy magic and world building and powers and whatever.
1. I don’t like fantasy (I’m reading this for a book club)
2. I don’t like multiple POVs
3. I don’t like listening to fantasy or books with multiple POVs as audiobooks…and this has both of those elements (my hold for the physical book at the library never came ☹️)
4. I don’t like heavily plot-based books
You know what, as I’m writing this review, I decided to move my rating down to 3 stars. The beginning was so strong and I just assumed I kind of stopped paying attention in the second half because this was an audiobook and it’s easy to get distracted with an audiobook, but that’s not true. I love audiobook. I think I just got bored with Beneath the Citadel. :(
I really loved the LGBTQ+ representation and I was intrigued by the characters, but things started to drag for me. It definitely wasn’t a bad book, but I wasn’t hooked. I personally don’t think multiple POVs is a strong writing technique unless each perspective is incredibly unique and offers something new to the plot line. But yeah, such mixed feelings on this one. With the first few chapters, I thought this was finally going to be the fantasy book that made me like fantasy. But the same thing happened to be as always when it comes to fantasy—I got bored and stopped paying attention. I’ll leave it as 3 stars for a neutral rating but I am absolutely not the person you’re looking for if you want opinions on the fantasy genre. Boo. I just wanna be like the Cool Kids and enjoy magic and world building and powers and whatever.
chloemar1e's review
adventurous
challenging
emotional
mysterious
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? No
4.25
nyeran's review against another edition
3.0
- "Before we go any further, I need to know how you made it out of the crypts.”
- “Easily.”
♠ Beh, non me lo aspettavo. Ingenuamente, pensavo che in quanto libro YA alla fine si sarebbe trovata una soluzione semplice affinché tutto finisse bene, come sempre. Invece no. Sono rimasta interdetta proprio perché è stata una fine inaspettata ma ora mi rendo conto che era una fine inevitabile perché è stata un modo per permettere a Cassa di risolvere il problema che lei stessa aveva creato. Per la prima volta la protagonista (o una dei protagonisti) dopo aver combinato un gran casino, non solo ammette l'errore ma chiede scusa e risolve il problema senza mettere ulteriormente nei guai i suoi amici.
♠ Detto questo, solo tre stelle a questo libro perché sebbene non manchino azione e adrenalina, tutta la storia inizia e finisce nel giro di 3, 4 giorni al massimo, per tutta la lettura ho avuto la sensazione che la storia andasse avanti per pure botte di culo, vuoi perché gli aiuti e le scoperte sembrano saltare fuori dal nulla, vuoi perché in realtà nessuno dei 4 ha mai un piano serio o studiato e sembrano andare avanti a tentoni (cosa che succede veramente due o tre volte).
Altra cosa che non ho apprezzato è stata la quasi completa inutilità dei 'poteri' dei protagonisti; Newt è un contorsionista e vediamo qualche frammento di passato e di abusi subiti dal padre ma non capiamo mai quale sia il collegamento con il suo dislocarsi le ossa, glielo ha insegnato il padre? Perché? Per farlo diventare un ribelle? Perchè avrebbe dovuto spingerlo su quella strada se lui per primo ha tradito i ribelli? Non si capisce. Evander ha un bloodbond con l'argento e non si capisce perchè l'unica cosa di argento che porta con se siano delle monete, capisco che abbia sempre usato il potere solo per derubare la gente, va bene, ma ora ti stai infiltrando nella cittadella, sei un ribelle, non vuoi portarti dietro un coltello? Una forchetta? Un tagliacarte? Qualcosa che può esserti utile nel caso delle guardie vi trovino? Alys, bello che sia una ragazza in carne, bello che questa cosa non venga mai sottolineata, bello che abbia degli attacchi di panico e che nemmeno questi vengano mai troppo evidenziati, un po' meno bello che mi dici che il motivo per cui non è brava a divinare con le monete è che ci ha provato una volta, non c'ha capito una mazza e quindi non ha potuto avvertire i suoi genitori. Da quel momento ha smesso completamente di provarci. Boh forse sono io, con me avrebbe avuto l'effetto contrario, del tipo “ho sbagliato una volta ma non succederà più”. Quindi, interessanti i poteri ma usati un po' a tarallucci e vino.
Per non parlare di quanto fosse confusionaria tutta la storia dei ricordi presi poi ridati, poi ripresi a convenienza, poi ridati quando serve.
- “Easily.”
♠ Beh, non me lo aspettavo. Ingenuamente, pensavo che in quanto libro YA alla fine si sarebbe trovata una soluzione semplice affinché tutto finisse bene, come sempre. Invece no. Sono rimasta interdetta proprio perché è stata una fine inaspettata ma ora mi rendo conto che era una fine inevitabile perché è stata un modo per permettere a Cassa di risolvere il problema che lei stessa aveva creato. Per la prima volta la protagonista (o una dei protagonisti) dopo aver combinato un gran casino, non solo ammette l'errore ma chiede scusa e risolve il problema senza mettere ulteriormente nei guai i suoi amici.
♠ Detto questo, solo tre stelle a questo libro perché sebbene non manchino azione e adrenalina, tutta la storia inizia e finisce nel giro di 3, 4 giorni al massimo, per tutta la lettura ho avuto la sensazione che la storia andasse avanti per pure botte di culo, vuoi perché gli aiuti e le scoperte sembrano saltare fuori dal nulla, vuoi perché in realtà nessuno dei 4 ha mai un piano serio o studiato e sembrano andare avanti a tentoni (cosa che succede veramente due o tre volte).
Altra cosa che non ho apprezzato è stata la quasi completa inutilità dei 'poteri' dei protagonisti; Newt è un contorsionista e vediamo qualche frammento di passato e di abusi subiti dal padre ma non capiamo mai quale sia il collegamento con il suo dislocarsi le ossa, glielo ha insegnato il padre? Perché? Per farlo diventare un ribelle? Perchè avrebbe dovuto spingerlo su quella strada se lui per primo ha tradito i ribelli? Non si capisce. Evander ha un bloodbond con l'argento e non si capisce perchè l'unica cosa di argento che porta con se siano delle monete, capisco che abbia sempre usato il potere solo per derubare la gente, va bene, ma ora ti stai infiltrando nella cittadella, sei un ribelle, non vuoi portarti dietro un coltello? Una forchetta? Un tagliacarte? Qualcosa che può esserti utile nel caso delle guardie vi trovino? Alys, bello che sia una ragazza in carne, bello che questa cosa non venga mai sottolineata, bello che abbia degli attacchi di panico e che nemmeno questi vengano mai troppo evidenziati, un po' meno bello che mi dici che il motivo per cui non è brava a divinare con le monete è che ci ha provato una volta, non c'ha capito una mazza e quindi non ha potuto avvertire i suoi genitori. Da quel momento ha smesso completamente di provarci. Boh forse sono io, con me avrebbe avuto l'effetto contrario, del tipo “ho sbagliato una volta ma non succederà più”. Quindi, interessanti i poteri ma usati un po' a tarallucci e vino.
Per non parlare di quanto fosse confusionaria tutta la storia dei ricordi presi poi ridati, poi ripresi a convenienza, poi ridati quando serve.
amybraunauthor's review against another edition
4.0
I really wanted to love this book, and while I don't think it was for me, I would recommend it to someone who enjoyed SIX OF CROWS. It took a little while to get into the story (the time line was a bit weird for me), but I did have a pretty good time reading it.
The concept, world, and lore were interesting and I would have loved to see them explored more. The pacing was pretty good, though slow for the most part, with dramatic scenes and action peppered throughout. It took some time, but I slowly connected with some of the characters. The only one who kind of irked me was Cassa. She was a little too devil-may-care, and she made a baffling choice at the end that I literally did not understand in the slightest, even after re-reading.
For some reason, whether it was the characters or the slow pacing, or that final decision, I just couldn't click with the story as much as I wanted to. Again, I think this is a case of wrong book, wrong reader. It's beautifully written and has some tender moments, so I would offer it to anyone who enjoys SIX OF CROWS and character drama!
The concept, world, and lore were interesting and I would have loved to see them explored more. The pacing was pretty good, though slow for the most part, with dramatic scenes and action peppered throughout. It took some time, but I slowly connected with some of the characters. The only one who kind of irked me was Cassa. She was a little too devil-may-care, and she made a baffling choice at the end that I literally did not understand in the slightest, even after re-reading.
For some reason, whether it was the characters or the slow pacing, or that final decision, I just couldn't click with the story as much as I wanted to. Again, I think this is a case of wrong book, wrong reader. It's beautifully written and has some tender moments, so I would offer it to anyone who enjoys SIX OF CROWS and character drama!
ominouslilraven's review against another edition
3.0
I had some serious ALLEGIANT vibes there at the end... I’m. Not. Happy.
silver_lining_in_a_book's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
hopeful
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
No one remembered how to decide for themselves anymore. No one wanted to believe that their mistakes were preventable. If your future was foretold, then you weren’t accountable for it.
I have wanted to read this book for years but the less-than-stellar reviews kept putting me off. Well ... I finally bit the bullet and - in my opinion - people are being much too harsh! For what this book is and for its intended audience, I think the friendship dynamics and blossoming romance are wonderful, the banter is playful and fun to follow and the overall messages that Soria conveys are strong and relevant to that age group. I can understand that comparing it to Six of Crows may leave a bit to be desired and the character overlaps are certainly substantial, but I do think this book is intended for a younger audience than Six of Crows is: it has a simpler world, a simpler political system and a shorter easier to follow plot.
This is unlikely to become a new favourite - I just don't think that the characters and world-building were there for me and I am DEFINITELY not in the intended age range - but I liked it for what it was and I am so happy I decided to give it a try. Plus, it's a standalone which is always appreciated! Oh! and I mustn't forget the ending; it was very unexpected but in an excellent way!
jane_kelsey's review against another edition
3.0
Beneath the Citadel starts with a great premise and I always love a heist type of story, and the audiobook narrator did a pretty good job in getting the reader into the story. The characters were interesting, unique voices and motivations which obviously made it easy to remember who's who when listening.
The downside is that once I paused the audiobook for a couple of days, I struggled to pick it up again, I literally had no motivation to want to know what will happen next, I wasn't really hooked in even if the characters and the writing were good. There was something about the plot that did not keep me keen. I am also not going to lie here... I kept on thinking of Six of crows and how it was just not like it; however, when saying that, I am not saying that they were the same, but the vibes were kinda there my brain couldn't switch that off. The fantasy elements were interesting and I liked to read about a book centred around the power of memory and the hunger for power.
Overall it was a good book, a solid 3 stars.
The downside is that once I paused the audiobook for a couple of days, I struggled to pick it up again, I literally had no motivation to want to know what will happen next, I wasn't really hooked in even if the characters and the writing were good. There was something about the plot that did not keep me keen. I am also not going to lie here... I kept on thinking of Six of crows and how it was just not like it; however, when saying that, I am not saying that they were the same, but the vibes were kinda there my brain couldn't switch that off. The fantasy elements were interesting and I liked to read about a book centred around the power of memory and the hunger for power.
Overall it was a good book, a solid 3 stars.