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3.99 AVERAGE
3.99 AVERAGE
adventurous
challenging
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
The one thing I was certain of once I finished this book was the rating. As to why it deserved that rating, I'm not as sure of as I usually am for some reason. Almost everything felt average somehow, in a way that I couldn't think of anything glaringly bad, but neither could I spot anything particularly great either.
I think I liked the world more than I liked the people in it. There's quite a strong magic presence in this world and so we barely ever go a scene without it involved somehow. That's neither good nor bad though since I sometimes thought it felt lazy to continually rely on it to create tension or uncertainty, but most of the time it actually felt quite natural and appropriate. Perhaps the biggest criticism of the magic system though is that there are a few too many 'types' of magic users with at least six that I can remember, with most sharing certain abilities as well.
The characters are probably the easiest aspect to pick on in this book. They definitely lacked that something to make you want to route for them. The fact that there are three main perspective characters and another one that we only got a few scenes with, meant that any real character development was quite limited and mostly non-existent. The fact that we switch perspectives multiple times per chapter also made it hard to connect with any of the characters and I ended up liking some of the secondary characters more than any of the protagonists.
I wasn't a huge fan of the writing either, but as with most elements in this book, it was passable enough to prevent any disgruntlement on my part. The story was also fine, but the numerous plots and subplots tended to get in the way of a smooth story-telling experience. The biggest criticism on this front is that very little felt truly creative or memorable. Apart from the one magic element of using gunpowder as a magic source, the rest felt very familiar to most modern fantasy books.
You've probably started to catch a common theme in this review which is that the author simply tried to do too much. Too many characters. Too much magic use and too many magic users. Too many perspectives and too many plots. It all ended up feeling like a leftovers stew with a lot of decent ideas that weren't good enough to make a book on their own, so they all got thrown into a big pot and seasoned just enough to make it all work together. The result is definitely edible, but not really something you should be getting served at a nice restaurant.
Not a book I'll be going out of my way to recommend, but based on the Goodreads ratings and the overall adequateness of it all, I wouldn't discourage anyone from reading it either. I'm not quite decided on whether I'll continue on with the series though. I don't think I care enough about the story or its characters enough to really spend more time pursuing answers here.
I think I liked the world more than I liked the people in it. There's quite a strong magic presence in this world and so we barely ever go a scene without it involved somehow. That's neither good nor bad though since I sometimes thought it felt lazy to continually rely on it to create tension or uncertainty, but most of the time it actually felt quite natural and appropriate. Perhaps the biggest criticism of the magic system though is that there are a few too many 'types' of magic users with at least six that I can remember, with most sharing certain abilities as well.
The characters are probably the easiest aspect to pick on in this book. They definitely lacked that something to make you want to route for them. The fact that there are three main perspective characters and another one that we only got a few scenes with, meant that any real character development was quite limited and mostly non-existent. The fact that we switch perspectives multiple times per chapter also made it hard to connect with any of the characters and I ended up liking some of the secondary characters more than any of the protagonists.
I wasn't a huge fan of the writing either, but as with most elements in this book, it was passable enough to prevent any disgruntlement on my part. The story was also fine, but the numerous plots and subplots tended to get in the way of a smooth story-telling experience. The biggest criticism on this front is that very little felt truly creative or memorable. Apart from the one magic element of using gunpowder as a magic source, the rest felt very familiar to most modern fantasy books.
You've probably started to catch a common theme in this review which is that the author simply tried to do too much. Too many characters. Too much magic use and too many magic users. Too many perspectives and too many plots. It all ended up feeling like a leftovers stew with a lot of decent ideas that weren't good enough to make a book on their own, so they all got thrown into a big pot and seasoned just enough to make it all work together. The result is definitely edible, but not really something you should be getting served at a nice restaurant.
Not a book I'll be going out of my way to recommend, but based on the Goodreads ratings and the overall adequateness of it all, I wouldn't discourage anyone from reading it either. I'm not quite decided on whether I'll continue on with the series though. I don't think I care enough about the story or its characters enough to really spend more time pursuing answers here.
adventurous
dark
emotional
hopeful
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
adventurous
dark
tense
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
This is a SPOILER-FREE review of the ENTIRE trilogy, not just this book.
The Powdermage Trilogy is among the most brutal series I have ever read. Limbs are torn off, people get shot left and right, and entire armies are annihilated. It even starts with the decapitation of just about the entire nobility à la the French Revolution. However, being violent does not mean that a book is any good, instead, well-written elements like characters, plot, prose, or world-building (in the case of SFF) are required. So does the Powdermage Trilogy succeed in those categories, or is it just violent for violence's sake?
To start off with the aspect that got me interested in the series in the first place, the plot. The first book begins just after a coup has been committed by the army, which ended the rule of the nobility with the aim of installing a better government. However, the country first needs to survive a multitude of threats coming from both the in-and outside. Overall the plot was great, progression felt natural and there never was any lack of tension due to some awesome twists and turns. Sadly, the first book did have some problems, for example, somewhere around the middle an entire plotline suddenly gets dropped in favor of another. Luckily, it did not ruin the book for me, and the second and third books do not suffer from such problems, as they are far more consistent in their plot development. The pace at which the books move forward is excellent in all three of them. They all keep up a high tempo from beginning to end, while simultaneously never feeling rushed and having enough moments for readers to catch a breath without the story having to grind to a halt to do so. It is this pacing that is one of the strengths of the trilogy, as it makes the books a lot more exciting and engaging of a ride.
Moving on to the characters-work, which I found to be decent. None of the characters were amazingly written and some felt just a slight bit lacking in depth. Do not get me wrong, I do like most of the characters, as some were quite memorable and I was definitely connected to them by the end, but they just did not blow me away. I found the prose to be better and quite good, though also amazing. It is not flowery and pretty straight to the point, so it does not have extremely detailed and long descriptions. The prose also was not overly dry and is not super graphic either. Consequently, it felt relatively fast, as information was often given quickly. This both fits and contributes to the higher tempo of the pacing. I did find the prose in the first book to be a bit off from time to time, but had no such problems in the second and third books, as the quality of it increased with every entry in the series.
Lastly the world and the magic of the Powdermage Trilogy. I do not think that the word itself is anything special, it felt like a rather standard fantasy world, though I do not mean that as an insult. Aside from that, there were some elements of it I actually enjoyed quite a lot. First of which is the slow uncovering of some mysteries regarding the world, as this made me curious and want to keep reading. The second is the setting, which is similar to Europe around the time of the French Revolution. Such a setting is unlike anything I have ever read before and I absolutely loved it. Although I do need to add that the Powdermage Trilogy is my first flintlock fantasy, so maybe the setting is less special in that subgenre than it was for me. A crucial part of most fantasy worlds is of course the magic system. In the Powdermage Trilogy, this consists of three separate subsystems: the knacked who have one empowered physical or mental ability (like improved hearing), the Podermages who can do all kinds of crazy stuff with gunpowder (like snorting it for increased speed, strength, and endurance), and the privileged who have elemental magic. (spoilers? technically there is a fourth type of magic as well, the bone-eyes use voodoo-like magic). I loved all three of the subsystems, but despite this, I think that too little was seen of the privileged and of the knacked. So although the magic system is awesome in my opinion, it unfortunately did not quite reach its potential.
In conclusion, I had a great time reading the Powdermage Trilogy, for it has an engaging plot, a unique and interesting setting, spot-on pacing, and multiple cool types of magic. Even the weaker elements like characters and world are undoubtedly still above average, and did not even come close to ruining the series for me. Therefore it is safe to say that the series is not just violent for violence's sake, instead, it is a highly enjoyable thrill ride that just happens to also be extremely brutal.
8/10, a great series.
Quick note: I did read most of the novella’s as well, which significantly enhanced the experience for me.
The Powdermage Trilogy is among the most brutal series I have ever read. Limbs are torn off, people get shot left and right, and entire armies are annihilated. It even starts with the decapitation of just about the entire nobility à la the French Revolution. However, being violent does not mean that a book is any good, instead, well-written elements like characters, plot, prose, or world-building (in the case of SFF) are required. So does the Powdermage Trilogy succeed in those categories, or is it just violent for violence's sake?
To start off with the aspect that got me interested in the series in the first place, the plot. The first book begins just after a coup has been committed by the army, which ended the rule of the nobility with the aim of installing a better government. However, the country first needs to survive a multitude of threats coming from both the in-and outside. Overall the plot was great, progression felt natural and there never was any lack of tension due to some awesome twists and turns. Sadly, the first book did have some problems, for example, somewhere around the middle an entire plotline suddenly gets dropped in favor of another. Luckily, it did not ruin the book for me, and the second and third books do not suffer from such problems, as they are far more consistent in their plot development. The pace at which the books move forward is excellent in all three of them. They all keep up a high tempo from beginning to end, while simultaneously never feeling rushed and having enough moments for readers to catch a breath without the story having to grind to a halt to do so. It is this pacing that is one of the strengths of the trilogy, as it makes the books a lot more exciting and engaging of a ride.
Moving on to the characters-work, which I found to be decent. None of the characters were amazingly written and some felt just a slight bit lacking in depth. Do not get me wrong, I do like most of the characters, as some were quite memorable and I was definitely connected to them by the end, but they just did not blow me away. I found the prose to be better and quite good, though also amazing. It is not flowery and pretty straight to the point, so it does not have extremely detailed and long descriptions. The prose also was not overly dry and is not super graphic either. Consequently, it felt relatively fast, as information was often given quickly. This both fits and contributes to the higher tempo of the pacing. I did find the prose in the first book to be a bit off from time to time, but had no such problems in the second and third books, as the quality of it increased with every entry in the series.
Lastly the world and the magic of the Powdermage Trilogy. I do not think that the word itself is anything special, it felt like a rather standard fantasy world, though I do not mean that as an insult. Aside from that, there were some elements of it I actually enjoyed quite a lot. First of which is the slow uncovering of some mysteries regarding the world, as this made me curious and want to keep reading. The second is the setting, which is similar to Europe around the time of the French Revolution. Such a setting is unlike anything I have ever read before and I absolutely loved it. Although I do need to add that the Powdermage Trilogy is my first flintlock fantasy, so maybe the setting is less special in that subgenre than it was for me. A crucial part of most fantasy worlds is of course the magic system. In the Powdermage Trilogy, this consists of three separate subsystems: the knacked who have one empowered physical or mental ability (like improved hearing), the Podermages who can do all kinds of crazy stuff with gunpowder (like snorting it for increased speed, strength, and endurance), and the privileged who have elemental magic. (spoilers? technically there is a fourth type of magic as well, the bone-eyes use voodoo-like magic). I loved all three of the subsystems, but despite this, I think that too little was seen of the privileged and of the knacked. So although the magic system is awesome in my opinion, it unfortunately did not quite reach its potential.
In conclusion, I had a great time reading the Powdermage Trilogy, for it has an engaging plot, a unique and interesting setting, spot-on pacing, and multiple cool types of magic. Even the weaker elements like characters and world are undoubtedly still above average, and did not even come close to ruining the series for me. Therefore it is safe to say that the series is not just violent for violence's sake, instead, it is a highly enjoyable thrill ride that just happens to also be extremely brutal.
8/10, a great series.
Quick note: I did read most of the novella’s as well, which significantly enhanced the experience for me.
adventurous
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
This was really good. I'm sorry it took so long for me to read it. I can't wait to continue with the rest of the books.
I thoroughly enjoyed this read. Good story set in a really interesting world with a very well crafted set of characters. The combination of all of these factors is what will keep me reading the series. I care enough to want to know what happens to the characters, I also want to see how the story itself plays out and I'm interested enough in the world to want to read more about it.
Just enough to like that I feel invested and interested in the series. Interesting world building and plot. Pacing, though, was often problematic. The author’s use of women in the story was disappointing—they were largely objectified, evil, secondary, or voiceless, but there were signs that that might change in the coming books..
It was good and perhaps I should rate it higher, but it just didn't mesh with me over the Christmas holiday.