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4.4 AVERAGE
4.4 AVERAGE
What a glorious book. When Tchaikovsky hits his stride, he's unstoppable ❤️
I should start by mentioning that I enjoyed 'City of Last Chances' (first book in the series), but it didn't come anywhere close to how much I liked this one. I shouldn't have been all that surprised, though; it's not like it's the first time that the author nonchalantly surpasses an excellent book with its sequel ('Children of Ruin'!
I should start by mentioning that I enjoyed 'City of Last Chances' (first book in the series), but it didn't come anywhere close to how much I liked this one. I shouldn't have been all that surprised, though; it's not like it's the first time that the author nonchalantly surpasses an excellent book with its sequel ('Children of Ruin'!
adventurous
challenging
emotional
funny
mysterious
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
adventurous
dark
emotional
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
This series just isn’t quite landing with me. Love much of his other books though!
adventurous
reflective
slow-paced
adventurous
dark
funny
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
adventurous
You do not need to read the first book City of Last Chances first. You would figure out enough about the character from the first book in the first few chapters.
In short, this could be called the adventures of the mismatched staff of an army field hospital. There wasn't much of a plot (which might bother some readers), but the eclectic mix of characters would get you invested in their shenanigans that you had to keep reading. There was a military necromancer in command of the hospital who, in turn, got her "materials" from whoever did not survive their wounds. There was a surgeon who used her fire god to sterilize her instruments.
The length of the book and the supposed lack of actual plot may be a deterrent for some, but I enjoyed this new aspect of a fantasy world. Tchaikovsky's poetic writing combined with Pratchett-esque humor would keep you going
According to the author's acknowledgments, "Years ago, there was a panel at one convention or other discussing magical healing and its relatively infrequent use in fiction. I want to thank the unsung heroes who scheduled and appeared on that panel, because that was where the first germ of this book originated."
In short, this could be called the adventures of the mismatched staff of an army field hospital. There wasn't much of a plot (which might bother some readers), but the eclectic mix of characters would get you invested in their shenanigans that you had to keep reading. There was a military necromancer in command of the hospital who, in turn, got her "materials" from whoever did not survive their wounds. There was a surgeon who used her fire god to sterilize her instruments.
The length of the book and the supposed lack of actual plot may be a deterrent for some, but I enjoyed this new aspect of a fantasy world. Tchaikovsky's poetic writing combined with Pratchett-esque humor would keep you going
According to the author's acknowledgments, "Years ago, there was a panel at one convention or other discussing magical healing and its relatively infrequent use in fiction. I want to thank the unsung heroes who scheduled and appeared on that panel, because that was where the first germ of this book originated."
dark
hopeful
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
I really enjoyed this one. Quite a bit more than the first of the series, to be honest.
Very slow paced because it's all set in a war and it just kind of. Keeps moving along. But I was never bored for a second, the world building is just so interesting for the series. The magic system in this too is something I haven't seen much of, the way Alv can heal by taking on others wounds is pretty cool. I really enjoyed her storyline.
Also just enjoyed getting to see into the Pal's war and way of life after seeing them be quite one note in the first book. There's a lot going on there.
Loved all the characters. Even when they sucked, and sometimes especially because they sucked. Prassel my beloved.
Very good writing in general and quite liked the prose. Definitely some good lines in there. Some things in the ending genuinely surprised me, but in a way that I totally could have seen coming and could follow the threads back to earlier points in the book. Very very satisfying and I'm intrigued to see where it goes with them in the next book.
Always felt like I wanted to keep reading. Couldn't put it down for the last hundred pages. Overall good book would read again!
Very slow paced because it's all set in a war and it just kind of. Keeps moving along. But I was never bored for a second, the world building is just so interesting for the series. The magic system in this too is something I haven't seen much of, the way Alv can heal by taking on others wounds is pretty cool. I really enjoyed her storyline.
Also just enjoyed getting to see into the Pal's war and way of life after seeing them be quite one note in the first book. There's a lot going on there.
Loved all the characters. Even when they sucked, and sometimes especially because they sucked. Prassel my beloved.
Very good writing in general and quite liked the prose. Definitely some good lines in there. Some things in the ending genuinely surprised me, but in a way that I totally could have seen coming and could follow the threads back to earlier points in the book. Very very satisfying and I'm intrigued to see where it goes with them in the next book.
Always felt like I wanted to keep reading. Couldn't put it down for the last hundred pages. Overall good book would read again!
adventurous
funny
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
adventurous
dark
emotional
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes