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aus1an's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
emberise's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
sevhyrral's review against another edition
informative
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
shoutman's review against another edition
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
4.5
npliego's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
reflective
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
4.0
ashthigs7's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
This book was pretty good. It wasn’t exactly the grand epic I was expecting. I do agree with other reviews here that compare it more to a history text. The events cross over a great time period, so we don’t really spend a lot of time on certain wars or side characters. There are actually so many characters that are introduced one paragraph and then die the next, so you don’t really create any sort of relationship with many of the characters. That definitely lends to the textbook air, because it’s way less emotional and more of just “oh he’s here, he’s gone now.” I really didn’t like Mata’s arrogance and conceit; I hope that was the goal, because he wasn’t a very sympathetic character, even with his “softer” moments. Even with the main characters, it was hard to feel any real connection to their various relationships because everything moved so quickly - such as when Kuni and Mata meet, then start calling each other brothers, then find their way to enemies. The gods were another idea that I felt wasn’t flushed out enough - they were so important, yet their impact/storylines felt very lackluster and few and far between to me. It was almost like Liu would forget that the gods played a big role in the storyline and then create something small for them, then they’d be forgotten again. I definitely wanted more from the book. Even the ending was a bit frustrating for me, especially when Kuni’s friends and trusted council started preparing for his betrayal even before his coronation, even though throughout the 18 years of war he never once betrayed them? Like what? I’ll probably continue the series, but it’s not high on my TBR.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal death, Death, Suicide, Blood, Death of parent, Murder, War, and Injury/Injury detail