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3.49 AVERAGE
3.49 AVERAGE
For those that don’t know Shawn Speakman is the creator of Grim Oak Press. He uses that platform to sell some of his books which I never wanted to even try because he’s never once finished a series that he’s started, like never even written a book 2 of planned trilogies. For some reason I figured I’d give it a gamble with this and it turned out to be fantastic. My only wish is that it was longer! His prose is simple and fast paced for a super quick read which is a nice change of pace coming off of Lord of Chaos. He better freaking be starting on the sequel soon or I’m going to lose it!
The story follows the bastard Sylviana who is the chosen heir to the throne when the King dies, much to the dismay of her siblings. She must battle her siblings whether it be politically or physically. They will do whatever it takes to get rid of her. She later goes on a quest for a book to prove her legitimacy to the land of the Faes with a great cast of characters that I really enjoyed. The Faes are no friend to humans and she finds out that she must worry about her siblings, Faes, as well as someone else who is plotting her against them both to create a war.
The story follows the bastard Sylviana who is the chosen heir to the throne when the King dies, much to the dismay of her siblings. She must battle her siblings whether it be politically or physically. They will do whatever it takes to get rid of her. She later goes on a quest for a book to prove her legitimacy to the land of the Faes with a great cast of characters that I really enjoyed. The Faes are no friend to humans and she finds out that she must worry about her siblings, Faes, as well as someone else who is plotting her against them both to create a war.
medium-paced
WOOF.
Ok, so, I read the original short "The King-Killing Queen" (which is part 1 of this novel) in an anthology that I Kickstarted and read last year. At that time, this was one of my favorite entries and I remember saying I wished it was a full novel. Lo and behold, shortly after that, a Kickstarter was announced for a novel-length version! I backed it, and with shipping from the UK, this book cost me about $65.
I say all this because the cost of the novel does play into my disappointment with it. It's probably one of, if not the most, expensive books I own and damnit, I'm MAD about it.
Almost as soon as I started reading this book, I wondered what I liked about it the first time. Suddenly, the writing felt overly simplistic and painfully repetitive. After I'd finished part 1, I grabbed my copy of the anthology to compare the two. I thought maybe the initial short story had been (poorly) reworked as part of the novelization. I was wrong. I spot-checked quite a bit of part 1 and the original short, and they appear to be, word-for-word, the same.
How could I have liked it so much 6 months ago, and now feel both bored and frustrated by it?! I don't know, but that's what happened.
I didn't like any of the characters, the dialogue is painful, the plot is slow-moving and predictable, and the writing is so frustrating! I felt like I was being talked down to, or that maybe this was written for children (in a way that didn't feel compelling, because actually I love a lot of children's books and this is not a diss on the genre), except that people sometimes say "fuck" or try to kill each other. Normally, I would have DNF'd this at the halfway point, but I'd spent too much money for that and plodded on.
ONLY TO FIND OUT IT'S THE FIRST IN A SERIES.
I should have known. But I was taken by surprise and didn't even get any closure in terms of the plot. I don't know if I'll read the rest of the books - I certainly won't be backing any more Kickstarters; if they're traditionally published and eventually make their way into my library system, maybe I'll give them a read...but maybe not.
I would still be annoyed with this book if it had cost me a more typical amount of money, so I realize that some of my anger is tied to how much I spent and that's 100% not on the author. But damn, I really wanted to love this and I really didn't.
Ok, so, I read the original short "The King-Killing Queen" (which is part 1 of this novel) in an anthology that I Kickstarted and read last year. At that time, this was one of my favorite entries and I remember saying I wished it was a full novel. Lo and behold, shortly after that, a Kickstarter was announced for a novel-length version! I backed it, and with shipping from the UK, this book cost me about $65.
I say all this because the cost of the novel does play into my disappointment with it. It's probably one of, if not the most, expensive books I own and damnit, I'm MAD about it.
Almost as soon as I started reading this book, I wondered what I liked about it the first time. Suddenly, the writing felt overly simplistic and painfully repetitive. After I'd finished part 1, I grabbed my copy of the anthology to compare the two. I thought maybe the initial short story had been (poorly) reworked as part of the novelization. I was wrong. I spot-checked quite a bit of part 1 and the original short, and they appear to be, word-for-word, the same.
How could I have liked it so much 6 months ago, and now feel both bored and frustrated by it?! I don't know, but that's what happened.
I didn't like any of the characters, the dialogue is painful, the plot is slow-moving and predictable, and the writing is so frustrating! I felt like I was being talked down to, or that maybe this was written for children (in a way that didn't feel compelling, because actually I love a lot of children's books and this is not a diss on the genre), except that people sometimes say "fuck" or try to kill each other. Normally, I would have DNF'd this at the halfway point, but I'd spent too much money for that and plodded on.
ONLY TO FIND OUT IT'S THE FIRST IN A SERIES.
I should have known. But I was taken by surprise and didn't even get any closure in terms of the plot. I don't know if I'll read the rest of the books - I certainly won't be backing any more Kickstarters; if they're traditionally published and eventually make their way into my library system, maybe I'll give them a read...but maybe not.
I would still be annoyed with this book if it had cost me a more typical amount of money, so I realize that some of my anger is tied to how much I spent and that's 100% not on the author. But damn, I really wanted to love this and I really didn't.
adventurous
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
adventurous
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
adventurous
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
adventurous
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
adventurous
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
adventurous
hopeful
relaxing
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
adventurous
medium-paced
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
Loved it. Captivating. Magical.