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chaosrayne's review against another edition
4.0
I really really enjoyed this book. I loved the world building and the invoking system. I'd love to see more development outside of the main setting, but maybe there's a sequel in the works. I found the fighting style and the writing style of the fights to be particularly captivating. I would read more from this author.
growintogardens's review against another edition
3.0
This was actually pretty difficult to get through, but I found it pretty interesting overall. The writing during the action scenes was a bit jumbled, so those were not my favorite parts. I kind of liked Cassandra and Eva, but other than that, the other characters weren't really interesting. I wanted to like this so much more than I actually did, but I'd still like to see what the author comes up with in the future.
bhavani's review against another edition
4.0
It took me several rounds of borrowing from my library's Overdrive collection and attempts to get into the story before The Horns of Ruin hooked me in. This book is the first steampunk novel I've read although I've always been interested in the category. I struggled to imagine many of the machines and environment based on the descriptions but it didn't diminish my enjoyment of the story. Eva is not a wholly likable character in my opinion, but she is tolerable given the story's context and her background. The world-building is remarkable. I'll continue thinking about this story and its characters and settings long into the future. Right now, I can say I might reread The Horns of Ruin and will probably pick up another book by the author should I come across them.
pluralise's review against another edition
3.0
I thought this was a really cool premise, but the way the characters talked just struck me weird sometimes... It's written in first person, and there are some references that I think were more the author talking than Eva. The ones I remember most were clothing related -- it just didn't seem to me like the setting was the kind of place to have zippers and t-shirts.
threerings's review against another edition
4.0
This review originally appeared on SteamIngenious.com: http://www.steamingenious.com/2014/03/book-review-horns-of-ruin.html
he Horns of Ruin is a steampunk second world fantasy that is worth checking out. The novel is set in a massive city of Ash, the seat of the Fraterdom.
The Fraterdom was established a few hundred years ago by three human brothers who became gods: Alexander, Morgan, and Amon. This is a world where technology, magic, and religion are really indistinguishable, but it definitely has a steampunk feel.
The protagonist is Eva Forge, last Paladin of the cult of the dead god Morgan. She's the highest warrior of a cult dedicated to a warrior god. Unfortunately the cult has fallen on hard times and is mostly irrelevant. But an attack on their leader sends Eva searching for answers through multiple layers of conspiracy.
This is a very well written book. Although it really throws you into this world with very little explanation, the narrative will eventually get around to explaining everything. There's a lot of action throughout the novel, and it never bored me or confused me, which is a feat because reading action scenes is not typically my favorite thing. The characters are well drawn without a lot of time spent explaining who they are.
I have to say one of my favorite things about this book is the character of Eva. Mostly because she's that rare female character who could just as easily be male and nothing would need to be changed. She's an incredible warrior, she's not all that bright (the characters around her are frequently smarter than her), she's bitter and angry and not at all friendly. I really, really like when writers allow female characters to be flawed in ways that aren't gender stereotypes. But for all her flaws, Eva is likable for her dogged pursuit of truth and her loyalty to her friends and her god.
The steampunk feel of this novel comes from the technology and the environment. The city of Ash feels simultaneously like a city of crumbling relics and brand new shining technology. The magic that Eva uses comes from her faith and training, but also from her sword and it's articulated sheath, which I just want to SEE realized. There's not anything particularly Victorian about this world, but it feels steampunk anyway. It's a grimy world of steel and crumbling brick, with a lot of swashbuckling action.
As a fantasy novel, this reminds me of some of the best modern fantasy I've read. In particular I can't help being reminded of N.K. Jemison's work, especially since there is so much focus on gods and the nature of godhood.
In short I highly recommend this book to fans of intricately plotted fantasy with a unique take on magic, religion, and technology.
he Horns of Ruin is a steampunk second world fantasy that is worth checking out. The novel is set in a massive city of Ash, the seat of the Fraterdom.
The Fraterdom was established a few hundred years ago by three human brothers who became gods: Alexander, Morgan, and Amon. This is a world where technology, magic, and religion are really indistinguishable, but it definitely has a steampunk feel.
The protagonist is Eva Forge, last Paladin of the cult of the dead god Morgan. She's the highest warrior of a cult dedicated to a warrior god. Unfortunately the cult has fallen on hard times and is mostly irrelevant. But an attack on their leader sends Eva searching for answers through multiple layers of conspiracy.
This is a very well written book. Although it really throws you into this world with very little explanation, the narrative will eventually get around to explaining everything. There's a lot of action throughout the novel, and it never bored me or confused me, which is a feat because reading action scenes is not typically my favorite thing. The characters are well drawn without a lot of time spent explaining who they are.
I have to say one of my favorite things about this book is the character of Eva. Mostly because she's that rare female character who could just as easily be male and nothing would need to be changed. She's an incredible warrior, she's not all that bright (the characters around her are frequently smarter than her), she's bitter and angry and not at all friendly. I really, really like when writers allow female characters to be flawed in ways that aren't gender stereotypes. But for all her flaws, Eva is likable for her dogged pursuit of truth and her loyalty to her friends and her god.
The steampunk feel of this novel comes from the technology and the environment. The city of Ash feels simultaneously like a city of crumbling relics and brand new shining technology. The magic that Eva uses comes from her faith and training, but also from her sword and it's articulated sheath, which I just want to SEE realized. There's not anything particularly Victorian about this world, but it feels steampunk anyway. It's a grimy world of steel and crumbling brick, with a lot of swashbuckling action.
As a fantasy novel, this reminds me of some of the best modern fantasy I've read. In particular I can't help being reminded of N.K. Jemison's work, especially since there is so much focus on gods and the nature of godhood.
In short I highly recommend this book to fans of intricately plotted fantasy with a unique take on magic, religion, and technology.
captainuxa's review
3.0
It took a while to get into the book. I was frustrated with the main character's attitude. It swung wildly from calm to sarcastic to furious. It got more level as the book went on. I particularly enjoyed the world building, especially at the end of the book. The charred, undead Amon was a terrifying image.
calissa's review
3.0
Ostensibly, this book is steampunk but the technology and the feel didn’t quite match up. It follows the story of Eva Forge, last Paladin of the slain god Morgan, as she battles against the extinction of her religion at the hands of an unknown enemy.
There was quite a bit to like about this book. I found the setting quite vivid and it was easy to picture the individual locations as well as the city of Ash as a whole. The action scenes were also well written. I found they were clear and held suitable tension. The concept of the invocations—the remembering of legends of Morgan as a way of invoking his power in specific ways—appealed to me and I particularly liked the way Eva’s later ones changed and grew. Overall, the pace was pretty good and the hooks the author used worked well, for the most part.
However, there were some things that really let this book down. The major one was character. The voices of the different characters were almost indistinguishable; there were times I had to read again to figure out who was saying what. All of them seemed to have the same wise-guy sense of humour. Several characters seemed more a function of the plot than proper three-dimensional people, with a number of them seeming all too willing to trust and forgive Eva despite circumstances. The female characters were unconvincing as females. Yes, Eva was practically raised in a monastery in a warrior tradition by mostly males, but I would have liked to see some vestige of femininity in her, particularly since physical strength is not really an issue. Cassandra was no better, despite her different background and relative passivity—the two of them might just as well have been men.
The plot was somewhat predictable in places; I saw some twists coming from a mile off. And yet there were some parts towards the end that I struggled with the author’s concept of divinity and with what was going on in the grand scheme of things.
Nevertheless, I rather enjoyed the book. The ending was satisfying without being the end; several major threads were left loose for future books. I’m still on the fence as to whether I liked it enough to read any future sequels.
There was quite a bit to like about this book. I found the setting quite vivid and it was easy to picture the individual locations as well as the city of Ash as a whole. The action scenes were also well written. I found they were clear and held suitable tension. The concept of the invocations—the remembering of legends of Morgan as a way of invoking his power in specific ways—appealed to me and I particularly liked the way Eva’s later ones changed and grew. Overall, the pace was pretty good and the hooks the author used worked well, for the most part.
However, there were some things that really let this book down. The major one was character. The voices of the different characters were almost indistinguishable; there were times I had to read again to figure out who was saying what. All of them seemed to have the same wise-guy sense of humour. Several characters seemed more a function of the plot than proper three-dimensional people, with a number of them seeming all too willing to trust and forgive Eva despite circumstances. The female characters were unconvincing as females. Yes, Eva was practically raised in a monastery in a warrior tradition by mostly males, but I would have liked to see some vestige of femininity in her, particularly since physical strength is not really an issue. Cassandra was no better, despite her different background and relative passivity—the two of them might just as well have been men.
The plot was somewhat predictable in places; I saw some twists coming from a mile off. And yet there were some parts towards the end that I struggled with the author’s concept of divinity and with what was going on in the grand scheme of things.
Nevertheless, I rather enjoyed the book. The ending was satisfying without being the end; several major threads were left loose for future books. I’m still on the fence as to whether I liked it enough to read any future sequels.
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