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songwind's review
3.0
A good book, but really too short. It reads like the first half of a first installment, though there is a completed narrative arc.
Where this book is best is world-building, particularly in the form of cosmology. The settings' gods and other supernatural beings are fascinating, and several make appearances as characters. In the tradition of older polytheist religions, they have their own agendas, desires, and squabbles.
The political structure is mostly hinted at, but what we learn makes it seem like a good setting for a power struggle.
I look forward to reading more.
Where this book is best is world-building, particularly in the form of cosmology. The settings' gods and other supernatural beings are fascinating, and several make appearances as characters. In the tradition of older polytheist religions, they have their own agendas, desires, and squabbles.
The political structure is mostly hinted at, but what we learn makes it seem like a good setting for a power struggle.
I look forward to reading more.
lskywalker918's review
2.0
Not a bad preamble to the series, but that is all it is, an introduction to something bigger. The beginning was rushed. 21 years flew by very quickly that makes recounting what happened at year 0, 7, and 14 almost irrelevant. The protagonist Julianna could have been fleshed out more. We have read more than 100 pages about her and we still do not know much about her character and personality.
The book does leave you wanting to find out more about this unique and interesting world even though the execution is quite subpar.
The book does leave you wanting to find out more about this unique and interesting world even though the execution is quite subpar.
reasonpassion's review
3.0
I attempted to not like this story, starting it out as a "well this should shut my brain down for a while" escapism. I was pleasantly surprised to find this not to be the case. The usage of mythology and the interplay between the celestial beings and humanity was actually quite interesting and different and the characters are such that not only are they subtly nuanced but even the ones that die quickly end up being cared for. The magic as miracles bit is not much more than changing words to have the same meaning, but the relationship it contains to linguistics and prayer still ends up being interesting.
hostral's review
3.0
I'm torn with this particular review, because I know that Gallowglas is a tremendous writer and I know what he's capable of, having already reviewed the excellent short that is Jaludin's Road.
Having said that, I cannot in good conscience give this a 4, I agree with another reviewer who pointed out that it's more of a 3.75. It's a good work, but it didn't quite blow me away and there were bits that niggled at me to the detriment of the work.
Our protagonist Julianna is very much the coming of age character who has been blessed or cursed by the Gods. What differs about her from the usual is that she isn't some farm girl or bar maid, but rather of wealthy upbringing.
Now we come to the inherent problem I had with the book: I can't remember any of the other characters. I'm aware there was a man following her called Faelin, and there were a few others that made an appearance, but it was either so fleeting or inconsequential that I couldn't keep their names in my mind.
Speaking of names, the nomenclature of the characters and beings in question may have led to this confusion. There are multiple points of view but they're all compressed into what averages out as a very small book for its particular genre. There was no need for the alternative spelling of demons and saints either, as it led to further confusion.
I had no empathy for Julianna, and her trials were mirrored by my own trials to finish the book. I also can't remember the name of the antagonist or their primary motivation.
In his defense, there's more than a touch of the Zelazny about the prose of Gallowglas, with a great magic concept and deeply rooted faith that I enjoyed reading about. There's no denying that the quality is there, but the constraints of the book meant that it wasn't allowed to flourish.
The short, sharp chapters and constant switching of the points of view with little to no recapping of previous events meant that each time I picked up the book to continue I was lost. A longer volume with more fleshed-out chapters may have prevented this.
It won't be the first and it certainly won't be the last time I make this complaint of a self-published fantasy work, but the book was just starting to heat up when it ended. That irritated me greatly, as it felt like an incomplete third of whatever tale was being told.
In spite of my various gripes with the text, I do feel that there's great potential with the Tears of Rage series as a whole. This is one of the more popular works that I've reviewed and I acknowledge that while the above seems harsh, it's written in the understanding that the prose is a cut above the rest.
Given the calibre of the author and the fact that this is an early work, I do suggest that people pick it up. I may not have been in the right mindset to appreciate the story as a whole, so I'd advise you read the other reviews before purchasing it.
Overall I consider this a solid if inauspicious start, but many a great author has done just that before catapulting themselves into something special. Gallowglas may well manage that given time.
Having said that, I cannot in good conscience give this a 4, I agree with another reviewer who pointed out that it's more of a 3.75. It's a good work, but it didn't quite blow me away and there were bits that niggled at me to the detriment of the work.
Our protagonist Julianna is very much the coming of age character who has been blessed or cursed by the Gods. What differs about her from the usual is that she isn't some farm girl or bar maid, but rather of wealthy upbringing.
Now we come to the inherent problem I had with the book: I can't remember any of the other characters. I'm aware there was a man following her called Faelin, and there were a few others that made an appearance, but it was either so fleeting or inconsequential that I couldn't keep their names in my mind.
Speaking of names, the nomenclature of the characters and beings in question may have led to this confusion. There are multiple points of view but they're all compressed into what averages out as a very small book for its particular genre. There was no need for the alternative spelling of demons and saints either, as it led to further confusion.
I had no empathy for Julianna, and her trials were mirrored by my own trials to finish the book. I also can't remember the name of the antagonist or their primary motivation.
In his defense, there's more than a touch of the Zelazny about the prose of Gallowglas, with a great magic concept and deeply rooted faith that I enjoyed reading about. There's no denying that the quality is there, but the constraints of the book meant that it wasn't allowed to flourish.
The short, sharp chapters and constant switching of the points of view with little to no recapping of previous events meant that each time I picked up the book to continue I was lost. A longer volume with more fleshed-out chapters may have prevented this.
It won't be the first and it certainly won't be the last time I make this complaint of a self-published fantasy work, but the book was just starting to heat up when it ended. That irritated me greatly, as it felt like an incomplete third of whatever tale was being told.
In spite of my various gripes with the text, I do feel that there's great potential with the Tears of Rage series as a whole. This is one of the more popular works that I've reviewed and I acknowledge that while the above seems harsh, it's written in the understanding that the prose is a cut above the rest.
Given the calibre of the author and the fact that this is an early work, I do suggest that people pick it up. I may not have been in the right mindset to appreciate the story as a whole, so I'd advise you read the other reviews before purchasing it.
Overall I consider this a solid if inauspicious start, but many a great author has done just that before catapulting themselves into something special. Gallowglas may well manage that given time.
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