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charliauthor's review against another edition
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? N/A
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A
1.5
Umm so... this was bad. For my tastes, this was just laughably bad.
I've listened to the whole thing and have no idea what happened or why I was supposed to care. The reveal meant nothing to me, I had no connection to the characters, the magic system was fairly boring, and it was riddled with the theme/trope I hate most of being treated differently because one is dark skinned.
I just cannot with this. If not for what was obviously good research and an attempt to build a cohesive world it would have been a 1 star. I’ve given it a 2 here but on Storygraph it will definitely get a 1.5.
I received this book from Goldsboro a few years ago and kept it on the shelf as the cover and blurb looked great. I was ready to be invested in some epic fantasy from a female author and thought this might be something good in that vein. This was not to be the case and I just felt really disappointed and unsatisfied for every second of it.
In this world divided by some dark rift, there is a school of mages who know how to fight each other mentally called mind linking. There are novices who want to be like the revered mages but one such novice is called Isha and she has a big ‘ole tattoo on her face that sets her a part as an ‘Other’ that of course nobody likes and treats like shit. There are horned creatures and other such beings who are also treated as second class citizens for no other reason it seems then to just have people to disrespect.
Alongside Isha is some random dude called Tatters – what a shit name) who is [a] Collarbound? Not really sure of the terminology but it means, hey, you guessed it, he’s a slave. But get this friends, he’s a runaway slave hiding out from his masters with a some kind of mental bestie who constantly talks into his head. They tried to make this slave element a little less offensive by making him white but then hey, we’re not down for slavery whatever race so why is this even here. Why is he collarbound? Who is he running from? Why has no one returned him to his master if this collar is so noticeable? Why is this grown man chilling with kids in a tavern? Don’t you have any friends dude?
The whole thing is just a mess of forced mystery and murky details that was just so incredibly boring all the way through. The audio was only six or so hours on 1.7x and that still wasn’t fast enough. I really wanted to find something different for once but this wasn’t it. I can respect lyrical prose as much as anyone but I need my books to, I dunno, have a point maybe?
sunny_bumblebee's review
adventurous
dark
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Racism, Slavery, and Body horror
alchaea's review
adventurous
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
stormyox's review
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
inspiring
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A
4.5
cassidychivers's review
5.0
This story completely shocked me and blew me away. I knew nothing about this story going into it.
What I loved about this story the world building, it's done very naturally and you can tell it's been well thought out. It's an enriched world and I could spent 900 pages just learning about all of it.
Also the magic system. It's the magic of someone's mind and I thought it was very unique and fascinating.
The tons of politics. There's politics and scheming at every point of this story.
What I didn't like about this story.... it's 300 pages. I needed more. It should have been 800.
I need book two!
What I loved about this story the world building, it's done very naturally and you can tell it's been well thought out. It's an enriched world and I could spent 900 pages just learning about all of it.
Also the magic system. It's the magic of someone's mind and I thought it was very unique and fascinating.
The tons of politics. There's politics and scheming at every point of this story.
What I didn't like about this story.... it's 300 pages. I needed more. It should have been 800.
I need book two!
dean_madison's review
adventurous
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
tokergal's review
5.0
Thank you to NetGalley and Orion Publishing Group for the ARC.
I didn’t think I would enjoy this book so much but I’m currently sitting on the edge of my seat, metaphorically of course, waiting for the second book because this book had it all for me.
Following the story of Tatters was something I really enjoyed, it was different and interesting. And following Isha’s story was very mysterious, I think that might play a factor in why I couldn’t put the book down. I needed answers about Tatters and Isha, a strange pair yet I really loved the friendship that came to be between them.
Hopefully this isn’t a major spoiler however I am not one to read books with heavy romance, the romance in The Collarbound wasn’t like anything I’d come across before. It wasn’t shoved into my face, it was there in the background and each time the characters interacted I found myself becoming excited because I was looking forward to the romance. It surprised me a lot.
The world that Rebecca has built is something marvellous, in this world there are mages, humans and khers. I don’t really see the need to go into full detail about the mages, and their magic, it’s pretty straightforward and I liked that. Khers are awesome, I really do look forward to learning more about them!
The most compelling factor of this novel is the mystery, there’s a great satisfaction to unraveling it.
Last thing I will be adding is this: the world is on the brink of a war yet instead of having the characters rushing around preparing, we get to see how the characters are connected to the war. This is definitely a book I’ll be reading again, probably once it’s published so I can buy a physical copy and I’ll be waiting patiently for the sequel.
I didn’t think I would enjoy this book so much but I’m currently sitting on the edge of my seat, metaphorically of course, waiting for the second book because this book had it all for me.
Following the story of Tatters was something I really enjoyed, it was different and interesting. And following Isha’s story was very mysterious, I think that might play a factor in why I couldn’t put the book down. I needed answers about Tatters and Isha, a strange pair yet I really loved the friendship that came to be between them.
Hopefully this isn’t a major spoiler however I am not one to read books with heavy romance, the romance in The Collarbound wasn’t like anything I’d come across before. It wasn’t shoved into my face, it was there in the background and each time the characters interacted I found myself becoming excited because I was looking forward to the romance. It surprised me a lot.
The world that Rebecca has built is something marvellous, in this world there are mages, humans and khers. I don’t really see the need to go into full detail about the mages, and their magic, it’s pretty straightforward and I liked that. Khers are awesome, I really do look forward to learning more about them!
The most compelling factor of this novel is the mystery, there’s a great satisfaction to unraveling it.
Last thing I will be adding is this: the world is on the brink of a war yet instead of having the characters rushing around preparing, we get to see how the characters are connected to the war. This is definitely a book I’ll be reading again, probably once it’s published so I can buy a physical copy and I’ll be waiting patiently for the sequel.
kevinscorner's review
4.0
I really liked and even enjoyed The Collarbound, but this book had no actual story. Tatters is collarbound, a slave mage bound to another by a golden collar, who has escaped his master and the rebellion he was once a part of many years in the past. Isha is a young mage fleeing the rebellion with a distinctive face tattoo and a past she cannot recall. They form an unlikely bond in the Nest, a fortress of mages, just as the rebellion threatens it.
This book is practically all set-up with no conflict or resolution. It felt like the first act of a 500-page epic fantasy, but told in 350 pages and as a separate book. So it’s best to be prepared at what you are getting. Otherwise, this was an excellently crafted fantasy with a rich history and lore. It establishes a complex world of mages and khers and those untouched by magic.
Tatters and Isha are two very different characters with still vague histories and undefined loyalties. Rebecca Zahabi wrote them as affable and likable characters that are easy to root personality-wise despite many questions about both of them still left hanging. Now that she has built these characters up and weaved their mysterious pasts, we have to wait for the sequels to determine whether it was worth this is going somewhere worthwise.
As it is, The Collarbound sets up a great epic fantasy world but leaves the storytelling for its sequel.
This book is practically all set-up with no conflict or resolution. It felt like the first act of a 500-page epic fantasy, but told in 350 pages and as a separate book. So it’s best to be prepared at what you are getting. Otherwise, this was an excellently crafted fantasy with a rich history and lore. It establishes a complex world of mages and khers and those untouched by magic.
Tatters and Isha are two very different characters with still vague histories and undefined loyalties. Rebecca Zahabi wrote them as affable and likable characters that are easy to root personality-wise despite many questions about both of them still left hanging. Now that she has built these characters up and weaved their mysterious pasts, we have to wait for the sequels to determine whether it was worth this is going somewhere worthwise.
As it is, The Collarbound sets up a great epic fantasy world but leaves the storytelling for its sequel.