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4.05 AVERAGE
4.05 AVERAGE
This book made me realise that, unless a main focus is character study/introspection, I don't enjoy my fantasy/sci-fi books in the 1st person.
I thought I would enjoy this a lot more. The magic system was unique but that was about the only thing memorable about it. The characters fell flat for me and I came away at the end not caring about any of them(except for the companion creatures, whatever the heck they are). I may still go into book 2 to see if it gets better. This one may just be suffering from 1st book of series syndrome.
4.5 Stars
Loved: Characters. Lots of compelling characters with layered depth.
Prose. The two main characters are written in first-person, yet they clearly have distinct voices. The three secondary characters are written in third-person. The prose is brisk and punchy, with evocative imagery and metaphors sprinkled throughout.
World. Fascinating magic system (bone shards that power constructs by giving them commands, like a computer program). Floating islands. Mixture of tropical beach vibes with haunted gothic vibes. Great stuff.
Lesbian relationship. Relationship is tumultuous, though not in the typical way that LGBT relationships are written. It starts as an established relationship, which is always nice. There is never any hint of discrimination in the world, which is a refreshing change of pace.
Plot. Lots of twists and turns, many unexpected. I was consistently interested in what happened next.
Hated: Pacing. Chapters are very short, and they often end on a cliffhanger or other loose end, then switch to a different POV. This created a really frustrating experience where I was interested in knowing what was next, then lost all that tension by the time that person's chapter came back around again. Too many chapters start/end in the middle of scene that could have just been written as one chapter. With better pacing and chapter divisions, I would gladly give this 5 stars.
Loved: Characters. Lots of compelling characters with layered depth.
Prose. The two main characters are written in first-person, yet they clearly have distinct voices. The three secondary characters are written in third-person. The prose is brisk and punchy, with evocative imagery and metaphors sprinkled throughout.
World. Fascinating magic system (bone shards that power constructs by giving them commands, like a computer program). Floating islands. Mixture of tropical beach vibes with haunted gothic vibes. Great stuff.
Lesbian relationship. Relationship is tumultuous, though not in the typical way that LGBT relationships are written. It starts as an established relationship, which is always nice. There is never any hint of discrimination in the world, which is a refreshing change of pace.
Plot. Lots of twists and turns, many unexpected. I was consistently interested in what happened next.
Hated: Pacing. Chapters are very short, and they often end on a cliffhanger or other loose end, then switch to a different POV. This created a really frustrating experience where I was interested in knowing what was next, then lost all that tension by the time that person's chapter came back around again. Too many chapters start/end in the middle of scene that could have just been written as one chapter. With better pacing and chapter divisions, I would gladly give this 5 stars.
I saw this in the bookstore and it looked interesting, so I checked it out to see. And I'd say that it does eventually get interesting in the latter half of the book. I do feel like I need to re-read at some point, because the multi-POV was making it hard for me to keep track of what was happening between each story.
Negatives first: whenever there is a switch between first and third POV, that always alerts me as a reader that the third-person isn't as important. I also didn't pick up on the switch between Lin and Jorvis at first, so I was really confused. Making it all third would have saved from the confusion and made all POV equal. I also lost track of where everyone was very easily so Lin and Jorvis meeting was super weird. Plot convenience, I guess. I also got thrown off when Lin said she was in her twenties because she talked like a YA protagonist. I guess she was aged up to make the Emperor's plan slightly less creepy, but her character still came off young. It makes sense why, but still.
Adding to that, the world-building was very weak. I had no sense of the different locations, so none of the chapters meant anything to me when it said where characters were. I'm not clear on what constructs are and how they work. Ultimately I figure they're like FMA homunculus but the bone magic was still a little unclear. It just feels very deus ex machina that Lin could so easily override or add commands. And I have no idea on Jorvis's powers, or why his animal friend can talk. Maybe it was all explained and I missed it. Like I said, I found it hard to follow at first.
The latter half is when things get better. Lin discovering what she is and struggling with moral dilemmas was excellent. The fight was great and while I am still a bit confused, I am interested in seeing where this goes. I'm heartbroken that Bayan probably won't be back, as he was my favorite character. But I think it got my attention enough I want to see more. And I just love these Frankenstein/FMA stories.
Negatives first: whenever there is a switch between first and third POV, that always alerts me as a reader that the third-person isn't as important. I also didn't pick up on the switch between Lin and Jorvis at first, so I was really confused. Making it all third would have saved from the confusion and made all POV equal. I also lost track of where everyone was very easily so Lin and Jorvis meeting was super weird. Plot convenience, I guess. I also got thrown off when Lin said she was in her twenties because she talked like a YA protagonist. I guess she was aged up to make the Emperor's plan slightly less creepy, but her character still came off young. It makes sense why, but still.
Adding to that, the world-building was very weak. I had no sense of the different locations, so none of the chapters meant anything to me when it said where characters were. I'm not clear on what constructs are and how they work. Ultimately I figure they're like FMA homunculus but the bone magic was still a little unclear. It just feels very deus ex machina that Lin could so easily override or add commands. And I have no idea on Jorvis's powers, or why his animal friend can talk. Maybe it was all explained and I missed it. Like I said, I found it hard to follow at first.
The latter half is when things get better. Lin discovering what she is and struggling with moral dilemmas was excellent. The fight was great and while I am still a bit confused, I am interested in seeing where this goes. I'm heartbroken that Bayan probably won't be back, as he was my favorite character. But I think it got my attention enough I want to see more. And I just love these Frankenstein/FMA stories.
Looking back this was a good book and I did enjoy it. But the pacing was just a little too slow and jumping from character to character meant I didn’t really get to know any of them until the end. 2 of the POVs felt like fillers that took away time that could have been spent expanding on Jovis and Lin (who seemed the main characters and honestly were the most interesting).
4'5 que redondeo a 5 porque tener una nutria con cuernos parlante siempre es un plus.
No estaba yo muy convencida con este libro, pero lo vi muy barato y me dije hemos venido a jugar. Al final, ha merecido mucho la pena.
Es una fantasía un tanto oscura y macabra. Quizás leyendo la sinopsis y las primeras páginas no lo parezca, pero según avanza la historia y descubres más del sistema mágico y de ciertos personajes acabas llevándote las manos a la cabeza ante los hechos que se cuentan. No es para todos los estómagos y si lo lees esperando una cosita cuqui y adorable ya puedes buscarte otro libro.
En cuanto a los personajes, me han gustado y creo que están bastante bien construidos, sobre todo si tenemos en cuenta que no solo es la primera parte de una trilogía, sino que también es el primer libro de la autora. Aún así, una siempre tiene sus favoritos y para mí las partes de Jovis eran las mejores.
La única pega que le pongo es a la traducción de la edición española. Creo que Gamon se lo podía haber currado un poquito más. Además, la versión digital tiene varias erratas.
En definitiva, es un libro que recomiendo si te apetece leer una fantasía adulta, pero original y entretenida. Continuaré con la trilogía, sin ninguna duda.
No estaba yo muy convencida con este libro, pero lo vi muy barato y me dije hemos venido a jugar. Al final, ha merecido mucho la pena.
Es una fantasía un tanto oscura y macabra. Quizás leyendo la sinopsis y las primeras páginas no lo parezca, pero según avanza la historia y descubres más del sistema mágico y de ciertos personajes acabas llevándote las manos a la cabeza ante los hechos que se cuentan. No es para todos los estómagos y si lo lees esperando una cosita cuqui y adorable ya puedes buscarte otro libro.
En cuanto a los personajes, me han gustado y creo que están bastante bien construidos, sobre todo si tenemos en cuenta que no solo es la primera parte de una trilogía, sino que también es el primer libro de la autora. Aún así, una siempre tiene sus favoritos y para mí las partes de Jovis eran las mejores.
La única pega que le pongo es a la traducción de la edición española. Creo que Gamon se lo podía haber currado un poquito más. Además, la versión digital tiene varias erratas.
En definitiva, es un libro que recomiendo si te apetece leer una fantasía adulta, pero original y entretenida. Continuaré con la trilogía, sin ninguna duda.
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
adventurous
mysterious
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
I love the world building and character development in this book! I can’t wait to continue the story!!
adventurous
inspiring
mysterious
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:
Complicated