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3.45 AVERAGE
3.45 AVERAGE
3.5
Interesting mash-up of Steampunk, magical fantasy, and Georgian England manners and dress. Like the lead characters and the history surrounding the Order and their Deacons.
Interesting mash-up of Steampunk, magical fantasy, and Georgian England manners and dress. Like the lead characters and the history surrounding the Order and their Deacons.
I was pleasantly surprised by this one. The cover* left me a bit nervous that it would be more YA than I was looking for, but Sorcha is in her 30s (late 30s, I even think), as is Raed. They were believable, capable adults. I can't tell you how much I appreciate that.
The world is an interesting one. There's a mild romantic subplot (or two) and there's some witty humor. I was a little less enamored with the plot than I was with everything surrounding it, but still a solid, enjoyable read.
Lastly, I'm alway iffy about author-narrators. But, with the exception of some annoying swallowing sounds, Ballantine did an excellent job with the narration.
*If I'm discussing the cover, I don't know that a lion fits the description of the beast(as I understood it) and every time I look at it, I'm a bit thrown off.
The world is an interesting one. There's a mild romantic subplot (or two) and there's some witty humor. I was a little less enamored with the plot than I was with everything surrounding it, but still a solid, enjoyable read.
Lastly, I'm alway iffy about author-narrators. But, with the exception of some annoying swallowing sounds, Ballantine did an excellent job with the narration.
*If I'm discussing the cover, I don't know that a lion fits the description of the beast(as I understood it) and every time I look at it, I'm a bit thrown off.
Fine book, but relatively simple story. There are hints of depth to the characters, but in the end, this is really a plot based story with what is, to me, a new premise. Ultimately, it wasn't the most satisfying thing to me but the Paul of 10 years ago would have really enjoyed it. I generally recommend it if you're "in between" more challenging reads.
I came across Geist when it first came out, but when I read the first few pages it wasn't captivating for me. But since then I keep getting recommended this book and I'm constantly running across it. I needed some books to read, so I decided to give it a go.
I found the story interesting and I liked that the mysteries of some of the characters slowly revealed themselves. Parts of the story were intriguing and I found to be original.
But I did have a few problems with this book.
Some previous reviewers have stated that this is a good book, once you get past the first three chapters. I wholeheartedly agree with this. Once I started reading it, at first it was enticing but then I just started dragging my heels with the book. The first chapter wouldn't have been so bad, in my opinion, if it wasn't for all the term dropping. For example Sorcha mentions The Center, Sensitive, Active, Geist, Strop, etc. Some of the terms you kind of have to understand just by reading the book, they are never explained, which made for some frustrating reading.
Sometimes, it felt like the author wasn't sure what she wanted the terms to mean either. For example "Geist" sometimes made me think it was a term for some otherworld entity, other times it was a general term for the "unliving". If the author wasn't going to explain the stuff in the book, I felt like she should have included a glossary at the very least.
Another thing that bothered me in the book was Sorcha's relationship. In the book, Sorcha is married to Kolya. However, she starts a relationship with Raed. Her reasoning for this is her marriage has been dead for years, but THAT makes it okay for her to cheat on her husband :eye rolls:. If her husband was lost at sea, I can understand it, if she separated from him I can understand it. But she made a promise/vow (possibly) to be Kolya's wife (the reason why this bothers me so: My mom taught me if you give your "word", you had better do it. Cause if you don't you'll lose that trust. My dad taught me that the only thing you truly own is your "word". So, don't use it frivolously and mean it). Plus, she doesn't seem to try to make any effort to restore her relationship in the past. Not to mention, how her character inexplicably changes in regard to Kolya. At the beginning, Sorcha uses a dangerous rune when she sees Kolay collapse while he was attacked by a geist; but less than halfway through the book she decides that their relationship is dead and jumps into a new one with Raed. It doesn't make much sense to me.
Sorcha is a strong character. That's it. I've read other series where there are strong female characters, but not here. Which has been done before, you can't spit in a UF genre and not his a book with a strong character who is female, and of course Sorcha is the most powerful Active (like that isn't another over done theme).
I found the story interesting and I liked that the mysteries of some of the characters slowly revealed themselves. Parts of the story were intriguing and I found to be original.
But I did have a few problems with this book.
Some previous reviewers have stated that this is a good book, once you get past the first three chapters. I wholeheartedly agree with this. Once I started reading it, at first it was enticing but then I just started dragging my heels with the book. The first chapter wouldn't have been so bad, in my opinion, if it wasn't for all the term dropping. For example Sorcha mentions The Center, Sensitive, Active, Geist, Strop, etc. Some of the terms you kind of have to understand just by reading the book, they are never explained, which made for some frustrating reading.
Sometimes, it felt like the author wasn't sure what she wanted the terms to mean either. For example "Geist" sometimes made me think it was a term for some otherworld entity, other times it was a general term for the "unliving". If the author wasn't going to explain the stuff in the book, I felt like she should have included a glossary at the very least.
Another thing that bothered me in the book was Sorcha's relationship. In the book, Sorcha is married to Kolya. However, she starts a relationship with Raed. Her reasoning for this is her marriage has been dead for years, but THAT makes it okay for her to cheat on her husband :eye rolls:. If her husband was lost at sea, I can understand it, if she separated from him I can understand it. But she made a promise/vow (possibly) to be Kolya's wife (the reason why this bothers me so: My mom taught me if you give your "word", you had better do it. Cause if you don't you'll lose that trust. My dad taught me that the only thing you truly own is your "word". So, don't use it frivolously and mean it). Plus, she doesn't seem to try to make any effort to restore her relationship in the past. Not to mention, how her character inexplicably changes in regard to Kolya. At the beginning, Sorcha uses a dangerous rune when she sees Kolay collapse while he was attacked by a geist; but less than halfway through the book she decides that their relationship is dead and jumps into a new one with Raed. It doesn't make much sense to me.
Sorcha is a strong character. That's it. I've read other series where there are strong female characters, but not here. Which has been done before, you can't spit in a UF genre and not his a book with a strong character who is female, and of course Sorcha is the most powerful Active (like that isn't another over done theme).
Reread 2018: While I didn't enjoy Geist as much the second time around (hence my new three star rating), it was still pretty good. I'm definitely glad I reread it before reading [b:Spectyr|9694311|Spectyr (Book of the Order, #2)|Philippa Ballantine|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1328209400s/9694311.jpg|14582446] - I think I would have been totally lost.
After a slow start, I really enjoyed this one.
After a slow start, I really enjoyed this one.
I'm still not entirely sure what to think about this one. The magic system is unique and I had a little trouble wrapping my head around it at first. I liked Sorcha because she's so powerful but yet still not the most powerful thing in the world without a partner. The sensitive/active system was interesting and each new challenge brought out more of how the system worked. I could have done without the romance or bondapalooza but it was still entertaining.
I really enjoyed the main character Scorcha (as its rare to find a well written aggressive and powerful woman) and the magic system was well thought out and interesting! The plot jumped around at points but this was overall an enjoyable, quick read.
Oh wow, this was an unexpected find, and loved it!
I found this as a "similar to" book, and it sounded vaguely interesting, but oh was it a fast read! I don't think I've read a book this fast for a long time.
This is a story about a not quite traditional fantasy world - it actually felt more like a Victorian age story, with some muskets and dirigibles thrown into the works, but the most fun was the magic and giests - and the pair of Deacons who were our main characters. It made me thing of a ghostbusters mixed with 'the blade itself'.
The plot was simple, but a page turner. Troubled deacons head north to giest-infested town, meet pirate/monster who joins them. Fight enemy - who exposes trouble and corruption - race to the capital to fight the big bad, and Win the day (sort of).
This is the sort of book that I love reading, little pulpy, but so e wonderful depth hinted at in these pages, and the characters and world still have a lot to be explored! I am definitely going to be finding the rest in this series, and other books by this author.
My biggest co plaint is that the story is so short and fast - I would have loved for it to go into more depth at times, but it just raced along! (So nearly a 5, but not quite!)
I found this as a "similar to" book, and it sounded vaguely interesting, but oh was it a fast read! I don't think I've read a book this fast for a long time.
This is a story about a not quite traditional fantasy world - it actually felt more like a Victorian age story, with some muskets and dirigibles thrown into the works, but the most fun was the magic and giests - and the pair of Deacons who were our main characters. It made me thing of a ghostbusters mixed with 'the blade itself'.
The plot was simple, but a page turner. Troubled deacons head north to giest-infested town, meet pirate/monster who joins them. Fight enemy - who exposes trouble and corruption - race to the capital to fight the big bad, and Win the day (sort of).
This is the sort of book that I love reading, little pulpy, but so e wonderful depth hinted at in these pages, and the characters and world still have a lot to be explored! I am definitely going to be finding the rest in this series, and other books by this author.
My biggest co plaint is that the story is so short and fast - I would have loved for it to go into more depth at times, but it just raced along! (So nearly a 5, but not quite!)
Philippa Ballantine’s Geist is a lush fantasy that straddles many subgenres: fantasy, steampunk, paranormal, but is a solid read that makes reader’s comfortable in the vivid mash-up of the various tropes.
Deacon Sorcha Faris is a protector in an Order whose task is securing the safety of the world from geists (ghosts) whose sole focus is possessing the innocent. Sorcha and her husband, Kolya, fight the geist with their individual and intricate powers, (Kolya is a Sensitive who guides Sorcha’s Active powers), but when Kolya is injured in a surprise attack, Sorcha is assigned a new partner, Merrick Chambers.
The pair is sent to the village of Ulrich to investigate unusual geist attacks and along the way they meet Reade, a captain with a past and a few secrets he’d like to keep to himself. Sorcha and Raed develop an attraction for one another, despite her ties to Kolya as the journey continues. When they come ashore in Ulrich, they discover more than they expected in both the town and each other.
Ballantine has crafted a highly conceptualized magical and political system in her novel. In lesser hands, this intricate, developed universe may have been cluttered and distracting, but she manages to keep her reader engaged and interested without sacrificing the sophisticated tapestry of the intricate world.
Geist is full of action and characters that are finely developed and conflicted by the roles they must play and their individual parts in resolving some of the novel’s greatest challenges. I found Sorcha to be a colorful, out-of-the-norm character; a hero who is both brave and brass and unapologetic about how she lives her life or the means she takes to complete her missions.
This is not, however, a “guilty pleasure” novel, and not for readers who want to leisurely read. I’ll warn you now that once you start Geist, you won’t be able to stop. Prepare yourself for a long haul because you won’t be putting this one down. Action is on nearly every page and Sorcha’s sarcastic, anti-social manner is both endearing and funny and will have you cringing, laughing and cheering her along.
Highly recommended.
Deacon Sorcha Faris is a protector in an Order whose task is securing the safety of the world from geists (ghosts) whose sole focus is possessing the innocent. Sorcha and her husband, Kolya, fight the geist with their individual and intricate powers, (Kolya is a Sensitive who guides Sorcha’s Active powers), but when Kolya is injured in a surprise attack, Sorcha is assigned a new partner, Merrick Chambers.
The pair is sent to the village of Ulrich to investigate unusual geist attacks and along the way they meet Reade, a captain with a past and a few secrets he’d like to keep to himself. Sorcha and Raed develop an attraction for one another, despite her ties to Kolya as the journey continues. When they come ashore in Ulrich, they discover more than they expected in both the town and each other.
Ballantine has crafted a highly conceptualized magical and political system in her novel. In lesser hands, this intricate, developed universe may have been cluttered and distracting, but she manages to keep her reader engaged and interested without sacrificing the sophisticated tapestry of the intricate world.
Geist is full of action and characters that are finely developed and conflicted by the roles they must play and their individual parts in resolving some of the novel’s greatest challenges. I found Sorcha to be a colorful, out-of-the-norm character; a hero who is both brave and brass and unapologetic about how she lives her life or the means she takes to complete her missions.
This is not, however, a “guilty pleasure” novel, and not for readers who want to leisurely read. I’ll warn you now that once you start Geist, you won’t be able to stop. Prepare yourself for a long haul because you won’t be putting this one down. Action is on nearly every page and Sorcha’s sarcastic, anti-social manner is both endearing and funny and will have you cringing, laughing and cheering her along.
Highly recommended.
