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vigil's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
funny
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
i think this book, despite it’s size is a very breezy read. not because the topics are lighthearted, unless you consider an old man bringing down an empire because he was unjustly thrown in prison lighthearted, but because of the strong narrative voice, and the author’s strong focus on what they wanted out of the book.
the narrator is an older man somewhere in his seventies, who is thrown into prison for suspicions of essentially witchcraft. because the main trait of chant (the protagonist’s name and occupation) is that he’s a yabbering asshole who couldn’t keep his mouth shut if he tried, several charges are added to his sentence that essentially damn him. and it’s up to his experience as a chant, a teller and collector of stories, to free himself.
the lgbt tag on the book belongs to his apprentice ylfing, a seventeen year old gay chant in training. ylfing….. didn’t have much of a solid personality in this one. i describe him as an all american boy but he’s not technically american. he’s boy crazy though. we know that. he deserved much better than the shitty relationship he had here. hopefully the sequel fleshes him out more, but i think he’s served his purpose in the story, even if he was a bit bland.
throughout the story multiple tales are told that enhance the world-building, and draw parallels between characters. the last option is usually done by chant, in order to manipulate whoever is in front of him, but other characters get their moments in the limelight too. i really didn’t mind this gimmick for i’d say, 98% of the book. the stories were engaging and meant to influence the characters, which further influenced the plot. but that was also why i found the final tale ylfing told so grating. padding out a 400+ page book is unnecessary, only dragged out the plot in an annoying way. i skipped after the first two pages of the tale, because it was so boring.
that’s really my only detraction of the book, that and the blackwitches, which felt cheap and unexplained.
the fantastical element in the book is subtle, aside from the aforementioned blackwitches and fictional setting, and largely only exists in some of the tales told by chant or ylfing. keyword: some.
if you like character driven political dramas with a soft fantasy backdrop, i’d say go for it. it wasn’t life-changing or anything but it was a good way to spend a few afternoons.
the narrator is an older man somewhere in his seventies, who is thrown into prison for suspicions of essentially witchcraft. because the main trait of chant (the protagonist’s name and occupation) is that he’s a yabbering asshole who couldn’t keep his mouth shut if he tried, several charges are added to his sentence that essentially damn him. and it’s up to his experience as a chant, a teller and collector of stories, to free himself.
the lgbt tag on the book belongs to his apprentice ylfing, a seventeen year old gay chant in training. ylfing….. didn’t have much of a solid personality in this one. i describe him as an all american boy but he’s not technically american. he’s boy crazy though. we know that. he deserved much better than the shitty relationship he had here. hopefully the sequel fleshes him out more, but i think he’s served his purpose in the story, even if he was a bit bland.
throughout the story multiple tales are told that enhance the world-building, and draw parallels between characters. the last option is usually done by chant, in order to manipulate whoever is in front of him, but other characters get their moments in the limelight too. i really didn’t mind this gimmick for i’d say, 98% of the book. the stories were engaging and meant to influence the characters, which further influenced the plot. but that was also why i found the final tale ylfing told so grating. padding out a 400+ page book is unnecessary, only dragged out the plot in an annoying way. i skipped after the first two pages of the tale, because it was so boring.
that’s really my only detraction of the book, that and the blackwitches, which felt cheap and unexplained.
the fantastical element in the book is subtle, aside from the aforementioned blackwitches and fictional setting, and largely only exists in some of the tales told by chant or ylfing. keyword: some.
if you like character driven political dramas with a soft fantasy backdrop, i’d say go for it. it wasn’t life-changing or anything but it was a good way to spend a few afternoons.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Alcohol, Injury/Injury detail, Murder, Alcoholism, Cursing, Death, Kidnapping, Violence, War, and Blood
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