Reviews with content warning for Violence - Malice

I am incredibly shocked this was a debut novel. The way Gwynne had me gripped to the edge of my seat as I devoured this story. I had heard there was slow pacing and that is factual. But I could not put this book down. The character work for me was phenomenal. The way he incorporated so many povs into this story, yet still was able to seamlessly weave the narrative between them and progress the overarching plot between so many different subplot going on. If this was his first novel, and everything gets better from here? I cannot wait to continue on.

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l_noona's review against another edition

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adventurous dark emotional funny mysterious sad tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.75

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ashleykhoffman's review against another edition

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adventurous tense slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes

4.0

Now this is a war fantasy. Some authors try to write war, but every character comes out relatively unscathed, but this is dark and twisty and heartbreaking. There are a LOT of characters and places, and for a first book in a series, I think a lot of them were unnecessary and just made this slower to get through. I had to take notes to make sure I was even kind of following earlier parts of the book. It does seem like the series will be much easier to follow in subsequent books, but be aware if you're a mood reader that this one takes focus and determination to plow through the world building. But the end is worth it and I'm excited for book 2.

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hails2dabails's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging dark emotional reflective sad 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? Yes

4.5

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kmack79's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging emotional sad 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? It's complicated

4.0

Even the brave will fall"

There are humans, draighs, giants, wyrm, wolven, and a talking bird.
The world building was good and the magic system I feel is just the beginning in this book.

The black sun is gaining its ascendency and there are going to be far larger problems to come than this war. The prophesy indicates darkness and light will demand two champions, the Black Sun and the Bright Star. They would be wise to seek out both, for if the Black Sun gains ascendancy, mankind’s hopes and dreams will fall to dust

Corban is a young warrior who is learning to protect and serve under King Brenin. He finds a wolven who he raises from a pup that now has grown and is his protective companion. He is the main character in this book so you definitely root for him.

Veradis is a very skilled swordsmen who is in the High prince Nathair's warband. He seems like a cool character. Seems like a Jamie Lanister type except isnt so cocky. ; )

Nathair- the High Prince, doesn't agree with his father (High King Aquilus) to summon his fellow kings to council.

The book reminded me of Game of thrones in many ways. Its violent. Don't get too comfortable with characters they may die!

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lejones1785's review against another edition

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adventurous dark emotional mysterious sad 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? Yes

4.25

Not for the faint of heart. There are a lot of characters and storylines to keep track of. I loved every minute of it. It's like game of thrones without bad language and nakiness. I had a hard time putting this book down because I was so invested in the characters and the stories. My only complaint is to be prepared for a cliffhanger. I can't wait to start the next book.

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moosereads1's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging dark emotional mysterious tense slow-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? It's complicated

5.0

I absolutely adored this book! It was definitely a slower pace, but honestly I feel like that was a bit necessary to accommodate the intense world building that Gwynne provides. The book made me laugh, cry, and held me on the edge of my seat through it all. I can’t wait to start the next book!

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grunks's review against another edition

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adventurous dark tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.5

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