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nutmegnomegano's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
tense
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? It's complicated
3.0
klistoff's review
4.0
Captivating
This was a Kindle first book and generally I’ve not had a great deal of luck with these.
This was a welcome change. I found myself continually drawn back in beyond my defined reading times to see what would befall our erstwhile hero next.
I suppose the nearest parallel would be the Hunger Games books, but this is set off world in the distant future with issues that are not too distant for us now.
My one disappointment was the rather limp ending, but I suppose that links through to part 2...
This was a Kindle first book and generally I’ve not had a great deal of luck with these.
This was a welcome change. I found myself continually drawn back in beyond my defined reading times to see what would befall our erstwhile hero next.
I suppose the nearest parallel would be the Hunger Games books, but this is set off world in the distant future with issues that are not too distant for us now.
My one disappointment was the rather limp ending, but I suppose that links through to part 2...
max_online's review against another edition
5.0
Very good and well written.
This is not one of those happy books that are often predictable. Instead, it has interesting twists and gripping moments.
This is not one of those happy books that are often predictable. Instead, it has interesting twists and gripping moments.
stephhreads's review against another edition
3.0
Not quite sure how I feel about this one. It's definitely gripping and somewhat entertaining, but also gruesome, gritty, and graphic with its depictions of violence (which can be good or bad, depending on your tastes). I got some [b:Red Rising|15839976|Red Rising (Red Rising, #1)|Pierce Brown|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1461354651s/15839976.jpg|21580644] vibes, but Song of Edmon is much more personal and focused solely on Edmon. We don't see politics as much as we see Edmon's attempts to avoid politics, and the novel primarily shows the trials and tribulations that Edmon experiences from childhood well into adulthood. Edmon is an easy character to sympathize with and is very much a victim of the much more powerful people around him. At first, I felt very invested in Edmon's personal growth and ability to overcome the hardships thrown at home, but after a while, it started to feel like a convoluted TV series with all the drama that never ended.
herbalmoon's review against another edition
1.0
I said on Amazon that this book is like Harry being stolen from a nicer version of the Dursleys at age nine and being raised by Voldemort, but that's wrong--Voldemort prefers killing (and only occasional torture) and is therefore far more merciful than Edric (the title character's father).
When Edmon refuses to leave his island home, Edric beats the crap out of his ex (Edmon's mother) and later has her lobotomized when Edmon refuses a second time. Edmon comes back to the island, and conceives a baby with his childhood sweetheart--both of whom are quickly murdered on Edric's orders. At another point, Edmon angers his father and is sent to a prison camp for five years, wherein he's repeatedly sodomized. (One of the years is spent in an unlit prison with a monster for a warder.) When Edmon is released, he discovers that Edric has been poisoned and offers to save him--an offer his father repays by removing his vocal cords.
I don't know how others classify this as a book worthy of five stars. All it does for me is absolve me of the discomfort I feel when sexual assault repeatedly comes up in my books.
When Edmon refuses to leave his island home, Edric beats the crap out of his ex (Edmon's mother) and later has her lobotomized when Edmon refuses a second time. Edmon comes back to the island, and conceives a baby with his childhood sweetheart--both of whom are quickly murdered on Edric's orders. At another point, Edmon angers his father and is sent to a prison camp for five years, wherein he's repeatedly sodomized. (One of the years is spent in an unlit prison with a monster for a warder.) When Edmon is released, he discovers that Edric has been poisoned and offers to save him--an offer his father repays by removing his vocal cords.
I don't know how others classify this as a book worthy of five stars. All it does for me is absolve me of the discomfort I feel when sexual assault repeatedly comes up in my books.
vinjii's review against another edition
5.0
You know how sometimes you read a book and from the very first few pages you fall in love and can't really say why? And every time you pick it up something magical happens? That was this book for me.
It took me almost 300 pages to realise there are parallels to The Count of Monte Cristo and only then did it hit me that Edmon Leontes, the main characters name, is pretty damn close to Edmond Dantès. And you know what? That discovery made me giddy, because damn do I love The Count of Monte Cristo. (And no you don't need to have read Monte Cristo to enjoy this book... it was just a nice tidbit.)
It's a dark book and I know as a writer you're supposed to torture your main character and make things worse for them, but for Edmon it just does not get any better EVER. Throughout the book until the very end I thought, oh my... MORE? Leave the poor boy alone. It does not help that Edmon just can't keep his mouth shut when necessary... he keeps pushing.
The book is told in first person present tense which I often dislike, but I highly enjoyed Burch's prose and writing.
The world is exciting and I loved the idea of a planet that no longer spins and thus has a side on which it's eternally night while on the other side it's always day.
Edmon is a well developed character who loves music, and I really liked that he was so much into art and so opposed to fighting.
I can't really talk about the female characters in this novel without spoiling the plot. Let's just say that's the one bit that bothered me somewhat.
I highly recommend Song of Edmon to Science Fantasy fans.
P.S. Can I just hijack my own review to say: if you're into anime and love The Count of Monte Cristo as much as me and are not opposed to have it set in space and the Count be some sort of space vampire, please please please check out the absolutely underrated Gankutsuou.
It took me almost 300 pages to realise there are parallels to The Count of Monte Cristo and only then did it hit me that Edmon Leontes, the main characters name, is pretty damn close to Edmond Dantès. And you know what? That discovery made me giddy, because damn do I love The Count of Monte Cristo. (And no you don't need to have read Monte Cristo to enjoy this book... it was just a nice tidbit.)
It's a dark book and I know as a writer you're supposed to torture your main character and make things worse for them, but for Edmon it just does not get any better EVER. Throughout the book until the very end I thought, oh my... MORE? Leave the poor boy alone. It does not help that Edmon just can't keep his mouth shut when necessary... he keeps pushing.
The book is told in first person present tense which I often dislike, but I highly enjoyed Burch's prose and writing.
The world is exciting and I loved the idea of a planet that no longer spins and thus has a side on which it's eternally night while on the other side it's always day.
Edmon is a well developed character who loves music, and I really liked that he was so much into art and so opposed to fighting.
I can't really talk about the female characters in this novel without spoiling the plot. Let's just say that's the one bit that bothered me somewhat.
I highly recommend Song of Edmon to Science Fantasy fans.
P.S. Can I just hijack my own review to say: if you're into anime and love The Count of Monte Cristo as much as me and are not opposed to have it set in space and the Count be some sort of space vampire, please please please check out the absolutely underrated Gankutsuou.
fpcyan's review against another edition
1.0
I legitimately read the entire thing, possibly out of a weird need to punish myself. This book is bad. If amazon prime hadn't provided this book to me for free, I'd feel like the author owed me a refund.
I rarely come across books told in 1st person present tense, but this one takes the cake. The narrator's internal monologue is anachronistic and bizarrely consistent considering it spreads across many years of the characters life (starting as a 9 year old child); however, it is not compelling at all. Dialogue is stilted. Many characters are thrown up to interact with him, and I found it very difficult to care about any of them, or believe the narrator cared about them... except that he insists it... repeatedly... so you know he cares, I guess?
As others have said, this book contains egregious examples of the disposable woman trope. You won't find yourself attached to any of them, and anyway, the book is set in an incredibly patriarchal society where women are basically powerless property... except those who aren't... except they are all depicted as powerless and/or incompetent.
The book has a pretty unhealthy relationship with sexuality. It's either coercive, orgiastic, or salacious descriptions of virginal coupling.
I never write reviews, but this one was so bad that I felt the need to vent.
I rarely come across books told in 1st person present tense, but this one takes the cake. The narrator's internal monologue is anachronistic and bizarrely consistent considering it spreads across many years of the characters life (starting as a 9 year old child); however, it is not compelling at all. Dialogue is stilted. Many characters are thrown up to interact with him, and I found it very difficult to care about any of them, or believe the narrator cared about them... except that he insists it... repeatedly... so you know he cares, I guess?
As others have said, this book contains egregious examples of the disposable woman trope. You won't find yourself attached to any of them, and anyway, the book is set in an incredibly patriarchal society where women are basically powerless property... except those who aren't... except they are all depicted as powerless and/or incompetent.
The book has a pretty unhealthy relationship with sexuality. It's either coercive, orgiastic, or salacious descriptions of virginal coupling.
I never write reviews, but this one was so bad that I felt the need to vent.
quirkycatsfatstacks's review against another edition
1.0
For the sake of honesty, I want to be upfront about the fact that I did not finish this book. Normally I don’t review DNF’d books, but I’m making an exception in this case. Typically if I don’t finish a book, I’ll be putting it down with the intention of finishing it at some point in time. This is usually because I realize I’m just not in the mood for that sort of book at the moment.
I will not be going back and finishing Song of Edmon. In fact I’m really happy I received it for free through Kindle First. I’m a little confused by how many five stars its received (though the average rating is three and a half on goodreads).
I just could not get into this book, and trust me; I’m always hunting for new amazing science fiction books, so I really wanted to like this. The problem is I found myself completely unattached and uncaring about the main character, and I couldn’t get over all of the blatant tropes and –isms that were bouncing all over the place.
The warnings for this book make up an entire list (as opposed to the average of one or two items worth noting). On top of having many things I would typically warn a reader about, it covers some offensive material, and I can’t say for certain if it’s being done intentionally or not. Or if the intent is to bring light to that sort of concern (I worry that isn’t the case…).
Here is my list of strikes against the book: 1.) Internal monologue to the umpteenth degree. 2.) Graphic violence (I’ve been told it gets even worse past the point I gave up at). 3.) Rape. Lots of it. 3.) Lobotomy (not even kidding). 4.) Racism (examples of turning races into tropes and generalizations) and ethnic slurs that are thinly veiled behind an alien version of them. 5.) Tropes (Disposable Woman, Magical Negro to name a couple, but I’m sure there’s more). 6.) Only character identified as gay is a pervert and looked very poorly upon by the main character. 7.) Sexism. There are only a couple of female characters shown with any regularity, and they’re really just props for Edmon to feel bad about/for when something bad happens to them. I’ve been told this gets worse farther in, but can’t personally speak to it.
I’d like to remind you now that I did not actually finish the book. Look at my list of complaints. I don’t see that list getting any shorter with time, do you? After writing out my list I felt a lot better about deciding to not finish this book (I’m usually very harsh about that, as I’m stubborn) and my reasons to choosing to review it anyway.
For more reviews, check out Quirky Cat's Fat Stacks
I will not be going back and finishing Song of Edmon. In fact I’m really happy I received it for free through Kindle First. I’m a little confused by how many five stars its received (though the average rating is three and a half on goodreads).
I just could not get into this book, and trust me; I’m always hunting for new amazing science fiction books, so I really wanted to like this. The problem is I found myself completely unattached and uncaring about the main character, and I couldn’t get over all of the blatant tropes and –isms that were bouncing all over the place.
The warnings for this book make up an entire list (as opposed to the average of one or two items worth noting). On top of having many things I would typically warn a reader about, it covers some offensive material, and I can’t say for certain if it’s being done intentionally or not. Or if the intent is to bring light to that sort of concern (I worry that isn’t the case…).
Here is my list of strikes against the book: 1.) Internal monologue to the umpteenth degree. 2.) Graphic violence (I’ve been told it gets even worse past the point I gave up at). 3.) Rape. Lots of it. 3.) Lobotomy (not even kidding). 4.) Racism (examples of turning races into tropes and generalizations) and ethnic slurs that are thinly veiled behind an alien version of them. 5.) Tropes (Disposable Woman, Magical Negro to name a couple, but I’m sure there’s more). 6.) Only character identified as gay is a pervert and looked very poorly upon by the main character. 7.) Sexism. There are only a couple of female characters shown with any regularity, and they’re really just props for Edmon to feel bad about/for when something bad happens to them. I’ve been told this gets worse farther in, but can’t personally speak to it.
I’d like to remind you now that I did not actually finish the book. Look at my list of complaints. I don’t see that list getting any shorter with time, do you? After writing out my list I felt a lot better about deciding to not finish this book (I’m usually very harsh about that, as I’m stubborn) and my reasons to choosing to review it anyway.
For more reviews, check out Quirky Cat's Fat Stacks