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celjla212's review against another edition
3.0
3.5 STARS
Synn El' Asim is the son of two powerful families. But his parents are somewhat disappointed that his Mark of power hasn't shown up yet. Finally though, it does...and it comes at a most unfortunate time.
Because Synn is Marked in an unusual way, he immediately draws the attention of the sultry yet evil Queen of Wands. Synn falls under her spell through none of his own doing, and knows he must find a way to get out of her clutches. With the help of some crafty allies, maybe he can do just that...but it will be far from easy.
This book was my first foray in steampunk...and it's not exactly what I expected! Not in a bad way though. I will say this book was definitely unlike anything else I've ever read.
The author was quite skilled at world building. This novel takes place in a fantastical setting, and there are really some unique contraptions within! Synn is a bit of an inventor, so the author had some room for creativity when it comes to steampunk machines. The descriptions for everything were so vivid that I had no trouble imagining what objects would look like.
As for characters--well, there I am a little more judgmental. Synn is a hardworking boy that has already seen so much of the world at a very young age. Did I mention that the novel is told in first person, narrated by Synn? I love a male point of view. Nix, however, is a bit more of a quandary for me. I absolutely love that a woman is so powerful in this fantasy world--but she was positively heinous. Why can't a book ever have a dominant woman that also has some redeeming qualities?
I had two main problems with this novel. The first is that it kept throwing terms at me without telling me in any way what they meant. I would eventually figure things out for myself, but often it would be a few pages later and I'd find myself flipping back to reread the first instances of the word. Of course new terminology will be introduced in a novel such as this, but I would have appreciated a bit more definition for them. Secondly, the pacing was somewhat uneven. There were times when things happened so fast, I'd swear I missed something--which again, caused me to go back and reread. Then there were parts where conversations or details were kind of unnecessarily long-winded. I'd sometimes skim paragraphs.
All in all, I think Ms. Blooding did a great job bringing this rich fantasy world to life. I enjoyed the novel and her writing style, and I would be excited to read more from her in the future.
Synn El' Asim is the son of two powerful families. But his parents are somewhat disappointed that his Mark of power hasn't shown up yet. Finally though, it does...and it comes at a most unfortunate time.
Because Synn is Marked in an unusual way, he immediately draws the attention of the sultry yet evil Queen of Wands. Synn falls under her spell through none of his own doing, and knows he must find a way to get out of her clutches. With the help of some crafty allies, maybe he can do just that...but it will be far from easy.
This book was my first foray in steampunk...and it's not exactly what I expected! Not in a bad way though. I will say this book was definitely unlike anything else I've ever read.
The author was quite skilled at world building. This novel takes place in a fantastical setting, and there are really some unique contraptions within! Synn is a bit of an inventor, so the author had some room for creativity when it comes to steampunk machines. The descriptions for everything were so vivid that I had no trouble imagining what objects would look like.
As for characters--well, there I am a little more judgmental. Synn is a hardworking boy that has already seen so much of the world at a very young age. Did I mention that the novel is told in first person, narrated by Synn? I love a male point of view. Nix, however, is a bit more of a quandary for me. I absolutely love that a woman is so powerful in this fantasy world--but she was positively heinous. Why can't a book ever have a dominant woman that also has some redeeming qualities?
I had two main problems with this novel. The first is that it kept throwing terms at me without telling me in any way what they meant. I would eventually figure things out for myself, but often it would be a few pages later and I'd find myself flipping back to reread the first instances of the word. Of course new terminology will be introduced in a novel such as this, but I would have appreciated a bit more definition for them. Secondly, the pacing was somewhat uneven. There were times when things happened so fast, I'd swear I missed something--which again, caused me to go back and reread. Then there were parts where conversations or details were kind of unnecessarily long-winded. I'd sometimes skim paragraphs.
All in all, I think Ms. Blooding did a great job bringing this rich fantasy world to life. I enjoyed the novel and her writing style, and I would be excited to read more from her in the future.
abigcoffeedragon's review against another edition
2.0
Could not finish.
I am not a fan of first person and the story just became a string of events with no story for me to find.
I am not a fan of first person and the story just became a string of events with no story for me to find.
ashrowe's review against another edition
5.0
I got this book in exchange for an honest review:
I LOVED this book. At first it was a little slow but still interesting. But when Synn finally gets to see just how horrible Queen Nix is and when he gets his “mark” things really start to pick up and it became a book I didn’t put down until I forced myself to at 5am. Only to pick it back up a two hours later to finish it.
S.M Blooding wrote a wonderful world with great detail. Everything was easy to imagine and was not overdone. I loved the places the characters lived! Airships floating using a sky jellyfish type animal, Octopus that protect cities with in them and of course the technological advanced Sky City.. So imaginitive and fascinating. Even the evolved animals that get described are intriguing
Synn was an awesome character so brave and strong and yet flawed. What happened to Synn was horrible and heartbreaking he was broken by Queen Nix but he still managed to escape with his friends and try and help save the great families from the wrath of The House of Tarot.
Queen Nix is a wonderful bad “guy”. She’s down right evil and does not think she is in the wrong at all. She will take what she wants any way she can and she does some horrible stuff to get what she wants.
I can not think of one thing about this book I didn’t like. Seriously, Airships, plasma guns, people who can control the elements, great action scenes, friendship, a great adventure and some awesome characters ( the good and the evil ones).
This book was a wonderful steampunk/ fantasy that I did not and could not put down. I got sucked into this amazing world and enjoyed every minute of it. I plan on picking up the next one as soon as possible.
I LOVED this book. At first it was a little slow but still interesting. But when Synn finally gets to see just how horrible Queen Nix is and when he gets his “mark” things really start to pick up and it became a book I didn’t put down until I forced myself to at 5am. Only to pick it back up a two hours later to finish it.
S.M Blooding wrote a wonderful world with great detail. Everything was easy to imagine and was not overdone. I loved the places the characters lived! Airships floating using a sky jellyfish type animal, Octopus that protect cities with in them and of course the technological advanced Sky City.. So imaginitive and fascinating. Even the evolved animals that get described are intriguing
Synn was an awesome character so brave and strong and yet flawed. What happened to Synn was horrible and heartbreaking he was broken by Queen Nix but he still managed to escape with his friends and try and help save the great families from the wrath of The House of Tarot.
Queen Nix is a wonderful bad “guy”. She’s down right evil and does not think she is in the wrong at all. She will take what she wants any way she can and she does some horrible stuff to get what she wants.
I can not think of one thing about this book I didn’t like. Seriously, Airships, plasma guns, people who can control the elements, great action scenes, friendship, a great adventure and some awesome characters ( the good and the evil ones).
This book was a wonderful steampunk/ fantasy that I did not and could not put down. I got sucked into this amazing world and enjoyed every minute of it. I plan on picking up the next one as soon as possible.
lpcoolgirl's review
5.0
This was a really fantastic book! Really enjoyed reading it, and it's very unique, though I hope we get a history of how the Hands came to be, which seems like it'll be interesting! Can't wait for the 2nd book and see what's going to happen!!!
angielisle's review
4.0
Action-packed steam-punk.
A highly civilized society called the Hands attempts to suppress the elemental Families who are rebelling under the leadership of Queen Nix.
Ms. Blooding forges mythology and cultural traditions with sci-fi and fantasy to create a vivid world where people inhabit not only the land, but also the skies and the seas. The story starts slowly, the details gradually doled out from the male perspective of the main character, Synn El'Asim, with the implication that there is so much more out there, just beyond the edge of the ship, waiting to be explored. The dialogue is well-written and the action-sequences are easy to visualize.
My only issue with the book is the inconsistent narration. The action-sequences read smoothly, with readers being shown the plot as it unfolds, but there are chapters where the narrator -still Synn- tells us what's happening without showing us. I'd like more showing, less telling, and I'm willing to read a thicker book for that.
I received a free copy of this book to review from Bewitching Book Tours. While I've read a lot of sci-fi and fantasy, this book marks my first venture into steam-punk. Maybe because this genre is new to me, this book kept me on my toes and, in 2013, I'll be watching for the release of the sequel, The Knight of Wands. I'd like to know what happens to Synn.
A highly civilized society called the Hands attempts to suppress the elemental Families who are rebelling under the leadership of Queen Nix.
Ms. Blooding forges mythology and cultural traditions with sci-fi and fantasy to create a vivid world where people inhabit not only the land, but also the skies and the seas. The story starts slowly, the details gradually doled out from the male perspective of the main character, Synn El'Asim, with the implication that there is so much more out there, just beyond the edge of the ship, waiting to be explored. The dialogue is well-written and the action-sequences are easy to visualize.
My only issue with the book is the inconsistent narration. The action-sequences read smoothly, with readers being shown the plot as it unfolds, but there are chapters where the narrator -still Synn- tells us what's happening without showing us. I'd like more showing, less telling, and I'm willing to read a thicker book for that.
I received a free copy of this book to review from Bewitching Book Tours. While I've read a lot of sci-fi and fantasy, this book marks my first venture into steam-punk. Maybe because this genre is new to me, this book kept me on my toes and, in 2013, I'll be watching for the release of the sequel, The Knight of Wands. I'd like to know what happens to Synn.
bluebec's review
4.0
The main character is a whiny, privileged, rich boy who really needs a whole lot more introspection, but I couldn't put the book down. I didn't hate the main character, but I loved the world building, the secondary characters (well the ones you were to love) and the story was gripping.
It would have been even better had the main character been a girl, because there aren't enough of those, or if whiny, rich boy had been far less whiny, and a lot more mature - he is the heir to his family's chiefdom afterall - you'd expect more from him.
All of that said I can't wait until I find the second book (after I've knocked down my stack of book shame a bit) and find out what happens next. With a world as richly built as this, the story is going to be amazing.
It would have been even better had the main character been a girl, because there aren't enough of those, or if whiny, rich boy had been far less whiny, and a lot more mature - he is the heir to his family's chiefdom afterall - you'd expect more from him.
All of that said I can't wait until I find the second book (after I've knocked down my stack of book shame a bit) and find out what happens next. With a world as richly built as this, the story is going to be amazing.
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