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violerwolf's review
adventurous
funny
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
2.0
I really wanted to like this book, so I gave it a shot despite the mixed reviews I'd seen. Unfortunately, this book is deeply mediocre. The book bills itself, through both the cover art and the summary, on the relationship between the thief main character and Galva, the griseled knight character. Their interactions end up being very limited and with little depth. The author repeats the same (very basic) worldbuilding facts over and over again, despite them having little relevance to the story, as if they expect the audience to not understand. The "realism" of the book is as gritty as an episode of Spongebob, humor and all. I must assume that the grittiness reviewers mention comes in the form of middle-school level jokes about literal shit and sex. I don't think any of these things are necessarily bad, but the reviews I've seen of this book have pitched it as something very concerned with the realities of a fantasy world, and the only reality the book is actually concerned with is the main character's horniness. What a shame, because I think a lot of the world building and the characters (specifically Galva) could've had fantastic depth and told an incredibly dynamic story. Alas, it wasn't meant to be. If you're looking for generic fantasy with a rogue that has the libido, charm, and humor of a pubescent teen, this may be for you.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Murder, Body shaming, Colonisation, Sexual content, Torture, War, Xenophobia, Violence, Cursing, Alcohol, Death, and Excrement
Minor: Animal cruelty, Adult/minor relationship, Classism, Misogyny, Animal death, Blood, and Sexism
Typical fantasy racism present throughout novel. One brief scene toward end of novel involving potential sexual assault, wherebookishplantmom's review
adventurous
dark
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.5
This book was fine. I just didn't care about any of it. The main character in particular was unappealing and boring to me. I was more interested in the assassin and the witch than anything else. The writing is good, there is an interesting emphasis on the linguistic components of this universe and the magic system is pretty good. By the end of the book I was skimming. I never got into the story enough to be invested. This really was a miss for me. I can see why some folks would enjoy it though.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Misogyny and Sexism
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