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3.87 AVERAGE
3.87 AVERAGE
dark
emotional
funny
mysterious
sad
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence
Moderate: Murder
adventurous
dark
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
I read this for a geeky book club and I wouldn't have read it otherwise. While the Magic the Gathering lore was fun and intriguing, I continue to not understand the appeal of Sanderson's writing style. The plot was predictable, the characters were flat and contradictory, and the dialogue was actually appalling (being almost entirely exposition or just snark for the sake of being snarky). This band of powerful beings and ageless supernatural creatures could have been a clique of teenagers the way they all spoke fluently in sarcasm, and no one really had any individuality.
The worldbuilding was fascinating, with enough of a foundation to understand the story, but enough mystery to leave you asking the right kinds of questions.
If you are interested in Magic the Gathering, you will enjoy this.
The worldbuilding was fascinating, with enough of a foundation to understand the story, but enough mystery to leave you asking the right kinds of questions.
If you are interested in Magic the Gathering, you will enjoy this.
adventurous
dark
funny
lighthearted
mysterious
sad
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:
Yes
On one hand, this might be the best magic novel when it comes to writing quality alone. There is not a single plotline or character that isn't at least entertaining or engaging. The one thing holding it back is that, by the nature of how it came into existence, it uses many elements of magic lore (meaning you need some context for them) while not being allowed to actually directly impact them (meaning having context might lead to disappointment).
adventurous
dark
mysterious
fast-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:
Complicated
adventurous
mysterious
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
This was good. It's written by Sanderson, so that's not surprising. It also wasn't my favorite of his. I don't really care about Magic: The Gathering. I'm guessing the story would have been more fun for someone who does, but I still enjoyed the story and characters.
I liked it, some of it was too abstract to my taste, characters were so unrelatable and I felt that maybe I needed to know more about 'Magic'.
Brandon Sanderson's writing still prevails though, making the book enjoyable with twists being unpredictable, fight scenes still thrilling, and the world-building masterfully-written.
Brandon Sanderson's writing still prevails though, making the book enjoyable with twists being unpredictable, fight scenes still thrilling, and the world-building masterfully-written.
Spoiler
Davriel being a good guy in the end kind of contradicted his character, especially since all the events happened overnight.
Another great Sanderson short read. This guy is the real deal, if you're into fantasy, you MUST be reading Sanderson.