Reviews

One of the best fantasy books I’ve read in a long time. It spans the gap between YA and adult writing and adds creativity back into a genre that has been lacking in creativity recently. Devoid of love triangles or unnecessary romantic subplots, but full of fear, magic, and interesting characters. It feels dangerous but hopeful and the battles are very exciting. Can’t wait to read the others in this trilogy.

Also I just really love the cover art and section dividers

meganpalu's review against another edition

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adventurous lighthearted fast-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? It's complicated

4.0

khander84's review against another edition

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3.0

adventurous, measured, detailed, plot-driven

megardron's review against another edition

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adventurous dark emotional fast-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? Yes

4.25

carliekw's review against another edition

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adventurous inspiring mysterious medium-paced

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

4.25

sonjahammer's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging emotional medium-paced

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

3.5

nataliestorozhenko's review against another edition

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3.0

I had high hopes for this book, but unfortunately, I couldn't enjoy it as much as I wanted to. After reading through the entire Cosmere, I feel a bit spoiled because nothing compares to it. My main issue with this book is that the characters felt underdeveloped, and we never really get to know them well enough to care about them. The only character that interested me was Holland because you could see the conflict in his actions. Overall, the writing and the characters' dynamic felt more like YA to me, which isn't a bad thing, but I prefer V.E. Schwab's more adult-oriented writing, like in "Vicious."

It also felt pointless to me that all the secondary characters were killed off. We were introduced to guards, merchants, and others, only for them to be killed off to showcase the violent magic of Black London. It would have been nice if at least one of them had survived, as I have grown accustomed to all the characters being useful to the plot, even in a minor way.

It took me around 300 pages to become invested in the plot, which was a bit dull, and the climax was underwhelming. However, I still had some fun with the book. I was initially drawn to the concept of multiple Londons, and it played out well for the world-building. The magic system wasn't too complicated or unique, but it still served its purpose, and I enjoyed how magic manifested differently in each world.

Overall, I would give this book 3.5 stars, and I do want to give the whole series a chance. I hope the next books will be better and prove to be more engaging.

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