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megily's review
adventurous
funny
informative
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
4.75
sanjastajdohar's review
5.0
"Rijeka literally means ‘river’ in everyday Croatian. Growing up, it never seemed strange to me - only after we moved, and I was surrounded by other languages on a daily basis, did I realize it was like naming a town Forest or Hill without using an old-timey word to do it.”
4.5
These are the opening lines of the first instalment of the Slavic mythology urban fantasy saga (that's a lot of words!), written in English, so all of you can savor it! The Town Called River is a story about Paul, an expatriate who comes back to his hometown Rijeka (River) in Croatia, which also happens to be the town where I live!
Paul gradually discovers he’s a 'krsnik' - think witcher + werewolf, but born with it, not made magical by potions. He had no idea he was anything out of the ordinary until his grandma’s death triggered the transfer of those powers to him. Not only did he inherit those powers, but also her home with a few surprises in it, including his childhood friend Katrina who knows about the situation and is a friendly guide for him. The thing is, he wants no part of this. Plus, when it comes to using his powers efficiently, he’s no Geralt, to say the least.
What made this novel so interesting and entertaining is not only does it take place in my town, but also it draws from Slavic mythology and local mythology which have been so underappreciated. Also, as I said, Paul is no Geralt, he doesn’t know what to do and he just deals with all this like a faulty and confused human being, making it up as he goes, which brings about so much humor, but also so many threatening situations. It makes it believable and relatable.
Plus, the people and beings he meets are so colorful (Bowie is a gem and the late grandma Lena such a badass) and the adversary sometimes soooo frightening and eerie (finishing this in the middle of the night also wasn’t a great idea, but here we are).
The language and style could sometimes use more polishing (hence half a point less), but I’m so happy this novel exists and I’m excited to read more. Well done, Shtriga books!
P.S. We need some kind of an adaptation of this, movie, series, manga, what ever, we'll take it!
Can't wait to read book 2!
4.5
These are the opening lines of the first instalment of the Slavic mythology urban fantasy saga (that's a lot of words!), written in English, so all of you can savor it! The Town Called River is a story about Paul, an expatriate who comes back to his hometown Rijeka (River) in Croatia, which also happens to be the town where I live!
Paul gradually discovers he’s a 'krsnik' - think witcher + werewolf, but born with it, not made magical by potions. He had no idea he was anything out of the ordinary until his grandma’s death triggered the transfer of those powers to him. Not only did he inherit those powers, but also her home with a few surprises in it, including his childhood friend Katrina who knows about the situation and is a friendly guide for him. The thing is, he wants no part of this. Plus, when it comes to using his powers efficiently, he’s no Geralt, to say the least.
What made this novel so interesting and entertaining is not only does it take place in my town, but also it draws from Slavic mythology and local mythology which have been so underappreciated. Also, as I said, Paul is no Geralt, he doesn’t know what to do and he just deals with all this like a faulty and confused human being, making it up as he goes, which brings about so much humor, but also so many threatening situations. It makes it believable and relatable.
Plus, the people and beings he meets are so colorful (Bowie is a gem and the late grandma Lena such a badass) and the adversary sometimes soooo frightening and eerie (finishing this in the middle of the night also wasn’t a great idea, but here we are).
The language and style could sometimes use more polishing (hence half a point less), but I’m so happy this novel exists and I’m excited to read more. Well done, Shtriga books!
P.S. We need some kind of an adaptation of this, movie, series, manga, what ever, we'll take it!
Can't wait to read book 2!
kristina_bwds's review
adventurous
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
robertnorok's review against another edition
5.0
Loved this book. It's set in modern-day Croatia and includes various elements of (South) Slavic mythology.
periapt's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
funny
informative
mysterious
reflective
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.5
slavicreader's review
4.0
First off, I'd like to thank Shtriga Books for providing me with a copy for review purposes. When I heard what the book was about, I was immediately sold!
Now I might be biased, being Slavic myself, but I'd like to point out that I'm not from Croatia, nor have I ever had the pleasure of visiting the country itself. Thus, although the folklore side, language and culture was somewhat familiar, I imagine it'd be moreso had I been a Croatian reader. However, Paul, the protagonist, finds himself back in his birth country after not living there for a long, long time. He finds himself readjusting to the country, which allowed us - the reader - to familiarise ourselves with things too. It also hit close to home for me personally, as I hadn't been back to my home country in years. I can't help but imagine that I easily could have found myself in Paul's shoes one day.
The writing I found very modern and straightforward. This made it an easy and fast read. It had a fair amount of Croatian sentences and terminology included too, most of which was translated. Paul's Croatian is rusty, which works as a great reason as to why most of the dialogue is in English. Which in turn makes me think this is a novel that anyone could enjoy, as long as you know English I suppose!
Plot-wise, there wasn't anything huge going on. It was more about exploration and learning. There's a lot of focus on loss, grieving and what happens to those we heave behind; expressed both metaphorically and literally. There's fighting and action, which in my opinion got better towards the end of the book.
At first, I described this books as a lovechild of Witcher and Dresden. But thinking about it now, it might just have the vibes of a Slavic Dresden? Similar depth and density to it moreso than Witcher. Having said that, I've definitely not read anything like this before - those are comparisons purely based off of vibes. I can definitely see this being apart of a longer series, where each book sees Paul grow further into his powers, his new life and new-found calling.
Now I might be biased, being Slavic myself, but I'd like to point out that I'm not from Croatia, nor have I ever had the pleasure of visiting the country itself. Thus, although the folklore side, language and culture was somewhat familiar, I imagine it'd be moreso had I been a Croatian reader. However, Paul, the protagonist, finds himself back in his birth country after not living there for a long, long time. He finds himself readjusting to the country, which allowed us - the reader - to familiarise ourselves with things too. It also hit close to home for me personally, as I hadn't been back to my home country in years. I can't help but imagine that I easily could have found myself in Paul's shoes one day.
The writing I found very modern and straightforward. This made it an easy and fast read. It had a fair amount of Croatian sentences and terminology included too, most of which was translated. Paul's Croatian is rusty, which works as a great reason as to why most of the dialogue is in English. Which in turn makes me think this is a novel that anyone could enjoy, as long as you know English I suppose!
Plot-wise, there wasn't anything huge going on. It was more about exploration and learning. There's a lot of focus on loss, grieving and what happens to those we heave behind; expressed both metaphorically and literally. There's fighting and action, which in my opinion got better towards the end of the book.
At first, I described this books as a lovechild of Witcher and Dresden. But thinking about it now, it might just have the vibes of a Slavic Dresden? Similar depth and density to it moreso than Witcher. Having said that, I've definitely not read anything like this before - those are comparisons purely based off of vibes. I can definitely see this being apart of a longer series, where each book sees Paul grow further into his powers, his new life and new-found calling.
majabwds's review
4.0
I received an e-ARC of this book from the publisher for an honest review. So here it is.
3.5 rounded to 4
This is a solid start to an urban fantasy series. The main character Paul is different than a typical MC in an urban fantasy in a way that he doesn't know anything about the supernatural world he is thrust into. So it was interesting to read from that perspective, to see how he deals with his powers and the situations he is forced into.
The beginning was slow but then last third sold me on the whole series and I will happily read on.
3.5 rounded to 4
This is a solid start to an urban fantasy series. The main character Paul is different than a typical MC in an urban fantasy in a way that he doesn't know anything about the supernatural world he is thrust into. So it was interesting to read from that perspective, to see how he deals with his powers and the situations he is forced into.
The beginning was slow but then last third sold me on the whole series and I will happily read on.
entazis's review
adventurous
funny
mysterious
medium-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
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