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chefjones's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.25
annakelly's review against another edition
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
theaurochs's review against another edition
2.0
Usually I try to avoid between-ratings books, but this is pretty much the definition of a 2.5 star book. Parts of it are clever and engaging, with intriguing worldbuilding and well-constructed character arcs and I find myself fully drawn in to the world. And then other parts are poorly drawn, with characters whose cardboard cut-outs would blow over in the slightest breeze, and the awkward prose brings any immersion I had to a screeching halt. The overall impression is deeply muddled, and I can feel myself oscillating between two and three stars- despite feeling fairly generous* I think ultimately I’ll have to settle for the lower score.
*Not least because it finally fills the bingo square of being set completely in a forest! Woohoo!
We find ourselves in the colossal forest of Titan. A forest with trees so large that the upper branches alone are large enough to host houses, buildings, even palaces and gardens, with holes in the boughs solid enough to collect rainwater, forming cascading series of pools and downward-flowing vertical rivers. The colossal height of the trees has led to the formation of three distinct tiers of civilization. We have the privileged upper stories of Canopy, who have access to direct sunlight, and are blessed by the living visitations of a pantheon of gods. In the middle we have Understory, villages clustered in the middle branches, taking what they can from the off-shoots of the canopian civilizations and living within the distinct ecosystem found in the middle levels. And at the bottom, mostly hidden in this book, is the mysterious and murky Floor; so far down that light will never reach, and full of all manner of beasties and wild people, and the detritus of those who live above.
Enter Unar, a precocious child who seeks to escape her abusive mother, and does so by entering into the service of one of the Canopian Gods. She possesses a seemingly powerful amount of magic, and uses that in aid of her goddess- the god of fertility. Unar is your fairly typical YA protagonist; horrifically narcissistic and beyond certain that she knows better than all the adults around her, ready to challenge the system and become a legendary hero &c. &c. This is actually a case where Crossroads of Canopy shines- this narcissism is entirely unfounded, and comes back to bite Unar in a big way. When she realises that she’s not the hotshot she thinks she is, that there are deeper and darker things in the forest than she can deal with, and that she’s not special, it is a surprisingly powerful moment. Classic price of hubris.
We follow Unar, first as she chafes against the harsh boundaries set down by service in the garden of the goddess, and then her misadventures as she makes her way through the understory. Desperate to prove her worth despite going against the majority of the goddess’s teachings, she strives to make her own way into the good graces of the divines. As mentioned, this paves the way for later falls, in a way that feels fairly authentic. Unfortunately, the rest of the cast leaves a lot to be desired, feeling sketchy at best. Dyer seems also completely incapable of writing believable scenes featuring crowds; there were multiple moments where characters were doing things supposedly in the middle of groups, and they non-major characters may as well not have existed. It’s a strange thing to notice but it happened multiple times, thinking “surely someone would have some reaction to what’s happening here”- a single line like “a gasp came from the crowd” could have alleviated this. But as it is it makes the world feel very sparsely populated, and lacking in true depth.
There are handfuls of other weird aspects of the book that prevent it from ever really reaching greatness. Clunky prose littered with run-on sentences and extraneous commas. A strange obsession with sexuality, that does its best to tie in to themes of nurturing life but ultimately feels gratuitous and deeply unsexy. Minor worldbuilding problems that prevent it from ever feeling 100% realised; in a world where gods/goddesses are reincarnated and can be either sex, surely there would be a more commonly accepted gender-neutral pronoun; and the idea that no-one in the history of this world had thought to say “maybe slavery is bad, actually” before our main character appears is unfortunate. The comments on privilege are more than a little heavy-handed but work well within the setting.
Not a great book then, but it’s doing enough with lush forest settings and intriguing magic that I don’t regret reading it, even if I wouldn’t necessarily recommend it. The plot in the final third does actually ramp up and become much more interesting.
*Not least because it finally fills the bingo square of being set completely in a forest! Woohoo!
We find ourselves in the colossal forest of Titan. A forest with trees so large that the upper branches alone are large enough to host houses, buildings, even palaces and gardens, with holes in the boughs solid enough to collect rainwater, forming cascading series of pools and downward-flowing vertical rivers. The colossal height of the trees has led to the formation of three distinct tiers of civilization. We have the privileged upper stories of Canopy, who have access to direct sunlight, and are blessed by the living visitations of a pantheon of gods. In the middle we have Understory, villages clustered in the middle branches, taking what they can from the off-shoots of the canopian civilizations and living within the distinct ecosystem found in the middle levels. And at the bottom, mostly hidden in this book, is the mysterious and murky Floor; so far down that light will never reach, and full of all manner of beasties and wild people, and the detritus of those who live above.
Enter Unar, a precocious child who seeks to escape her abusive mother, and does so by entering into the service of one of the Canopian Gods. She possesses a seemingly powerful amount of magic, and uses that in aid of her goddess- the god of fertility. Unar is your fairly typical YA protagonist; horrifically narcissistic and beyond certain that she knows better than all the adults around her, ready to challenge the system and become a legendary hero &c. &c. This is actually a case where Crossroads of Canopy shines- this narcissism is entirely unfounded, and comes back to bite Unar in a big way. When she realises that she’s not the hotshot she thinks she is, that there are deeper and darker things in the forest than she can deal with, and that she’s not special, it is a surprisingly powerful moment. Classic price of hubris.
We follow Unar, first as she chafes against the harsh boundaries set down by service in the garden of the goddess, and then her misadventures as she makes her way through the understory. Desperate to prove her worth despite going against the majority of the goddess’s teachings, she strives to make her own way into the good graces of the divines. As mentioned, this paves the way for later falls, in a way that feels fairly authentic. Unfortunately, the rest of the cast leaves a lot to be desired, feeling sketchy at best. Dyer seems also completely incapable of writing believable scenes featuring crowds; there were multiple moments where characters were doing things supposedly in the middle of groups, and they non-major characters may as well not have existed. It’s a strange thing to notice but it happened multiple times, thinking “surely someone would have some reaction to what’s happening here”- a single line like “a gasp came from the crowd” could have alleviated this. But as it is it makes the world feel very sparsely populated, and lacking in true depth.
There are handfuls of other weird aspects of the book that prevent it from ever really reaching greatness. Clunky prose littered with run-on sentences and extraneous commas. A strange obsession with sexuality, that does its best to tie in to themes of nurturing life but ultimately feels gratuitous and deeply unsexy. Minor worldbuilding problems that prevent it from ever feeling 100% realised; in a world where gods/goddesses are reincarnated and can be either sex, surely there would be a more commonly accepted gender-neutral pronoun; and the idea that no-one in the history of this world had thought to say “maybe slavery is bad, actually” before our main character appears is unfortunate. The comments on privilege are more than a little heavy-handed but work well within the setting.
Not a great book then, but it’s doing enough with lush forest settings and intriguing magic that I don’t regret reading it, even if I wouldn’t necessarily recommend it. The plot in the final third does actually ramp up and become much more interesting.
rodeorocks13's review against another edition
5.0
I received an advanced copy through goodreads first reads.
The Crossroads of Canopy is a fantasy novel where gods and goddess rule in the bodies of humans and the world is divided by different layers. The gods have separated themselves from the bottom two layers and only look after the top. Unar wants to be the body guard of the next god that rules her kingdom but has to decide between her dream and saving a life. Meanwhile a rebellion is brewing and she might be the key to much more.
Because of the age of the characters I would like this would be young adult but some of the content would push it into older teens and adults. It's definitely for fans of fantasy novels and doesn't really have much or really any romance to it. I thought the story was a fresh take on the gods and goddess category by creating a fresh view of reincarnation. I really enjoyed this novel and look forward to the next one.
The Crossroads of Canopy is a fantasy novel where gods and goddess rule in the bodies of humans and the world is divided by different layers. The gods have separated themselves from the bottom two layers and only look after the top. Unar wants to be the body guard of the next god that rules her kingdom but has to decide between her dream and saving a life. Meanwhile a rebellion is brewing and she might be the key to much more.
Because of the age of the characters I would like this would be young adult but some of the content would push it into older teens and adults. It's definitely for fans of fantasy novels and doesn't really have much or really any romance to it. I thought the story was a fresh take on the gods and goddess category by creating a fresh view of reincarnation. I really enjoyed this novel and look forward to the next one.
raven_morgan's review against another edition
5.0
The world of Crossroads of Canopy is utterly unique. In this world, people live in a forest of giant trees. Canopy is the highest and most privileged realm of the forest, and it is subdivided into thirteen Kingdoms, each one ruled over by a living god or goddess.
Unar is a resident of Canopy, living in Audblayinland, ruled over by the goddess Audblayin. When she is young, Unar becomes convinced that she is destined to become the Bodyguard of Audblayin, and works with single-minded purpose to ensure that this comes to be.
The worldbuilding in this novel is absolutely incredible. Dyer gives the reader a complicated world in what we see of Audblayinland alone, and this world only deepens as the book moves away from Canopy and into Understorey below. There's a definite sense that this book has only scratched the surface of this world, with so much more to be revealed of both Canopy and the lower levels of the forest.
Unar herself is likely to be protagonist who will divide many readers. She is not always someone who can be liked (which is absolutely not a bad thing), but she remains always someone who is fascinating. She is determined and strong and at all times, extremely human. Even at the times that it's hard to empathise with her and the choices she makes, it is hard to look away from her. As with the worldbuilding, there's a definite sense that the real depths of Unar have barely been revealed here, and there is going to be much more to learn about her in later books.
Crossroads of Canopy is the first in what is shaping up to be a brilliant and truly original epic fantasy trilogy, and is highly recommended, especially to readers who've burned on epic fantasy and are looking for a complex world filled with complex and interesting characters.
Unar is a resident of Canopy, living in Audblayinland, ruled over by the goddess Audblayin. When she is young, Unar becomes convinced that she is destined to become the Bodyguard of Audblayin, and works with single-minded purpose to ensure that this comes to be.
The worldbuilding in this novel is absolutely incredible. Dyer gives the reader a complicated world in what we see of Audblayinland alone, and this world only deepens as the book moves away from Canopy and into Understorey below. There's a definite sense that this book has only scratched the surface of this world, with so much more to be revealed of both Canopy and the lower levels of the forest.
Unar herself is likely to be protagonist who will divide many readers. She is not always someone who can be liked (which is absolutely not a bad thing), but she remains always someone who is fascinating. She is determined and strong and at all times, extremely human. Even at the times that it's hard to empathise with her and the choices she makes, it is hard to look away from her. As with the worldbuilding, there's a definite sense that the real depths of Unar have barely been revealed here, and there is going to be much more to learn about her in later books.
Crossroads of Canopy is the first in what is shaping up to be a brilliant and truly original epic fantasy trilogy, and is highly recommended, especially to readers who've burned on epic fantasy and are looking for a complex world filled with complex and interesting characters.
beautifulandfullofmonsters's review against another edition
Ok, the forest setting has a lot of potential but this book was just a bit weird for me. It felt self-published and not quite all the way honed. The discussions of sex threw me off. Might return to this book one day… Or just find other books with forest settings.
tehani's review against another edition
5.0
Proper review to follow, but TLDR: AMAZING and CHALLENGING and GORGEOUSLY, SUBTLY WRITTEN.
snazel's review against another edition
I do not remember reading any book that is more depressing than this one. Possibly Flannery O’Conner, but those are shorter. This one starts with parents arguing about selling their child into slavery and gets grimmer from there. I kinda feel like I’ve been hit in the head.
jashanac's review against another edition
I really want to love this book, but this writing style feels so immensely detached to me. The main character is already pretty insufferable and I see negative reviews saying she does not improve and only gets more insufferable. The world is so cool though and I see some reviews of the second book saying the character it's following is different, so I honestly might just jump to that.
rachelmac476's review against another edition
1.0
Edit: I keep thinking about this book; and not in a positive way - more in the context of my overall rating system. Because of this, I've decided to change my rating of this to 2 stars.
I found this book kind of disappointing. I really like the concept behind it - the world this story takes place in, the mythology, and the language this story is told in. The author does have a talent for writing. I also like the presence of queer characters in this story.
However.
This story is really frustrating. I really liked the idea behind the protagonist's destiny - or, rather, what the protagonist perceived to be her destiny. Nothing turns out the way that she believes it will. That's not always a bad thing in a book, but - in this case, there is no reward for the reader. This book will make you feel frustrated and mildly depressed, to be frank. In that respect, I got Old Man and the Sea vibes but I don't think this book holds that level of literary merit - just the same feeling of defeat.
On what could be perceived as a rude note - this author, while talented, is a bit... weird. The multitude of references to different bodily fluids is bizarre and unpleasant, to say the least.
Overall, I really would have loved to have loved this story but I don't really see how that would be possible; since reading it makes you feel like you're driving through the city and keep hitting dead end roads everywhere you turn. I just feel like the author missed an opportunity to tell a delightful, magical story for nothing.
As far as future sequels go - I wouldn't be opposed to reading them, just in case the story turns around, but I can't see myself wanting to spend money on such books.
I found this book kind of disappointing. I really like the concept behind it - the world this story takes place in, the mythology, and the language this story is told in. The author does have a talent for writing. I also like the presence of queer characters in this story.
However.
This story is really frustrating. I really liked the idea behind the protagonist's destiny - or, rather, what the protagonist perceived to be her destiny. Nothing turns out the way that she believes it will. That's not always a bad thing in a book, but - in this case, there is no reward for the reader. This book will make you feel frustrated and mildly depressed, to be frank. In that respect, I got Old Man and the Sea vibes but I don't think this book holds that level of literary merit - just the same feeling of defeat.
On what could be perceived as a rude note - this author, while talented, is a bit... weird. The multitude of references to different bodily fluids is bizarre and unpleasant, to say the least.
Overall, I really would have loved to have loved this story but I don't really see how that would be possible; since reading it makes you feel like you're driving through the city and keep hitting dead end roads everywhere you turn. I just feel like the author missed an opportunity to tell a delightful, magical story for nothing.
As far as future sequels go - I wouldn't be opposed to reading them, just in case the story turns around, but I can't see myself wanting to spend money on such books.