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mary_soon_lee's review
Having loved reading Frohock's "Les Nefilim," I sought out this book, which was her debut novel. I would classify it as horror, but I think it would also appeal to those who are comfortable with the darker end of fantasy. Most of the book takes place in Woerld, a realm adjoining both Earth and Hell. Religious elements abound, primarily drawn from Christianity, but this is neither a Christian book, nor a proselytizing one. I found the setting imaginative and well-drawn, and the horror elements effective and disturbing. More crucially, I found the main trio of point-of-view characters sympathetic, and therefore enjoyed reading this. Indeed I fairly galloped through the final hundred pages. "Los Nefilim" was notable -- and wonderful! -- for the sweetness of the interactions between the characters. This book lacks that dimension, but shares many of the other strengths of "Los Nefilim." Recommended.
amym84's review
5.0
Author [a:Ilona Andrews|21748|Ilona Andrews|http://photo.goodreads.com/authors/1219436898p2/21748.jpg] highley recommended this book on her blog and I have to agree. It starts out a little slow, but once all the characters were introduced I was hooked. I quickly read through it. I couldn't wait to find out what happened.
The book is about Lucian, who has held guilt for is actions against his love, Rachel, sixteen years before in order to save his twin's life. What he has come to learn over the years is that his twin sister, Catarina's, life was more corrupt than he realized. She made a deal with a powerful demon in order to gain power when the war between the Fallen (yes those Fallen from heaven) and the Citadel (where the good people of faith reside).
The world structure is a lot to take in. The story is set in an alternate universe called the Woerld. It is a different plane of existence adjacent to Earth. Earth and the Woerld are bookended on either side by Heaven and Hell. Frohock does a wonderful job creating a truly unique world from any that I've read before. She does a great job of relaying to the reader the intricaces of the world without seeming to textbook about it. There are things that are told outright and things that we learn by actions.
The way that the story goes really sets up for other books in the series. I really hope that we get more. I am eager to find out where our characters go from here. Until Then!
The book is about Lucian, who has held guilt for is actions against his love, Rachel, sixteen years before in order to save his twin's life. What he has come to learn over the years is that his twin sister, Catarina's, life was more corrupt than he realized. She made a deal with a powerful demon in order to gain power when the war between the Fallen (yes those Fallen from heaven) and the Citadel (where the good people of faith reside).
The world structure is a lot to take in. The story is set in an alternate universe called the Woerld. It is a different plane of existence adjacent to Earth. Earth and the Woerld are bookended on either side by Heaven and Hell. Frohock does a wonderful job creating a truly unique world from any that I've read before. She does a great job of relaying to the reader the intricaces of the world without seeming to textbook about it. There are things that are told outright and things that we learn by actions.
The way that the story goes really sets up for other books in the series. I really hope that we get more. I am eager to find out where our characters go from here. Until Then!
nuttkayc's review
2.0
Got boring quickly. Too much christian Psalms. When they added in the 20th century children being sucked into an alternate dimension it lost me. So lost me. Had potential. Ended up feeling like a mash up of two many genres and themes.
dereesimo's review
dark
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
maria_pulver's review
5.0
For a while now I haven't had this feeling of being completely captivated by a book. And then I picked this one...
This is an excellent dark fantasy with a well designed and even better described authentic world, where the narrator's language is rich, heroes are consistent and the protagonist is a good guy, but is very far from being perfect or blameless. Even the happy ending is not excessively happy - it is very a reasonable result of the tale.
I loved this book and am going to re-read in a near future.
This is an excellent dark fantasy with a well designed and even better described authentic world, where the narrator's language is rich, heroes are consistent and the protagonist is a good guy, but is very far from being perfect or blameless. Even the happy ending is not excessively happy - it is very a reasonable result of the tale.
I loved this book and am going to re-read in a near future.
bbabyok's review
3.0
The writing was solid for a first novel and the world building was inventive and very well done. I enjoyed the book, although it did take me a while to get into it. The characters were well fleshed out and the backgrounds were interesting.
antonism's review
4.0
4 / 5
Miserere was a good read. Not enjoyable in the true sense of enjoyment but intense and evocative and worth the time. I will regrettably not write a detailed review as I usually do due to serious lack of time on my part lately. This book demands it and has earned it but sadly I don't have the time at the moment.
The plot is good enough, with a lot of tension and suspense but overall it's not super exciting. I'd say most plot threads are quite predictable and the plot twist can be guessed easily from very early on. The characters are well written; it's always great when an author uses the internal monologues properly because then there's greater investment and attachment of the reader to the protagonists. The supernatural elements are a bit hit and miss, and with me it was mostly miss. The prose is amazing though. The description and dialogues flow so nice and it's a joy to read. But what really drives this novel is the tension and general atmosphere from start to finish. This book is BLEAK and oppressive in a desirable way. There's never a happy or relaxed moment. Even when one of the characters succeeds in doing something, there's always a bad side, a sacrifice or a big "but". All the characters struggle and it's a constant, non-stop struggle throughout the whole book.
So, yeah, in the end, I'd say this is not a happy, cozy fantasy book to read when you want something light and uplifting. It is grim, dark, bleak and sad but overcoming the struggle is its own cathartic reward. Plus the writing is great and a joy to read so, all taken into account, Miserere gets my recommendation!
4 / 5
Miserere was a good read. Not enjoyable in the true sense of enjoyment but intense and evocative and worth the time. I will regrettably not write a detailed review as I usually do due to serious lack of time on my part lately. This book demands it and has earned it but sadly I don't have the time at the moment.
The plot is good enough, with a lot of tension and suspense but overall it's not super exciting. I'd say most plot threads are quite predictable and the plot twist can be guessed easily from very early on. The characters are well written; it's always great when an author uses the internal monologues properly because then there's greater investment and attachment of the reader to the protagonists. The supernatural elements are a bit hit and miss, and with me it was mostly miss. The prose is amazing though. The description and dialogues flow so nice and it's a joy to read. But what really drives this novel is the tension and general atmosphere from start to finish. This book is BLEAK and oppressive in a desirable way. There's never a happy or relaxed moment. Even when one of the characters succeeds in doing something, there's always a bad side, a sacrifice or a big "but". All the characters struggle and it's a constant, non-stop struggle throughout the whole book.
So, yeah, in the end, I'd say this is not a happy, cozy fantasy book to read when you want something light and uplifting. It is grim, dark, bleak and sad but overcoming the struggle is its own cathartic reward. Plus the writing is great and a joy to read so, all taken into account, Miserere gets my recommendation!
4 / 5
sign19's review
adventurous
dark
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Overall this was a good (Portal) fantasy read. Especially as it is a debut novel for the author.
The world is very well done and the characters are intriguing. The plot moves at a good pace and is straightforward without too much complexity.
The contrast between hardcore Christianity and some evil torture scenes felt a little weird.
It defiantly feels more like a first in a series, than a standalone though.
book_hoarding_dragon's review
4.0
I came across Miserere from a review by Ilona Andrews. I started reading the excerpt that Teresa Frohock provides on her website. Right away the prose grabbed me by the throat telling me, "look at me, look at me. Aren't I beautiful? Don't you want to buy my beautiness?" Of course I did and I proceeded to do so.
I could've written ode's to the prose. Plus, the angst (not to be confused with teenage angst)! Plus, Ilona Andrews comment also played a part in my decision, "MISERERE reads like Lady Hawk had a baby in purgatory and Meljean Brook delivered it." I LOVE Lady Hawk.
I think I only read 5 pages before I bought it. Now, I think if I would have read the whole four chapters provided on the authors site, I would have not bought the book or I would have been extremely hesitant to purchase it. Why? Well, the book has a Judeo-Christian feel to it. Generally, if a book blurb mentions angels or God I drop it like a hot potato. If I'm already reading it, I'll attempt to finish it. Why do I do this? I find that these kinds of books sometimes come across as preachy and other reasons I will not go into.
I was surprised that this book isn't preachy at all. Though, the God's spirit rushing through so and so, did induce some eye rolling at one point. However, there are other religions nodded at, but not really explored. The world building was still good, though.
I really enjoyed the characters in the book and I'll definitely read the sequel. I think I might have given this story five stars, if there was more information about the characters (:coughs: Rachael :coughs:). A little bit more backstory, would have been cool. Maybe more focus on some of the other religions to balance out the God used in this story. But I still really enjoyed the book.
Note: The author has a blog post on 3 September, stating that the Dolorosa, the sequel, is in the works. Yaaaay!
I could've written ode's to the prose. Plus, the angst (not to be confused with teenage angst)! Plus, Ilona Andrews comment also played a part in my decision, "MISERERE reads like Lady Hawk had a baby in purgatory and Meljean Brook delivered it." I LOVE Lady Hawk.
I think I only read 5 pages before I bought it. Now, I think if I would have read the whole four chapters provided on the authors site, I would have not bought the book or I would have been extremely hesitant to purchase it. Why? Well, the book has a Judeo-Christian feel to it. Generally, if a book blurb mentions angels or God I drop it like a hot potato. If I'm already reading it, I'll attempt to finish it. Why do I do this? I find that these kinds of books sometimes come across as preachy and other reasons I will not go into.
I was surprised that this book isn't preachy at all. Though, the God's spirit rushing through so and so, did induce some eye rolling at one point. However, there are other religions nodded at, but not really explored. The world building was still good, though.
I really enjoyed the characters in the book and I'll definitely read the sequel. I think I might have given this story five stars, if there was more information about the characters (:coughs: Rachael :coughs:). A little bit more backstory, would have been cool. Maybe more focus on some of the other religions to balance out the God used in this story. But I still really enjoyed the book.
Note: The author has a blog post on 3 September, stating that the Dolorosa, the sequel, is in the works. Yaaaay!
alexiachantel's review
4.0
Miserere....
Dark, bleak, desolate, barely the will to fight and the willingness to die.
Strong and flawed characters dominate this world. The fight between good and evil has never been more real or with more on the line. Lucien is a man with a golden heart, he knows he has made poor decisions in the past and does not try to deny the fact. He is willing to give everything to protect and make the right choices. Rachel is one who was at the wrong end of one of his bad decisions and paid for it. If she can forgive and see what is in his heart perhaps there really is a chance of divine forgiveness.
Frohock has created a world not very far removed from our own, it exists right next to it near Hell actually. Her book has the foundation of Christian beliefs and history. If you enjoy movies like The Exorcism of Emily Rose or The Rite this book will be a good choice.
With her pen she has drawn the map and marked the lines, now you just sit back and hope you never have to cross them.
Dark, bleak, desolate, barely the will to fight and the willingness to die.
Strong and flawed characters dominate this world. The fight between good and evil has never been more real or with more on the line. Lucien is a man with a golden heart, he knows he has made poor decisions in the past and does not try to deny the fact. He is willing to give everything to protect and make the right choices. Rachel is one who was at the wrong end of one of his bad decisions and paid for it. If she can forgive and see what is in his heart perhaps there really is a chance of divine forgiveness.
Frohock has created a world not very far removed from our own, it exists right next to it near Hell actually. Her book has the foundation of Christian beliefs and history. If you enjoy movies like The Exorcism of Emily Rose or The Rite this book will be a good choice.
With her pen she has drawn the map and marked the lines, now you just sit back and hope you never have to cross them.