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kadomi's review
3.0
Somewhat torn on this book. As far as worldbuilding goes, I really enjoyed this book. It uses an interesting magic system, and mainly deals with the rising of a threat that seemed conquered many years ago, but which is now returning and threatens the world.
In this world, magisters live and plot and control the morati, the mortals. Magisters are powerful sorcerers who unknown to the mortals feed off the soulfire of others to fuel their magic, until their 'consort' dies from being drained and they have to transition to a new source. So far all magisters are male and females seem incapable of becoming a Magister. This is changed when Kamala comes along. A former whore with the will to not perish from the use of magic, she becomes Magister, setting in train a chain of events that might be the ruin of all people: the return of the souleaters, a menace from the past.
The souleaters eerily reminded me of those moths from Perdido Street Station. Yuck. Fascinating too. I wasn't 100% sold on the characters though. Kamala left me cold, and the only characters I truly enjoyed were Colivar, and Prince Andovan. Then there's the issue of all those dark, sexual overtones, in particular the rape scene in the book. Didn't care for it, and didn't care for Danton as villain, at all.
If it hadn't been for the later issues, might have been four stars, as I feel the first book only scratched the surface of the overall story. We'll see if the next book is plagued with the same issues.
In this world, magisters live and plot and control the morati, the mortals. Magisters are powerful sorcerers who unknown to the mortals feed off the soulfire of others to fuel their magic, until their 'consort' dies from being drained and they have to transition to a new source. So far all magisters are male and females seem incapable of becoming a Magister. This is changed when Kamala comes along. A former whore with the will to not perish from the use of magic, she becomes Magister, setting in train a chain of events that might be the ruin of all people: the return of the souleaters, a menace from the past.
The souleaters eerily reminded me of those moths from Perdido Street Station. Yuck. Fascinating too. I wasn't 100% sold on the characters though. Kamala left me cold, and the only characters I truly enjoyed were Colivar, and Prince Andovan. Then there's the issue of all those dark, sexual overtones, in particular the rape scene in the book. Didn't care for it, and didn't care for Danton as villain, at all.
If it hadn't been for the later issues, might have been four stars, as I feel the first book only scratched the surface of the overall story. We'll see if the next book is plagued with the same issues.
ladyfives's review against another edition
4.0
[She] could feel the power of that beauty wrapping itself around her soul as she stared at the creature, transfixing her as a hare must be transfixed in that terrible moment just before a hawk strikes. An ecstasy of helplessness.
i can’t believe all you needed to elevate dragons was to make them very long & snakey and give them glass dragonfly wings
Impeccable premise on this one. The world of sorcerers is split between the women, witches, and the men, Magisters. While a witch’s magic takes from their own life force, cutting their lives by minutes or even days depending on the spells, Magisters feed from randomly-assigned people in the world, bleeding them dry in the name of power, vanity, and immortality. Of course, we follow the only female Magister and her “consort,” the man she’s taking life from, as he searches the world for her and she just keeps trying to survive.
I loved it most as an “idea” fantasy—any time it discussed the nuances of Magisters, their internal code, their hatred for each other, and the depth of their secrets, I was entranced by the breadth and detail of the worldbuild. Even pitting these men against each other in a simple conversation was so cool! Themes! Symbols! Ah!
Speaking of—most intriguing that after Kamala found out Andovan was her consort, she was in the same situation as any other witch, any other woman: making every choice depending on how it affected a man, how it hurt a man.
Spoiler
So it was damn satisfying when she decided, essentially, on her power and her world over him. genuinely surprised he died.overall such a cool world with such care and thought behind it. Plot-wise it was a bit slow for me hence my multi-month break, but I’m glad I decided to finish it and see where Kamala and all these pesky, evil, power-hungry little jerks ended up.
bdowning81's review
3.0
Hard to give this one a rating
This book sucked me in with a compelling story and great characters from the jump, and it was my first to try with Whispersync, which was an interesting experience.
I did come to the end with two issues that gave me pause and make it difficult to rate: first, a minor one, that the narrative does get pretty bogged down in the middle and drags quite a bit, to the point that I put it down for a while to read something else. Second, and a bigger issue, was the treatment of race in the book. It's clear fairly quickly from descriptions that the main characters are not just all white, but the particulars of their descriptions and ancestries can be mapped pretty specifically to different European nationalities. As other peripheral characters are introduced, it seems as if the less important they are, the more likely they are to be described solely by fairly offensive racial stereotypes (particularly galling is the callout, several times in a single chapter, to a group of exoticized black men, "fierce tribal warriors," none of whom are ever granted an actual name). These characters, also, can be fairly easily mapped to real regions of the terrestrial world, which is something that strikes me as lazy in the context of fantasy, where the entirety of the universe of imagination is at your disposal.
The story outside of those two issues, and particularly the character of Kamala, is well told and gripping, and worth a read. Just,,, a thoughtful one.
This book sucked me in with a compelling story and great characters from the jump, and it was my first to try with Whispersync, which was an interesting experience.
I did come to the end with two issues that gave me pause and make it difficult to rate: first, a minor one, that the narrative does get pretty bogged down in the middle and drags quite a bit, to the point that I put it down for a while to read something else. Second, and a bigger issue, was the treatment of race in the book. It's clear fairly quickly from descriptions that the main characters are not just all white, but the particulars of their descriptions and ancestries can be mapped pretty specifically to different European nationalities. As other peripheral characters are introduced, it seems as if the less important they are, the more likely they are to be described solely by fairly offensive racial stereotypes (particularly galling is the callout, several times in a single chapter, to a group of exoticized black men, "fierce tribal warriors," none of whom are ever granted an actual name). These characters, also, can be fairly easily mapped to real regions of the terrestrial world, which is something that strikes me as lazy in the context of fantasy, where the entirety of the universe of imagination is at your disposal.
The story outside of those two issues, and particularly the character of Kamala, is well told and gripping, and worth a read. Just,,, a thoughtful one.
ladyvictoria's review against another edition
challenging
dark
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
midrel's review against another edition
4.0
I must apologize, for this review is one of the I've written in spanish, ans for remains untranslated.
Me pregunto si hacer una reseña en español de un libro leído y originalmente escrito en ingles realmente tiene mucho sentido... Bueno, demasiado tarde para eso, supongo que pueden tratar esta entrada como una especie de... experimento. Lo cual es, en mas de un sentido.
A lo que vinimos: Feast of Souls (En español vendría a significar algo así como "Festín de Almas") es una historia de high fantasy que toma lugar en un mundo de corte mas o menos medieval-renacentista que ya una vez fue sumergido en las tinieblas por culpa de unas criaturas a las que se refieren comúnmente con el apodo de "come-almas". Al comenzar la historia, los come-almas no son mas que una leyenda inquietante del pasado para la mayoría, pero todo esta a punto de cambiar...
Durante la mayor parte del libro, el punto de perspectiva va y viene entre un circulo bastante estrecho de personajes, aunque la historia en general se podría decir que trata principalmente sobre dos personas,
Kamala: es una joven criada en la mas apremiante pobreza cuya vida, consecuentemente, no ha sido nada fácil, pero cuyas dificultades, en lugar de amedrentarla, solo han servido para endurecerla y alimentar su deseo por sobrevivir por cualquier medio necesario. Hace acto de presencia en la portada.
Andovan: Príncipe del Gran Reino, segundo en linea a la corona. Sufre de una misteriosa y temida enfermedad llamada "The Wasting," (El Desgaste?), que le volverá cada vez mas y mas débil. A pesar de ser príncipe, no le gusta la política, prefiriendo la libertad del campo y la caza a las obligaciones del poder.
Ninguno de los dos es estrictamente 'típico' dentro del genero de fantasía, pero aun así la que mas se aparta de los estereotipos es Kamala, pues su historia es usualmente reservada para hombres, tanto en lo externo como en el mundo interno del relato. Andovan, por otro lado, cae mas dentro del típico goody two-shoes, pero aun así su historia, típicamente asignada a personajes femeninos, logra mantener la atención la mayor parte del tiempo, aunque admito momentos en que la sufrí de irrelevante.
Hay otros muchos personajes, claro. Pero la mayoría no son realmente muy memorables. En muchos casos (especialmente con los magister) se siente como si estuvieran mas para adornar el fondo, los ves en una escena, y luego desaparecen por medio libro, y así. La excepción (En que si son memorables, aunque estos también desaparezcan por hojas y hojas, algo por otra parte normal) son la 'High Queen' (Alta Reina, Gran Reina? Definitivamente me gusta mas el titulo en ingles...) Gwenofar, el 'Magister' Colivar, y la 'Witch Queen' Siderea. De entre todos los personajes secundarios, estos tres son los únicos que logran despertar curiosidad e interés por sus historias y caracteres bien desarrollados. A mi personalmente me encanto la fortaleza que muestran las dos reinas, y como estas se contrastan y complementan con Kamala.
Pero que son los magisters? Pues en pocas palabras, son magos. Magos casi todopoderosos que viven eternamente, pretendiendo servir a reyes para aliviar el aburrimiento de una vida sin fin. Hasta la llegada de Kamala, todos los magisters habían sido hombres. Esta, por lo tanto, deberá mantener su nueva ascendencia en secreto hasta el momento oportuno.
Si bien el libro es entretenido y esta muy bien escrito, me decepciona bastante como va pasando de una historia personal a una de tipo 'salvemos-al-mundo' (los come-almas van adquiriendo mas y mas importancia) algo demasiado común en el genero. Pero aparte de esa pequeña frustración, el libro (y la serie) vale mucho la pena. Decir que prácticamente se leen solos no seria en este caso una exageración.
En resumen, un muy buen libro.
Me pregunto si hacer una reseña en español de un libro leído y originalmente escrito en ingles realmente tiene mucho sentido... Bueno, demasiado tarde para eso, supongo que pueden tratar esta entrada como una especie de... experimento. Lo cual es, en mas de un sentido.
A lo que vinimos: Feast of Souls (En español vendría a significar algo así como "Festín de Almas") es una historia de high fantasy que toma lugar en un mundo de corte mas o menos medieval-renacentista que ya una vez fue sumergido en las tinieblas por culpa de unas criaturas a las que se refieren comúnmente con el apodo de "come-almas". Al comenzar la historia, los come-almas no son mas que una leyenda inquietante del pasado para la mayoría, pero todo esta a punto de cambiar...
Durante la mayor parte del libro, el punto de perspectiva va y viene entre un circulo bastante estrecho de personajes, aunque la historia en general se podría decir que trata principalmente sobre dos personas,
Kamala: es una joven criada en la mas apremiante pobreza cuya vida, consecuentemente, no ha sido nada fácil, pero cuyas dificultades, en lugar de amedrentarla, solo han servido para endurecerla y alimentar su deseo por sobrevivir por cualquier medio necesario. Hace acto de presencia en la portada.
Andovan: Príncipe del Gran Reino, segundo en linea a la corona. Sufre de una misteriosa y temida enfermedad llamada "The Wasting," (El Desgaste?), que le volverá cada vez mas y mas débil. A pesar de ser príncipe, no le gusta la política, prefiriendo la libertad del campo y la caza a las obligaciones del poder.
Ninguno de los dos es estrictamente 'típico' dentro del genero de fantasía, pero aun así la que mas se aparta de los estereotipos es Kamala, pues su historia es usualmente reservada para hombres, tanto en lo externo como en el mundo interno del relato. Andovan, por otro lado, cae mas dentro del típico goody two-shoes, pero aun así su historia, típicamente asignada a personajes femeninos, logra mantener la atención la mayor parte del tiempo, aunque admito momentos en que la sufrí de irrelevante.
Hay otros muchos personajes, claro. Pero la mayoría no son realmente muy memorables. En muchos casos (especialmente con los magister) se siente como si estuvieran mas para adornar el fondo, los ves en una escena, y luego desaparecen por medio libro, y así. La excepción (En que si son memorables, aunque estos también desaparezcan por hojas y hojas, algo por otra parte normal) son la 'High Queen' (Alta Reina, Gran Reina? Definitivamente me gusta mas el titulo en ingles...) Gwenofar, el 'Magister' Colivar, y la 'Witch Queen' Siderea. De entre todos los personajes secundarios, estos tres son los únicos que logran despertar curiosidad e interés por sus historias y caracteres bien desarrollados. A mi personalmente me encanto la fortaleza que muestran las dos reinas, y como estas se contrastan y complementan con Kamala.
Pero que son los magisters? Pues en pocas palabras, son magos. Magos casi todopoderosos que viven eternamente, pretendiendo servir a reyes para aliviar el aburrimiento de una vida sin fin. Hasta la llegada de Kamala, todos los magisters habían sido hombres. Esta, por lo tanto, deberá mantener su nueva ascendencia en secreto hasta el momento oportuno.
Si bien el libro es entretenido y esta muy bien escrito, me decepciona bastante como va pasando de una historia personal a una de tipo 'salvemos-al-mundo' (los come-almas van adquiriendo mas y mas importancia) algo demasiado común en el genero. Pero aparte de esa pequeña frustración, el libro (y la serie) vale mucho la pena. Decir que prácticamente se leen solos no seria en este caso una exageración.
En resumen, un muy buen libro.
aphelia88's review against another edition
4.0
A strong entry into what promises to be a strong trilogy with a very different, and dark, take on vampires!
Kamala is the heroine and the catalyst yet she remains something of a cipher - aloof and enigmatic. Poor and powerless, she was sold into prostitution as a young child. There are two kinds of magic in this world. One is that of witches - warm magic - which they draw from their own souls, dimishing their life span every time they use their power. The other is that of the immortal Magisters - cold magic - that steals life force from one unseen "consort" at a time, draining each to death, like a battery. Forming a connection with a consort is dangerous to the Magister so they generally try to ration the ones they have, but no one Magister knows the strength another might have based on his hidden consort. The consorts, for their part, have no idea that magic is why they sicken and die.
Kamala is very strong. She is also hard-hearted, stubborn and extremely determined. She tracks down a Magister who has retired from the world and insists on being taken on as his Apprentice, even though there has never been any record of a female Magister. It is thought that females are weaker and are not ruthless enough to survive the transition to immortal and the consort bond.
Years pass. The High King who seeks to expand his always-growing Empire falls under a manipulative Magister who is seeking to awaken an ancient evil. Known as the "ikati" these dragonfly-winged flying demons affect emotions and caused the chaos of the forgotten Dark Ages.
One of the few Magisters who remembers that terrible time, Colivar, recognizes the signs. The High King's wife, Gwynofar, is from the bloodline of those that last defeated the "ikati", who then became known as the Protectors. It is an ancient, secretive religion that requires strange rites. Her youngest son, Prince Andovan, has the odd Wasting Disease, which only the court Magister know is actually the sign of his being claimed and drained as a consort.
All these different characters and paths collide, as legends are reborn and the fate of the world hangs in the balance. The theme of power, and its misuse, lies at the heart of the story and is thoughtfully explored throughout. I am very interested in reading the other two books!
Kamala is the heroine and the catalyst yet she remains something of a cipher - aloof and enigmatic. Poor and powerless, she was sold into prostitution as a young child. There are two kinds of magic in this world. One is that of witches - warm magic - which they draw from their own souls, dimishing their life span every time they use their power. The other is that of the immortal Magisters - cold magic - that steals life force from one unseen "consort" at a time, draining each to death, like a battery. Forming a connection with a consort is dangerous to the Magister so they generally try to ration the ones they have, but no one Magister knows the strength another might have based on his hidden consort. The consorts, for their part, have no idea that magic is why they sicken and die.
Kamala is very strong. She is also hard-hearted, stubborn and extremely determined. She tracks down a Magister who has retired from the world and insists on being taken on as his Apprentice, even though there has never been any record of a female Magister. It is thought that females are weaker and are not ruthless enough to survive the transition to immortal and the consort bond.
Years pass. The High King who seeks to expand his always-growing Empire falls under a manipulative Magister who is seeking to awaken an ancient evil. Known as the "ikati" these dragonfly-winged flying demons affect emotions and caused the chaos of the forgotten Dark Ages.
One of the few Magisters who remembers that terrible time, Colivar, recognizes the signs. The High King's wife, Gwynofar, is from the bloodline of those that last defeated the "ikati", who then became known as the Protectors. It is an ancient, secretive religion that requires strange rites. Her youngest son, Prince Andovan, has the odd Wasting Disease, which only the court Magister know is actually the sign of his being claimed and drained as a consort.
All these different characters and paths collide, as legends are reborn and the fate of the world hangs in the balance. The theme of power, and its misuse, lies at the heart of the story and is thoughtfully explored throughout. I am very interested in reading the other two books!
anonblueberry's review against another edition
2.0
I am honestly torn between "it was ok" and "I liked it" because there were things about this book that I liked, but sadly I think my desire to beat the main character to death very swiftly overruled any interesting world building or politics that may have won me over.
That said, I will pick up the next one (this was a gift) because the politics and the world building are pretty interesting.
I suppose if you like 'strong' female leads who are uber amazing and super special, then this would be a good choice for you. If you like interesting plot, then maybe, it's kind of 50/50 on that respect.
That said, I will pick up the next one (this was a gift) because the politics and the world building are pretty interesting.
I suppose if you like 'strong' female leads who are uber amazing and super special, then this would be a good choice for you. If you like interesting plot, then maybe, it's kind of 50/50 on that respect.
silverwald's review
I was expecting to not really care about this book but I actually found the story and world engaging and I'll probably read the rest of the trilogy