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shandyt's review against another edition
4.0
4 stars.
I'm sure most reviews of this book will talk about the spectacularly twisty ending, saying that once the final piece of information drops into place, things from earlier in the book that seemed inconsistent or strange will suddenly make sense. This is true. Without risking spoilers, yes, this book does have a great twist ending at the end of the fourth quarter. Unfortunately, the rest of the book is little more than a setup for that twist.
Characterization is simplistic, falling back on easily recognizable tropes (likely because the book got its start as an RPG campaign), and the worldbuilding is quite thin. Only the main characters Aranok and Samily seem to get the attention they deserve in terms of complexity or personality.
Then when you take a closer look at the twist, certain parts of the setup seem to serve no purpose other than to be subverted later, or play for shock value. Spoilers:
Certain plotlines do end without a real resolution, so it's easy to imagine they'll get picked up again in the sequel. Perhaps some of my complaints will also be addressed, and with the author's extra experience, the overall read will be smoother. I'm hoping so.
I'm sure most reviews of this book will talk about the spectacularly twisty ending, saying that once the final piece of information drops into place, things from earlier in the book that seemed inconsistent or strange will suddenly make sense. This is true. Without risking spoilers, yes, this book does have a great twist ending at the end of the fourth quarter. Unfortunately, the rest of the book is little more than a setup for that twist.
Characterization is simplistic, falling back on easily recognizable tropes (likely because the book got its start as an RPG campaign), and the worldbuilding is quite thin. Only the main characters Aranok and Samily seem to get the attention they deserve in terms of complexity or personality.
Then when you take a closer look at the twist, certain parts of the setup seem to serve no purpose other than to be subverted later, or play for shock value. Spoilers:
Spoiler
The shock value of course mostly lies in the false relationship between Aranok and Allandria (what was Janaeus getting at?). As for the pointless: the inclusion and even more baffling memory erasure of the cocoon creatures (whose name I won't even attempt to spell, having listened to the audiobook). What were the Reivers there for, except to show up with strange jacket patches? Where are the demons coming from, and if they're from hell, why would Aranok deny the existence of God? The story would have worked just as well if there were no cocoon creatures, no demons, and no Reivers. The threat could simply have been the dead (or even demon-possessed undead), and the clues as to Mynaggog's innocence could have been sprinkled elsewhere. Even the quest itself ceases to make much sense if you examine it too closely. If Janaeus has that much power, why did he bother to send all his enemies on a quest, knowing there was a chance they'd learn the truth? Why not just have them quietly murdered, and rewrite people's memories to make their countrymen think the heroes had died in the war?Certain plotlines do end without a real resolution, so it's easy to imagine they'll get picked up again in the sequel. Perhaps some of my complaints will also be addressed, and with the author's extra experience, the overall read will be smoother. I'm hoping so.
dustinderefield's review
adventurous
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
3.5
cwt88's review against another edition
adventurous
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.5
myjourneywithbooks's review
adventurous
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
4.5
mels_reading_rook's review against another edition
4.0
Trigger Warnings: Body Horror; Gore; Cannibalism
I really enjoyed the story, and I really enjoyed trying to puzzle out the plot's main mystery. The ending few chapters were fantastic, and the reveals and twists were great! However, the epilogue made me super uncomfortable, and while it recontextualized earlier events, it was a bit of a dampener on the ending's high for me.
I really enjoyed the story, and I really enjoyed trying to puzzle out the plot's main mystery. The ending few chapters were fantastic, and the reveals and twists were great! However, the epilogue made me super uncomfortable, and while it recontextualized earlier events, it was a bit of a dampener on the ending's high for me.
steveneu's review
5.0
I'm agreeing with a lot of reviews. That ending really pushes this story from a 4 to a 5 star rating for me. I had a feeling, but still wasn't sure how it would play out in the final chapters and I did not want to be disappointed. Happy to say it concluded quite satisfyingly enough that I would re-read this novel again in the future. A nice range of characters, an entertaining story/quest, and a great ending! - highly recommended
madmooney's review against another edition
5.0
Thank you to Orbit for providing an arc of this title (as part of their "New Faces 2023" campaign). I am so happy to hear that this was published prior to Orbit's re-issue, and that I will have to only wait a few months for its sequel, [b:The Bitter Crown|103453994|The Bitter Crown (Eidyn, #2)|Justin Lee Anderson|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1677552726l/103453994._SX50_.jpg|126781881].
I do want to say that this was originally going to be scored a 3.5 as I had a problem with a few of the author's choices (some of which I will detail below), but the the twist at the end has redeemed this 1st Eidyn installment. I will forgive my little peeves for now, especailly if it is possible that they were in written in service of the twist (or rather that they make sense retroactively due to the twist). We will see how they carry forth in Book 2.
Little irks:
Aranok - On first appearance, a character who is 'too hard on himself' and 'expects perfection from himself', something that is repeated often by the surrounding characters. Very much a 'rules for thee and not for me'-character. Once again, there is an aspect of this book that explains the use of this tired trope, so I will wait and watch to see if this persists in the follow up.
Magic System - not well defined nor that interesting. This is only the 1st installment, so I will give the author time to expand as his world expands.
Despite the above, I was invested from start to finish, and even more invested in those last few chapters.
One final thing: this was pitched as epic Scottish fantasy (also evidenced in the title of the series), but I was not feeling it to be particularily Scottish. It could be that I have read a lot of UK fantasy in the past, so I was not able to pick out the unique flavours our from the background in this case. I think I went in expecting more Highlander in this.
I do want to say that this was originally going to be scored a 3.5 as I had a problem with a few of the author's choices (some of which I will detail below), but the the twist at the end has redeemed this 1st Eidyn installment. I will forgive my little peeves for now, especailly if it is possible that they were in written in service of the twist (or rather that they make sense retroactively due to the twist). We will see how they carry forth in Book 2.
Little irks:
Aranok - On first appearance, a character who is 'too hard on himself' and 'expects perfection from himself', something that is repeated often by the surrounding characters. Very much a 'rules for thee and not for me'-character. Once again, there is an aspect of this book that explains the use of this tired trope, so I will wait and watch to see if this persists in the follow up.
Magic System - not well defined nor that interesting. This is only the 1st installment, so I will give the author time to expand as his world expands.
Despite the above, I was invested from start to finish, and even more invested in those last few chapters.
One final thing: this was pitched as epic Scottish fantasy (also evidenced in the title of the series), but I was not feeling it to be particularily Scottish. It could be that I have read a lot of UK fantasy in the past, so I was not able to pick out the unique flavours our from the background in this case. I think I went in expecting more Highlander in this.