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4.17 AVERAGE
4.17 AVERAGE
This was my first attempt at sci-fi & initially it was confusing. Once the story grabbed ahold of me it was much easier to understand the way things worked in this world.
I enjoyed it, but not enough to read the rest of the books in the trilogy.
I enjoyed it, but not enough to read the rest of the books in the trilogy.
an excellent and supremely unique experience! loved the diverse cast of characters and while i can see some people getting annoyed with some of the very Joss Whedon-esque dialogue, I found it pretty fun and matching in tone with the characters who chose to use it!
The sheer span of mysteries and unique magic system here really left me so excited for the sequels and now I’m excited to dive into the rest of Bennett’s work
The sheer span of mysteries and unique magic system here really left me so excited for the sequels and now I’m excited to dive into the rest of Bennett’s work
adventurous
dark
funny
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Bennett introduces us to the city of Tevanne with its four ruling merchant families and the more poverty stricken outsiders residing in the slums of The Commons.
Tevanne, which reminds me strongly of Venice or Florence in the early industrial period (less about art and more about industrialization and its toxic byproducts in the race for innovative weapons and gadgets) runs on magic through the use of scriving, an art involving coding to program not just gadgets but stone, wood, doors, locks, etc to work in specific ways. Thus there is a fascinating mix of industrial grime and anthropomorphics, as everything has at least some sense of self.
The most gifted scriveners endow wealth and power to their particular merchant house, with some dreaming of the ability to scriven like the legendary and mythical hierophants of the past, reputed to be nothing less than divine.
It is a world in which there is little in the way of law enforcement despite the best efforts of Captain Gregor Dandolo, a soldier and war hero, who is determined to impose a rule of law.
And his current target is Sancia Grado, a girl thief who has a whole lot of secrets . . . and the most powerful scrivened . . . thing . . . of all.
Jackson keeps the action brisk and the images vivid as he develops these two characters before slowly widening the cast to include Orso, the irreverent and insouciant inventer, Berenice, a talented scrivener, and a host of others, many of whom are outright villains, and others, you’re not sure.
Betrayal is in the wind as power shifts about, building to a gripping climax. It’s a terrific kickoff to what is sure to be another great series.
In full disclosure, I did fine the second half less polished than the first, but that might just be the ARC, and it’s all smooth for the final book.
In any case, a terrific story, a terrific world, fascinating characters, leaving me eager for more.
ARC provided by publisher.
Tevanne, which reminds me strongly of Venice or Florence in the early industrial period (less about art and more about industrialization and its toxic byproducts in the race for innovative weapons and gadgets) runs on magic through the use of scriving, an art involving coding to program not just gadgets but stone, wood, doors, locks, etc to work in specific ways. Thus there is a fascinating mix of industrial grime and anthropomorphics, as everything has at least some sense of self.
The most gifted scriveners endow wealth and power to their particular merchant house, with some dreaming of the ability to scriven like the legendary and mythical hierophants of the past, reputed to be nothing less than divine.
It is a world in which there is little in the way of law enforcement despite the best efforts of Captain Gregor Dandolo, a soldier and war hero, who is determined to impose a rule of law.
And his current target is Sancia Grado, a girl thief who has a whole lot of secrets . . . and the most powerful scrivened . . . thing . . . of all.
Jackson keeps the action brisk and the images vivid as he develops these two characters before slowly widening the cast to include Orso, the irreverent and insouciant inventer, Berenice, a talented scrivener, and a host of others, many of whom are outright villains, and others, you’re not sure.
Betrayal is in the wind as power shifts about, building to a gripping climax. It’s a terrific kickoff to what is sure to be another great series.
In full disclosure, I did fine the second half less polished than the first
Spoiler
there were pages on which we had characters “talking softly” or “talking quietly” almost as often as Jim Butcher’s characters. OTOH considering Butcher’s phenomenal success, maybe that’s a feature, not a bug?In any case, a terrific story, a terrific world, fascinating characters, leaving me eager for more.
ARC provided by publisher.
adventurous
dark
emotional
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
The world felt very original BUT the rules of the scriving were tedious and confusing at some points. By the end the characters really grew on me and I didn’t see the twists coming so 3.5 stars!! Let’s see if I pick up the sequel…
pretty good! great worldbuilding, and i love that it has a queer lead. one of the other MCs — gregor — is an incredibly interesting character, and tbh i’d read the whole series just for him
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
adventurous
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Loveable characters:
Yes
adventurous
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I am conflicted on how I feel about this series. On one hand I absolutely love the world building and plot that was set up, it's incredibly original and interesting. However, on the other hand, I found the writing to be quite juvenile and I found myself rolling my eyes quite a bit. Although there is death and gore at times, and some more adult themes, it ultimately feels like it is written more so as YA with a lot of handholding of the reader and goofy character traits. I almost DNF'd during the opening scene, because it felt silly and the characters' actions felt improbable for who they were described to be, but I pushed through, and did find myself enjoying the story as a whole. I don't think I will continue the series, but I think these ideas in the hands of a different author would have quickly become a favorite for me.