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4.17 AVERAGE
4.17 AVERAGE
adventurous
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
One of the most interesting magic systems I've read in a long time ! I went into this almost blind (I had only read the very beginning of the description, about how it's about industrialized magic and I was in) and I had a blast.
I loved the "heist" flavour, I liked all the characters, they were all intriguing, well-written and flawed and I loved that ! I really liked the pacing too.
I liked the end a little bit less, it was all becoming too big for my liking.
I loved the "heist" flavour, I liked all the characters, they were all intriguing, well-written and flawed and I loved that ! I really liked the pacing too.
I liked the end a little bit less, it was all becoming too big for my liking.
The writing didnt click with me at all.
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
adventurous
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
What a fantastic ride. The magic system is very intriguing, the characters are interesting. The prose is just right. I'm excited to read the next book.
The most unique, well thought out magic system I've ever read about. I love most fantasy books but this just took it to the next level...on par with Brandon Sanderson...maybe better (????)
adventurous
dark
lighthearted
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
Very interesting concept and world building. Definitely a “heist” style book, which aren’t usually my favorite. But that’s not why I’m rating it 3 stars.
I have less and less tolerance for books that fail to connect me emotionally to the protagonist. Was Sancia’s backstory tragic? Sure. Was I sympathetic? Yes. Did I feel like she grew and learned and changed? Hardly.
Protagonists should start with a point of view, a desire, and a foundational misbelief that’s holding her back from reaching that goal. Over the course of the book, she should encounter obstacles that make her reassess her understanding of the world, and prove that what she WANTS isn’t necessarily what she NEEDS; and that it’s her false belief that’s holding her back from getting what it is she really needs to feel whole.
Technically, some of those elements were present. Spoilers ahead: Sanchia’s WANT was to be “fixed” of being a scrived human. The author would have us believe that her MISBELIEF (whether or not she could articulate it) was that she thought of herself as a slave/a tool. Her NEED was to feel free, regardless of her status as a scrived human.
But the biggest problem is that I did not, for one second, believe that Sanchia thought of herself as a slave. She was relentlessly independent and driven to achieve her own desires. She ALWAYS knew her past slavery was immoral and unjust, and we see that in flashbacks to when she was a little girl. She never believe she deserved to be enslaved. Before this book even begins, she literally freed herself from being a slave when she burned that plantation down and killed all her slavers in the same fell swoop. Someone who thought of themselves as a slave could never do that.
So when Sancia finally “overcomes” her misbelief of this “slave” mentality—which is the key (ha) to defeating the bad guy at 97% of the book—her victory fell totally flat.
Feels like the author had a great plot concept, and an editor told him there needed to be a real character story there. So he went back and added in Sanchia’s growth arc. But that’s not how good stories are written. They come from the internal change and growth of the character (i.e., the story) in response to the external events that force them to confront the lies they believe about themselves or the world (i.e., the plot).
And don’t even get me started on the “romance.” NOT believing it!!
(PS- A great example of a “slave” arc is the Founder Ymir in Attack on Titan. THERE is someone who truly believed she didn’t deserve freedom.)
I have less and less tolerance for books that fail to connect me emotionally to the protagonist. Was Sancia’s backstory tragic? Sure. Was I sympathetic? Yes. Did I feel like she grew and learned and changed? Hardly.
Protagonists should start with a point of view, a desire, and a foundational misbelief that’s holding her back from reaching that goal. Over the course of the book, she should encounter obstacles that make her reassess her understanding of the world, and prove that what she WANTS isn’t necessarily what she NEEDS; and that it’s her false belief that’s holding her back from getting what it is she really needs to feel whole.
Technically, some of those elements were present. Spoilers ahead: Sanchia’s WANT was to be “fixed” of being a scrived human. The author would have us believe that her MISBELIEF (whether or not she could articulate it) was that she thought of herself as a slave/a tool. Her NEED was to feel free, regardless of her status as a scrived human.
But the biggest problem is that I did not, for one second, believe that Sanchia thought of herself as a slave. She was relentlessly independent and driven to achieve her own desires. She ALWAYS knew her past slavery was immoral and unjust, and we see that in flashbacks to when she was a little girl. She never believe she deserved to be enslaved. Before this book even begins, she literally freed herself from being a slave when she burned that plantation down and killed all her slavers in the same fell swoop. Someone who thought of themselves as a slave could never do that.
So when Sancia finally “overcomes” her misbelief of this “slave” mentality—which is the key (ha) to defeating the bad guy at 97% of the book—her victory fell totally flat.
Feels like the author had a great plot concept, and an editor told him there needed to be a real character story there. So he went back and added in Sanchia’s growth arc. But that’s not how good stories are written. They come from the internal change and growth of the character (i.e., the story) in response to the external events that force them to confront the lies they believe about themselves or the world (i.e., the plot).
And don’t even get me started on the “romance.” NOT believing it!!
(PS- A great example of a “slave” arc is the Founder Ymir in Attack on Titan. THERE is someone who truly believed she didn’t deserve freedom.)
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-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
adventurous
emotional
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes