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3.97 AVERAGE
3.97 AVERAGE
Quite liked this story and I ended up really liking all of the characters to a degree in the book, which is quite rare for me. I'll usually have a couple of characters I can't stand for various reasons. Most of the characters feel well-rounded, though there is room for growth in all of them... but I expect that all of them will evolved in the next books.
The only downside to the books is a "short-comming" on my part, as I know next to nothing about millitary construction and hierarchy. This meant that I had to look up just a bit of info to be able to figure out what was what, but that is such a small thing that it didn't really matter while reading.
I would definitely recommend this book for anyone interested in fantasy with millitary/war setting. Looking forward to get my hands on the next book!
The only downside to the books is a "short-comming" on my part, as I know next to nothing about millitary construction and hierarchy. This meant that I had to look up just a bit of info to be able to figure out what was what, but that is such a small thing that it didn't really matter while reading.
I would definitely recommend this book for anyone interested in fantasy with millitary/war setting. Looking forward to get my hands on the next book!
4.5 stars. More historical fiction, Napoleonic era with a magical twist at the end
3,5 звезды, военное фэнтези, условные европейцы начала XIX века против условных египтян-арабов того же периода, мушкеты против магии. Очень хорошие батальные сцены, но крайне средненькое все остальное, от персонажей до общей сюжетной линии.
adventurous
dark
mysterious
tense
slow-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:
Complicated
Overview: Good story plot and characters. Interesting "magic", but mostly lacking in the story. Got a good visual of the story and the action scenes is where the author excels.
WOULD HAVE BEEN a 5 star read if it wasn't for all the boring parts. Like...most of the book. Can't fight the feeling that Django Wexler sacraficed himself to the Word Count God. I quickly learned that Winter's POV was worth the reading. Marcus is a bit of a poof.
I really liked the magic in this story and would have liked to have seen more. I'm so glad I stuck with the book, because that ending had all kinds of excitement. Exciting enough for me to want to read book 2.
For the majority of this book I wanted to give it 3 stars, until that exciting ending I was so tempted to boost it up a star. But 3 stars is good! It really was a good book. That damn Word Count God sucked 2 stars out of it.
WOULD HAVE BEEN a 5 star read if it wasn't for all the boring parts. Like...most of the book. Can't fight the feeling that Django Wexler sacraficed himself to the Word Count God. I quickly learned that Winter's POV was worth the reading. Marcus is a bit of a poof.
I really liked the magic in this story and would have liked to have seen more. I'm so glad I stuck with the book, because that ending had all kinds of excitement. Exciting enough for me to want to read book 2.
For the majority of this book I wanted to give it 3 stars, until that exciting ending I was so tempted to boost it up a star. But 3 stars is good! It really was a good book. That damn Word Count God sucked 2 stars out of it.
I really enjoyed this one. Taking a foreign legion approach to Fantasy was fascinating, and the desert setting was a nice change from the usual European inspired fantasy. Like a lot of modern fantasy this one really plays down the fantasy quite a lot - the magical and fantastical elements do appear and play a strong role in the climax, but mostly this story focusses on the day to day running of a foreign legion ('The Colonial') and their campaigning in a North African inspired fantastical land.
The book uses two main POV characters, First Captain Marcus and the rapidly promoted Winter Ihernglass, who rises from Ranker to Lieutenant over the course of the book. In addition, a couple of other POVs are used in 'prequal' section to each part of the novel, giving an alternative point of view from the other side of the conflict. The characters are well drawn and likeable. The different rivalries that a world weary foreign legion would possess are interestingly captured.
There are strong imperialistic overtones to the story, inherent in its setting. I know some people would object to the caricaturing of the native inhabitants, but to me this is told from the perspective of the 'imperials' so this captures how they would view it. I post this as a warning to those who may be offended - to me this was not a big issue.
All in all I thoroughly enjoyed this - it takes in interesting setting and applies a refreshing take on fantasy. Looking forward to continuing the series!
The book uses two main POV characters, First Captain Marcus and the rapidly promoted Winter Ihernglass, who rises from Ranker to Lieutenant over the course of the book. In addition, a couple of other POVs are used in 'prequal' section to each part of the novel, giving an alternative point of view from the other side of the conflict. The characters are well drawn and likeable. The different rivalries that a world weary foreign legion would possess are interestingly captured.
There are strong imperialistic overtones to the story, inherent in its setting. I know some people would object to the caricaturing of the native inhabitants, but to me this is told from the perspective of the 'imperials' so this captures how they would view it. I post this as a warning to those who may be offended - to me this was not a big issue.
All in all I thoroughly enjoyed this - it takes in interesting setting and applies a refreshing take on fantasy. Looking forward to continuing the series!
adventurous
challenging
emotional
funny
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
I have been meaning to read this book since Aug 2019 - not sure what prompted me to put it on the TBR but I am glad that the read-along on
so this was pretty underwhelming. i had hoped to get smth along the line of the powdeage series but instead got smth that was less in every aspect. the story is told from two perspectives, from a female soldier disguised as a male and an old veteran and captain of said army. the character developement was very uneven. the female one had much more "meat" to her and therefore i found myself always wanting to skip the captains parts to get back to the more interesting story. Also, most "surprises" you can see miles ahaed and by that i mean around 20% into the book.
unfortunatly this novel has nothing to offer and even what it delivers was below avrg. quality ( 3stars)
unfortunatly this novel has nothing to offer and even what it delivers was below avrg. quality ( 3stars)
Very interesting altough I feel that the story should be coming into something more intense in the next chapter...