You need to sign in or sign up before continuing.
Take a photo of a barcode or cover
3.97 AVERAGE
3.97 AVERAGE
So far, so standard. Nothing really stood out for me in this book, neither positive nor negative. I do like the setting, fantasy with powder weapons is almost criminally underused. I did like Janus, and the beginning of the story reminded me of the Chain of Dogs in [b:Deadhouse Gates|55401|Deadhouse Gates (The Malazan Book of the Fallen, #2)|Steven Erikson|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1385272744s/55401.jpg|3898716], one of my favourite stories of all the books I've read so far. In fact, between this book and the updates by a GoodReads-Friend, I have decided to re-read the Malazan series when I'm done with the second book of this series, but that's besides the point.
So, nothing out of the ordinary here. If you are looking for a book with fantasy in a powder weapons setting, you basically have the choice between this one and [b:Promise of Blood|15790883|Promise of Blood (The Powder Mage, #1)|Brian McClellan|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1350337505s/15790883.jpg|21512438] / the Powder Mage Series, and in that case I'd recommend Promise of Blood over this one, at least if you like your fantasy with a lot of magic. If you'd rather have very little mystical stuff going on,why are you reading fantasy? you should pick this one up.
So, nothing out of the ordinary here. If you are looking for a book with fantasy in a powder weapons setting, you basically have the choice between this one and [b:Promise of Blood|15790883|Promise of Blood (The Powder Mage, #1)|Brian McClellan|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1350337505s/15790883.jpg|21512438] / the Powder Mage Series, and in that case I'd recommend Promise of Blood over this one, at least if you like your fantasy with a lot of magic. If you'd rather have very little mystical stuff going on,
Notes:
Yay for libraries!
So... I was not impressed by this book. It's some sort of alternative history with a bit of a twist. Neither the setting or characters stand out.
I'm going to read the next book at some point. The library as the whole series. However, I'll wait a while before I do it. My current reading mood is a bit odd, picky and keenly distant from any story that fails to hook my attention.
It took longer for me to finish this book because I'd pause it and not start it up until hours have passed.
Yay for libraries!
So... I was not impressed by this book. It's some sort of alternative history with a bit of a twist. Neither the setting or characters stand out.
I'm going to read the next book at some point. The library as the whole series. However, I'll wait a while before I do it. My current reading mood is a bit odd, picky and keenly distant from any story that fails to hook my attention.
It took longer for me to finish this book because I'd pause it and not start it up until hours have passed.
I thought there were some very interesting plots and mysteries happening in this book. I think the naanth magic system has potential and I'm interested to see what will happen with it in future books. I really liked Marcus' white knight-esq persona and Janus' mind for tactics and strategy.
There were, however, two things that bothered me: (1) quite a bit of swearing and (2) its hard to respect Winter when she faints after doing anything remotely important. Still, I enjoyed Winter, just wished she wouldn't faint after doing something cool.
There were, however, two things that bothered me: (1) quite a bit of swearing and (2) its hard to respect Winter when she faints after doing anything remotely important. Still, I enjoyed Winter, just wished she wouldn't faint after doing something cool.
I read this book last year when I'd wanted to read something different. The blurb and few reviews of this book caught my attention and finally I read this. It was my first military fantasy book and I was not disappointed.
Marcus d'Ivoire is the commander of the Vordanian Colonials at Khandar. After the rebellion in Khandar, he gets the news that he has to give the charge to his new superior Colonel Janus bet Vhalnich. He is too happy to do so. Winter Ihernglass, a low ranker, is soon promoted to the level of Sergeant after she performed very bravely in some battles.
So the story revolve around these three main characters and how they managed to outshine Rebellions and a mysterious Steel Ghost of whom everyone is very afraid of. But as you read the story you get to know that there are other things which are working in the background that lay a very strong foundation for the second book in the series.
as I said this is my first military fantasy book so I think it is the reason that I felt the very detailed military preparations took a toll on me and I came very near to abandon this book. But Janus's humor, intelligence and brilliance saved the day and I kept reading it. The introduction of magic in the second half made the story even more entertaining and it kept me glued to the book until I read the Epilogue.
I liked Winter but I've few problems with her character. I found her very irritating in the start. Hardly speaking and barely reacting to insults by fellow rankers. I get it that she was trying to conceal her gender by not getting any attention but the bullying was too much at times and when they try to physically assault her, she never fought back. She was promoted against her will but with every promotion her confidence grew and we see a new Winter by the middle of the book. I liked the confident Sergeant Winter Ihernglass better than the wimp she was in the start.
one of the thing that I absolutely loved in this book are the battle scenes. Mr. Wexler has paid very minute attention to every battle. You can feel the tension and anxiety of battle like they are taking place right in front of you. Even the smallest battles felt so grand.
If you people like to read military fantasy or planning to read, try this one.
Marcus d'Ivoire is the commander of the Vordanian Colonials at Khandar. After the rebellion in Khandar, he gets the news that he has to give the charge to his new superior Colonel Janus bet Vhalnich. He is too happy to do so. Winter Ihernglass, a low ranker, is soon promoted to the level of Sergeant after she performed very bravely in some battles.
So the story revolve around these three main characters and how they managed to outshine Rebellions and a mysterious Steel Ghost of whom everyone is very afraid of. But as you read the story you get to know that there are other things which are working in the background that lay a very strong foundation for the second book in the series.
as I said this is my first military fantasy book so I think it is the reason that I felt the very detailed military preparations took a toll on me and I came very near to abandon this book. But Janus's humor, intelligence and brilliance saved the day and I kept reading it. The introduction of magic in the second half made the story even more entertaining and it kept me glued to the book until I read the Epilogue.
I liked Winter but I've few problems with her character. I found her very irritating in the start. Hardly speaking and barely reacting to insults by fellow rankers. I get it that she was trying to conceal her gender by not getting any attention but the bullying was too much at times and when they try to physically assault her, she never fought back. She was promoted against her will but with every promotion her confidence grew and we see a new Winter by the middle of the book. I liked the confident Sergeant Winter Ihernglass better than the wimp she was in the start.
one of the thing that I absolutely loved in this book are the battle scenes. Mr. Wexler has paid very minute attention to every battle. You can feel the tension and anxiety of battle like they are taking place right in front of you. Even the smallest battles felt so grand.
If you people like to read military fantasy or planning to read, try this one.
Everyone's right: this is great. It's military fantasy set in a replica colonial Egypt, the former of which is not my favourite thing, but the latter of which I dug. However, the simplicity and repetition of the military-campaign plot structure was balanced out for me by the complexity of the characters. We only had a couple of viewpoints, which really enabled us to dig into them deeply and get comfortable with them. (I can't wait to see how they go returning to their demons in the second book.) It's not quite "epic patchwork" fantasy, but there's enough of that going on in the background that I enjoyed it tremendously and am looking forward to more.
It felt like it took me a long time to read this book, it has taken me 10 days, which is a long time for me. However, not because I didn't enjoy it. Obviously, I wouldn't have given it 5-stars if I hadn't.
The story follows the Colonials in their re-conquest of lands lost before the beginning of the book. With a new colonel and recruits fresh out of military academy, the Colonials set out through arid lands and desert as they fight the Redeemers who rebelled against the Prince.
The story is told (mostly) from two perspectives. Marcus d'Ivoire is Senior Captain of the First Batallion. He has been in charge since the previous colonel died and relieved when a new one is finally taking over. What he didn't expect was for this new colonel to set out to reconquer what has been lost rather than send everyone back home. He soon finds himself leading his men into different battles, saving his best friend on multiple occasions, and marching into the desert.
Winter Ihernglass escaped a dreadful situation at home and enrolled in the army. For two years, she has pretended to be just another man among the rankers. But she's a woman. With new companies of soldiers arriving, Winter finds herself promoted to Sergeant and again to Lieutenant when she proves more than worthy of the title. Soon, she finds herself doing her best to keep her company alive, keep her own secret well hidden, trying to understand what magic she stumbled upon when she found Feor, a young priestess, in the wreck of the Redeemers camp.
I had never read a book that was so focused on the military. There have been plenty of young adult books where the characters fight against the government and raise an army to do so. But those are armies of rebels where the hero is at its head with their trusted friends at their side. This was an army with ranks and orders to follow even when they seemed mad. I didn't think I would enjoy it as much as I actually did. It gives a certain structure to the story and the hierarchy that is preserved throughout the story.
The supernatural elements are introduced slowly but surely and don't really come into play until the end. But I found it interesting to see how the history of two completely different continents are intertwined. The political intrigued that I assume will play a big role in the next book has already been introduced and I'm quite looking forward to reading more.
So, if I liked everything, why didn't I rush through it like I do with all my books. While the characters are on the more from almost chapter 1, the plot is relatively slow at the beginning and the chapters are long. They are not uninteresting, it's not that nothing happens. However, everything happens at a pace that allows the reader to take their time reading as well. At least, this was how I perceived it.
Good read, and onto the next.
The story follows the Colonials in their re-conquest of lands lost before the beginning of the book. With a new colonel and recruits fresh out of military academy, the Colonials set out through arid lands and desert as they fight the Redeemers who rebelled against the Prince.
The story is told (mostly) from two perspectives. Marcus d'Ivoire is Senior Captain of the First Batallion. He has been in charge since the previous colonel died and relieved when a new one is finally taking over. What he didn't expect was for this new colonel to set out to reconquer what has been lost rather than send everyone back home. He soon finds himself leading his men into different battles, saving his best friend on multiple occasions, and marching into the desert.
Winter Ihernglass escaped a dreadful situation at home and enrolled in the army. For two years, she has pretended to be just another man among the rankers. But she's a woman. With new companies of soldiers arriving, Winter finds herself promoted to Sergeant and again to Lieutenant when she proves more than worthy of the title. Soon, she finds herself doing her best to keep her company alive, keep her own secret well hidden, trying to understand what magic she stumbled upon when she found Feor, a young priestess, in the wreck of the Redeemers camp.
I had never read a book that was so focused on the military. There have been plenty of young adult books where the characters fight against the government and raise an army to do so. But those are armies of rebels where the hero is at its head with their trusted friends at their side. This was an army with ranks and orders to follow even when they seemed mad. I didn't think I would enjoy it as much as I actually did. It gives a certain structure to the story and the hierarchy that is preserved throughout the story.
The supernatural elements are introduced slowly but surely and don't really come into play until the end. But I found it interesting to see how the history of two completely different continents are intertwined. The political intrigued that I assume will play a big role in the next book has already been introduced and I'm quite looking forward to reading more.
So, if I liked everything, why didn't I rush through it like I do with all my books. While the characters are on the more from almost chapter 1, the plot is relatively slow at the beginning and the chapters are long. They are not uninteresting, it's not that nothing happens. However, everything happens at a pace that allows the reader to take their time reading as well. At least, this was how I perceived it.
Good read, and onto the next.
In the desert colony of Khandar, a dark and mysterious magic, hidden for centuries, is about to emerge from darkness.
Marcus d'Ivoire, senior captain of the Vordanai Colonials, is resigned to serving out his days in a sleepy, remote outpost, when a rebellion leaves him in charge of a demoralized force in a broken down fortress.
Winter Ihernglass, fleeing her past and masquerading as a man, just wants to go unnoticed. Finding herself promoted to a command, she must rise to the challenge and fight impossible odds to survive.
Their fates rest in the hands of an enigmatic new Colonel, sent to restore order while following his own mysterious agenda into the realm of the supernatural
This was an awesome debut!! It was filled with action, mysteries and captivating characters. The setting was original was fascinating, and the world-building was amazing. I found it interesting that you were able to draw some comparisons between actions/events in this book and the current state of events in the world.
There wasn't much magic in the first half of this book (except for Jaffa's interaction during the prologue). The first half focused more on the military aspect and the world/character-building. Don't get me wrong, that was fine, but I was expecting just a little more magic based on what I'd read before starting the book.
There were several different POVs that we saw through the book, but the main 2 we saw were Winter and Marcus. I liked the contrast between those two--Marcus as the commander in charge of a force of essentially rejects and Winter as the lower level "boots on the ground" leader. Mr. Wexler did a great job of switching between the various POVs and still keeping the story flowing smoothly (sometimes even in the middle of the chapters).
The main characters were wonderful, but the supporting cast was great as well. Janus spent a lot of time switching between a likable seemingly simple man, a bad-ass commander and then an unknown. Bobby was a great young soldier and Feor was a very caring priestess.
I really can't wait to read the next one!! I have to see where Janus's plans are going!
*In exchange for my review, I received a copy through a Goodreads giveaway*
Marcus d'Ivoire, senior captain of the Vordanai Colonials, is resigned to serving out his days in a sleepy, remote outpost, when a rebellion leaves him in charge of a demoralized force in a broken down fortress.
Winter Ihernglass, fleeing her past and masquerading as a man, just wants to go unnoticed. Finding herself promoted to a command, she must rise to the challenge and fight impossible odds to survive.
Their fates rest in the hands of an enigmatic new Colonel, sent to restore order while following his own mysterious agenda into the realm of the supernatural
This was an awesome debut!! It was filled with action, mysteries and captivating characters. The setting was original was fascinating, and the world-building was amazing. I found it interesting that you were able to draw some comparisons between actions/events in this book and the current state of events in the world.
There wasn't much magic in the first half of this book (except for Jaffa's interaction during the prologue). The first half focused more on the military aspect and the world/character-building. Don't get me wrong, that was fine, but I was expecting just a little more magic based on what I'd read before starting the book.
There were several different POVs that we saw through the book, but the main 2 we saw were Winter and Marcus. I liked the contrast between those two--Marcus as the commander in charge of a force of essentially rejects and Winter as the lower level "boots on the ground" leader. Mr. Wexler did a great job of switching between the various POVs and still keeping the story flowing smoothly (sometimes even in the middle of the chapters).
The main characters were wonderful, but the supporting cast was great as well. Janus spent a lot of time switching between a likable seemingly simple man, a bad-ass commander and then an unknown. Bobby was a great young soldier and Feor was a very caring priestess.
I really can't wait to read the next one!! I have to see where Janus's plans are going!
*In exchange for my review, I received a copy through a Goodreads giveaway*
Excellent book, really well developed characters (including well developed and nuanced female characters!), exciting plot and well developed and innovate and new magic systems.
I wish Goodreads allowed half stars. The only reason this book didn't get the full 5 stars is that generally, I'm not the hugest fan of war books. When a good percentage of the narrative is detailed battle descriptions, the authors tend to lose me. However, that only drops Wexler half a star (if Goodreads let me do halves) because he manages to keep the human focus within the battlefield. This ends the negatives of this book for me.
The best part of this story, characters. Wexler is one of those authors that bothers with the full range of humanity for each and every person. The characters that are just douches, are believable and real. We've all had a Davis in our lives. No one is a cartoony villain twirling a mustache. In fact the only silly wax mustache is on a good Captain. The main characters that we follow, especially Winter and Marcus, are easy to like and believe and I will follow them through more books.
The best part of this story, characters. Wexler is one of those authors that bothers with the full range of humanity for each and every person. The characters that are just douches, are believable and real. We've all had a Davis in our lives. No one is a cartoony villain twirling a mustache. In fact the only silly wax mustache is on a good Captain. The main characters that we follow, especially Winter and Marcus, are easy to like and believe and I will follow them through more books.