Scan barcode
kyleofbooks's review against another edition
2.0
Okay, this one is gonna be messy. I apologize beforehand.
I’m always put off by stories that involve the loss of autonomy. The fact that Paul’s innate magic allows for anyone he meets to want to be his friend bugs me. Free will is a big deal, and that sort of manipulative ability would certainly creep me out if I had it: If someone didn’t have the choice whether to like me or not. So, that part of the story really put a damper on my reading experience. The magic could’ve been made to be ANYTHING! Why go with that? I know it’s described as a “first impressions only” sort of deal, but still…
From the get-go, I was a bit confused. The worldbuilding is fine; the idea of cloth magic is pretty cool, and the “book binding” and idea of innate magic interesting, but that’s about it. The characters were also just… fine. I liked Paul and Thom’s friendship the most (for the first 2/3rds, at least). However, I was irked by how much Paul played into the stereotypes of a bisexual (i.e. the incessant flirting and wanting to sleep with everyone and anyone). It was really unfortunate.. Another thing
My biggest gripe here, however, is with the plot. The story itself meanders. I wanted it to stick with one thread: innate magic, or the multitude of burgeoning relationships, or Verity’s mystery. Instead, the plot consists of too much all at once. Honestly, it was all over the place. If it didn’t jump around so much, I might’ve enjoyed it more. The whole time I was reading it, I wasn’t immersed. I was reading about the things that were happening, sure, but I wasn’t having any kind of reaction to it. There was this disconnect between my brain and the story. The book didn’t know whether to be a lighthearted romp with a diverse cast, or a graphic deep dive into magic. And when I say “graphic,” I mean graphic. Some of the passages are downright brutal.
One thing that seemed to bug a lot of readers (from what I’ve seen) is the multitude of religious tones. Is it really that awful to have a queer MC who is also Catholic? So what if they know about the Bible and speak of God? Reviewers have this adverse reaction to religion in this book, and it’s baffling. To me, it sounds like self-righteous, PC bandwagoning. The religious aspects were not preachy or exclusionary. So, give it a rest.
I can’t say whether or not I’m going to read the next installment. The ending here was such a, well, nonending, and all the cons right now outweigh the pros. But still, I’m a little curious. I guess we’ll have to wait and see.
I’m always put off by stories that involve the loss of autonomy. The fact that Paul’s innate magic allows for anyone he meets to want to be his friend bugs me. Free will is a big deal, and that sort of manipulative ability would certainly creep me out if I had it: If someone didn’t have the choice whether to like me or not. So, that part of the story really put a damper on my reading experience. The magic could’ve been made to be ANYTHING! Why go with that? I know it’s described as a “first impressions only” sort of deal, but still…
From the get-go, I was a bit confused. The worldbuilding is fine; the idea of cloth magic is pretty cool, and the “book binding” and idea of innate magic interesting, but that’s about it. The characters were also just… fine. I liked Paul and Thom’s friendship the most (for the first 2/3rds, at least). However, I was irked by how much Paul played into the stereotypes of a bisexual (i.e. the incessant flirting and wanting to sleep with everyone and anyone). It was really unfortunate.
Spoiler
Plus, the fact that both of Paul’s romantic interests here are cishet women, didn’t make me go “Yeah, now THIS is a queer book!” Hector Hollister doesn’t count for numerous reasons, and Paul’s past same-sex pairings are meager. I would’ve liked more queer content from a book being marketed as suchSpoiler
the whole Verity/Tonya situation was off-putting. How quickly Paul jumped into bed with Tonya after being involved with Verity so heavily was just… wrong. I don’t care that they’re the same person. Paul didn’t know that, and he still went ahead with it anyways.My biggest gripe here, however, is with the plot. The story itself meanders. I wanted it to stick with one thread: innate magic, or the multitude of burgeoning relationships, or Verity’s mystery. Instead, the plot consists of too much all at once. Honestly, it was all over the place. If it didn’t jump around so much, I might’ve enjoyed it more. The whole time I was reading it, I wasn’t immersed. I was reading about the things that were happening, sure, but I wasn’t having any kind of reaction to it. There was this disconnect between my brain and the story. The book didn’t know whether to be a lighthearted romp with a diverse cast, or a graphic deep dive into magic. And when I say “graphic,” I mean graphic. Some of the passages are downright brutal.
One thing that seemed to bug a lot of readers (from what I’ve seen) is the multitude of religious tones. Is it really that awful to have a queer MC who is also Catholic? So what if they know about the Bible and speak of God? Reviewers have this adverse reaction to religion in this book, and it’s baffling. To me, it sounds like self-righteous, PC bandwagoning. The religious aspects were not preachy or exclusionary. So, give it a rest.
I can’t say whether or not I’m going to read the next installment. The ending here was such a, well, nonending, and all the cons right now outweigh the pros. But still, I’m a little curious. I guess we’ll have to wait and see.
johnawickline's review against another edition
lighthearted
mysterious
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
3.5
snoozles's review against another edition
2.0
DNFed it had a really weird writing style which made it really hard for me to get into
luckykosmos's review against another edition
adventurous
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
3.75
Honestly very fun, Paul is a delightful narrator in way over his head. The magic system and how it affects the world, down to Paul and Thomas trying to do magic in the park and the interactions with the onlookers, is charming. There's a gore warning for a few pages toward the end, but otherwise it's quite tame.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Gore
Minor: Homophobia and Death of parent
herbalmoon's review against another edition
1.0
Every time I've said "pretty good so far" lately, I've ended up hating the book in the end, so let's just pretend that I didn't say it, shall we?
Only question/quibble after the first chapter is wondering why Andrew's candles were all melted by the time they got to eat when he blew them out as soon as he walked in and saw everyone's faces. (Not spoiling that because I don't think it's incredibly important.)
=5 Nov=
I wish they'd explained Books early on rather than leaving us to figure out that they're magical ledgers. (At least in part.) That would also go a long way in making it clear that bookbinding (which seems rather mundane to the reader) is like a magical banker—or perhaps even slightly more than that.
=6 Nov=
A tad too Christian for my liking—I prefer my magic users to follow the old gods or none at all.
You mean Salic primogeniture—distributing one's inheritance via birth order is still primogeniture, it's just called "absolute" instead. I would expect a citizen of the Commonwealth (like the author) to know that, given that Salic was finally abolished in favor of absolute ahead of the birth of Prince George.
=7 Nov=
I was hoping to be able to finish the book to find out what Dr. Myers is up to—especially since flipping to the epilogue didn't tell me anything about Paul becoming Court Mage—but I have my doubts at this point.
=8 Nov=
Disgusting, overdramatic bullshit. How did this even get published?
Only question/quibble after the first chapter is wondering why Andrew's candles were all melted by the time they got to eat when he blew them out as soon as he walked in and saw everyone's faces. (Not spoiling that because I don't think it's incredibly important.)
=5 Nov=
I wish they'd explained Books early on rather than leaving us to figure out that they're magical ledgers. (At least in part.) That would also go a long way in making it clear that bookbinding (which seems rather mundane to the reader) is like a magical banker—or perhaps even slightly more than that.
=6 Nov=
A tad too Christian for my liking—I prefer my magic users to follow the old gods or none at all.
...but he was a staunch supporter of primogeniture. He needed a son to whom he could leave his vast fortune.
You mean Salic primogeniture—distributing one's inheritance via birth order is still primogeniture, it's just called "absolute" instead. I would expect a citizen of the Commonwealth (like the author) to know that, given that Salic was finally abolished in favor of absolute ahead of the birth of Prince George.
=7 Nov=
Spoiler
Ew, gods...this thing just lost another star for bringing up the notion of dermatological magic! It's a slender, slippery slope to flaying innocents and going all Nazi—especially when they've already talked about the Russians torturing mages and turning then into bombs.I was hoping to be able to finish the book to find out what Dr. Myers is up to—especially since flipping to the epilogue didn't tell me anything about Paul becoming Court Mage—but I have my doubts at this point.
=8 Nov=
Disgusting, overdramatic bullshit. How did this even get published?
blinkmq's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
texile's review against another edition
4.0
I wasn’t blown away, but the story is gripping, and I feel like the vibe is going to stick with me for a long time, like Jasper Fforde’s Shades of Grey. Though this sequel is due out next year, knock on wood, so hopefully won’t be as frustrating as Shades of Grey.
mgwuh's review against another edition
adventurous
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.0
The world building is excellent; the cast of characters, fully realized. Unfortunately, the protagonist is insufferable. He's a narcissistic, preening, barely competent, myopic, desperate, charming trashheap of a man who pulls everyone around him into a vortex of his idiocy and carelessly pursued crusades. He constantly proclaims his deep love for others all while only loving them exactly as is convenient for him and his image of himself, to their detriment.
Read it if you have the patience for a main character whom you'd throttle to death in real life. In all other cases, avoid it like the plague. It's good work, and I will well upon the author, but it wasn't worth what the stress and rage likely did to my physical health.
Other reviewers note plotholes, and I also chafed against those and a few anachronisms, but honestly by the time they happened I was so annoyed I was rushing through the book to just get it over with, so they captured my attention only long enough to leave an annotation commenting on them. I don't know if they'll shake you more if you're less frustrated than I was by then.
Read it if you have the patience for a main character whom you'd throttle to death in real life. In all other cases, avoid it like the plague. It's good work, and I will well upon the author, but it wasn't worth what the stress and rage likely did to my physical health.
Other reviewers note plotholes, and I also chafed against those and a few anachronisms, but honestly by the time they happened I was so annoyed I was rushing through the book to just get it over with, so they captured my attention only long enough to leave an annotation commenting on them. I don't know if they'll shake you more if you're less frustrated than I was by then.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Gore and Torture
Moderate: Child abuse, Child death, Domestic abuse, and Homophobia
Minor: War
Lots of catholicism if that bothers you. The mc is possibly anti abortion but his idiocy is held in relief against more rational characters who have no issue with it.