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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.ggwweenn1's review against another edition
3.0
Maybe it is just because this is the first thing I read after a long string of audiobooks, but I felt like this book just WOOSHED by me. It has the makings of a good magical mystery, lots of irons that start off in different fires but by the end turn out to be all in the same fire, an interesting magic system in a colorful magic setting, and enough twists to make you think WHAT!But something about it seems...
Loose.
There were conflicts that seemed contrived to drive the plot forward rather than actually be part of the plot. There were scenes that seemed to be completely unmoored from the story, as though they happened years earlier than the beginning, despite not being a flashback. There were characters who seemed integral at first brush that were thrown away before the confrontation with the BBEG.
On top of that, Paul Gallagher is a less than compelling character. Yes he's broke, yes he has a secret past, but every other character around him has struggles more interesting than his own. They are shown to have depths and ideals beyond him. Paul seems to already have faced most of his demons before the start, and they don't really come back to haunt him.
I will of course be reading the following book, as Thomas is the protagonist and he seems to have a lot more depth than Paul. I hope that it will also tie in a number of loose threads from this book to make the series feel like a cohesive whole.
Loose.
There were conflicts that seemed contrived to drive the plot forward rather than actually be part of the plot. There were scenes that seemed to be completely unmoored from the story, as though they happened years earlier than the beginning, despite not being a flashback. There were characters who seemed integral at first brush that were thrown away before the confrontation with the BBEG.
On top of that, Paul Gallagher is a less than compelling character. Yes he's broke, yes he has a secret past, but every other character around him has struggles more interesting than his own. They are shown to have depths and ideals beyond him. Paul seems to already have faced most of his demons before the start, and they don't really come back to haunt him.
I will of course be reading the following book, as Thomas is the protagonist and he seems to have a lot more depth than Paul. I hope that it will also tie in a number of loose threads from this book to make the series feel like a cohesive whole.
nonistoni's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
valkyrie's review against another edition
adventurous
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? It's complicated
5.0
Absolutely LOVED everything about this book! The main character, the worldbuilding, the relationships, everything!
xylea13's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
katja1346's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
funny
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
laurenc620's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.75
elysareadsitall's review against another edition
DNF. Not for me. I just couldn't get into this and didn't care about the characters. I got another ebook I'd had on hold and jumped at the chance to read that, and I don't feel like going back to this one.
adelejac85's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0