Take a photo of a barcode or cover
4.34 AVERAGE
4.34 AVERAGE
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
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
I've been trying to figure out to review this book. I liked the characters and the writing style. The worldbuilding is fun and well laid out. But I seriously struggled to care about the plot of this book. At every turn, I was uninvested.
Tho technically this is marketed as a book 1, it did feel like it was relying on the "prequel" first book too much for it to be a good entry point to the series. I would recommend going back to read "book 0" first. The biggest thing I felt like I was missing here was reasons to care about the character relationships and pasts.
Thanks to Netgalley and Starwatch Press for a copy of this book. All opinions are my own.
Tho technically this is marketed as a book 1, it did feel like it was relying on the "prequel" first book too much for it to be a good entry point to the series. I would recommend going back to read "book 0" first. The biggest thing I felt like I was missing here was reasons to care about the character relationships and pasts.
Thanks to Netgalley and Starwatch Press for a copy of this book. All opinions are my own.
adventurous
emotional
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:
No
I requested this book on a complete whim. I hadn't read either of the authors before, but was interested by the steampunk and airship descriptors. There is a sort of humorous and cozy-adjacent tone to the story. It isn't low stakes, but there's a motley crew led by a spirited goblin captain who is more endearing than menacing, knitwear, and broken teacups that give it a lighter atmosphere. Despite this, Echoes of the Imperium is packed with a surprising amount of meaningful and heavy topics. Consequences of war. Reckoning with a problematic past. Seeking redemption. Working through grief.
Personally, I found the pacing a bit uneven. There were parts that lulled where I struggled to stay engaged - I ended up skimming a few small sections. I also wanted more clear worldbuilding. The characters were the focus. It's a fun, diverse, and distinct bunch. They all have their own quirks and pasts that I imagine over the course of the series will be further expanded on. I really enjoyed the found family. There's all kinds of different family dynamics explored.
Thank you NetGalley and Starwatch Press for the copy!
Personally, I found the pacing a bit uneven. There were parts that lulled where I struggled to stay engaged - I ended up skimming a few small sections. I also wanted more clear worldbuilding. The characters were the focus. It's a fun, diverse, and distinct bunch. They all have their own quirks and pasts that I imagine over the course of the series will be further expanded on. I really enjoyed the found family. There's all kinds of different family dynamics explored.
Thank you NetGalley and Starwatch Press for the copy!
adventurous
emotional
inspiring
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:
No
This review was originally posted on Books of My Heart
Review copy was received from NetGalley. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.
4.5 hearts
Echoes of the Imperium is the first full length novel of the Tales of the Iron Rose. I read the prequel to this series when it was free on the author's website and loved the idea of a series that went out of its way to break some of the common classic fantasy tropes. For instance the Captain of the Iron Rose, might be swash buckling but he is a green goblin and only a swamy five foot tall. While I do highly recommend reading A Matter of Execution, it isn't necessary to join our goblin captain and crew on this adventure.
William Blair now is a beloved captain of the Iron Rose and her eclectic crew. All of them have a past of some kind, but when you come onboard the Iron Rose, you leave that life behind and you have a chance at a new found family and possibly redemption of a sort. Sailing the skies in a privateering ship Captain Blair and his crew take questionable jobs to make ends meet. Think a little bit Firefly, if it was all on one planet and the crew consisted of a Faery navigator, a granny type that is a hell of a shot, an engineer obsessed with keeping a tea set in one piece and a sixteen year old brought up on mystery novels ready to run cons and outmaneuver the adults. They sail the skies from port to port but this new job might just get everyone on the Iron Rose killed and Captain Blair could be in over his head.
This is a world where the mortals were used to fight a war for the Seelie against the Unseelie breaching through into this world. Twenty years ago that war was brought to a halt when a rebellion broke out and the Imperium was destroyed. The members aboard Captain Blair's ship are from all sides of that conflict and have found a peace and a way to coexist. The story is told mostly from Captain Blair's PoV in present and past as we learn how that fateful day 20 years ago ruined the Imperium. Years later and there is evidence the Unseelie have breached into this world. Captain Blair will revisit some of the atrocities the Imperium committed and find a way to keep the Imperium from returning from the ashes to conscript the unwilling into a new war.
I had a great time with this story. I like that all the characters in the ship are different and have interesting character development to make them three dimensional. Syrene is Fae and I think the author did a fantastic job of showing us how 'other' she is; in her demeaner, her emotions, the way she moved and her appearance. I enjoyed the worldbuilding as well and how aether powers ships and can be harnessed as a weapon too. The fights and flights were entertaining and nail biting at times, without going on so long that I lost focus.
Overall I am enjoying this series and how much fun the authors seem to be having with it. I recommend it to people who enjoyed Firefly, Treasure planet and the new Star Wars movies.
Review copy was received from NetGalley. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.
4.5 hearts
Echoes of the Imperium is the first full length novel of the Tales of the Iron Rose. I read the prequel to this series when it was free on the author's website and loved the idea of a series that went out of its way to break some of the common classic fantasy tropes. For instance the Captain of the Iron Rose, might be swash buckling but he is a green goblin and only a swamy five foot tall. While I do highly recommend reading A Matter of Execution, it isn't necessary to join our goblin captain and crew on this adventure.
William Blair now is a beloved captain of the Iron Rose and her eclectic crew. All of them have a past of some kind, but when you come onboard the Iron Rose, you leave that life behind and you have a chance at a new found family and possibly redemption of a sort. Sailing the skies in a privateering ship Captain Blair and his crew take questionable jobs to make ends meet. Think a little bit Firefly, if it was all on one planet and the crew consisted of a Faery navigator, a granny type that is a hell of a shot, an engineer obsessed with keeping a tea set in one piece and a sixteen year old brought up on mystery novels ready to run cons and outmaneuver the adults. They sail the skies from port to port but this new job might just get everyone on the Iron Rose killed and Captain Blair could be in over his head.
“Miss Hawkins,” I said, “I am used to being the biggest troublemaker in town. I’m not certain I like the suggestion that you’re about to outdo me.”
This is a world where the mortals were used to fight a war for the Seelie against the Unseelie breaching through into this world. Twenty years ago that war was brought to a halt when a rebellion broke out and the Imperium was destroyed. The members aboard Captain Blair's ship are from all sides of that conflict and have found a peace and a way to coexist. The story is told mostly from Captain Blair's PoV in present and past as we learn how that fateful day 20 years ago ruined the Imperium. Years later and there is evidence the Unseelie have breached into this world. Captain Blair will revisit some of the atrocities the Imperium committed and find a way to keep the Imperium from returning from the ashes to conscript the unwilling into a new war.
I had a great time with this story. I like that all the characters in the ship are different and have interesting character development to make them three dimensional. Syrene is Fae and I think the author did a fantastic job of showing us how 'other' she is; in her demeaner, her emotions, the way she moved and her appearance. I enjoyed the worldbuilding as well and how aether powers ships and can be harnessed as a weapon too. The fights and flights were entertaining and nail biting at times, without going on so long that I lost focus.
Overall I am enjoying this series and how much fun the authors seem to be having with it. I recommend it to people who enjoyed Firefly, Treasure planet and the new Star Wars movies.
“Everything matters, Wil,” Evie told me. “But I don’t think penance is about fixing things. I think… it’s about…” There was a strange conviction in his dark eyes now, though he struggled to find the words to convey what he was thinking. “It’s about becoming the sort of person who would never make that mistake again. It’s about caring so much that you have to fix all of the little cruelties that you can. Until it’s the most natural thing in the world to you.”
adventurous
dark
emotional
inspiring
mysterious
fast-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:
No
This book is full of so much heart and I feel like that's a rarity in high fantasy.
We've got a rag-tag crew that might take some shady business deals to earn money, but they all agree on wanting a better world in a post-war era, picking up strays that agree along the way.
There's plenty of drama and stride, but it's beautifully handled amdist this found family. Forgiveness abounds and maybe we could learn some lessons about moving forward.
We've got a rag-tag crew that might take some shady business deals to earn money, but they all agree on wanting a better world in a post-war era, picking up strays that agree along the way.
There's plenty of drama and stride, but it's beautifully handled amdist this found family. Forgiveness abounds and maybe we could learn some lessons about moving forward.
adventurous
emotional
medium-paced
adventurous
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
This steampunk fantasy is one of the most enjoyable books I’ve read this year!
Meet the crew of the Iron Rose - one of the most endearing crews of swashbuckling pirates to ever sail the skies. The crew comprises goblins, hobgoblins, and humans and of all ages and backgrounds. There’s even a terrifying faerie navigator who guides the aether-powered airship. Despite the fact that many of them fought on opposite sides of a brutal civil war, the ship has become a safe home for all its crew.
To keep this spoiler-free, I’ll just say that the adventure kicks off when the captain decides to deliver shady cargo to a city where they may not be welcome. From that point, the story explodes in unexpected directions. I loved every twist and turn.
But in the midst all this excitement, the authors explore the consequences of violence and war on both victims and perpetrators. What happens to soldiers who realize they were on the wrong side of a war? Can they find redemption? Can the living forgive war crimes? This book addresses heavy topics with care and nuance, yet somehow remains a delightful and immensely entertaining adventure. It’s quite a feat!
There’s some great diversity rep: the MC is aro/ace and two prominent side characters are a happily married gay couple. I expect to learn more about other crew members in future books.
Thank you to NetGalley for this eARC.
Meet the crew of the Iron Rose - one of the most endearing crews of swashbuckling pirates to ever sail the skies. The crew comprises goblins, hobgoblins, and humans and of all ages and backgrounds. There’s even a terrifying faerie navigator who guides the aether-powered airship. Despite the fact that many of them fought on opposite sides of a brutal civil war, the ship has become a safe home for all its crew.
To keep this spoiler-free, I’ll just say that the adventure kicks off when the captain decides to deliver shady cargo to a city where they may not be welcome. From that point, the story explodes in unexpected directions. I loved every twist and turn.
But in the midst all this excitement, the authors explore the consequences of violence and war on both victims and perpetrators. What happens to soldiers who realize they were on the wrong side of a war? Can they find redemption? Can the living forgive war crimes? This book addresses heavy topics with care and nuance, yet somehow remains a delightful and immensely entertaining adventure. It’s quite a feat!
There’s some great diversity rep: the MC is aro/ace and two prominent side characters are a happily married gay couple. I expect to learn more about other crew members in future books.
Thank you to NetGalley for this eARC.
adventurous
emotional
funny
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:
Complicated