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amsosa's review
adventurous
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
4.25
iffer's review
4.0
This was so much fun to read! What a rollicking fun debut novel. The author has room to grow, in my opinion, in terms of emotional immediacy of writing, but her skill for writing action and maintaining strong pacing is fantastic. I loved the mash-up of favorite geeky settings and magic (Borderlands/Fury Road, gothic/bone accents, Torchlight), fast-paced action, soapy romance, and epistolary element. I describe it as "soapy" romance, because I wanted to see "how it turns out," and I liked the characters, even if I didn't feel deeply emotionally tied to them. Ugh, that ending, though. It ties up the the story enough to make this a standalone, but is clearly made to dangle a second volume just out of our reach.
timeforgsopinion's review
adventurous
dark
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? Yes
4.0
There are DINOSAURS in this?? Say more right now. I'm seated.
I knew I would enjoy this book when literally the first thing that occurs is that the heroine is attacked by a pterodactyl. Yes. Perfect. Should every book have dinosaurs? Someone should really look into this.
It is indeed as Mad Max-esque as it's marketed, but Road to Ruin also has plenty of its own original ideas to offer. I was pleasantly surprised by how much I enjoyed even the dinosaur-free parts of the book! It has its flaws—slightly wack pacing and a climax that could have used more setup and foreshadowing—but for the most part those "flaws" are me wanting more characterization and worldbuilding, because what's already on the page is fun and intriguing.
Road to Ruin's biggest delight is definitely the relationship(s) between its three leads. Three-way mutual pining? A Cyrano-esque dynamic that manages to retain conflict without any of the three characters having to exploit the others? Kind of an impressive feat! All three sides of the triangle are carefully rendered relationships I couldn't help but root for. If "gentle guy/tough girl/smart girl" sounds to you like an appealing dynamic, give this book a shot.
I knew I would enjoy this book when literally the first thing that occurs is that the heroine is attacked by a pterodactyl. Yes. Perfect. Should every book have dinosaurs? Someone should really look into this.
It is indeed as Mad Max-esque as it's marketed, but Road to Ruin also has plenty of its own original ideas to offer. I was pleasantly surprised by how much I enjoyed even the dinosaur-free parts of the book! It has its flaws—slightly wack pacing and a climax that could have used more setup and foreshadowing—but for the most part those "flaws" are me wanting more characterization and worldbuilding, because what's already on the page is fun and intriguing.
Road to Ruin's biggest delight is definitely the relationship(s) between its three leads. Three-way mutual pining? A Cyrano-esque dynamic that manages to retain conflict without any of the three characters having to exploit the others? Kind of an impressive feat! All three sides of the triangle are carefully rendered relationships I couldn't help but root for. If "gentle guy/tough girl/smart girl" sounds to you like an appealing dynamic, give this book a shot.
wrbueche's review
adventurous
hopeful
lighthearted
reflective
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
libraryoflanelle's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
aroseread's review
adventurous
emotional
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
btwnprintedpgs's review
adventurous
challenging
mysterious
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? No
5.0
Five stars. Easy five stars. I feel like Road to Ruin came out of nowhere. I'd heard nothing about this book until this tour and I can't imagine why. A fast-paced, diverse, dystopian fantasy full of magic, monsters, complex relationships, and love, this book is brimming with everything I love about early 2010 dystopian fantasies.
This book was a setup for the bigger series but still had it's own full chaotic plot. We have Jin, the courier, and her sparktalent; Reena, a shieldcaster and a princess trying to escape a sexist and classist city; and Kadrin, the Talentless prince of what was viewed as a refuge for Talentless refugees. I loved all three of them as we get to know them through both the main plot and the letters Reena and Kadrin send each other. Full of action and betrayals, the main plot was a wild ride.
That being said, the setup was no less interesting. I enjoyed hearing about Reena's research into the Talented versus the Talentless, the mana pools, and the overall world building we were given. It all felt so organic and effortless, and there was a wonderful balance between that and the main plot. I loved Screech, too, and how there was a peek into the lore of the world's monsters, which I'm sure we'll explore in the future.
This book also tackles some bigger issues, including race purity, sexism, classism, and environmentalism. Similar to the world building, it's not in your face, but it's also a huge part of what triggers the plot and the exploration of it was really well done.
I will say, if you were a fan of the 2010s dystopian craze, this book will definitely be for you. This gave me that buzzy reader feeling I've been chasing for the last while and I love it! This book isn't even out yet and I'm now anticipating it's sequel!
TW: death, murder, blood, injury detail, blood, violence, alcohol consumption, kidnapping, sexism, classism; mentions death of a parent, incest
Plot: 5/5
Characters: 5/5
World Building: 5/5
Writing: 5/5
Pacing: 5/5
Overall: 5/5
GoodReads Rating: 4.72/5
eARC and FC gifted via Colored Pages Book Tours by Saga Press via Simon and Schuster in exchange for an honest review.
This book was a setup for the bigger series but still had it's own full chaotic plot. We have Jin, the courier, and her sparktalent; Reena, a shieldcaster and a princess trying to escape a sexist and classist city; and Kadrin, the Talentless prince of what was viewed as a refuge for Talentless refugees. I loved all three of them as we get to know them through both the main plot and the letters Reena and Kadrin send each other. Full of action and betrayals, the main plot was a wild ride.
That being said, the setup was no less interesting. I enjoyed hearing about Reena's research into the Talented versus the Talentless, the mana pools, and the overall world building we were given. It all felt so organic and effortless, and there was a wonderful balance between that and the main plot. I loved Screech, too, and how there was a peek into the lore of the world's monsters, which I'm sure we'll explore in the future.
This book also tackles some bigger issues, including race purity, sexism, classism, and environmentalism. Similar to the world building, it's not in your face, but it's also a huge part of what triggers the plot and the exploration of it was really well done.
I will say, if you were a fan of the 2010s dystopian craze, this book will definitely be for you. This gave me that buzzy reader feeling I've been chasing for the last while and I love it! This book isn't even out yet and I'm now anticipating it's sequel!
TW: death, murder, blood, injury detail, blood, violence, alcohol consumption, kidnapping, sexism, classism; mentions death of a parent, incest
Plot: 5/5
Characters: 5/5
World Building: 5/5
Writing: 5/5
Pacing: 5/5
Overall: 5/5
GoodReads Rating: 4.72/5
eARC and FC gifted via Colored Pages Book Tours by Saga Press via Simon and Schuster in exchange for an honest review.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood, Death, Murder, Injury/Injury detail, and Violence
Moderate: Classism, Kidnapping, Sexism, and Alcohol
Minor: Incest and Death of parent
thatfrowardgirl's review
adventurous
tense
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? It's complicated
4.0
wynwicket's review
adventurous
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
3.0
This started out SO good. A Sapphic Mad Max-flavored adventure with pterodactyls and polyamory and attitude. But the author made some character decisions that kind of ruined it for me. Very disappointed.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child death
gemoone's review
adventurous
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
4.75