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3.1 AVERAGE
3.1 AVERAGE
dark
emotional
sad
tense
slow-paced
slow-paced
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
*I received this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review*
This book. Where do I even begin?
When I was first pitched this book, I was promised something along the lines of a kick-butt lady fantasy, which... okay. Accurate.
After having some time to process my thoughts, I have some mixed feelings.
Don't get me wrong. I definitely enjoyed it but it took a bit to get there. Not because the writing was bad or the plot was boring. On the contrary. The writing has some beautiful moments and there were times when I was so engrossed in the story it was hard to put down. BUT, there were also times when I felt lost. Especially during the beginning. I don't read much mystery so this may very well be an ignorant statement but I feel like you could tell that the author writes a lot of mystery. Her particular brand of storytelling left a lot of "figure it out yourself" elements, which was not necessarily a bad thing but could have probably been made better by some amount of footnotes. Once you get into the story it all comes together and you're able to recall what Immolans are and why the Council of Hira is significant. Instead of a slow immersion into the world, you're thrust in without a map (okay, finished copies will have a map which I'm pretty curious to see, but that's not the point) and expected to learn as you go. Somehow, Khan makes it work but just be aware what you're getting yourself into.
The characters were great. I hoping that we get to explore them more in depth in the upcoming books because they really have the potential to be fantastic. Arian and Sinna have such good chemistry together which makes reading them all the more enjoyable. Some of the side characters are fantastic as well but I didn't fall in love with every one of them. There were a few that I honestly didn't care about at all but I feel like that usually happens for me.
Another rather large aspect of the novel is its political stances. I mean, the tagline on the cover of my copy states, "The only ignorance of men is the brilliance of powerful women", which... screams feminism. And yes, feminism plays a huge role here. The main plot of the book has to do with two strong and wonderful women maneuvering through a patriarchal society which is lead by a tyrannical man, the One-Eyed Preacher. It echoes a lot of problems in our world today, which is both a bit terrifying and interesting in the context of a fantasy world.
One last thing I'd like to mention is this book is written by a Muslim woman where it seems that she drew a lot of influences from her own religion. This was fascinating to see implemented and I would love to hear the thoughts of other Muslim readers about how she was able to capture it. So if you've read it I'd love for you to send me your review!
It was hard rating this book because all in all, I did enjoy it and I will definitely be picking up a finished copy as well as the next books in the series. The writing was immersive, but sometimes the characters were a little repetitive. It was confusing at times, but the push through was rewarding at the end.
And there was a bit of a cliffhanger... so who that was... well... I hate waiting.
If you're a fan of fantasy and great female characters then you should definitely pick this up and give it a shot.
This book. Where do I even begin?
When I was first pitched this book, I was promised something along the lines of a kick-butt lady fantasy, which... okay. Accurate.
After having some time to process my thoughts, I have some mixed feelings.
Don't get me wrong. I definitely enjoyed it but it took a bit to get there. Not because the writing was bad or the plot was boring. On the contrary. The writing has some beautiful moments and there were times when I was so engrossed in the story it was hard to put down. BUT, there were also times when I felt lost. Especially during the beginning. I don't read much mystery so this may very well be an ignorant statement but I feel like you could tell that the author writes a lot of mystery. Her particular brand of storytelling left a lot of "figure it out yourself" elements, which was not necessarily a bad thing but could have probably been made better by some amount of footnotes. Once you get into the story it all comes together and you're able to recall what Immolans are and why the Council of Hira is significant. Instead of a slow immersion into the world, you're thrust in without a map (okay, finished copies will have a map which I'm pretty curious to see, but that's not the point) and expected to learn as you go. Somehow, Khan makes it work but just be aware what you're getting yourself into.
The characters were great. I hoping that we get to explore them more in depth in the upcoming books because they really have the potential to be fantastic. Arian and Sinna have such good chemistry together which makes reading them all the more enjoyable. Some of the side characters are fantastic as well but I didn't fall in love with every one of them. There were a few that I honestly didn't care about at all but I feel like that usually happens for me.
Another rather large aspect of the novel is its political stances. I mean, the tagline on the cover of my copy states, "The only ignorance of men is the brilliance of powerful women", which... screams feminism. And yes, feminism plays a huge role here. The main plot of the book has to do with two strong and wonderful women maneuvering through a patriarchal society which is lead by a tyrannical man, the One-Eyed Preacher. It echoes a lot of problems in our world today, which is both a bit terrifying and interesting in the context of a fantasy world.
One last thing I'd like to mention is this book is written by a Muslim woman where it seems that she drew a lot of influences from her own religion. This was fascinating to see implemented and I would love to hear the thoughts of other Muslim readers about how she was able to capture it. So if you've read it I'd love for you to send me your review!
It was hard rating this book because all in all, I did enjoy it and I will definitely be picking up a finished copy as well as the next books in the series. The writing was immersive, but sometimes the characters were a little repetitive. It was confusing at times, but the push through was rewarding at the end.
And there was a bit of a cliffhanger... so who that was... well... I hate waiting.
If you're a fan of fantasy and great female characters then you should definitely pick this up and give it a shot.
This reads like a bad parody of mid-1960s fantasy, and the premise and plot are straight out of terrible Conan rip-offs.
Stylistically, this book reminded me of '80s sword and sorcery adventure novels. All the characters were human, with no armies of goblins to kill, but it was a pretty clear warrior mages go on quest for McGuffin narrative with lots of speeches about love, honour and the end of the world. The bad guys are bad, and the good guys are promoting women's rights and literacy. I grew up on this style, so I'm happy, but compared to the current fantasy mode, it could come off as a little stilted.
The characters are all very dramatic! Our heroine has a missing sister, a lost lover, an oath of loyalty to her people, a shield sister, and magic powers! Her love interest is similarly endowed, and... we don't get as much of the secondary characters, but conflicting loyalties is the theme. Probably the best aspect of the book was each character's background changing how they interacted with all the different groups and peoples they run into.
There's a lot of romance. The main pairing is the heroine and her ex, and neither of them can seem to work out that him asking her to quit her job and marry him is unreasonable, especially given that her job is saving the country. I think it fits with the moralities and backgrounds of the characters, but I kept wanting to yell at them. Also pretty much every guy has a slight fetish for our heroine given that female warrior mages are a rarity, so she's constantly trying to negotiate being lusted over, while not wanting them but still having to deal with them politically.
I feel like the relationship with our heroine and her sidekick (and the other women warriors) was underdeveloped. They had a lot going on, and we mostly didn't see it go anywhere. It was nice to read a book where all the characters were (fantasy) Muslim, and that was basically not an issue.
If it's a dealbreaker for anyone, the book does end on a total cliff hanger, and lord knows when the next one will be out.
The characters are all very dramatic! Our heroine has a missing sister, a lost lover, an oath of loyalty to her people, a shield sister, and magic powers! Her love interest is similarly endowed, and... we don't get as much of the secondary characters, but conflicting loyalties is the theme. Probably the best aspect of the book was each character's background changing how they interacted with all the different groups and peoples they run into.
There's a lot of romance. The main pairing is the heroine and her ex, and neither of them can seem to work out that him asking her to quit her job and marry him is unreasonable, especially given that her job is saving the country. I think it fits with the moralities and backgrounds of the characters, but I kept wanting to yell at them. Also pretty much every guy has a slight fetish for our heroine given that female warrior mages are a rarity, so she's constantly trying to negotiate being lusted over, while not wanting them but still having to deal with them politically.
I feel like the relationship with our heroine and her sidekick (and the other women warriors) was underdeveloped. They had a lot going on, and we mostly didn't see it go anywhere. It was nice to read a book where all the characters were (fantasy) Muslim, and that was basically not an issue.
If it's a dealbreaker for anyone, the book does end on a total cliff hanger, and lord knows when the next one will be out.
3.5/5 stars
The Bloodprint was a unique, fun fantasy story and I quite enjoyed it, though I had some problems with it. I enjoyed the world created and how Khan built a magic system around words and a language. I felt there could have been more explanation of this magic system - but at the same time - the people practicing it, don't really understand it either, because their written word has been destroyed. It was quite intricate and I liked that there were different verses and phrases that could evoke different things in people depending on how you said it and your intention behind it. The world of the Khorasan, was actually really desolate. The Talisman are conquering and destroying the written word, they are undoing progress made with women and children, they are persecuting people who don't fit into their definitions of a righteous person. It's brutal.
The characters were pretty well rounded - I enjoyed Arian, except for the fact that all men were basically falling at her feet. That got annoying - it was like a harem anime but with a woman at the centre. I also liked Daniyar at first, and then he got weird and possessive. I found their relationship and love a little too dramatic for my liking. It totally could have been toned down a little. I really enjoyed Sinnia as a character, she was badass, loyal, and overall a cool chick. She definitely could have been more developed. I would have liked to see part of the book from her perspective. Hopefully in the next book we get to see that. Wafa was also intriguing, but again, I needed more character development from him.
I enjoyed the writing. I found it easy to follow, it flowed well. The sentence structure was good. I found this easy to read and fast paced.
Overall, I enjoyed this, and will probably continue with the series. Hopefully some of the harem style situations become less, and we get to see more of Sinnia.
The Bloodprint was a unique, fun fantasy story and I quite enjoyed it, though I had some problems with it. I enjoyed the world created and how Khan built a magic system around words and a language. I felt there could have been more explanation of this magic system - but at the same time - the people practicing it, don't really understand it either, because their written word has been destroyed. It was quite intricate and I liked that there were different verses and phrases that could evoke different things in people depending on how you said it and your intention behind it. The world of the Khorasan, was actually really desolate. The Talisman are conquering and destroying the written word, they are undoing progress made with women and children, they are persecuting people who don't fit into their definitions of a righteous person. It's brutal.
The characters were pretty well rounded - I enjoyed Arian, except for the fact that all men were basically falling at her feet. That got annoying - it was like a harem anime but with a woman at the centre. I also liked Daniyar at first, and then he got weird and possessive. I found their relationship and love a little too dramatic for my liking. It totally could have been toned down a little. I really enjoyed Sinnia as a character, she was badass, loyal, and overall a cool chick. She definitely could have been more developed. I would have liked to see part of the book from her perspective. Hopefully in the next book we get to see that. Wafa was also intriguing, but again, I needed more character development from him.
I enjoyed the writing. I found it easy to follow, it flowed well. The sentence structure was good. I found this easy to read and fast paced.
Overall, I enjoyed this, and will probably continue with the series. Hopefully some of the harem style situations become less, and we get to see more of Sinnia.
Arain as a hero is a bit too clueless and helpless along with many of the other bad tropes of YA fantasy, including the start of a cliche love triangle with two 'bad boys'. I got about halfway through and dropped it, especially since it apparently ends in a cliffhanger.
This is just not holding my attention right now. Not sure if it's me or the book - I might try again later.
adventurous
dark
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes