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hopepunkmonk's review
dark
funny
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
0.25
Hated this book. Almost did not finish. This review described my feelings exactly. https://papertigertale.wordpress.com/2017/10/12/promise-of-blood-powder-mage-1-by-brian-mcclellan-review/?fbclid=IwAR2N6NKNcdu_cXX7srsOdLe5uYzi5jB6NCn9EOMwTOEu8SP1CIPdO1MeKNM
Content Warnings
Graphic: Addiction
Moderate: Adult/minor relationship, Xenophobia, War, Injury/Injury detail, Violence, and Rape
Minor: Suicidal thoughts, Religious bigotry, Infidelity, Racism, Gun violence, Injury/Injury detail, and Forced institutionalization
embee007's review against another edition
dark
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
2.5
Not for me for the reasons described below; but I will still suggest it to others.
Who I would suggest this for: anyone who's interested in reading about a Revolution, from the beginning, if the idea of "Flintlock Fantasy" piques your interest, Manly Men Fighting & Stuff.
I was bamboozled by a pretty special edition...This is on me - trusting the pretty book, & not looking at reviews beforehand.
(I am ending this after just testing positive for Covid tonight, but I wasn't sick when I started the book & I had the same complaints then...)
Firstly: Representation of female characters. I've read books without any female characters that were done well, & I didn't have any issues. But when there is representation of female characters I want them to be done well, I want them well-developed (not just their chests), & I don't want them all treated horribly (unless everyone is being treated horribly - all is fair in grimdark). If the book is starting to look like a Misogyny Manifesto, then it'll quickly turn into a hate read for me. This book did not tick off any of the good boxes for me. All the women are seen as weak, even the powerful sorcerer, they're bitches, they're stupid. The one woman who is probably more powerful than 90% of the characters, is constantly dismissed because she's mute & in one scene she's ogled then immediately dismissed because, "she was a servant, an uneducated savage." There's one female POV that's thrown in at random, & cleaning & taking care of a kid (not hers) are repeatedly said to be more important than her own life. Slight spoiler:She toys with the idea of revenge, but she's not into it.
Secondly: I still don't entirely understand the magic system, even though I would love to. I tried explaining it to a friend last night, or what I understood of it, & he just kept repeating, "What?!" In disbelief.
Thirdly: I followed along in the text with the audio, & I'm giving the audio 2 1/2 stars as well. The narrator used wildly different voices for a lot of the side characters, but almost all of the main characters had very similar voices, & the narration would often switch midchapter, sometimes multiple times per chapter. Towards the end, I was more listening than reading bc I cared about how the book ended, but not about how the rest of the series goes on, & I had repeated issues of having to go back in the narration, or looking back at the text to figure out wtf was happening, who was speaking, which narrator we were following & when did we suddenly switch.
Who I would suggest this for: anyone who's interested in reading about a Revolution, from the beginning, if the idea of "Flintlock Fantasy" piques your interest, Manly Men Fighting & Stuff.
I was bamboozled by a pretty special edition...This is on me - trusting the pretty book, & not looking at reviews beforehand.
(I am ending this after just testing positive for Covid tonight, but I wasn't sick when I started the book & I had the same complaints then...)
Firstly: Representation of female characters. I've read books without any female characters that were done well, & I didn't have any issues. But when there is representation of female characters I want them to be done well, I want them well-developed (not just their chests), & I don't want them all treated horribly (unless everyone is being treated horribly - all is fair in grimdark). If the book is starting to look like a Misogyny Manifesto, then it'll quickly turn into a hate read for me. This book did not tick off any of the good boxes for me. All the women are seen as weak, even the powerful sorcerer, they're bitches, they're stupid. The one woman who is probably more powerful than 90% of the characters, is constantly dismissed because she's mute & in one scene she's ogled then immediately dismissed because, "she was a servant, an uneducated savage." There's one female POV that's thrown in at random, & cleaning & taking care of a kid (not hers) are repeatedly said to be more important than her own life. Slight spoiler:
Secondly: I still don't entirely understand the magic system, even though I would love to. I tried explaining it to a friend last night, or what I understood of it, & he just kept repeating, "What?!" In disbelief.
Thirdly: I followed along in the text with the audio, & I'm giving the audio 2 1/2 stars as well. The narrator used wildly different voices for a lot of the side characters, but almost all of the main characters had very similar voices, & the narration would often switch midchapter, sometimes multiple times per chapter. Towards the end, I was more listening than reading bc I cared about how the book ended, but not about how the rest of the series goes on, & I had repeated issues of having to go back in the narration, or looking back at the text to figure out wtf was happening, who was speaking, which narrator we were following & when did we suddenly switch.
Content Warnings
Graphic: War, Drug abuse, Gun violence, Murder, Sexual content, Infidelity, Addiction, Animal death, Death, Drug use, Sexism, Genocide, Gore, Injury/Injury detail, and Mass/school shootings
iono's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death and Gun violence
Moderate: Infidelity and Addiction
Minor: Misogyny and Rape
bookbelle5_17's review
adventurous
dark
emotional
funny
mysterious
tense
fast-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
5.0
Review of Powder Mage: Promise of Blood
By: Brian McClellan
In this first book, the people have broken free of their oppressors the Privileged upper class. Their leader Tamas struggles with the aftermath as he tries to figure out how to protect the people from being taken over by another king. His son Taniel doesn’t like how he goes about things and thinks his father is cold hearted. Taniel must protect the city from the Kez and finds himself in a battle with them on a mountain. Tamas has assassins trying to kill spies amongst his own people, and a Godly chef.
First of all, the city setting is cool and different from the fantasy I usually read. There is a sense of isolation and a weird feeling of coziness despite the conflict Tamas and Taniel find themselves in. The conflict is also put on a smaller scale than a big epic like a lot of fantasy becomes. The city is in chaos and fragile as Tamas tries to keep it together as if he is a parent, not just to Taniel, but to the whole population in the city. Tamas is compelling as he keeps himself emotionally distance because he has to protect the city and solve how to rebuild it. He does care, but he has to make difficult decisions forcing him to looking at things pragmatically. Taniel doesn’t understand that and is a very moral person. His father is forced to put him in position where he has to kill his best friend Bo, who is a Privileged and is compelled to kill Tamas for committing blasphemy against their God by being a Powder Mage. Seeing a main character that is older than 20s. I’m in my thirties I want to see more fantasy with much older characters. The magic system feels different too. Yes, there are still sorcerers, a little shape-shifting, but author created a new magic that involves inhaling gun powder. This allows for the novel to explore the idea magic potentially being like a drug. I have only a couple television shows dealing with the idea of magic being an addiction. Until this book I have hadn’t come across a book that deals with magic in that way. It makes sense because having magic can make you almost invincible and come off as a lot cooler than you feel you are. The Gods are mysteries and interesting too and we get a taste of them with one of them hiding amongst the mortals. He is fun, kind, and great food. He also is someone who comes off as unassuming, but can be dangerous if he loses his temper. There are funny moments, some cool fight and battle scenes, exploration of religion, and a mystery as an investigator has to figure is trying assassinate Tamas.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Addiction
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