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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
bookishwondergoth's review against another edition
The Powder Mage trilogy has been on my TBR for a long time and I was so so looking forward to reading it, that I bought the entire trilogy in one go, confident I'd blast through it for the following reasons:
1) The story is inspired by the French Revolution; 100% my bag
2) Brian McClellan is repeatedly recommended to fans of the grimdark genre, particularly Joe Abercrombie. Admittedly, I am very wary of comparisons to Joe Abercrombie because no one writes like Joe Abercrombie, but on this occasion I was ready to be convinced.
3) The cover is fantastic.
4) I'd heard only good things.
Well, I first tried to read this book back in October 2022 and didn't get very far. I felt myself going into a slump and stopped, thinking I was perhaps just a bit burned out. Then I picked it up again at the beginning of this month (March 2023) because I felt like I was in the mood again.
I was not in the mood. I still found myself feeling extremely bored, uninterested in what was happening, and overall just massively disappointed that this trilogy I'd convinced myself I was going to love just wasn't living up to my expectations. The writing is pedestrian, the characters flat, the plot uninteresting and often obscured by tedious action sequence after action sequence to the point I can't really remember what the hell is going on or why I'm supposed to care. What's more, the title of this story is 'Promise of Blood'. WHERE IS THE BLOOD? Considering the amount of action sequences, you'd think there'd be a bit more gore, a bit more violence, a bit more brutality, but there's nothing. The death scenes are off-screen (yes, even the deaths of the nobles and the monarchs that inspired this revolution) and the betrayals and backstabbings are completely predictable. I'm not uncomfortable, I'm not invested, I'm not repulsed, horrified, moved or disturbed. I'm just bored. SO BORED.
So I tried. I tried to read this book twice—really forced myself to try because I was so convinced I was going to love it—and the sad truth, I just don't. This isn't the book for me, let alone the trilogy. So I give up. I'm done.
And I'm so, so sad about it.
1) The story is inspired by the French Revolution; 100% my bag
2) Brian McClellan is repeatedly recommended to fans of the grimdark genre, particularly Joe Abercrombie. Admittedly, I am very wary of comparisons to Joe Abercrombie because no one writes like Joe Abercrombie, but on this occasion I was ready to be convinced.
3) The cover is fantastic.
4) I'd heard only good things.
Well, I first tried to read this book back in October 2022 and didn't get very far. I felt myself going into a slump and stopped, thinking I was perhaps just a bit burned out. Then I picked it up again at the beginning of this month (March 2023) because I felt like I was in the mood again.
I was not in the mood. I still found myself feeling extremely bored, uninterested in what was happening, and overall just massively disappointed that this trilogy I'd convinced myself I was going to love just wasn't living up to my expectations. The writing is pedestrian, the characters flat, the plot uninteresting and often obscured by tedious action sequence after action sequence to the point I can't really remember what the hell is going on or why I'm supposed to care. What's more, the title of this story is 'Promise of Blood'. WHERE IS THE BLOOD? Considering the amount of action sequences, you'd think there'd be a bit more gore, a bit more violence, a bit more brutality, but there's nothing. The death scenes are off-screen (yes, even the deaths of the nobles and the monarchs that inspired this revolution) and the betrayals and backstabbings are completely predictable. I'm not uncomfortable, I'm not invested, I'm not repulsed, horrified, moved or disturbed. I'm just bored. SO BORED.
So I tried. I tried to read this book twice—really forced myself to try because I was so convinced I was going to love it—and the sad truth, I just don't. This isn't the book for me, let alone the trilogy. So I give up. I'm done.
And I'm so, so sad about it.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Gun violence and War
Moderate: Animal death, Murder, Violence, and Racial slurs
Minor: Alcohol, Classism, Torture, and Ableism
natashazaleski's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
tense
medium-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
2.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Gun violence and Violence
Moderate: Animal death and Sexual assault
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