Scan barcode
ronercat's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
4.0
alecsreads's review
adventurous
dark
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
mnemosyne5's review
4.0
Star Wars, but make it fantasy? Yes please! I really enjoyed this and look forward to continuing the series.
cortasty's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
jmac1378's review
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
3.0
vaporization's review
4.0
I loved The Forbidden Library series by Django Wexler when I was younger so thank god this was good; I'm very glad I enjoyed this too.
The world was super cool, and I liked the colorful hair. I enjoyed Maya's perspectives much more than Gyre's, but he was all right too. I think it was because I liked the side characters on Maya's side of the story more than Gyre's. And her perspective was just more fun. The only thing that really frustrated me was Maya and Tanax's rivalry
I felt a little bit underwhelmed by the end. I was hoping for a bit more tension between Maya and Gyre, but they didn't even reunite until after the halfway point, and then they didn't spend much time with each other. And the ending was kind of....oh, that's it? But there's the whole rest of the series to come, so I guess this was mostly just setup for that.
The world was super cool, and I liked the colorful hair. I enjoyed Maya's perspectives much more than Gyre's, but he was all right too. I think it was because I liked the side characters on Maya's side of the story more than Gyre's. And her perspective was just more fun. The only thing that really frustrated me was Maya and Tanax's rivalry
Spoiler
because I already knew that they were going to settle their differences by the end; it was pretty obvious after we found out that Tanax was just a good guy with a stick up his ass.I felt a little bit underwhelmed by the end. I was hoping for a bit more tension between Maya and Gyre, but they didn't even reunite until after the halfway point, and then they didn't spend much time with each other. And the ending was kind of....oh, that's it? But there's the whole rest of the series to come, so I guess this was mostly just setup for that.
outcastsimba's review
adventurous
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
itputsthebookupontheshelf's review
4.0
I didn't love this book as much as I thought I would have. I think it was a mix between not being in the mood for it and the pacing. I've been trying to put off this review because I still don't really know how I feel about it.
There were interesting creatures and magic systems, and I really enjoyed the world building. I don't think I connected to the characters as much as I would normally like to, and a few parts left me questioning... Again, I think that was more due to me being a mood reader than the book itself?
I think I was a bit thrown off from the beginning as well, as we were introduced to two siblings playing when the young girl is taken by the Twilight Order and then time jumps 12 years. The story obviously opens up throughout the book, but I was already thrown and had a hard time following and keeping interest due to this and the pacing through the first 1/3 of the book.
The writing was wonderful though, very descriptive and emiersive. This was my first introduction to Wexler's work.
I generally love stories like this and am planning to pick this up again at a later time for a re-read. I will update my review accordingly once I do since I feel that I may have a better grasp on the story and my thoughts about it. Until then, don't take my word on this incoherent review and check it out for yourself!
Thank you to Orbit Books and Netgalley for a gifted copy
There were interesting creatures and magic systems, and I really enjoyed the world building. I don't think I connected to the characters as much as I would normally like to, and a few parts left me questioning... Again, I think that was more due to me being a mood reader than the book itself?
I think I was a bit thrown off from the beginning as well, as we were introduced to two siblings playing when the young girl is taken by the Twilight Order and then time jumps 12 years. The story obviously opens up throughout the book, but I was already thrown and had a hard time following and keeping interest due to this and the pacing through the first 1/3 of the book.
The writing was wonderful though, very descriptive and emiersive. This was my first introduction to Wexler's work.
I generally love stories like this and am planning to pick this up again at a later time for a re-read. I will update my review accordingly once I do since I feel that I may have a better grasp on the story and my thoughts about it. Until then, don't take my word on this incoherent review and check it out for yourself!
Thank you to Orbit Books and Netgalley for a gifted copy
ngreads's review
5.0
This was everything I never knew I wanted in a book.
A bit earlier this year, I DNF'd a book that had promised me a story about two siblings, one on either side of a war. It failed the concept on such an epic level that when I saw that Ashes of the Sun had that same concept, I jumped at the chance to read it, figuring that at least it couldn't be any worse than the book I had DNF'd.
This book executed the concept so perfectly that I couldn't stop thinking about it.
So, let's get into the good, because I find little fault in this book, and don't want to just attempt to nitpick to try to find flaws.
THE GOOD!:
- As said earlier, the concept of two siblings on opposite sides of a war is one that really interests me, and Django Wexler does a perfect job of it here. I honestly loved reading from both POVs throughout the book - which was surprising, since I usually connect to one character more than another. Going into the book, I personally thought I would like Gyre more than Maya, since I have a soft spot for rogues with tragic backstories, but I loved both characters equally. Gyre had the tragic rogue and clever rebel side that I always love, and Maya was such a fierce and personality-filled girl that I couldn't help but root for her.
To make matters better, both of them had valid arguments to their side. Neither one was clearly on the good or bad side - both of them had fantastic conviction in their views, and I look forward to seeing where their conflict goes in the future.
- I really like how Django writes relationships. The chemistry between the various pairings was fun and dynamic, the sex scenes never felt like they went into too much detail aside from a bit of foreplay and flirting (which I personally prefer, since I get a sense of who the characters are in their relationship without getting into details that I would prefer to not know.) The sex scenes also came at points where they felt like a natural step in the relationship, rather than something that author forced in.
- The worldbuilding was awesome. I'm really coming to love the trend of a Sci-fi/fantasy blend in high fantasy books, where it's a high fantasy world with ancient high-technology, especially when it relates to the magic system. Django really does a seamless job of blending sci-fi and fantasy, making the world feel full of history and mystery alike. The cultures all felt fleshed out, the geography unique and interesting, and everything just fit together in a wonderful way.
SOME NIFTY DETAILS THAT BROUGHT ME HAPPINESS!:
- I need to know: were the loadbirds, swiftbirds, and warbirds inspired by chocobos from the Final Fantasy franchise? The moment I saw that there were giant, emu-like birds that act as mounts brought my nerdy, Final-Fantasy-loving heart joy. Even on top of all the other things that had already sold me on the book, the birds made me want it even more.
- I've grown to love horror aspects in fantasy novels, and this one delivers. The plaguespawn are freaking creepy, reminding me of something out of Dark Souls or Bloodborne. They gave me the proper heeby-jeebies, and I like me some heeby-jeeby-giving monsters.
- The city of Deepfire was just plainly cool. That's it. That's the point.
OVERALL:
This is a book I'm really happy to have on my shelves, and I'm really excited to see where these characters, this plot, and this world will take me in the future. Here's hoping it keeps up the momentum.
A bit earlier this year, I DNF'd a book that had promised me a story about two siblings, one on either side of a war. It failed the concept on such an epic level that when I saw that Ashes of the Sun had that same concept, I jumped at the chance to read it, figuring that at least it couldn't be any worse than the book I had DNF'd.
This book executed the concept so perfectly that I couldn't stop thinking about it.
So, let's get into the good, because I find little fault in this book, and don't want to just attempt to nitpick to try to find flaws.
THE GOOD!:
- As said earlier, the concept of two siblings on opposite sides of a war is one that really interests me, and Django Wexler does a perfect job of it here. I honestly loved reading from both POVs throughout the book - which was surprising, since I usually connect to one character more than another. Going into the book, I personally thought I would like Gyre more than Maya, since I have a soft spot for rogues with tragic backstories, but I loved both characters equally. Gyre had the tragic rogue and clever rebel side that I always love, and Maya was such a fierce and personality-filled girl that I couldn't help but root for her.
To make matters better, both of them had valid arguments to their side. Neither one was clearly on the good or bad side - both of them had fantastic conviction in their views, and I look forward to seeing where their conflict goes in the future.
- I really like how Django writes relationships. The chemistry between the various pairings was fun and dynamic, the sex scenes never felt like they went into too much detail aside from a bit of foreplay and flirting (which I personally prefer, since I get a sense of who the characters are in their relationship without getting into details that I would prefer to not know.) The sex scenes also came at points where they felt like a natural step in the relationship, rather than something that author forced in.
- The worldbuilding was awesome. I'm really coming to love the trend of a Sci-fi/fantasy blend in high fantasy books, where it's a high fantasy world with ancient high-technology, especially when it relates to the magic system. Django really does a seamless job of blending sci-fi and fantasy, making the world feel full of history and mystery alike. The cultures all felt fleshed out, the geography unique and interesting, and everything just fit together in a wonderful way.
SOME NIFTY DETAILS THAT BROUGHT ME HAPPINESS!:
- I need to know: were the loadbirds, swiftbirds, and warbirds inspired by chocobos from the Final Fantasy franchise? The moment I saw that there were giant, emu-like birds that act as mounts brought my nerdy, Final-Fantasy-loving heart joy. Even on top of all the other things that had already sold me on the book, the birds made me want it even more.
- I've grown to love horror aspects in fantasy novels, and this one delivers. The plaguespawn are freaking creepy, reminding me of something out of Dark Souls or Bloodborne. They gave me the proper heeby-jeebies, and I like me some heeby-jeeby-giving monsters.
- The city of Deepfire was just plainly cool. That's it. That's the point.
OVERALL:
This is a book I'm really happy to have on my shelves, and I'm really excited to see where these characters, this plot, and this world will take me in the future. Here's hoping it keeps up the momentum.
smurf2416's review
4.0
I went back and forth with my rating for this book. On the one hand, the world creates incredible imagery and imagination. In addition, the world and its history is slowly revealed to the reader. Adding mystery and a sense of wanting to discover more.
On the OTHER hand, there are 2 characters that I enjoy, and everyone else is just background noise. Not that they are bad, they just don't have much to them. They are just there. There are also 2 romances that happen throughout the book and they are both SO bad. Like cringey, awkward, and makes me wonder if the author has ever been in love. I kept reading certain passages to my wife and she couldn't handle it either. So awkward.
So it landed between a 3 and 4. Enough to give it a 4. Enough for me to continue the series...........if I was a betting man I would bet no.
On the OTHER hand, there are 2 characters that I enjoy, and everyone else is just background noise. Not that they are bad, they just don't have much to them. They are just there. There are also 2 romances that happen throughout the book and they are both SO bad. Like cringey, awkward, and makes me wonder if the author has ever been in love. I kept reading certain passages to my wife and she couldn't handle it either. So awkward.
So it landed between a 3 and 4. Enough to give it a 4. Enough for me to continue the series...........if I was a betting man I would bet no.