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icarusrizen's review
adventurous
dark
hopeful
reflective
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
readtheblurb's review against another edition
5.0
The Price of Power is Michael Michels debut novel, beginning an epic new grimdark series, that hits all the right fantasy notes, while adding a beautiful sprinkle of grimdarkness. It follows multiple characters and address’s themes of war, magic, power and the struggle for survival that leaves behind a satisfying taste of a great read.
The Price of Power begins explosively with one of the best prologues I have read, marking the beginning of the kingdom of Namarr. However, things just aren’t that easy and the fairly new kingdom quickly falls into turmoil, civil war and petty arguments after the decimation of its monarchy not many years later. At the same time, there looms the constant shadow of Scothea with their barbaric customs and an even darker shadow yet to be revealed.
The book follows four main characters and a very strong supporting cast. The characters felt well-fleshed out and morally grey, while also being likable.
The first being Barodane Ironlight, the disgraced former King of Namarr, now thought to be dead. After sacrificing himself to save the country he has his head stuck in alcohol, drugs and…women. Things look pretty hopeless for him and running the country definitely isn’t on the table.
Ishoa Ironlight was definitely my main interest in the book. Being an orphaned 14-year-old and having the weight of an entire kingdom on her shoulders, while preparing for a trial that may or may not kill her, while enemies swarm you from all sides makes for some very interesting reading! Hint, she’s a badass.
Thephos, a priest with nothing to live for finds himself in somewhat…grim circumstances, meeting some pretty grim folk. Unfortunately, he was probably the only character I didn’t connect with on any level. I wasn’t entirely sure how he fit with the plot, but assume more will be revealed eventually.
The final main character is an all-powerful and mysterious seer grandmother, who at first seems like the kind of grandmother no one wishes for, but quickly shows to reveal a rather interesting background and motivation.
Not bad right?
Doesn’t end there. What really made this book stand out for me were the supporting characters, including Garlenna, the only one able to bring Barodane out of his stupor, Wolst the most badass kind of knight and a few other fantastic ones I won’t mention!
Towards the middle of the book there was a bit of a drop in plot for me, but that quickly changed after two thirds in when the plot exploded with pace, and intrigue, grasping me like a vice and not letting go until the end. Also that ending, phew, now that was an ending to make even Michael Bay proud.
I’d like to highlight the beautiful way this book was written, which I cannot stress enough, was absolutely phenomenal. It’s rare that writing alone makes me feel so immersed, but it really did. The words felt like they flew of the page and grasped me, pulling me into the world Michel’s created.
I hope it’s obvious but now, but if it isn’t then do yourself a favour and grab this book. If the super awesome cover doesn’t grab your attention, then the blurb most definitely will and if that still hasn’t, then know if you’re a grimdark fan, that the book will be more than enough to quench that grimdark thirst and have you wanting more.
The Price of Power begins explosively with one of the best prologues I have read, marking the beginning of the kingdom of Namarr. However, things just aren’t that easy and the fairly new kingdom quickly falls into turmoil, civil war and petty arguments after the decimation of its monarchy not many years later. At the same time, there looms the constant shadow of Scothea with their barbaric customs and an even darker shadow yet to be revealed.
The book follows four main characters and a very strong supporting cast. The characters felt well-fleshed out and morally grey, while also being likable.
The first being Barodane Ironlight, the disgraced former King of Namarr, now thought to be dead. After sacrificing himself to save the country he has his head stuck in alcohol, drugs and…women. Things look pretty hopeless for him and running the country definitely isn’t on the table.
Ishoa Ironlight was definitely my main interest in the book. Being an orphaned 14-year-old and having the weight of an entire kingdom on her shoulders, while preparing for a trial that may or may not kill her, while enemies swarm you from all sides makes for some very interesting reading! Hint, she’s a badass.
Thephos, a priest with nothing to live for finds himself in somewhat…grim circumstances, meeting some pretty grim folk. Unfortunately, he was probably the only character I didn’t connect with on any level. I wasn’t entirely sure how he fit with the plot, but assume more will be revealed eventually.
The final main character is an all-powerful and mysterious seer grandmother, who at first seems like the kind of grandmother no one wishes for, but quickly shows to reveal a rather interesting background and motivation.
Not bad right?
Doesn’t end there. What really made this book stand out for me were the supporting characters, including Garlenna, the only one able to bring Barodane out of his stupor, Wolst the most badass kind of knight and a few other fantastic ones I won’t mention!
Towards the middle of the book there was a bit of a drop in plot for me, but that quickly changed after two thirds in when the plot exploded with pace, and intrigue, grasping me like a vice and not letting go until the end. Also that ending, phew, now that was an ending to make even Michael Bay proud.
I’d like to highlight the beautiful way this book was written, which I cannot stress enough, was absolutely phenomenal. It’s rare that writing alone makes me feel so immersed, but it really did. The words felt like they flew of the page and grasped me, pulling me into the world Michel’s created.
I hope it’s obvious but now, but if it isn’t then do yourself a favour and grab this book. If the super awesome cover doesn’t grab your attention, then the blurb most definitely will and if that still hasn’t, then know if you’re a grimdark fan, that the book will be more than enough to quench that grimdark thirst and have you wanting more.
lilyannecrow's review against another edition
5.0
I love this book, from the engaging characters, to the gritty world-building, to the compelling plot. And that ending! I agree with others who say you should give yourself enough time to read the last part of the book in one sitting. You won’t regret it!
Ishoa was my favorite character, though I was interested in everyone’s stories. I especially enjoyed learning about each person’s complicated past, and how that past influenced their actions in the story.
Michel doesn’t spoon-feed the reader details, and instead trusts us to piece together the necessary information so we can understand the big picture, whether with the characters and their motivations with regards to power, or with the world itself. I appreciate being treated as an intelligent, fantasy-savvy reader, since multi-POV epics are my favorite type of story.
All in all, The Price of Power is a fantastic debut that you simply have to try. I’m definitely reading the next book in this series as soon as it’s released!
Ishoa was my favorite character, though I was interested in everyone’s stories. I especially enjoyed learning about each person’s complicated past, and how that past influenced their actions in the story.
Michel doesn’t spoon-feed the reader details, and instead trusts us to piece together the necessary information so we can understand the big picture, whether with the characters and their motivations with regards to power, or with the world itself. I appreciate being treated as an intelligent, fantasy-savvy reader, since multi-POV epics are my favorite type of story.
All in all, The Price of Power is a fantastic debut that you simply have to try. I’m definitely reading the next book in this series as soon as it’s released!
thatguy306's review
adventurous
dark
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.5
Good Character Development and really enjoyed two of the Story Arcs. Found attributes of the others a little hard to visualize which made them less interesting. Found myself speed reading those parts and likely missing key points just to get back to the storylines that had me hooked.
thewulverslibrary's review against another edition
4.0
The Price of Power is a debut by Michael Michel leaves us wanting more from this series.
Prince Barodane could not hold back the darkness. Not even in himself. He laid an innocent city in its grave and then died a hero.
In his absence, war whispers across the land.
Power-hungry highborn dispatch spies and assassins to the shadows as they maneuver for the throne, while an even greater threat rises in the South. Monsters and cultists flock to the banners of a mad prophet determined to control reality…and then shatter it.
Destiny stalks three to the brink of oblivion.
A dead prince that isn’t actually dead. Barodane buried his shameful past in a stupor of drugs, drink, and crime, and now, he’d rather watch the world fall apart than wear a crown again.
An orphan with hero’s blood who is forced to make a harrowing choice: betray her country or sacrifice her first love.
And a powerful seer who has no choice at all–her grandson must die.
If any of them fails to pay the price…
The cost will be the world’s complete annihilation.
This book was a breath of fresh air and had such massive scope that was filled with tons of history, plot and characters. The world felt so alive and that can be hard to achieve with a fantasy novel. I like how Michel dealt with burden and grief. These are real struggles that were highlighted fantastically. The novel hopefully sets up future story points and really quenched my grimdark fascination. The worldbuilding was complete and highlights Michel's skill as a writer and I really enjoyed the magic system that was used. I like when things are limited and full of struggle because there's this sense of achievement and Michel handled that brilliantly.
I'm impatient for a second novel but this is really a story for fantasy readers that don't want things handed to them and want to be kept on their toes
Prince Barodane could not hold back the darkness. Not even in himself. He laid an innocent city in its grave and then died a hero.
In his absence, war whispers across the land.
Power-hungry highborn dispatch spies and assassins to the shadows as they maneuver for the throne, while an even greater threat rises in the South. Monsters and cultists flock to the banners of a mad prophet determined to control reality…and then shatter it.
Destiny stalks three to the brink of oblivion.
A dead prince that isn’t actually dead. Barodane buried his shameful past in a stupor of drugs, drink, and crime, and now, he’d rather watch the world fall apart than wear a crown again.
An orphan with hero’s blood who is forced to make a harrowing choice: betray her country or sacrifice her first love.
And a powerful seer who has no choice at all–her grandson must die.
If any of them fails to pay the price…
The cost will be the world’s complete annihilation.
This book was a breath of fresh air and had such massive scope that was filled with tons of history, plot and characters. The world felt so alive and that can be hard to achieve with a fantasy novel. I like how Michel dealt with burden and grief. These are real struggles that were highlighted fantastically. The novel hopefully sets up future story points and really quenched my grimdark fascination. The worldbuilding was complete and highlights Michel's skill as a writer and I really enjoyed the magic system that was used. I like when things are limited and full of struggle because there's this sense of achievement and Michel handled that brilliantly.
I'm impatient for a second novel but this is really a story for fantasy readers that don't want things handed to them and want to be kept on their toes
markymark09's review
adventurous
dark
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
the_evergrowing_library's review against another edition
5.0
So there are two things I don’t like about fantasy books.
1) the need to word-vomit your entire mythos, politics, geography and history at me in massive info dumps before I get to read the damn book.
2) polished high fantasy do-gooders with no depth.
This book thankfully swerved both of those things.
The scope of this book is massive and there was a lot of lore and history, factions, powers and plot. It’s own world, people, politics, currency etc etc is all fully fleshed out as one would expect from a fantasy novel but it was fed to you as required so as to get the story going(we’re not idiots, we can work this stuff out). The characters also felt real and burdened by the weight of the world. The struggles were indeed real.
What we have here is a fantastic debut novel and the set up for what I assume will be at least a few sequels. It felt very ‘ground level’ in the sense of how gritty and raw the world is and while there is definitely monsters and creatures to whet your appetite, this isn’t a land of majestic dragons.
The world felt grey. Imagine dunking yourself into that muddy river, coming up soaked and muddy and letting the hot sun bake you dry. That is how everything felt to me.
Something I particularly enjoyed here, and I know it’s a focal point for a lot of fantasy readers, was the worlds “magic” system. I liked how it worked and also the limited nature of it.
The main characters were all great in their own ways and felt equally real…. Considering we flit between a weary man, a young adult, a teenage girl and an elderly grandmother.
One to read. 4.5 stars rounded up to 5.
1) the need to word-vomit your entire mythos, politics, geography and history at me in massive info dumps before I get to read the damn book.
2) polished high fantasy do-gooders with no depth.
This book thankfully swerved both of those things.
The scope of this book is massive and there was a lot of lore and history, factions, powers and plot. It’s own world, people, politics, currency etc etc is all fully fleshed out as one would expect from a fantasy novel but it was fed to you as required so as to get the story going(we’re not idiots, we can work this stuff out). The characters also felt real and burdened by the weight of the world. The struggles were indeed real.
What we have here is a fantastic debut novel and the set up for what I assume will be at least a few sequels. It felt very ‘ground level’ in the sense of how gritty and raw the world is and while there is definitely monsters and creatures to whet your appetite, this isn’t a land of majestic dragons.
The world felt grey. Imagine dunking yourself into that muddy river, coming up soaked and muddy and letting the hot sun bake you dry. That is how everything felt to me.
Something I particularly enjoyed here, and I know it’s a focal point for a lot of fantasy readers, was the worlds “magic” system. I liked how it worked and also the limited nature of it.
The main characters were all great in their own ways and felt equally real…. Considering we flit between a weary man, a young adult, a teenage girl and an elderly grandmother.
One to read. 4.5 stars rounded up to 5.
meetmeinmalkovich's review against another edition
5.0
I backed the kickstarter for this release thanks to a gleaming recommendation from another author I love and it did NOT disappoint. It only took me as long as it did to read it because my life hit such a hectic point that reading became hard, but let me tell you! This was such a good book! Action packed, character driven with multiple POVs who ranged in age and gave the story such depth that I was drawn in from the start. It flowed so effortlessly and kept me on the edge of my seat, so much so that I ended up getting an ebook of it so I could read it at night as well.
Looking for an epic fantasy with some grimdark elements? This book is for you.
Bloody and brutal, but beautifully written that had me BEGGING for more.
Looking for an epic fantasy with some grimdark elements? This book is for you.
Bloody and brutal, but beautifully written that had me BEGGING for more.
lindsaylacher's review against another edition
3.0
First off, thank you to the author for a free ARC in exchange for an honest review.
Let’s start out with the positive. The tag for this book says it is for fans of GRRM and Joe Abercrombie and I can see why. It is told in that well loved multi-POV narrative of many epic fantasies and slowly weaves each individual narrative together by the end of the book. Additionally, each character has that grim dark style of being well fleshed out and understandable while not necessarily being particularly likable. While the plot was slow paced for the first 3/4 of the book, once it took off, it really took off.
Now for the rest. I really really wanted to love this book and for a debut novel, it holds a lot of potential but in many ways it fell short for me. While the characters were well fleshed out, I didn’t really connect with any of them and as such, I found it particularly hard to really care bout what was going on. The plot felt meandering at times with no clear connection between the POVs and it isn’t until the end that it came together and even then it was in a way that I don’t know how the future of the story will really tie in to these characters. Honestly, I could forgive this if the world and magic system where fully developed and immersive but those fell just a little flat for me too. The world feels pretty standard and could have benefited from more exploration of fantastical elements and while the magic system is interesting, I don’t feel like I really understood it.
Overall, there is a lot of potential here and I’m certain there will be a lot of love for this book and the future of this series but that being said, I don’t think it was for me.
Let’s start out with the positive. The tag for this book says it is for fans of GRRM and Joe Abercrombie and I can see why. It is told in that well loved multi-POV narrative of many epic fantasies and slowly weaves each individual narrative together by the end of the book. Additionally, each character has that grim dark style of being well fleshed out and understandable while not necessarily being particularly likable. While the plot was slow paced for the first 3/4 of the book, once it took off, it really took off.
Now for the rest. I really really wanted to love this book and for a debut novel, it holds a lot of potential but in many ways it fell short for me. While the characters were well fleshed out, I didn’t really connect with any of them and as such, I found it particularly hard to really care bout what was going on. The plot felt meandering at times with no clear connection between the POVs and it isn’t until the end that it came together and even then it was in a way that I don’t know how the future of the story will really tie in to these characters. Honestly, I could forgive this if the world and magic system where fully developed and immersive but those fell just a little flat for me too. The world feels pretty standard and could have benefited from more exploration of fantastical elements and while the magic system is interesting, I don’t feel like I really understood it.
Overall, there is a lot of potential here and I’m certain there will be a lot of love for this book and the future of this series but that being said, I don’t think it was for me.