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sheyri's review
4.0
TW:
I did enjoy this book, but there are some writing choices that are not for everyone. Most I liked, some I did not.
First of all, if you expect a fast-paced action-packed adventure, you will be disappointed. It takes more than a third of the book for the quests to even start, and there is little action.
Both quests are scientific research missions, and while both discover mysterious territories, they are treated very scholarly. A lot of it reads like journal entries from someone on an expedition. The chapters from Moraven's POV can get very philosophical at times (those are my favourites, btw).
In the set-up (basically the first 250 pages) and at a few later points, the world-building is anything but subtle. In almost every chapter, especially Nirati and Keles chapters, you get at least one info dump. They are worded good enough, but it does get boring after some time. And it makes the Moraven chapters stand out, since they are the only ones where that does not happen.
As I've said, you have to like that, or at least be fine with it.
What I did not like however is how the chapters start. Almost all the time we get one or two sentences saying where the characters are now, and then a massive, multiple pages long flashback describing how they got there and what had happened since the last time we saw that character. It is so annoying, especially since it couldn't have been too hard to just start with the "flashback", but as active action, and then lead up to the "current" events naturally in a linear way.
Doing that once or twice is okay, but every time we skipped a couple days on the journey? Please!
Women are also severly underrepresented. While there are quite a few women in important roles, they're mostly side characters with little page time. Out of the six main POVs, only one is a female character, and her role is almost minor compared to all the over POVs. Her chapters are focused on her relationships with her brothers, her grandfather, her brother's ex-fiancée, and her lover. Thinking back while writing this review, she's mostly there to give background information for other characters.
Anyway, I enjoyed this book and I'm looking forward to the rest of the series (they will have to wait though).
I also really like this cover. It fits the book wonderfully.
Spoiler
mild violence/gore, off-page rape (or at best very questionable consent)I did enjoy this book, but there are some writing choices that are not for everyone. Most I liked, some I did not.
First of all, if you expect a fast-paced action-packed adventure, you will be disappointed. It takes more than a third of the book for the quests to even start, and there is little action.
Both quests are scientific research missions, and while both discover mysterious territories, they are treated very scholarly. A lot of it reads like journal entries from someone on an expedition. The chapters from Moraven's POV can get very philosophical at times (those are my favourites, btw).
In the set-up (basically the first 250 pages) and at a few later points, the world-building is anything but subtle. In almost every chapter, especially Nirati and Keles chapters, you get at least one info dump. They are worded good enough, but it does get boring after some time. And it makes the Moraven chapters stand out, since they are the only ones where that does not happen.
As I've said, you have to like that, or at least be fine with it.
What I did not like however is how the chapters start. Almost all the time we get one or two sentences saying where the characters are now, and then a massive, multiple pages long flashback describing how they got there and what had happened since the last time we saw that character. It is so annoying, especially since it couldn't have been too hard to just start with the "flashback", but as active action, and then lead up to the "current" events naturally in a linear way.
Doing that once or twice is okay, but every time we skipped a couple days on the journey? Please!
Women are also severly underrepresented. While there are quite a few women in important roles, they're mostly side characters with little page time. Out of the six main POVs, only one is a female character, and her role is almost minor compared to all the over POVs. Her chapters are focused on her relationships with her brothers, her grandfather, her brother's ex-fiancée, and her lover. Thinking back while writing this review, she's mostly there to give background information for other characters.
Spoiler
And at the end of the book she gets murdered. To break her grandfather.Anyway, I enjoyed this book and I'm looking forward to the rest of the series (they will have to wait though).
I also really like this cover. It fits the book wonderfully.
valerica167's review against another edition
3.0
Nu seamănă cu alte carti fantasy pe care le am citit. Multe conflicte și o lume plina de magie și creaturi ciudate. Mi a plăcut cum povestește de a lungul cartii din mai multe perspective. Nu cred ca poți sa te plictisești citind-o ,dar simt ca m a lăsat în ceata in tot timpul cartii in legatura cu Urgia. Se poate ca ideea sa fie ca afli pe parcurs ce s a întâmplat înainte, dar nici personajele nu par sigure de evenimente.
Prima data aflam despre spadasinul Moraven, si chiar sunt curioasa daca o sa mai pomenească de Dunos , si despre clanul Anturasi care are o mare importanta pentru imperiu. Expedițiile lui Keles si ale lui Jorim sunt interesante si in paralel o urmărim pe sora lor ,Nirati , si conflictul dintre Helosunde si Deseirion . In sine ,simt ca totul se leagă cu puterea Nalenyrului, expedițiile sunt în folosul ei si întrebarea e dacă o sa reușească Cyron sa il învingă pe Pyrust.
Finalul ma face sa vreau sa citesc următoarea carte. Keles e in pericol , Jorim afla de un pericol care amenință Nalenyr, dar ,pentru ca e considerat zeu de amenutzeli , trebuie sa învețe sa folosească magia . Si cartea se termina cu moartea lui Nirati si dispariția lui Qiro ,dar nu mi dau seama ce ar trebui sa însemne ultima scena cu Cyron .
Cartea a fost bună, dar m am simțit in ceata din cauza cuvintelor create de autor și unele aspecte mi se par confuze . Deja aștept sa citesc următoarea carte !!
Prima data aflam despre spadasinul Moraven, si chiar sunt curioasa daca o sa mai pomenească de Dunos , si despre clanul Anturasi care are o mare importanta pentru imperiu. Expedițiile lui Keles si ale lui Jorim sunt interesante si in paralel o urmărim pe sora lor ,Nirati , si conflictul dintre Helosunde si Deseirion . In sine ,simt ca totul se leagă cu puterea Nalenyrului, expedițiile sunt în folosul ei si întrebarea e dacă o sa reușească Cyron sa il învingă pe Pyrust.
Finalul ma face sa vreau sa citesc următoarea carte. Keles e in pericol , Jorim afla de un pericol care amenință Nalenyr, dar ,pentru ca e considerat zeu de amenutzeli , trebuie sa învețe sa folosească magia . Si cartea se termina cu moartea lui Nirati si dispariția lui Qiro ,dar nu mi dau seama ce ar trebui sa însemne ultima scena cu Cyron .
Cartea a fost bună, dar m am simțit in ceata din cauza cuvintelor create de autor și unele aspecte mi se par confuze . Deja aștept sa citesc următoarea carte !!
marandra's review
3.0
The story is really entertaining, specially for this geographer. The only critic I have is that it was very slow paced, which made the book a bit difficult to read. But if you have a chance and love Geography, exploration and magic, read it, I assure you will enjoy it.
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