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meeghanreads's review against another edition
5.0
This the first book that was highly recommended to me though the Bookstagram community (if you don’t know what that is, I’d highly recommend logging into Instagram and searching #bookstagram). They absolutely seem to know what they’re talking about, and while most of the other books I have heard of, this one took me completely by surprise.
M. E. Vaughan has definitely hooked me with this series, and I am sad to say that there is no information about when book three will be out - and I had to stop myself from instantly picking up book two and pausing to write this review first.
The first 200 pages went slowly, there is a lot of unexplained backstory involved at first, and the continuous swapping of using characters first and last names in the same sentence was somewhat confusing to begin with. There also seem to be a lot of gods, which is explained when the fables are told later, but added to the character names can definitely throw you if you aren’t paying attention (or you receive Crooked Kingdom in the post about 150 pages in and pause to finish that duology first).
The characters are complex, with deep backgrounds that provide a rich tapestry when woven into the current story. There are conflicting motivations, further hindered by deep-seated trust issues and a lack of communication, particularly among the main characters. This is enhanced by characters continuously saving others, despite desperately not needing to. However, all of this seeming mess only adds to the storyline and as it unravels towards the end, some obvious and some very surprising situations unfold. Of them all, Rufus was absolutely my favourite, and I really enjoyed the way that he was portrayed as bisexual.
In terms of storyline, it definitely alluded to plot points later on; however, not necessarily in the way that I had expected each time. I was absolutely thrilled with some of the outcomes - I do like to be surprised by unexpected plot twists; and even more so with the ones that I thought were predictable. I am definitely looking forward to where they go in Blood of the Delphi. I also really enjoyed the ending, although I understand that most will not like it. I absolutely believe that not everyone should make it out unharmed at the end of an epic fantasy novel though, and with this book breaching the 500 page mark I felt it was justified.
Vaughan’s writing style is smooth and strong (like a hot chocolate with a shot of bourbon). As I mentioned above, it took about 200 pages for me to find my feet, but in retrospect I think that was partly set up for the end of the novel, which made me appreciate it more at the end. I don't have any comparisons for writing, except maybe Victoria Aveyard - but better (I am absolutely coming off the back of reading King’s Cage though, which I felt was all set up for hopefully the last book in the Red Queen series - TBC).
Overall this is definitely a really good first book to a series, and I’m really looking forward to starting Blood of the Delphi, like now!
♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ - 9/10 hearts
M. E. Vaughan has definitely hooked me with this series, and I am sad to say that there is no information about when book three will be out - and I had to stop myself from instantly picking up book two and pausing to write this review first.
The first 200 pages went slowly, there is a lot of unexplained backstory involved at first, and the continuous swapping of using characters first and last names in the same sentence was somewhat confusing to begin with. There also seem to be a lot of gods, which is explained when the fables are told later, but added to the character names can definitely throw you if you aren’t paying attention (or you receive Crooked Kingdom in the post about 150 pages in and pause to finish that duology first).
The characters are complex, with deep backgrounds that provide a rich tapestry when woven into the current story. There are conflicting motivations, further hindered by deep-seated trust issues and a lack of communication, particularly among the main characters. This is enhanced by characters continuously saving others, despite desperately not needing to. However, all of this seeming mess only adds to the storyline and as it unravels towards the end, some obvious and some very surprising situations unfold. Of them all, Rufus was absolutely my favourite, and I really enjoyed the way that he was portrayed as bisexual.
In terms of storyline, it definitely alluded to plot points later on; however, not necessarily in the way that I had expected each time. I was absolutely thrilled with some of the outcomes - I do like to be surprised by unexpected plot twists; and even more so with the ones that I thought were predictable. I am definitely looking forward to where they go in Blood of the Delphi. I also really enjoyed the ending, although I understand that most will not like it. I absolutely believe that not everyone should make it out unharmed at the end of an epic fantasy novel though, and with this book breaching the 500 page mark I felt it was justified.
Vaughan’s writing style is smooth and strong (like a hot chocolate with a shot of bourbon). As I mentioned above, it took about 200 pages for me to find my feet, but in retrospect I think that was partly set up for the end of the novel, which made me appreciate it more at the end. I don't have any comparisons for writing, except maybe Victoria Aveyard - but better (I am absolutely coming off the back of reading King’s Cage though, which I felt was all set up for hopefully the last book in the Red Queen series - TBC).
Overall this is definitely a really good first book to a series, and I’m really looking forward to starting Blood of the Delphi, like now!
♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ - 9/10 hearts
rayonx's review against another edition
4.0
This book in one sentence: Jionathan is a Prince, trying to flee his country and the horrific nightmares that plague him, Rufus is the magi sent to retrieve him; in the forest they meet Fae, a faerie warrior and the three of them stumble into all kinds of trouble.
My rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐1/2
Steaminess: 🌶️1/2
My recommendation: Admittedly, I had a hard time getting into this book because of how much I hated the name "Jionathan". But it's a really great fantasy read, I absolutely love Rufus as a character, and the secondary characters are well developed and fleshed out, even Zachary, the villain. It doesn't follow a formulaic fantasy narrative structure, and that can at times be a little unstabilizing, it also makes for a more original and surprising high fantasy story. There were a few plot twists that I found predictable, but a couple caught me completely off guard, which is refreshing. The ending was such an emotional punch to the gut that I might need to take a break before I read the sequel. Also, I kept on expecting this story to be a fantasy-romance... and it was not.
Tropes: enemies-to-allies, chosen-one, the-seer-knows-how-this-all-plays-out
Content warnings: domestic abuse, grief, violence, abduction, torture
My rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐1/2
Steaminess: 🌶️1/2
My recommendation: Admittedly, I had a hard time getting into this book because of how much I hated the name "Jionathan". But it's a really great fantasy read, I absolutely love Rufus as a character, and the secondary characters are well developed and fleshed out, even Zachary, the villain. It doesn't follow a formulaic fantasy narrative structure, and that can at times be a little unstabilizing, it also makes for a more original and surprising high fantasy story. There were a few plot twists that I found predictable, but a couple caught me completely off guard, which is refreshing. The ending was such an emotional punch to the gut that I might need to take a break before I read the sequel. Also, I kept on expecting this story to be a fantasy-romance... and it was not.
Tropes: enemies-to-allies, chosen-one, the-seer-knows-how-this-all-plays-out
Content warnings: domestic abuse, grief, violence, abduction, torture
rickus90's review against another edition
5.0
Absolutely loved this beauty of a book. Full review over here: https://rickusbookshelf.wordpress.com/2017/01/03/the-sons-of-thestian-by-m-e-vaughan-the-harmatia-cycle-book-one/
rads_reads's review against another edition
4.0
Extremely enjoyable if not slightly cluttered and messy.
The plot is a little bit all over the place at times and some side characters felt a little bit useless.
The lack of a very pronounced romance plot felt refreshing, but while there are romantic subplots they do feel very b-plot and somewhat unnecessary if not just dragged out the story for longer and into unwanted directions but I do believe that some people are probably going to like and enjoy that and it might very well be just personal preference since the writing is good.
Overall, very enjoyable experience, lovely to see some more bi representation in books, and even more so bi representation that isn't THE defining trait of a character, but something that feels organic and part of them.
The plot is a little bit all over the place at times and some side characters felt a little bit useless.
The lack of a very pronounced romance plot felt refreshing, but while there are romantic subplots they do feel very b-plot and somewhat unnecessary if not just dragged out the story for longer and into unwanted directions but I do believe that some people are probably going to like and enjoy that and it might very well be just personal preference since the writing is good.
Overall, very enjoyable experience, lovely to see some more bi representation in books, and even more so bi representation that isn't THE defining trait of a character, but something that feels organic and part of them.
rheam1224's review against another edition
5.0
At first, I thought this book was going down the roads of any typical fantasy LGBT+ book where there's a prince, there's the "partner" (whether willing or unwilling and may become the love interest), and the third wheel, whom all have to go through a week longish journey to figure out how to get home without getting killed (especially if they were taken away from their home, exiled, or had fled from it).
Now even though this book has most of these elements, it still found ways to surprise me and change other elements to keep me engaged! The story had beautiful interwoven sections of folklore and worldbuilding that made it organic and rich with culture. It wasn't info-dumpy at all; it flowed well with what was going on. The characters are so detailed and unique in their own ways, with their own flaws and quirks. Even the villains, though reading the book, your mind doesn't identify them as classic storybook "villains" but as people who merely have a different agenda than the main characters. Oh! Don't get me started on the plot twists!
I didn't even realize it was 500 pages until I had to write this review and had to change the book format. It didn't feel like 500 pages, but I imagine that length would feel like a drag. But this book was long in the way that you don't mind the journey as long as you're with these lovable characters, ready to take on the conflict.
So yes, I definitely recommend this book to anyone who wants to read some fun fantasy with beautiful Celtic and Irish folklore thrown in and has an amazing team of characters :) Now if you don't mind, I'm going to read the sequel and only hope that more questions are answered than are being conjured. BYE!
Now even though this book has most of these elements, it still found ways to surprise me and change other elements to keep me engaged! The story had beautiful interwoven sections of folklore and worldbuilding that made it organic and rich with culture. It wasn't info-dumpy at all; it flowed well with what was going on. The characters are so detailed and unique in their own ways, with their own flaws and quirks. Even the villains, though reading the book, your mind doesn't identify them as classic storybook "villains" but as people who merely have a different agenda than the main characters. Oh! Don't get me started on the plot twists!
I didn't even realize it was 500 pages until I had to write this review and had to change the book format. It didn't feel like 500 pages, but I imagine that length would feel like a drag. But this book was long in the way that you don't mind the journey as long as you're with these lovable characters, ready to take on the conflict.
So yes, I definitely recommend this book to anyone who wants to read some fun fantasy with beautiful Celtic and Irish folklore thrown in and has an amazing team of characters :) Now if you don't mind, I'm going to read the sequel and only hope that more questions are answered than are being conjured. BYE!
sabrinalev's review against another edition
4.0
This book has DESTROYED me. I love the characters. I love the plot. The world building was phenomenal. I literally shed tears at the end. I just loved so many thing about this book!!!!! The ending made me feel SO MANY THINGS. Also, I empathized with nearly all the characters, even the ones I really disliked.
There were some typos and a few errors here and there but were easily looked past in my opinion. The one thing I was kind of disappointed about was the lack of explicit representation, when I heard this book had a bi main character I was super excited. As a bi girl, I love finding books with good representation. While there were a few moments that told us Rufus is interested in men as well, they could be easily glossed over and readers could've assumed he was straight. I know the plot obviously takes precedence over his sexuality, but I would've liked a little more explicit portrayal. Hopefully it'll get a bit better in the next book!
Overall, I really recommend this book. It was fun to read and I loved getting to know the characters. I'm definitely excited for what comes next.
There were some typos and a few errors here and there but were easily looked past in my opinion. The one thing I was kind of disappointed about was the lack of explicit representation, when I heard this book had a bi main character I was super excited. As a bi girl, I love finding books with good representation. While there were a few moments that told us Rufus is interested in men as well, they could be easily glossed over and readers could've assumed he was straight. I know the plot obviously takes precedence over his sexuality, but I would've liked a little more explicit portrayal. Hopefully it'll get a bit better in the next book!
Overall, I really recommend this book. It was fun to read and I loved getting to know the characters. I'm definitely excited for what comes next.
paoorchi's review against another edition
4.0
coming back to write a review after finishing Blood of the Delphi because THIS IS AMAZING AAAAAAA.
I love the characters so much and I will wait till the third book is out so I can read it.
This first book starts slow and with no clear path maybe? But after the first half or so everything starts to come together beautifully aND THAT ENDING WAS INCREDIBLE.
This is my first time writing a review but it is because it was *necessary*
I just hope more people start discovering The Harmatia Cycle so we can start seeing fanart and theory discussions ❤️
I love the characters so much and I will wait till the third book is out so I can read it.
This first book starts slow and with no clear path maybe? But after the first half or so everything starts to come together beautifully aND THAT ENDING WAS INCREDIBLE.
This is my first time writing a review but it is because it was *necessary*
I just hope more people start discovering The Harmatia Cycle so we can start seeing fanart and theory discussions ❤️
missrenn's review against another edition
5.0
I received a galley of this book from author M.E. Vaughan in exchange for my honest review. Thank you, mevaughan !
My Rating: ★★★★★
It’s taken me a while to write this review, not for lack of love of this novel because to be quite honest it was fantastic, but because I couldn’t find a way to get what I wanted to say out of my brain. The Sons of Thestian was a novel that exceeded my expectations when it came to high fantasy. M.E. Vaughan really outdid herself in regards to the overall story telling and characters that she created.
I was pleasantly surprised that this story didn’t land in the category of high fantasy novels that fall into the habit of putting all the focus on building the world while leaving its characters and overall plot to fall short. Vaughan did a stupendous job of using her characters and their dialogue to describe the world and cultures that surrounded them in this story. I felt that for most of the book the focus was on building up the characters and their relationships with one another—which in turn furthered the plot. We, as readers, don’t really get to see many main characters having conversations with their relatives during their big missions, so it was really refreshing to get a taste of that in this book.
Along with having fantastic story telling skills, the author is also able to create such diverse, interesting characters. Throughout the story we follow Jionathan, Rufus, and Fae as they have their adventure, but we also get glimpses into what is happening with other characters such as Zachary and Rufus’s father. In these brief chapters we not only get to see what is happening somewhere where our main characters aren’t, we also get glimpses into that characters personality. Having all of these unique characters is only the tip of the iceberg, however. The best thing is that, we get to see so much diversity. Vaughan has set up a cast of characters that run the gamut of diversity. On multiple occasions it is mentioned that one of our main characters, Rufus, is open about his bisexuality, not to mention all of the POC representation throughout the book. Vaughan also destroys traditional gender stereotypes with characters like Luca and Fae, two badass warrior women who’ll fight to protect those they care about (like Prince Jionathan).
The plot, while not my all time favorite thing about this book (I’m more likely to love a group of characters than an overall plot) still kept me on the edge of my seat. Vaughan weaved such an intricate story that readers won’t see the big twist until the very end. I did find that the overall plot was hard to follow because of these twists, but just keep reading; it’ll all make sense in the end I swear.
Overall, I love the way Vaughan used her characters to build up her world. It made everything seem more natural instead of having the whole first book being dedicating to building up this diverse world. The characters, with both their development over the course of the story and their diversity stole the show for me because I felt as though they were the ones driving the plot forward.
I’d recommend this to anyone who loves BBC’s Merlin, the writing of Sarah J. Maas, and Faerie folklore.
My Rating: ★★★★★
It’s taken me a while to write this review, not for lack of love of this novel because to be quite honest it was fantastic, but because I couldn’t find a way to get what I wanted to say out of my brain. The Sons of Thestian was a novel that exceeded my expectations when it came to high fantasy. M.E. Vaughan really outdid herself in regards to the overall story telling and characters that she created.
I was pleasantly surprised that this story didn’t land in the category of high fantasy novels that fall into the habit of putting all the focus on building the world while leaving its characters and overall plot to fall short. Vaughan did a stupendous job of using her characters and their dialogue to describe the world and cultures that surrounded them in this story. I felt that for most of the book the focus was on building up the characters and their relationships with one another—which in turn furthered the plot. We, as readers, don’t really get to see many main characters having conversations with their relatives during their big missions, so it was really refreshing to get a taste of that in this book.
Along with having fantastic story telling skills, the author is also able to create such diverse, interesting characters. Throughout the story we follow Jionathan, Rufus, and Fae as they have their adventure, but we also get glimpses into what is happening with other characters such as Zachary and Rufus’s father. In these brief chapters we not only get to see what is happening somewhere where our main characters aren’t, we also get glimpses into that characters personality. Having all of these unique characters is only the tip of the iceberg, however. The best thing is that, we get to see so much diversity. Vaughan has set up a cast of characters that run the gamut of diversity. On multiple occasions it is mentioned that one of our main characters, Rufus, is open about his bisexuality, not to mention all of the POC representation throughout the book. Vaughan also destroys traditional gender stereotypes with characters like Luca and Fae, two badass warrior women who’ll fight to protect those they care about (like Prince Jionathan).
The plot, while not my all time favorite thing about this book (I’m more likely to love a group of characters than an overall plot) still kept me on the edge of my seat. Vaughan weaved such an intricate story that readers won’t see the big twist until the very end. I did find that the overall plot was hard to follow because of these twists, but just keep reading; it’ll all make sense in the end I swear.
Overall, I love the way Vaughan used her characters to build up her world. It made everything seem more natural instead of having the whole first book being dedicating to building up this diverse world. The characters, with both their development over the course of the story and their diversity stole the show for me because I felt as though they were the ones driving the plot forward.
I’d recommend this to anyone who loves BBC’s Merlin, the writing of Sarah J. Maas, and Faerie folklore.
cmaestephens's review against another edition
2.0
I have a lot to say about the 100 pages of this book I read, but overall the book was just way too unpolished for me to tolerate reading it. This book is riddled with spelling & grammatical errors that made me cringe on EVERY SINGLE page. The bones of a great story are there, but the author really needs to revisit the writing & clean it up. I understand that independent authors don't have access to fancy book editors, but there has to be SOMEONE out there who could help bring this book up to snuff.
If this book is ever republished, I will absolutely, 100% give it another chance. I definitely saw something in this story, I just couldn't look past the writing. Or the character names, which are obnoxious. I really wanted to love it, which is the only reason I even pressed myself to get to page 100 before giving up.
If this book is ever republished, I will absolutely, 100% give it another chance. I definitely saw something in this story, I just couldn't look past the writing. Or the character names, which are obnoxious. I really wanted to love it, which is the only reason I even pressed myself to get to page 100 before giving up.
minareadss's review against another edition
2.0
Edit: 2.5 stars
Okay so this plot was actually really boring to me and seemed quite underdeveloped. I really enjoyed majority of this book but the parts that were supposed to drive forward the plot were just not well done or particularly interesting to me. I had a lot of fun with these characters though. One more gripe: the author sells this story like it’s some lgbt fantasy on her tumblr and it’s not....at like the 50% mark the characters go to a liberal town where gay marriage is legal and that was cool, also one of the main characters is supposed to be bi, but that was mostly treated like a joke and was more so subtext. It wasn’t bad and I’d recommend it if you’re interested. It just didn’t meet my expectations sadly.
Poor world building
Misleading marketing
Weak plot
Villains weren’t interesting
Protagonists were..... eh I only liked rufus
Okay so this plot was actually really boring to me and seemed quite underdeveloped. I really enjoyed majority of this book but the parts that were supposed to drive forward the plot were just not well done or particularly interesting to me. I had a lot of fun with these characters though. One more gripe: the author sells this story like it’s some lgbt fantasy on her tumblr and it’s not....at like the 50% mark the characters go to a liberal town where gay marriage is legal and that was cool, also one of the main characters is supposed to be bi, but that was mostly treated like a joke and was more so subtext. It wasn’t bad and I’d recommend it if you’re interested. It just didn’t meet my expectations sadly.
Poor world building
Misleading marketing
Weak plot
Villains weren’t interesting
Protagonists were..... eh I only liked rufus