Take a photo of a barcode or cover
3.71 AVERAGE
3.71 AVERAGE
adventurous
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
The most succinct way I can describe this is as unremarkable. The plot twist is rather predictable (the foreshadowing is heavy handed in my opinion) but the characters are interesting and feel very real to their ages. The motivations largely make sense and I adore the male main character, primarily for his sense of morality and his very charming professionalism. The FMC is not nearly as interesting, her motivations appear rather cut and dry and she wish she had some more depth to her in terms of what she’s thinking and feeling. For the most part though, this was good, I just wouldn’t spend the time on it twice.
challenging
mysterious
medium-paced
I managed to get my hands on an ARC of this book. While the first few pages were slow for me to pick up the action (and often found myself confused with the world's technology), this book does not disappoint in providing a fast-paced thrilling fantasy! I found myself identifying with Keralie really easily and hope to see more from her soon.
Zäher Anfang, wird erst in der zweiten Hälfte richtig spannend. Erinnert ein wenig an Six of Crows, aber mit weniger Raffinesse.
mysterious
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Cette fin ne m'aura malheureusement pas fait changer d'avis.
Ce livre ressemble à tous les autres du même genre, il ne fait absolument rien pour se démarquer.
Les personnages sont des stéréotypes de la dystopie, surtout Keralie, et Varin est insipide au possible.
Le monde construit est intéressant mais manque cruellement de nuance. En fait, il ressemble à celui de Divergente si l'on avait enlevé le concept de divergents...
La fin elle-même est peut-être l'élément le plus cliché de l'histoire tellement elle suit les stéréotypes assez simplistes que l'on énoncerait s'il l'on devait faire une description d'un roman dystopique type.
L'histoire n'est pas nulle, elle n'est pas horrible à lire (loin de là), mais aujourd'hui j'ai besoin de beaucoup plus qu'un copié collé du genre.
Ce livre ressemble à tous les autres du même genre, il ne fait absolument rien pour se démarquer.
Les personnages sont des stéréotypes de la dystopie, surtout Keralie, et Varin est insipide au possible.
Le monde construit est intéressant mais manque cruellement de nuance. En fait, il ressemble à celui de Divergente si l'on avait enlevé le concept de divergents...
La fin elle-même est peut-être l'élément le plus cliché de l'histoire tellement elle suit les stéréotypes assez simplistes que l'on énoncerait s'il l'on devait faire une description d'un roman dystopique type.
L'histoire n'est pas nulle, elle n'est pas horrible à lire (loin de là), mais aujourd'hui j'ai besoin de beaucoup plus qu'un copié collé du genre.
And this, ladies and gentleman, is what every fantasy should be like. I can't remember the last time I read such a quality standalone fantasy novel - EVERYTHING was on point.
First of all, the concept of four murders - four dead queens is so interesting. Like how does one kill the 4 most guarded people in the country? Why? How did no one catch them? I had SO MANY QUESTIONS. And the queens themselves were AMAZING.
Every queen was such a complex character - they had emotions, layers, feelings but they had to hide them and keep them in check because they had more important things to do -> rule and take care of their people and traditions. Seriously, their chapters were my faves.
Keralie was also a badass. She didn't let anybody control her and make her feel less then she is. She always fought for what she thought she deserved and in the end she accepted her true self. She owned her mistakes. I liked her relationship with Varan - and no, there was no insta love. Actually, they were partners/accomplices first, then friends, and THEN and the very end, they were perhaps something more.
The secondary characters were all SO. GOOD. I can't explain enough how much I loved reading about all these people. They weren't just plot tools - they didn't just exist to help the MCs or to make the plot move toward a certain point - they were real, they had wishes, motives, lives....
And the plot itself. WOW. I sooo didn't expect that. The first half is a bit slower, but once you pass a certain point the plot twists just keep on coming. There were so many things, so many details that I didn't notice at first but then when they revealed it, everything clicked and made sense.
This book is definitely going on my top fantasy lists *u* 12/10 would recommend
First of all, the concept of four murders - four dead queens is so interesting. Like how does one kill the 4 most guarded people in the country? Why? How did no one catch them? I had SO MANY QUESTIONS. And the queens themselves were AMAZING.
Every queen was such a complex character - they had emotions, layers, feelings but they had to hide them and keep them in check because they had more important things to do -> rule and take care of their people and traditions. Seriously, their chapters were my faves.
Keralie was also a badass. She didn't let anybody control her and make her feel less then she is. She always fought for what she thought she deserved and in the end she accepted her true self. She owned her mistakes. I liked her relationship with Varan - and no, there was no insta love. Actually, they were partners/accomplices first, then friends, and THEN and the very end, they were perhaps something more.
The secondary characters were all SO. GOOD. I can't explain enough how much I loved reading about all these people. They weren't just plot tools - they didn't just exist to help the MCs or to make the plot move toward a certain point - they were real, they had wishes, motives, lives....
And the plot itself. WOW. I sooo didn't expect that. The first half is a bit slower, but once you pass a certain point the plot twists just keep on coming. There were so many things, so many details that I didn't notice at first but then when they revealed it, everything clicked and made sense.
This book is definitely going on my top fantasy lists *u* 12/10 would recommend
adventurous
dark
mysterious
tense
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
Ehh, it wasn't too bad.
I enjoyed the premise but the execution felt a little weird to me. The beginning of the story somehow felt like the middle of an established story. Like there wasn't really an opportunity to get to the know the characters before things went awry. I didn't really care what happened to Keralie or Varin. The plot twist felt a little forced and I don't want to spoil it so I won't say anymore. However, the world-building was great. The author did a fantastic job painting a vivid picture of Quadara and its quadrants. I would love to read another story set in that world. So overall, this was a quick but entertaining standalone novel and is best when taken for just that.
I enjoyed the premise but the execution felt a little weird to me. The beginning of the story somehow felt like the middle of an established story. Like there wasn't really an opportunity to get to the know the characters before things went awry. I didn't really care what happened to Keralie or Varin. The plot twist felt a little forced and I don't want to spoil it so I won't say anymore. However, the world-building was great. The author did a fantastic job painting a vivid picture of Quadara and its quadrants. I would love to read another story set in that world. So overall, this was a quick but entertaining standalone novel and is best when taken for just that.