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swordrager's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
1.5
There is a good book somewhere in this book but it has unfortunately been buried in the Living Mud - or perhaps the problem is that there are fragments of different good books.
It opens with a promising start as a classic fantasy coming of age story with a dark tone and an increase in complexity, but the latter half of the book is much more scrambled. It seems to be one part character study, one part bombastic action movie, and one part verbose and meandering novel.
It ends up medium paced by jerking back and forth between slow and fast without transition or art. It delivers massive revelations and then refuses to let them breathe but makes sure to spend pages on side characters. I found it to be a very frustrating read.
It opens with a promising start as a classic fantasy coming of age story with a dark tone and an increase in complexity, but the latter half of the book is much more scrambled. It seems to be one part character study, one part bombastic action movie, and one part verbose and meandering novel.
It ends up medium paced by jerking back and forth between slow and fast without transition or art. It delivers massive revelations and then refuses to let them breathe but makes sure to spend pages on side characters. I found it to be a very frustrating read.
wunkymatts's review against another edition
3.0
I wanted a book to get lost in. I wanted a thick, dense fantasy that spun a world around me so completely I would live there more than the real one. At first I thought this might be the one. It started so well, the world was wonderfully realised, but then it started to run out of steam.
The pacing was patchy, certainty in the second half of a book (which clocks in at over 500 pages) when it really needed to keep momentum. Some parts dragged, others seemed to be rushed through. There was also a very strange section written in a completely different style, and I'm not convinced the same information could not have been shown in keeping with the rest of the book.
Also the low level misogyny was starting to grate. Most femal characters (of which there were vanishingly few anyway) were manipulative sex workers and I really didn't appreciate being told about how disgusting the female 'oestrus' smelled.
I think the world Pheby created is wonderfully rich and detailed, and that gorgeous setting is probably what sustained me through the book, but it was a slog. There is an extensive glossary (100+ pages) at the end which explains a lot more about the world of Mordew which I intend to read at a later date.
The pacing was patchy, certainty in the second half of a book (which clocks in at over 500 pages) when it really needed to keep momentum. Some parts dragged, others seemed to be rushed through. There was also a very strange section written in a completely different style, and I'm not convinced the same information could not have been shown in keeping with the rest of the book.
Also the low level misogyny was starting to grate. Most femal characters (of which there were vanishingly few anyway) were manipulative sex workers and I really didn't appreciate being told about how disgusting the female 'oestrus' smelled.
I think the world Pheby created is wonderfully rich and detailed, and that gorgeous setting is probably what sustained me through the book, but it was a slog. There is an extensive glossary (100+ pages) at the end which explains a lot more about the world of Mordew which I intend to read at a later date.
juniperbranches's review against another edition
I kept waiting for the story to start and it just… didn’t.
ryanbiscocho's review against another edition
5.0
Bit slow at the start but very much worth it. Top-tier fantasy with really unique world-building. Very excited to read the next books in the series!
jimmyroro's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
nickdablin's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Great concept and world-building, but the story itself meanders slowly through a series of grim and miserable events without enough character depth to be especially interesting. It's oddly paced, with the first parts of the book feeling slow and unnecessary by the time the protagonist finally does something proactive nearly two thirds of the way in. It seems to be setting up a series but as a result, it doesn't really hold up on its own. I'd have been happier to tolerate these flaws if the book wasn't so relentlessly bleak and miserable. As it is, it's just not a particularly enjoyable read.
However, the prose itself is decently written and readable, and as mentioned, the setting and world-building is top notch.
However, the prose itself is decently written and readable, and as mentioned, the setting and world-building is top notch.
relly621's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75