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3.59 AVERAGE
3.59 AVERAGE
In this book, there was a lot of action going on, I can understand the differing opinions on the book but I agree that if you were a fan of Six of Crows than there is a good chance you will enjoy this book
Sal tak pernah menyangka satu perampokan normal akan membuka jalan berbeda untuk hidupnya. Peluang audisi sebagai pengawal/pembunuh pribadi bagi sang Ratu. Dan di sinilah aku di manjakan dengan alur yang cept dari perjalanan pelatihan dan audisi maut yang harus Sal hadapi selama 2 minggu.
Sebagai buku debut, ide cerita ini menarik perhatian. Selain itu aku juga suka dengan karakter Sal yang smart, gigih, dan agak2 wicked. Tapi setelah dirimu tahu latar belakang hidupnya (yang diteteskan sedikit demi sedikit di tiap chapter) kamu akan maklum bagaimana personalitynya terbentuk. Di sini Sal di sebutkan sekilas sebagai gender fluid, tapi menurutku ini gak terlalu penting. Karena kalau di hilangkan juga gak mempengaruhi cerita. Seperti cuma ditambahkan sebagai keunikan Sal. Dia tetap punya love interest gadis cantik seperti pemuda normal lainnya.
Menikmati buku ini seperti kamu nonton film action. Penuh aksi laga, mind game, plot ringan, alur cepat, percakapan pendek, minim narasi dan bebas angst biarpun hidup si Sal ini ngenes banget. Lepas dari pendapat orang lain, aku enjoy baca buku ini lebih dari baca buku YA fantasy dari penulis yang lebih beken. Aku suka potensi ceritanya dan kepo nungguin aksi lanjutan Sal untuk membalas dendam kepada musuhnya, satu persatu.
Sebagai buku debut, ide cerita ini menarik perhatian. Selain itu aku juga suka dengan karakter Sal yang smart, gigih, dan agak2 wicked. Tapi setelah dirimu tahu latar belakang hidupnya (yang diteteskan sedikit demi sedikit di tiap chapter) kamu akan maklum bagaimana personalitynya terbentuk. Di sini Sal di sebutkan sekilas sebagai gender fluid, tapi menurutku ini gak terlalu penting. Karena kalau di hilangkan juga gak mempengaruhi cerita. Seperti cuma ditambahkan sebagai keunikan Sal. Dia tetap punya love interest gadis cantik seperti pemuda normal lainnya.
Menikmati buku ini seperti kamu nonton film action. Penuh aksi laga, mind game, plot ringan, alur cepat, percakapan pendek, minim narasi dan bebas angst biarpun hidup si Sal ini ngenes banget. Lepas dari pendapat orang lain, aku enjoy baca buku ini lebih dari baca buku YA fantasy dari penulis yang lebih beken. Aku suka potensi ceritanya dan kepo nungguin aksi lanjutan Sal untuk membalas dendam kepada musuhnya, satu persatu.
This is a review of an ARC from NetGalley.
Sal is a thief. Orphaned at a young age, Sal steals from the noble lords and tries to forget the magical monsters created by those nobles; monsters that devoured the people of Nacea, Sal's home, during a terrible civil war. Then Sal steals an invitation to audition for the Queen's Left Hand, a group of assassins named after the rings she wears, and sees a way to escape the thief's life and get revenge.
In general, you've got your standard YA fantasy elements: an orphan seeking a way to a better life, sorcery, monsters and magic; complicated political intrigue; secrets and a romance breaks the rules. The storytelling is okay, although the political background was quite confusing - I was never clear on which factions were which, and exactly why Sal was seeking revenge on various characters. And while Sal, Sal's maid Maud, and Sal's romantic partner Elise, had their characters fleshed out, the rest of the cast felt entirely interchangeable, especially the 22 other people auditioning for the assassins role. So at first glance, pass.
But the intriguing bit about this book, and the part that's going to get talked about, is the gender-fluid main character. Sal's pronouns change by the day, but I'll let Sal explain it:
It's mentioned in the book a few times, but it's not the plot of the book, and doesn't even really drive the plot that much. It's simply a fact about Sal, like Sal's messy hair or scrawny, underfed body. The creativity of that bumped the book up a bit for me. Now if we can only get Sal a better written book for the sequel...
Sal is a thief. Orphaned at a young age, Sal steals from the noble lords and tries to forget the magical monsters created by those nobles; monsters that devoured the people of Nacea, Sal's home, during a terrible civil war. Then Sal steals an invitation to audition for the Queen's Left Hand, a group of assassins named after the rings she wears, and sees a way to escape the thief's life and get revenge.
In general, you've got your standard YA fantasy elements: an orphan seeking a way to a better life, sorcery, monsters and magic; complicated political intrigue; secrets and a romance breaks the rules. The storytelling is okay, although the political background was quite confusing - I was never clear on which factions were which, and exactly why Sal was seeking revenge on various characters. And while Sal, Sal's maid Maud, and Sal's romantic partner Elise, had their characters fleshed out, the rest of the cast felt entirely interchangeable, especially the 22 other people auditioning for the assassins role. So at first glance, pass.
But the intriguing bit about this book, and the part that's going to get talked about, is the gender-fluid main character. Sal's pronouns change by the day, but I'll let Sal explain it:
Rath had asked me once, after we'd met and been living together, and I'd not known how to explain it yet. He always felt like Rath, and I always felt like Sal, except it was like watching a river flow past. The river was always the same, but you never glimpsed the same water. I ebbed and flowed, and that was my always.
It's mentioned in the book a few times, but it's not the plot of the book, and doesn't even really drive the plot that much. It's simply a fact about Sal, like Sal's messy hair or scrawny, underfed body. The creativity of that bumped the book up a bit for me. Now if we can only get Sal a better written book for the sequel...
I think that this book had a lot of potentials. I found myself waiting for something to happen and when the action did happen it seemed rushed. The plot at the end of the story wasn't built up enough and seemed almost out of place. I think that this book had such an interesting concept but things didn't seem to flow together. And I often found myself confused about things that were happening. Still, I enjoyed the story, and think it could be something great. This book seemed to be written as a set up for the second book so hopefully, that book will take it's time to develope the story.
Sallot Leon, better known as Sal, is a street fighter and an excellent thief. Sal, however wants more from life than robbing nobles and fighting. In the midst of a robbery one day, Sal finds a flyer for auditions for the position of Opal in the Queen’s Left Hand- her personal assassins, named after the rings on her left hand, and decides to go for it. The auditions turn out to be not only training, but a fight to the death with the other contestants. This is a fight that Sal may not be prepared for, but is determined to win and get revenge for their country that was destroyed by the nobles that are in the capitol and the heart of Elise, who they are growing closer and closer to. Will Sal survive to live out this dream?
Guys, I finished this book, and immediately said that I needed more! Seriously, check my Twitter feed! This is that wonderful rare occasion where I have trouble believing that this is a debut novel. The characters were so well rounded and fleshed out. I absolutely loved that the main character, Sal, was gender fluid. It made this character all the more interesting, and definitely an underrepresented community that we should see more of. Miller writes characters that you want to become invested in. The world building was so lovely, and easily visualized. It had enough romance in it to add to the story, but not so much as to make it the focus. This is written as a YA Fantasy, but truthfully it is just a very well written Fantasy that would appeal to anyone looking for that type of escape. I can’t wait to find that escape again in the next installment!
Guys, I finished this book, and immediately said that I needed more! Seriously, check my Twitter feed! This is that wonderful rare occasion where I have trouble believing that this is a debut novel. The characters were so well rounded and fleshed out. I absolutely loved that the main character, Sal, was gender fluid. It made this character all the more interesting, and definitely an underrepresented community that we should see more of. Miller writes characters that you want to become invested in. The world building was so lovely, and easily visualized. It had enough romance in it to add to the story, but not so much as to make it the focus. This is written as a YA Fantasy, but truthfully it is just a very well written Fantasy that would appeal to anyone looking for that type of escape. I can’t wait to find that escape again in the next installment!
adventurous
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-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
I’ve read a few of the other reviews on here and I’m super interested to find out exactly what people are expecting from their books these days. Complaints I saw: that the story was super predictable and had been done before, and that the gender fluidity of the character didn’t matter and didn’t make sense.
To the first: there are no new stories. I’m sorry, but it’s true. There’s different window dressing on the same story that keeps getting told over and over again and GUESS WHAT, you keep reading them anyway, just like I keep reading them anyway. It’s the window dressing that keeps them interesting, and I liked this one’s curtains.
To the second: I mean you’re basically just showing your hateful underbelly, so maybe go work on yourself a bit.
So anyway, I liked this story, I liked the narrator, and I’m gonna see where future installments go.
To the first: there are no new stories. I’m sorry, but it’s true. There’s different window dressing on the same story that keeps getting told over and over again and GUESS WHAT, you keep reading them anyway, just like I keep reading them anyway. It’s the window dressing that keeps them interesting, and I liked this one’s curtains.
To the second: I mean you’re basically just showing your hateful underbelly, so maybe go work on yourself a bit.
So anyway, I liked this story, I liked the narrator, and I’m gonna see where future installments go.
adventurous
dark
mysterious
sad
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
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
🏳️🌈 First off, I loved the LGBTQIA+ representation, especially Non-Binary people in this book. And it wasn't a main part of the plot, instead being more like yeah Sal is Non-Binary, who gives a fuck (except for the bigots who still exist). I want more fantasy with LGBTQIA+ characters!
For me, the plot was pretty fast paced albeit with a few slow parts. The last 40 or so pages were just so intense.
I love the world building so much. There's a queen with a group of assassins called The Left Hand who are named after gems and wear masks. You can see why I think that's awesome. Oh and a war might be going down but that's par for the course.
I feel like the romance was a little bit rushed but I still rooted for Sal and Elise to be together.
Will still read book 2 and see where it all ends.
For me, the plot was pretty fast paced albeit with a few slow parts. The last 40 or so pages were just so intense.
I love the world building so much. There's a queen with a group of assassins called The Left Hand who are named after gems and wear masks. You can see why I think that's awesome. Oh and a war might be going down but that's par for the course.
I feel like the romance was a little bit rushed but I still rooted for Sal and Elise to be together.
Will still read book 2 and see where it all ends.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Genocide, Murder
Moderate: Cursing, Death of parent, War
adventurous
challenging
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes