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thewitchykitty's review
adventurous
dark
emotional
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Gore, Violence, Blood, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, Colonisation, War, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Child death, Grief, and Death of parent
sarrie's review
dark
emotional
hopeful
reflective
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
TL;DR: This was a sleeper hit for me - I loved it.
Source: eArc via Netgalley and a physical book via the publisher - THANK YOU!
Source: eArc via Netgalley and a physical book via the publisher - THANK YOU!
Plot: Three PoVs each fight and rebel against the Empire that has conquered them in their own ways.
Characters: I found myself loving each and every PoV character and many of the side characters, I was very invested.
Setting: The setting felt very real and alive for me. I still think about this one, even days later.
Fantasy: A classic rebellion plot with dragons and some final fantasy style machines
Characters: I found myself loving each and every PoV character and many of the side characters, I was very invested.
Setting: The setting felt very real and alive for me. I still think about this one, even days later.
Fantasy: A classic rebellion plot with dragons and some final fantasy style machines
Thoughts:
I would describe Blood the Old Kings as a classic rebellion fantasy meets Final Fantasy - specifically the machinery in FFXIV and the related games. I would also recommend this as similar to The Grace of Kings with a lot less bloat.
This follows three individuals who each end up fighting against a conquering empire in their own ways. One woman makes a deal with a dragon to become the next King, a young student ends up following a voice in her head who leads her down a dangerous path and straight into the empire’s crosshairs, and a young man working in an olive oil shop tries to solve the murder of his close friend.
For me each of these view points was radically different and I wasn’t completely sold on each of them till the final stages when it began to knit together. The pacing wasn’t quite perfect, and my interest lagged a tiny bit in the first half, but once you begin to see the connections - and connect they do, it becomes fantastic. The world perhaps needed a little bit of fleshing out, but it was vivid enough to support our characters wonderfully.
I’m also desperate for more of this story as it was teased there was more in store for our characters. I can’t stop thinking about this and I recommend for any Fantasy fans who are looking for something a little different.
4.75 out of 5 Eight Eyed Dragons
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Gore, and Murder
Moderate: Xenophobia and War
2treads's review against another edition
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? No
4.0
My only complaint is that I wish it was longer. I wanted more of our protagonists as I felt that we had only scratched the surface of who they were. It was easy to form relational connections as Kim made them easily accessible in how they and their motives were written. As for the antagonist, I also wanted more of their backstory and the secrets that they are using to maintain control and power.
The pacing moves in this story, you will want to slow down as the author is not wasting time in getting to their end game. I highly recommend this read.
The pacing moves in this story, you will want to slow down as the author is not wasting time in getting to their end game. I highly recommend this read.
Content Warnings
Minor: Child death, Death, Grief, Murder, and War
fromjuliereads's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
hopeful
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Thank you to Tor for an advanced e-arc of this book in return for an honest review.
This book was such a fantastic surprise to me.
I hadn't seen this book around the online bookish community, but when I saw the cover and read the synopsis on Netgalley, I was immediately intrigued. It sounded like such a cool concept. And I was not disappointed.
There were so many elements to this plot and story that were unique and varied from other fantasy books that I have read. Sorcerers who have powers that are so different from the typical magic users. A woman who declares her destiny to a dragon, a dragon who aids her. And a seemingly ordinary person, with glasses (!!!) who finds his destiny while on a different path. Sure you might have read stories of similar characters, but when you add the plot, the magic, the worldbuilding, and the writing to these? It becomes something else.
I had been struggling to read, picking up other books and consistently putting them down. I couldn't put this one down.
While it's definitely more of a plot driven story, the characters are well done and you root for them throughout the story. But I imagine there is more that will delve into the characters in the sequels. The plot and writing are truly the focals for this book and they drive the story very well. There is also an air of sci fi, I think, with the way the magic is worked and these automotons that are part of the story.
I would definitely recommend this book to my friends who enjoy fantasy, curious to hear their thoughts as well.
Sung-Il Kim, and translator Anton Hur, have crafted the start of an epic tale and I cannot wait to see where it goes next.
This book was such a fantastic surprise to me.
I hadn't seen this book around the online bookish community, but when I saw the cover and read the synopsis on Netgalley, I was immediately intrigued. It sounded like such a cool concept. And I was not disappointed.
There were so many elements to this plot and story that were unique and varied from other fantasy books that I have read. Sorcerers who have powers that are so different from the typical magic users. A woman who declares her destiny to a dragon, a dragon who aids her. And a seemingly ordinary person, with glasses (!!!) who finds his destiny while on a different path. Sure you might have read stories of similar characters, but when you add the plot, the magic, the worldbuilding, and the writing to these? It becomes something else.
I had been struggling to read, picking up other books and consistently putting them down. I couldn't put this one down.
While it's definitely more of a plot driven story, the characters are well done and you root for them throughout the story. But I imagine there is more that will delve into the characters in the sequels. The plot and writing are truly the focals for this book and they drive the story very well. There is also an air of sci fi, I think, with the way the magic is worked and these automotons that are part of the story.
I would definitely recommend this book to my friends who enjoy fantasy, curious to hear their thoughts as well.
Sung-Il Kim, and translator Anton Hur, have crafted the start of an epic tale and I cannot wait to see where it goes next.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Violence, Blood, Murder, War, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Child death, Grief, Fire/Fire injury, Abandonment, and Colonisation
Minor: Vomit