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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
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