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words_and_dreams's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
*Fantasy adventure mystery featuring the 'chosen one' trope.*
Things I liked:
The worldbuilding was rich and detailed and gave you a feeling of scope and history of the culture. Within the worldbuilding, I enjoyed the magic system and how it worked, it felt different to things I had read before. The sorcerors/magicians are able to access different abilities/powers through different gates. Only a handful have the power to use several of them.
The story was written in a style that I liked with some beautiful prose.
Things I didn't like:
Raine as a main character didn't work for me. She is described as strong etc but things just sort of happen to her and around her. She doesn't have alot of agency until nearer the end of book and even then I was not 100% convinced that she was doing what she wanted to do. She just falls into different groups and goes along with what their mission or culture is. She states near the start of the book that she is going to forge her own path...but then...doesn't.
Whilst the action and intrigue starts pretty much immediately, it took me ages to get into the story. The story involves a series of mysteries, some of which are resolved and some I assume will be revealed in further installments. However I found that I didn't care that much about what happened, maybe because I was not attached to the main character.
Not a bad book and had lots going for it but just didn't quite work for me.
Things I liked:
The worldbuilding was rich and detailed and gave you a feeling of scope and history of the culture. Within the worldbuilding, I enjoyed the magic system and how it worked, it felt different to things I had read before. The sorcerors/magicians are able to access different abilities/powers through different gates. Only a handful have the power to use several of them.
The story was written in a style that I liked with some beautiful prose.
Things I didn't like:
Raine as a main character didn't work for me. She is described as strong etc but things just sort of happen to her and around her. She doesn't have alot of agency until nearer the end of book and even then I was not 100% convinced that she was doing what she wanted to do. She just falls into different groups and goes along with what their mission or culture is. She states near the start of the book that she is going to forge her own path...but then...doesn't.
Whilst the action and intrigue starts pretty much immediately, it took me ages to get into the story. The story involves a series of mysteries, some of which are resolved and some I assume will be revealed in further installments. However I found that I didn't care that much about what happened, maybe because I was not attached to the main character.
Not a bad book and had lots going for it but just didn't quite work for me.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death, Death of parent, War, Violence, and Murder
Minor: Domestic abuse and Sexual content
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