Take a photo of a barcode or cover
3.81 AVERAGE
3.81 AVERAGE
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
i can see why this book wouldn't work for everyone but it did for me. i absolutely devoured 500 pages in three days, in the time where i'm still slagging through an arduously obnoxious 291 pages of another book as of writing this review. i love storytelling that comes to you in puzzle pieces (though the author graciously gives you exactly what you need, if a plot point hinges on previously given vague information) and odd narrative structures. i love stories where the world feels truly lived in, where you are given so much worldbuilding and lore, especially stories that just have so much going on in them, whether its in the scope of the main plot or not. Because of this, i did enjoy the footnotes (not to mention here, the footnotes had a plot purpose and explanation that i found satisfying) despite generally being a footnotes hater in fiction. i'm very impressed with this being the authors debut novel, and i will definitely be continuing with the series.
also, mild critique / wants for further installmentsthis book was very obviously interested in sex and sexual abuse in a way i found thoughtful, but somewhat wanting. i found the execution to be well done, but i would enjoy a deeper exploration of the topic, especially from one of the sex workers / slaves, since i think their perspective was sorely lacking in this book. however, i do hear that is something that is followed up on in later installments, so i'll withhold judgement on this front. i would also like more handling of khirin's trauma as well. i understand why it couldn't be lingered on for too long for practicalities, but as we enter territories regarding relationships for him in the coming books, i think it would be a good way to tackle it more. despite everything, it still seemed to haunt him over the novel, but wasn't addressed much.
also shout out to jenn lyons for creating a male protag i actually enjoy. not very many cases!
also, mild critique / wants for further installments
also shout out to jenn lyons for creating a male protag i actually enjoy. not very many cases!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Rape, Sexual violence, Slavery, Torture, Violence, Kidnapping
Moderate: Homophobia, Incest
adventurous
emotional
mysterious
tense
slow-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:
Complicated
Confusing
I liked this story idea a lot. It seems like such a cool world and magic system. But nothing was well explained. The story bounces between two narrators telling the story one of one person in different parts of life. And while it eventually makes it to one straight timeline, it’s really confusing.
Another confusing aspect is the family trees, lines, houses, names etc. With the introduction of *spoilers* body switching, several family lines get super messy and mixed up.
Then you add in different races. Which aren’t fully explained. Or described.
Maybe I missed an introductory book before this that explained a lot more. But it wasn’t quite what I was expecting or promised.
I liked this story idea a lot. It seems like such a cool world and magic system. But nothing was well explained. The story bounces between two narrators telling the story one of one person in different parts of life. And while it eventually makes it to one straight timeline, it’s really confusing.
Another confusing aspect is the family trees, lines, houses, names etc. With the introduction of *spoilers* body switching, several family lines get super messy and mixed up.
Then you add in different races. Which aren’t fully explained. Or described.
Maybe I missed an introductory book before this that explained a lot more. But it wasn’t quite what I was expecting or promised.
4.5/5
This book was so epic and grand in scope, yet so intimately focused on character at the same time. As some one trying to write epic fantasy, I can see myself returning to Jenn Lyons for more lessons. It was a wonderful read, dark and solemn like our own mythologies, and not at all like the fritter side of fantasy. The storytelling was great, footnoting added so much relevant subtext and drove the story forward, which is a rarity. Sometimes the world building was a bit too ambitious and escaped my comprehension skills, but the story always caught me up quickly again. The pacing was up and down in parts, but this is a debut novel fam so that really doesn’t bring it down too much at all in my eyes. It was a slow start but it’s a heavy, detailed storyline that once you wrap your head around the basics, it will never let you go. Can’t wait to get into book 2. I think I have a new favourite to put up there with my classic list of authors.
This book was so epic and grand in scope, yet so intimately focused on character at the same time. As some one trying to write epic fantasy, I can see myself returning to Jenn Lyons for more lessons. It was a wonderful read, dark and solemn like our own mythologies, and not at all like the fritter side of fantasy. The storytelling was great, footnoting added so much relevant subtext and drove the story forward, which is a rarity. Sometimes the world building was a bit too ambitious and escaped my comprehension skills, but the story always caught me up quickly again. The pacing was up and down in parts, but this is a debut novel fam so that really doesn’t bring it down too much at all in my eyes. It was a slow start but it’s a heavy, detailed storyline that once you wrap your head around the basics, it will never let you go. Can’t wait to get into book 2. I think I have a new favourite to put up there with my classic list of authors.
I know I keep saying that everything is better in audio, well, this book proved me wrong. Everything is NOT better in audio. Even those that have Vikas Adam narrating.
Gods, where to start!?
The way it was built:
1 Pov telling Kherin's story today
3rd telling Kherin's story 2 years ago
At the same time.
Then there is footnotes, god damn footnotes that come in in the middle in the narration. If you read it you could at least wait until the end of the page.
And omg, then at the end there is a third narrator, the footnote guy that narrates Kherin's story all the sudden.
The names. Everyone had names that sounded similar, everyone had names that started with the same letter.
Footnotes, I guess it was supposed to build the world? It just annoyed me and at the end when I found out who the letter was to, well then I just found footnote guy to be an arrogant prick. Wtf, the footnotes made no sense.
The worldbuilding was spotty. It was too grand that I understood nothing of. There seems to be a lot of different humanoids, gods, monsters, elves? I really do not know. It was a convoluted mess.
Linear. Just make it linear!
The words. She used a lot of madeup words, or I do not know, maybe they are real, but the thing is I have no idea what anyone was wearing? Word without meaning tell me nothing.
The sad thing is that the history was interesting, it was just put together in a messy way.
oh and then there is the whole oh this person is dead but someone else is using that body. X is mother to Y, even if only by body since the soul is gone. And this happened a lot. So many who is their parents or grandparents. Everyone in someone elses body
No, I will not read more
Narrator
Well Vikas Adam rocked his 1 person
The woman was good as 3rd person Kherin
Footnote guy was good, until he had his own Kherin story and then it fell apart. Suddenly Kherin had a really American accent and it was really weird
Gods, where to start!?
The way it was built:
1 Pov telling Kherin's story today
3rd telling Kherin's story 2 years ago
At the same time.
Then there is footnotes, god damn footnotes that come in in the middle in the narration. If you read it you could at least wait until the end of the page.
And omg, then at the end there is a third narrator, the footnote guy that narrates Kherin's story all the sudden.
The names. Everyone had names that sounded similar, everyone had names that started with the same letter.
Footnotes, I guess it was supposed to build the world? It just annoyed me and at the end when I found out who the letter was to, well then I just found footnote guy to be an arrogant prick. Wtf, the footnotes made no sense.
The worldbuilding was spotty. It was too grand that I understood nothing of. There seems to be a lot of different humanoids, gods, monsters, elves? I really do not know. It was a convoluted mess.
Linear. Just make it linear!
The words. She used a lot of madeup words, or I do not know, maybe they are real, but the thing is I have no idea what anyone was wearing? Word without meaning tell me nothing.
The sad thing is that the history was interesting, it was just put together in a messy way.
oh and then there is the whole oh this person is dead but someone else is using that body. X is mother to Y, even if only by body since the soul is gone. And this happened a lot. So many who is their parents or grandparents. Everyone in someone elses body
No, I will not read more
Narrator
Well Vikas Adam rocked his 1 person
The woman was good as 3rd person Kherin
Footnote guy was good, until he had his own Kherin story and then it fell apart. Suddenly Kherin had a really American accent and it was really weird
adventurous
dark
medium-paced
adventurous
dark
mysterious
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
What can I say... the editing was good. The dialogue was good. I didn't care for the layout of the story, and I didn't really care for the story much at all.
The first 3/4 was told in 2 timeline tracks - for absolutely no apparent reason.
Mechanical spoilers (not really plot details):
Half the main characters seem like maybe they are - or could be - or were in a previous life - a god. But being a god doesn't seem to matter all that much? And sometimes you can be brought back from the dead. And there is reincarnation. And there is at least one mechanism where folks can change bodies.
All of which makes me a lot less invested in any character and what happens to them. Which really is not what you want in a story. At least it's not what I want.
The first 3/4 was told in 2 timeline tracks - for absolutely no apparent reason.
Mechanical spoilers (not really plot details):
Spoiler
Half the main characters seem like maybe they are - or could be - or were in a previous life - a god. But being a god doesn't seem to matter all that much? And sometimes you can be brought back from the dead. And there is reincarnation. And there is at least one mechanism where folks can change bodies.
All of which makes me a lot less invested in any character and what happens to them. Which really is not what you want in a story. At least it's not what I want.
