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lavenderteacat's review
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
5.0
If I could give this book more stars, I would. I LOVE this series. It wasn't always an easy read, but it was so, so worth it. Before I started it I was worried that, as happens sometimes, after Csorwe and Shuthmili got together the romantic relationship would be the center of the book. Not so!! There are a lot of different threads going on, and that is one of them, but it feels well-balanced. They all have a lot of stuff going on, and I really felt like I was right there with each characters. And the character growth, WOW. I am so attached to all of them now, even (especially, let's be honest) Tal.
This series swings a blunt object at many oft-romanticized aspects of love, and then rebuilds something stronger and better and healthier from the broken shards.
This series swings a blunt object at many oft-romanticized aspects of love, and then rebuilds something stronger and better and healthier from the broken shards.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Self harm
Moderate: Violence, Toxic relationship, Suicidal thoughts, Grief, Torture, and War
aardwyrm's review
adventurous
dark
emotional
funny
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
I thought the Unspoken Name was so very much itself (and so very much my jam) as to have reached the apex of itself, but this one is somehow better. Something about the transition from very young characters written with a fond wisdom transitioning to extremely tired middle aged characters? The perfect touch to bring home this world that is every memory of middle school dungeons and dragons and luridly painted fantasy novels from *the grown up section of the library* rendered with flawless craft and perfect character work. The pacing is absolutely unique, and I swear this book has like eight different climaxes. It's plot progression is an EKG. I love everyone in this bar.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Grief, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Suicidal thoughts, Blood, Body horror, Confinement, Death, Death of parent, Suicide, Abandonment, Alcohol, War, and Toxic relationship
beforeviolets's review
adventurous
challenging
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
<b>Thank you SO MUCH to TOR for sending me a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. Still in awe that you sent me one of my most anticipated books! </b>
CW: blood, violence, gore, death, murder, animal death, amputation (offscreen), implied autocannibalism, vomit, suicidal thoughts (brief)
I LOVE THESE CHARACTERS MORE THAN I LOVE MYSELF.
This was an absolute roller-coaster of a novel. I had no idea what to expect, considering the first book ended up on a pretty wrapped-up note, but A.K. Larkwood delivered an incredible story, weaving new elements, characters, and plot points with those of the previous novel. This book makes a huge departure from the first story in terms of narrative style - the first mainly being a sort of coming-of-age adventure for Csorwe with a few other POVs - instead using a range of narrators and plot lines all tangling together and unveiling a much larger storyline.
This would've been an easy 5 star read, except that the first half of the book was really hard to get into and took me a considerable amount of time to read. So much so that I almost considered not finishing it. I think A.K. Larkwood struggles to start their books. They work so hard to keep it action-packed while infodumping and world-building and it just makes everything really muddy and confusing. Too often I felt like the words were just swimming on the page, or like I couldn't really tell what I was meant to be looking at or rooting for.
I also wish this book was more character-driven, because the characters are just SUCH a show-stopping element, but instead it's just too world-driven and sometimes I ended up feeling like I needed more. (TBH, I think I just need a novella filled with Tal and Csorwe banter.)
But the second half of A.K. Larkwood's books are always more than worth the trek through the literary sludge. Riveting action, packed with plot-twists, and told through the perspective of enrapturing characters, this series is one I'm undeniably obsessed with. If you like godpunk fantasy worlds, diverse and queer casts, fascinating religious systems, sapphic romances, and laugh-out-loud dialogue, I really can't recommend this series enough.
CW: blood, violence, gore, death, murder, animal death, amputation (offscreen), implied autocannibalism, vomit, suicidal thoughts (brief)
I LOVE THESE CHARACTERS MORE THAN I LOVE MYSELF.
This was an absolute roller-coaster of a novel. I had no idea what to expect, considering the first book ended up on a pretty wrapped-up note, but A.K. Larkwood delivered an incredible story, weaving new elements, characters, and plot points with those of the previous novel. This book makes a huge departure from the first story in terms of narrative style - the first mainly being a sort of coming-of-age adventure for Csorwe with a few other POVs - instead using a range of narrators and plot lines all tangling together and unveiling a much larger storyline.
This would've been an easy 5 star read, except that the first half of the book was really hard to get into and took me a considerable amount of time to read. So much so that I almost considered not finishing it. I think A.K. Larkwood struggles to start their books. They work so hard to keep it action-packed while infodumping and world-building and it just makes everything really muddy and confusing. Too often I felt like the words were just swimming on the page, or like I couldn't really tell what I was meant to be looking at or rooting for.
I also wish this book was more character-driven, because the characters are just SUCH a show-stopping element, but instead it's just too world-driven and sometimes I ended up feeling like I needed more. (TBH, I think I just need a novella filled with Tal and Csorwe banter.)
But the second half of A.K. Larkwood's books are always more than worth the trek through the literary sludge. Riveting action, packed with plot-twists, and told through the perspective of enrapturing characters, this series is one I'm undeniably obsessed with. If you like godpunk fantasy worlds, diverse and queer casts, fascinating religious systems, sapphic romances, and laugh-out-loud dialogue, I really can't recommend this series enough.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood, Violence, Gore, Death, and Animal death
Minor: Vomit and Suicidal thoughts
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