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drouse's review
adventurous
mysterious
medium-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? It's complicated
4.75
I won this book in an author giveaway. Thank You!
It took me longer to get to the book than I planned, but once I started reading, I knew it was going to be a book I found hard to put down. The story was original and the characters were engaging. This is definitely a series I will continue!
It took me longer to get to the book than I planned, but once I started reading, I knew it was going to be a book I found hard to put down. The story was original and the characters were engaging. This is definitely a series I will continue!
bunniidoctorr's review
adventurous
emotional
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
4.0
sektaufeis's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
funny
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
**I won this in a storygraph giveaway**
i liked the book!
it has an entertaining plot with good world building and a diverse cast.
The title is a bit misleading in a fantasy context, as it's not about demons
in the literal sense of the word. Which was a relief to me! The concept of "paintin" was really original! (:
i agree with another review that the first half dragged a bit, but getting to know the world and characters kept me engaged. the second half sucked me in completely and i was curious to see how it would end. My only criticism is that good and evil are very clearly divided, which is totally fine, but YA fantasy that has kept me engaged for longer, like Le Guin's Earth Sea series, is more detached from the classic hero's journey. i hope that the villains will be more of a focus in the next installments.
I really appreciated how diversity was handled. it was just a natural part of the story and not used in a weird moralistic way. I also liked the content note and the glossary of terms. I could really feel Rose Card-Faux created this piece mindfully. My very kind e-mail contact with the author supported that impression. Thanky you!
i liked the book!
it has an entertaining plot with good world building and a diverse cast.
The title is a bit misleading in a fantasy context, as it's not about demons
in the literal sense of the word. Which was a relief to me! The concept of "paintin" was really original! (:
i agree with another review that the first half dragged a bit, but getting to know the world and characters kept me engaged. the second half sucked me in completely and i was curious to see how it would end. My only criticism is that good and evil are very clearly divided, which is totally fine, but YA fantasy that has kept me engaged for longer, like Le Guin's Earth Sea series, is more detached from the classic hero's journey. i hope that the villains will be more of a focus in the next installments.
I really appreciated how diversity was handled. it was just a natural part of the story and not used in a weird moralistic way. I also liked the content note and the glossary of terms. I could really feel Rose Card-Faux created this piece mindfully. My very kind e-mail contact with the author supported that impression. Thanky you!
tashanicole97's review against another edition
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
raikowlreads's review
adventurous
challenging
dark
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A
4.0
Thank you to Storygraph and Rose Card-Faux for the giveaway! It definitely made me find a gem of a book.
We follow the story through our main character: Zanny Monroe. She's the chosen one for this amazing secret human race called Painters. It's her destiny to save the world and her quiet little life, turns into chaos and a lot of training.
The story is written in first-person and even though I barely read in that set up lately, it was a really nice change. The descriptions, and how Zanny sees the new world she ends up with, were great. I absolutely loved the unique magic system. The particle manipulation classes in the book were fun to read, and I find this magic system also really well-thought-out. I honestly hope we get to see more of this amazing system, because the book was mainly focused on the difficult politics that the Painters have.
The last half of the book was really well-paced, it was super enjoyable and more in action, compared to the first half.
Maybe that romance will become an actual thing in the other books of the Way Reader series, because it slightly hints at it.
Overall, I think I will continue the series and support the author!
We follow the story through our main character: Zanny Monroe. She's the chosen one for this amazing secret human race called Painters. It's her destiny to save the world and her quiet little life, turns into chaos and a lot of training.
The story is written in first-person and even though I barely read in that set up lately, it was a really nice change. The descriptions, and how Zanny sees the new world she ends up with, were great. I absolutely loved the unique magic system. The particle manipulation classes in the book were fun to read, and I find this magic system also really well-thought-out. I honestly hope we get to see more of this amazing system, because the book was mainly focused on the difficult politics that the Painters have.
The last half of the book was really well-paced, it was super enjoyable and more in action, compared to the first half.
Maybe that romance will become an actual thing in the other books of the Way Reader series, because it slightly hints at it.
Overall, I think I will continue the series and support the author!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood, Murder, Death, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Death of parent
Minor: Torture
the_tilly0405's review
adventurous
dark
mysterious
fast-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
3.75
lails_x's review
emotional
hopeful
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? Yes
3.5
bradstowdave's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
maria_schnecki's review
adventurous
emotional
funny
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A
4.0
**I won this in a storygraph giveaway**
Lesser Demons starts off with the MC, a teenage girl named Zanny, being told she is part of a species of people being able to manipulate particle structures. But not just that, no, she is also the "chosen one", destined to save the universe from a great impending doom, even though she had no prior training and no idea what this is all about. At this point, the book sounds more or less like most of the typical 2010s fantasy distopians mixed with a little bit of sci fi.
However, the thing that distinguishes Lesser Demons is the unique "magic system" of particle manipulation. This concept was rather different and interesting and, at most times, this magic was explained quite well to the reader, showing Zanny having to memorize certain patterns or showing which ways there are to store energy. That being said, I still wished for the author to focus more on this magic system, as it honestely is the original selling point of this book. I really had the feeling that in the end,the particle manipulation skills turned more into full-on-avatar-element-bending - and honestely, why establish a complex magic system with patterns to memmorize and concepts to understand when the all-powerful way-reader can just slap all of this hefty energy out if and when they need to? . I found it really disappointing to have this whole unique magic concept just to throw it all out the window when it is convenient - just like any other typical YA dystopia.
I really don´t love comparision but this book reminded me a lot of the Mythos Academy series by Jennifer Estep - which, agein, is kinda sad when the concept was so promisingly unique.
But away from all the negativity, this was a well written book about a very likeable, but still flawed enough main caracter with a great concept and a convincing plot. The pacing is someting to slightly adjust, as I found the first half to drag quite a bit. That being said, powering through this first half proved to be worthwile because the second half was fast-paced, enjoyable and gripping. I also quite liked the side characters, which had a nice character depth and meaningful interactions.
Overall, I would recommend this book to everyone who wasn´t around for the chosen-one-dystopia-hype of the 2010s or who wants to feel nostalgic about these times. I would also recommend it to a slightly younger audience, which doesn´t mean NA and up can´t enjoy it either. I am quite looking forward to the sequel to find out more about these characters!
Lesser Demons starts off with the MC, a teenage girl named Zanny, being told she is part of a species of people being able to manipulate particle structures. But not just that, no, she is also the "chosen one", destined to save the universe from a great impending doom, even though she had no prior training and no idea what this is all about. At this point, the book sounds more or less like most of the typical 2010s fantasy distopians mixed with a little bit of sci fi.
However, the thing that distinguishes Lesser Demons is the unique "magic system" of particle manipulation. This concept was rather different and interesting and, at most times, this magic was explained quite well to the reader, showing Zanny having to memorize certain patterns or showing which ways there are to store energy. That being said, I still wished for the author to focus more on this magic system, as it honestely is the original selling point of this book. I really had the feeling that in the end,
I really don´t love comparision but this book reminded me a lot of the Mythos Academy series by Jennifer Estep - which, agein, is kinda sad when the concept was so promisingly unique.
But away from all the negativity, this was a well written book about a very likeable, but still flawed enough main caracter with a great concept and a convincing plot. The pacing is someting to slightly adjust, as I found the first half to drag quite a bit. That being said, powering through this first half proved to be worthwile because the second half was fast-paced, enjoyable and gripping. I also quite liked the side characters, which had a nice character depth and meaningful interactions.
Overall, I would recommend this book to everyone who wasn´t around for the chosen-one-dystopia-hype of the 2010s or who wants to feel nostalgic about these times. I would also recommend it to a slightly younger audience, which doesn´t mean NA and up can´t enjoy it either. I am quite looking forward to the sequel to find out more about these characters!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood, Murder, Death, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Violence, Death of parent, Grief, and Addiction
Minor: Fire/Fire injury and Torture
belava's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
tense
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
4.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Torture, Murder, and Death
Moderate: Fire/Fire injury
Minor: Suicide
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