You need to sign in or sign up before continuing.
Take a photo of a barcode or cover
3.72 AVERAGE
3.72 AVERAGE
- took forever to read. Last book of 2017 but just couldn't finish it. Would it it down and wouldn't pick it up for days. Many slow parts where I skimmed the pages.
- just couldn't create a full picture in my mind. Felt like the was potential to better describe the towers and environment so I could build a better image in my head. Definitely wouldn't select this to be a movie.
Absolutely feels like the beginning of a trilogy. Ending written in a way that the story has much to continue with. Except I have no desire to continue in the series.
- just couldn't create a full picture in my mind. Felt like the was potential to better describe the towers and environment so I could build a better image in my head. Definitely wouldn't select this to be a movie.
Absolutely feels like the beginning of a trilogy. Ending written in a way that the story has much to continue with. Except I have no desire to continue in the series.
adventurous
dark
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:
Yes
It was slow during some parts, but otherwise it was a good book in the end. I would consider reading the next book.
Shelved under general sci-fi or future, but it's more a future-fantasy, maybe? Whatever it's called, it was fun.
Full disclosure--I work for the distributor of this publisher. But yes, I read and really liked this book. Xhea was a very cool, different main character. I've recently started reading sci fib again after a break. What I used to read was mostly make written, so I found myself wondering if this book was influenced by the author bring a woman. Who knows? That comment sounds stupid even as I type it, but whatever. Good book with neat concepts dealt with in an unusual way: not a lot of shooting and fighting, and many plot elements left unfinished, but that didn't "feel" unfinished.
Definitely moving on to book two of the series.
Definitely moving on to book two of the series.
I can't rave to enough people about how much I love this book. It's quiet moodiness and vivid world-building are the very thing I search for in a fantasy novel, the qualities that allow me to sink into a story and leave me craving more long after it's over. In this world magic is currency and there's the implication that we are in a distant future, where magic has made modern technology obsolete and privileged society has risen to the sky in grand towers. It's also a ghost story. Xhea, an anomalous dark spot in a world of bright magic users has the ability to see ghosts, and she becomes embroiled in the (after)life of Shai, young and dead before her time. Through Xhea's colorblind eyes, we explore this world, discover the pasts of both girls, and delve deeper into a plot that may doom Shai to nothingness. It's a tale of great friendship between two girls as well, and I'm always a fan of such relationships. Radiant is rich and savory in its prose, I've become a huge fan of Sumner-Smith, and I can't wait until the next book.
adventurous
dark
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
What drove me away were the data dumps. It felt like minute details were unnecessarily included and that important details were explored all at once. They weren't presented in a way which felt natural from the protagonist's perspective and kept stalling out the narrative. I personally didn't find the protagonist compelling either.
Bright sides: the prose fits YA fantasy and reads easy. The general premise is also interesting. Ended up not finishing.
Bright sides: the prose fits YA fantasy and reads easy. The general premise is also interesting. Ended up not finishing.