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3.38 AVERAGE
3.38 AVERAGE
I enjoyed it, the worldbuilding and characters are decent, but I still feel mildly queerbaited and that ending didn't really end anything tbh. It more just kind of stopped.
This book was the worst one I've read in a long time. The story opens with a giant info dump, it's basically like getting a history lesson of the town/theater culture from a professor who assumes you already know all the info so he doesn't need to be clear about it. From there, the story moves at a snail's pace without anything very interesting or unexpected happening. I can't believe this is the same author who wrote some of my favorite books because this one was painful to read, incredibly slow and the writing was choppy and felt forced. So disappointed.
i found this hard to follow but perhaps it was because I was normally reading it when the Flyers were on which can be distracting.
5 star - Perfect
4 star - i would recommend
3 star - good
2 star - struggled to complete
1 star - could not finish
4 star - i would recommend
3 star - good
2 star - struggled to complete
1 star - could not finish
Fantastic book, really makes you want to read more.
I have some mixed emotions about this book. I liked the theater aspect and the traveling players. I enjoyed the magic and mystery. The use off fairly tale creatures is what brought me to the book. What I didnt like was it seemed to take so long to get into. There was a pov switch which helped tremendously. The main characters pov was slow and uneventful. I think I would have also liked to see more of the shows and magic in them to draw the audience to the theater. I also think since it was a troupe of four people our would have been nice to see their povs as well. I am glad I read it but it didn't do much more for me then that.
Cayden has enough wizarding power to do anything he wants in life, but his only love is the theater. After his troupe finally finds the perfect fourth member of their group--the rambunctious Meika, who is as sweet as he is wild--they're finally ready to take on the world. Despite rivalries, intra-group conflicts, and drug problems, they rapidly gain renown as innovators and artists. But Cayden has one more gift that he keeps secret: he dreams possible futures. Some he is able to avert, others he makes come true, but he's never sure what choice will lead to which future. And after dreaming night after night of Meika caught in a magically abusive relationship, Cayden is torn about interfering, which may just make things worse.
I quite liked this alternate world, which is a bit like Renaissance Europe. Women aren't allowed to hold memberships in some guilds, or attend the theater, which provides some of the tension in the first half of the book. But unlike our world, everyone in this country has some mix of magical blood and magic is used in the day to day. Wizarding magic was used just a few generations ago in a cataclysmic war, and the repercussions of that can be seen throughout society, from the restrictions on Cayden's magic to the innkeeper who won't serve elf-blooded Meika.
The story lacks a real plot; minor struggles come and go, but there's no big triumph or climax. This book seems to be setting up future plots: the bloodthirsty princess, the power-hungry Archduke, greater freedom for women, and the seductress enslaving Meika. I wish Rawn had spent less time summarizing everyone's genealogical backgrounds and the various villages the troupe performs in, and had used at least one of these plots in this book. And two, I wish Cayden's decision to not warn Meika about a bronze-haired enchantress had been more understandable. He's afraid that interfering in Meika's blooming romance will ruin his friendship with Meika, but if he'd told Meika to be wary before he met the girl he wouldn't have had to worry. And even after Meika started getting caught up in the girl's web, surely the horror of Meika's future with her would be enough cause for Cayden to warn him? I just don't get why Cayden refuses to warn Meika for two hundred pages, and will surely continue to not help Meika for most of the next book, as well. I have no patience for plots created because characters refuse to talk to each other.
Nevertheless, I intend to read the next book, not least because I hope Cayden and Meika get together.
I quite liked this alternate world, which is a bit like Renaissance Europe. Women aren't allowed to hold memberships in some guilds, or attend the theater, which provides some of the tension in the first half of the book. But unlike our world, everyone in this country has some mix of magical blood and magic is used in the day to day. Wizarding magic was used just a few generations ago in a cataclysmic war, and the repercussions of that can be seen throughout society, from the restrictions on Cayden's magic to the innkeeper who won't serve elf-blooded Meika.
The story lacks a real plot; minor struggles come and go, but there's no big triumph or climax. This book seems to be setting up future plots: the bloodthirsty princess, the power-hungry Archduke, greater freedom for women, and the seductress enslaving Meika. I wish Rawn had spent less time summarizing everyone's genealogical backgrounds and the various villages the troupe performs in, and had used at least one of these plots in this book. And two, I wish Cayden's decision to
Nevertheless, I intend to read the next book, not least because I hope Cayden and Meika get together.
I'm agreeing with all the other 2 star & lower reviews. Clunky writing & not much in the plot. It also comes off as racist with Mieka's uncle and the ear mutilation. Rawn also seems to be trying to ape Trudi Canavan with the homosocial implications between Cade & Mieka and Cade & Kearney. It might have been interesting and believable of the characters had been younger and if the idea was pursued and developed. I didn't find the vocab too perplexing, but Rawn should explore the logistics of how magic works in this world. The book ends up being a fantasy version of Gossip Girl; with fewer plot twists. Maybe she's saving the good stuff for the rest of the series.
it wasn't bad, it dumped you into a world with very little explination. I didn't really care about the characters, either. For the record, for me, 3 starts is "meh, not horrible, but probably won't read anything else in this series/by this author"