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o_ambrogio's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
hopeful
tense
medium-paced
4.0
betharanova's review
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
slow-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
5.0
I'm so glad I gave in and found a copy of this, despite how little I need to own more books.
Melusine follows two protagonists: the mage Felix and the thief Mildmay. They are from very different worlds, despite living in the same titular city. Felix is part of the Mirador, the conglomerate of mages who protect and rule Melusine. He's learned to act and talk like nobility and has ingratiated himself in court, despite (or because of?) his hidden fears and his natural penchant for drama. Mildmay, meanwhile, is a surprisingly well-adjusted burglar for hire. He works; he dates; he traverses the seedier parts of the city with professional ease. All that comes crashing down very quickly when Felix is viciously used to destroy the very core of the Mirador. Felix breaks. The city spirals into a panic. And Mildmay is drawn into a scheme to find the mad wizard who attacked Melusine.
I've read a few of this author's books before, which helped prepare me for the pace. There's mystery to be explored, not only in untangling the plot, but in discovering the characters and the world. And that's what the narrative does: it explores. It ambles, sometimes, enjoying the stroll through the scenes. And I enjoyed it too! I enjoyed being there, picking up worldbuilding tidbits the way you idly pick flowers. There was always something new and strange, but it never felt like it didn't fit. I loved being there with the characters.
Fan favorite Mildmay was also my favorite. In many ways, he's a good man; in the ways he's not, he isn't shy about it. He's practical, smart, and compelling. Felix was intriguing and sympathetic. And he's an asshole, which was a delight. My complaint there is that when I say he broke, I mean he broke, and early on at that. You hardly get a chance to be familiar with sane Felix. In his more lucid moments, when he talks about his personality before his madness, you really have to take him at his word. Both of them have interesting voices, strong opinions, and some absolutely wild things going on. It's so rewarding when those viewpoints start clashing and bouncing off one another. By the end, I was screaming with emotion.
This book is also, as they say, Le Problematique. It's so weird. I love it. If you can think of something off-putting, it's in here. And it IS off-putting. But it inspires one to whisper tenderly, "Bruv, what the hell is wrong with you," and keep reading.
Melusine follows two protagonists: the mage Felix and the thief Mildmay. They are from very different worlds, despite living in the same titular city. Felix is part of the Mirador, the conglomerate of mages who protect and rule Melusine. He's learned to act and talk like nobility and has ingratiated himself in court, despite (or because of?) his hidden fears and his natural penchant for drama. Mildmay, meanwhile, is a surprisingly well-adjusted burglar for hire. He works; he dates; he traverses the seedier parts of the city with professional ease. All that comes crashing down very quickly when Felix is viciously used to destroy the very core of the Mirador. Felix breaks. The city spirals into a panic. And Mildmay is drawn into a scheme to find the mad wizard who attacked Melusine.
I've read a few of this author's books before, which helped prepare me for the pace. There's mystery to be explored, not only in untangling the plot, but in discovering the characters and the world. And that's what the narrative does: it explores. It ambles, sometimes, enjoying the stroll through the scenes. And I enjoyed it too! I enjoyed being there, picking up worldbuilding tidbits the way you idly pick flowers. There was always something new and strange, but it never felt like it didn't fit. I loved being there with the characters.
Fan favorite Mildmay was also my favorite. In many ways, he's a good man; in the ways he's not, he isn't shy about it. He's practical, smart, and compelling. Felix was intriguing and sympathetic. And he's an asshole, which was a delight. My complaint there is that when I say he broke, I mean he broke, and early on at that. You hardly get a chance to be familiar with sane Felix. In his more lucid moments, when he talks about his personality before his madness, you really have to take him at his word. Both of them have interesting voices, strong opinions, and some absolutely wild things going on. It's so rewarding when those viewpoints start clashing and bouncing off one another. By the end, I was screaming with emotion.
This book is also, as they say, Le Problematique. It's so weird. I love it. If you can think of something off-putting, it's in here. And it IS off-putting. But it inspires one to whisper tenderly, "Bruv, what the hell is wrong with you," and keep reading.
jlandie's review against another edition
I picked this up because I loved the Goblin Emperor so much but this one put me through the wringer, maybe not in a good way. This was extremely hardcore hurt/little comfort which not something I gravitate to normally. There are parts of it I enjoyed but overall, it was a little too bleak for me.
What I enjoyed: the loyalty between Mildmay and Felix - the idea that no matter how bad you're doing, someone will stick beside you and see you through it. But also how hard it is to be the caretaker for someone who is as ill as Felix gets to and how that takes a toll.
What I enjoyed: the loyalty between Mildmay and Felix - the idea that no matter how bad you're doing, someone will stick beside you and see you through it. But also how hard it is to be the caretaker for someone who is as ill as Felix gets to and how that takes a toll.
aliceboule's review
2.0
I was very excited when I started reading Melusine . Reviews were generally quite good and the summary was interesting.
When I read the prologue, I was a little surprised by the relative.. childishness of the writing. Writers do this sometimes, have the narrator speak as though talking out loud. And this is fine, except that the reader is reading and it comes off as uneducated. I prefer a narrator that formulates complex sentences and, in most cases, doesn't address the reader. But I still had hope.
But then, the story jumps immediately into the middle of everything. The summary sold me a "dashing,highly respected" wizard, one who's past is hidden, except that everyone figures it out on the first page.. And Mildmay is an assassin and thief. And yes I understand he isn't supposed to be super educated, but that doesn't mean that his mind isn't. I've have read other books where thieves narrate, and their language doesn't bother me.
I tried to give this a try. I did read 267 pages. Felix's maddness was interesting, but we don't understand it BECAUSE WE DON'T GET TO KNOW FELIX AT ALL. and Mildmay is annoying.
I am not going to finish this book. The plot looks fascinating and I love the brutality lurking in the corners, but I simply cannot get past the childish first perspective. I just can't.
When I read the prologue, I was a little surprised by the relative.. childishness of the writing. Writers do this sometimes, have the narrator speak as though talking out loud. And this is fine, except that the reader is reading and it comes off as uneducated. I prefer a narrator that formulates complex sentences and, in most cases, doesn't address the reader. But I still had hope.
But then, the story jumps immediately into the middle of everything. The summary sold me a "dashing,highly respected" wizard, one who's past is hidden, except that everyone figures it out on the first page.. And Mildmay is an assassin and thief. And yes I understand he isn't supposed to be super educated, but that doesn't mean that his mind isn't. I've have read other books where thieves narrate, and their language doesn't bother me.
I tried to give this a try. I did read 267 pages. Felix's maddness was interesting, but we don't understand it BECAUSE WE DON'T GET TO KNOW FELIX AT ALL. and Mildmay is annoying.
I am not going to finish this book. The plot looks fascinating and I love the brutality lurking in the corners, but I simply cannot get past the childish first perspective. I just can't.
pencilled_robin's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual assault, Blood, Drug use, Gaslighting, Forced institutionalization, Sexual violence, Rape, and Toxic relationship
Moderate: Death of parent, Bullying, and Physical abuse
Minor: Abandonment
lunarchfey's review
4.0
4/5 Stars
This book is a hot mess, much like its main protagonist, and I love it. Hear me out: my opinion is certainly colored by the fact that as a whole the series comes together quite nicely, but of the four books, Mélusine is the weakest and weirdest and most difficult to read. I recall it being at the very least alarming to get through (at first, reading it, like, holy zero to bad decisions everywhere) and it took a while to find my footing amidst the complex worldbuilding and the heavy narrative styles. However!
If you're here for an extremely vivid setting, very unique character voices, a bizarrely complex gay wizard protagonist, and a thief with a gutter mouth and the most thoughtfully sweet personality... then stick it out. These books and these characters are vivid and memorable, and even while other books have passed out of mind aside from faint fond recollections, this one stays sharp.
Warnings:
This book is a hot mess, much like its main protagonist, and I love it. Hear me out: my opinion is certainly colored by the fact that as a whole the series comes together quite nicely, but of the four books, Mélusine is the weakest and weirdest and most difficult to read. I recall it being at the very least alarming to get through (at first, reading it, like, holy zero to bad decisions everywhere) and it took a while to find my footing amidst the complex worldbuilding and the heavy narrative styles. However!
If you're here for an extremely vivid setting, very unique character voices, a bizarrely complex gay wizard protagonist, and a thief with a gutter mouth and the most thoughtfully sweet personality... then stick it out. These books and these characters are vivid and memorable, and even while other books have passed out of mind aside from faint fond recollections, this one stays sharp.
Warnings:
Spoiler
For a great deal of explicit rape. It really hits you in the face with it early in the book, which is probably the most uncomfortable you'll be until late in the 4th book -- and some of the abject misery of the first book does lighten up on the whole as well. I'm not one for torture porn. It gets better.cathybruce208's review
3.0
This is a swords and sorcery book. It has an interesting "class-divide" point of view. Mildmay is a thief in the bad part of town and Felix is wizard in the seat of power called the Mirador. It doesn't take a genius to see that their paths are going to collide, but the story takes some interesting turns. Mildmay's voice was more interesting to me. This is part of a trilogy of books.
sandygx260's review
5.0
This book is brilliant. The series started out with the cliche bang but sadly never matched the boom in the following books.
kivt's review
2.0
A lot of unpleasantness but it doesn't read as pornographic. Just a rough story about some not very nice people.