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mizuka's review
4.0
No one can convince me that RJ Barker's editor actually reads any of this books. I've been through The Wounded Kingdom trilogy, and I don't think I've ever seen so many typos, punctuation errors or mismatched tenses on the printed page (and that's ignoring the fragmented / run-on sentences, which I assume are stylistic). The pacing of the book definitely feels indulgent as well -- at some point, the characters spend multiple pages gathering sticks. From a forest.
It's a real testament to his writing that his books remain enjoyable. I liked the interludes between the chapters, revealing the pieces of Cahan's backstory one at a time. It's very skilfully done, evoking a dreamlike atmosphere and never long enough that it feels like it's interrupting the main story. I think these interludes contained the best writing in the book.
Apart from that, Gods of the Wyrdwood retains the same flaws as Barker's earlier work -- only the main character is really fleshed out, while the others are either caricatures or blend into one another. The reborn women in particular felt more like plot devices than actual people.
Some parts of it definitely feels repetitive, especially the that takes up the last third of the book -- I suppose there are only so many ways to write but it could have been spiced up a little with more instances of cowl magic. For how prominent they are in the Wyrdwood world, it felt like the Rai did very little during the actual battle, which was a little disappointing.
It's a real testament to his writing that his books remain enjoyable. I liked the interludes between the chapters, revealing the pieces of Cahan's backstory one at a time. It's very skilfully done, evoking a dreamlike atmosphere and never long enough that it feels like it's interrupting the main story. I think these interludes contained the best writing in the book.
Apart from that, Gods of the Wyrdwood retains the same flaws as Barker's earlier work -- only the main character is really fleshed out, while the others are either caricatures or blend into one another. The reborn women in particular felt more like plot devices than actual people.
Some parts of it definitely feels repetitive, especially the
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"woefully underprepared villagers attempt to hold underfortified village"f1rebomb_'s review against another edition
5.0
"No man or woman brings death, Cahan Du-Nahere, death is a contrary companion, it comes unwelcome and uninvited."
cosmicality's review
adventurous
dark
sad
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
4.25
narratricenessa's review against another edition
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
chawlios's review
adventurous
dark
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? Yes
4.0
mchao666's review against another edition
3.0
I was heavily confused for most of this book and could not for the life of me remember names or the magic system, but it's been a while since I stayed up until 3am reading.
chrissym's review
adventurous
emotional
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
5.0
daisygunner's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
hopeful
reflective
sad
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0