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thecaptainsquarters 's review for:

The Two Lies of Faven Sythe by Megan E. O'Keefe
DID NOT FINISH: 24%

Ahoy there mateys!  I had never read anything by this author but I heard good things.  I picked this book up because it features ghostships, pirates (Arrr!), starpaths, and is a standalone to boot.  Sadly I was very unenthusiastic about this book and abandoned it at 24%.

The majority of my problems came down to world building.  The science was (I think) supposed to be based on genetic engineering but it felt like magic.  I am not opposed to fantasy elements in my sci-fi but none of it particularly felt like it made sense.  I liked the idea of navigators slowly turning into crystal as they chart paths across space.  I found the idea of their deaths to be horrifying.  But, in general, I didn't understand the culture of these cryst-born or feel much suspense for the death of their people.  Their abilities felt very nebulous and hard to understand.  I think the navigation was supposed to be too complex for others to understand but instead it felt poorly thought out.  Also the politics and interpersonal relationships were lightly drawn.

I feel like this book was missing tension and a cohesive plot.  It felt like the novel could have used better editing and structure,  I was bored and/or confused.  I hope this is not indicative of the rest of the author's work.  I am willing  to give her another shot.  Arrrr!

I received a copy from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.