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A review by edrickashay
Dark of the West by Joanna Hathaway
5.0
Dark of the West appeared to me on Thrift Book’s secret shelf. Going off nothing but the plot summary, I impulsively purchased it. The reviews on the back of the book are completely spot on. But if you want a more in-depth review, here it is:
The plot slowly builds, weaving alliances and loyalties. The characters are all driven by their own morals, ethics, and personalities, each very distinct. Their pitfalls and nuances are subtle – not ever explicitly stated, which makes them feel more real and round. The romance is slow building, and though I wish I could see more detail, there is a decent balance between seeing sweet moments and time skips (though perhaps I want to know what first made Aurelia give Athan a chance, we only see that moment from his perspective). The plot was a little slow at first, but not slow enough that it made me want to stop reading – I did not finish The Secret History, for example, because it was too slow – with a build to an intense climax and ending that kept me wide eyed and wondering what would happen next.
At times, as with any fantasy novel, the differences in alliances and fantasy kingdom names got a little confusing. Though, I was grateful the world building was rooted in a technological era that is familiar – they have electricity and planes, but no one ever uses a TV. Good mix to me.
There were such good moments of sweet writing – language that makes you just think damn that was a good sentence. I rarely highlight or tab my fiction books, but this one got quite a few.
I have very few, if not no complaints about this book. A well-written, very good story that flows and takes you out of time. I don’t think I could ask for much more.
The plot slowly builds, weaving alliances and loyalties. The characters are all driven by their own morals, ethics, and personalities, each very distinct. Their pitfalls and nuances are subtle – not ever explicitly stated, which makes them feel more real and round. The romance is slow building, and though I wish I could see more detail, there is a decent balance between seeing sweet moments and time skips (though perhaps I want to know what first made Aurelia give Athan a chance, we only see that moment from his perspective). The plot was a little slow at first, but not slow enough that it made me want to stop reading – I did not finish The Secret History, for example, because it was too slow – with a build to an intense climax and ending that kept me wide eyed and wondering what would happen next.
At times, as with any fantasy novel, the differences in alliances and fantasy kingdom names got a little confusing. Though, I was grateful the world building was rooted in a technological era that is familiar – they have electricity and planes, but no one ever uses a TV. Good mix to me.
There were such good moments of sweet writing – language that makes you just think damn that was a good sentence. I rarely highlight or tab my fiction books, but this one got quite a few.
I have very few, if not no complaints about this book. A well-written, very good story that flows and takes you out of time. I don’t think I could ask for much more.