seafamboonie 's review for:

Senlin Ascends by Josiah Bancroft
5.0

This book was recommended to me, and I knew nothing about it at the time, just that someone else enjoyed it and I should read it.

For about the first hundred pages I took in the world (I enjoyed it), the details (thorough but not overly laborious), the characters (an interesting sort!), and thought ... it was fine. This is fine.

I thought I knew where the book was going, the intended style or result of the plot, and I said to myself "yea this is cool but not great. I'll finish this then move onto something else."

I was very, very (pleasantly) wrong.

To avoid specifics but paint the cognitive roller coaster my brain went through, the plot developed into something more enjoyable for me than what I was originally expecting and the subterfuge (likely not intended by the author and just me playing myself) played to my advantage at the book concluded.

Became a page turner as it went on and a fun novel all around.