A review by anverie
The Barrow by Mark Smylie

2.0

Loses one star for gratuitous and nonconsensual sex. Obviously an RPG world - places and history described in loving, exacting detail, while characters are superficially intriguing but ultimately barely sketched and/or inconsistent. Absolutely no character growth, and not a lot of character agency. Plot is remarkably by-the-numbers dungeon crawl. Some interesting scenes showed promise, but no follow through. Reading was a slog but I kept up because there were sparks, and one and a half fascinating characters - or perhaps I should say that their potential is fascinating. Writing and editing pretty solid, just lacking depth. Sad.

[EDIT] after some thought, while everything I said still stands, I have to admit the final twist was ingenious, and it reflects back on prior events, showing some hints that are not quite effective foreshadowing, but are clever nonetheless. I'd give another half star, if I could.