Take a photo of a barcode or cover
adventurous
dark
emotional
sad
tense
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
The Good:
- I eventually came to really like all of the characters. Their voices were really distinct, and I really liked the dynamic between the siblings.
- The city of Janloon feels rich and lived in. I found the sociopolitical situation interesting and the magic system was unique.
- I enjoyed how deeply flawed each of the characters were, if you're interested in imperfect characters making desperate choices, you're eating good.
- I thought the sex scenes were well written and provided interesting insights into the characters and their relationships.
- The story is delightfully tense. It kept me on the edge of my seat feeling like everything could come crashing down for the characters at any point in time.
- The fights were slick and well choreographed. While the magic system is sometimes a little lightly explained, I never found myself confused about what was happening in an action scene.
The Bad:
- It starts off slow and it took me a while to warm up to the characters. I was very ambivalent about the first 100 or so pages.
- It doesn't feel like a complete story arc to me, I'm invested enough so that I'll probably pick up the other books in the series, but it's definitely not a stand alone book.
- I think the multiple view point characters weaken the overall flow. I really liked Anden as a character, but his sections definitely felt disconnected with the main plot.
YMMV
- It's not a happy story. If you're not interested in angst and morally dubious characters it might not be for you.
- The pacing feels almost like it would be better suited for an episodic TV show than a novel.
- The story explores gender roles in a patriarchal society.
- I eventually came to really like all of the characters. Their voices were really distinct, and I really liked the dynamic between the siblings.
- The city of Janloon feels rich and lived in. I found the sociopolitical situation interesting and the magic system was unique.
- I enjoyed how deeply flawed each of the characters were, if you're interested in imperfect characters making desperate choices, you're eating good.
- I thought the sex scenes were well written and provided interesting insights into the characters and their relationships.
- The story is delightfully tense. It kept me on the edge of my seat feeling like everything could come crashing down for the characters at any point in time.
- The fights were slick and well choreographed. While the magic system is sometimes a little lightly explained, I never found myself confused about what was happening in an action scene.
The Bad:
- It starts off slow and it took me a while to warm up to the characters. I was very ambivalent about the first 100 or so pages.
- It doesn't feel like a complete story arc to me, I'm invested enough so that I'll probably pick up the other books in the series, but it's definitely not a stand alone book.
- I think the multiple view point characters weaken the overall flow. I really liked Anden as a character, but his sections definitely felt disconnected with the main plot.
YMMV
- It's not a happy story. If you're not interested in angst and morally dubious characters it might not be for you.
- The pacing feels almost like it would be better suited for an episodic TV show than a novel.
- The story explores gender roles in a patriarchal society.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Addiction, Sexism, Toxic relationship, Violence, Xenophobia
Moderate: Sexual content
Minor: Sexual assault