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A review by athravan
The Wrack by John Bierce
3.0
This is an interesting fantasy take on a pandemic. I loved the concept of the world, especially the magic system, with the focusing crystals, the hierarchy and the communication system, and there seemed to be loads of potential for political intrigue.
Unfortunately the story itself seemed a bit haphazard, jumping from place to place and not quite connecting. The plot seemed to take second place to world building exposition, whilst characters settled way in third. I really loved getting to know several of the characters - but as there's not really a main character and we move quickly onto new people, I never really got to follow the people who seemed interesting. At first I was excited to meet and connect with characters and to follow their story, then disappointed when we never returned to them. Their stories felt unfinished, their promise never met.
I would definitely like to read more set in this world, especially with this magic system. There is an absolute ton of potential here and I hope we return to this world in the future, following just a few characters this time!
Unfortunately the story itself seemed a bit haphazard, jumping from place to place and not quite connecting. The plot seemed to take second place to world building exposition, whilst characters settled way in third. I really loved getting to know several of the characters - but as there's not really a main character and we move quickly onto new people, I never really got to follow the people who seemed interesting. At first I was excited to meet and connect with characters and to follow their story, then disappointed when we never returned to them. Their stories felt unfinished, their promise never met.
I would definitely like to read more set in this world, especially with this magic system. There is an absolute ton of potential here and I hope we return to this world in the future, following just a few characters this time!