A review by readskiesatdawn
A Marvellous Light by Freya Marske

adventurous mysterious tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

A very tight story with a surprising amount of character development for the first in a trilogy (I'm used to characters being fairly static until book two). There's very few details mentioned that aren't used later in the book. Any lose threads left hanging are clearly meant to keep the overall plot going in the sequel.

The magic system is a good balance of hard and soft, with clearly defined rules that still allows for creativity. Information about it is balanced well through the book with us learning bits and pieces along with the non magical character. There's very little info umping.

Both leads are likable in different ways and are also relatable in different ways. It's clear which narrative voice you're reading as the point of view switches back and forth and this switching is used well for dramatic irony. The failures to communicate that happen have clear and logical character motivations behind them and as a result are frustrating for the intended narrative reasons.

Four stars due to some minor pacing issues and a few one or two things I don't feel were foreshadowed well.
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