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A review by the_scribe_owl
Ruinsong by Julia Ember
3.0
Come see this review and more at my blog, The Scribe Owl
Thank you to Expresso Book Tours for supplying me with a review copy in exchange for a blog tour stop and honest review!
3/5 stars!
I enjoyed this a lot more than I thought I would! I honestly didn't have very high expectations, but this was a very entertaining read that I loved for the worldbuilding and unique magic system. I didn't really care for a couple of other elements, but I'll get to that later.
We follow Cadence, the Principal singer of a cruel queen and Remi, a viscount's daughter and member of the nobility. Cadence and other mage singers have magic in their songs that the queen exploits for her own gain. She forces Cadence to sing to torture the nobility, whom the queen hates from a slight in her past. Remi and Cadence were childhood friends, but when Remi sees what Cadence has become, she feels like she no longer knows her.
The absolute best part of this book was the magic system. I have not read a single review where the reader did not like the magic system. I love when a book has magic in music, and Ruinsong didn't disappoint! Don't think me macabre, but the scene at the beginning of the book with Cadence torturing the nobles with her song? That kind of crazy display of power is awesome. But then we didn't really get any cool crazy dark magic. The magic system is awesome, but I would have liked to see more of it.
The world was pretty basic. It was enjoyable enough, but it was bland. Just a run of the mill high fantasy world. What I did like was that the queen and the nobles were at odds. Normally the royals have the nobility in their pocket for whenever needed, but the queen literally tortured them here.
I thought Cadence was a great character. She was a bit of a morally grey character, with a good heart but a bit of a weak outlook on life. She had a character arc. Remi on the other hand... annoying, and no character arc whatsoever. Not a fan. And for the romance? There was instalove. I guess we missed them meeting and getting to know each other because they were childhood best friends, but I feel like I missed out.
The writing was fine. I normally prefer fantasy to be written in third person for more of that magical feel, but that's not really a big thing. Again, another thing that was just fine but not great. She didn't segue between different plot points very well either, but it was fine.
What I didn't like was how Julia Ember felt like she had to introduce every tiny side character, some of which didn't even get the chance to talk or do anything, by their race. And they were only white or black, nothing else. It was...weird. I don't quite know what to make of it, but I'm not a fan.
Ruinsong is marketed as a Phantom of the Opera retelling, but I didn't get that vibe at all. There were music and masks. I just don't really feel like that makes it a Phantom retelling. More of a half-abandoned attempt and a marketing ploy.
All in all, though I didn't exactly regret my read, I wouldn't recommend it. It had so much potential, but it fell flat. If you do end up reading it, I hope you have a better time than I did!
Thank you to Expresso Book Tours for supplying me with a review copy in exchange for a blog tour stop and honest review!
3/5 stars!
I enjoyed this a lot more than I thought I would! I honestly didn't have very high expectations, but this was a very entertaining read that I loved for the worldbuilding and unique magic system. I didn't really care for a couple of other elements, but I'll get to that later.
We follow Cadence, the Principal singer of a cruel queen and Remi, a viscount's daughter and member of the nobility. Cadence and other mage singers have magic in their songs that the queen exploits for her own gain. She forces Cadence to sing to torture the nobility, whom the queen hates from a slight in her past. Remi and Cadence were childhood friends, but when Remi sees what Cadence has become, she feels like she no longer knows her.
The absolute best part of this book was the magic system. I have not read a single review where the reader did not like the magic system. I love when a book has magic in music, and Ruinsong didn't disappoint! Don't think me macabre, but the scene at the beginning of the book with Cadence torturing the nobles with her song? That kind of crazy display of power is awesome. But then we didn't really get any cool crazy dark magic. The magic system is awesome, but I would have liked to see more of it.
The world was pretty basic. It was enjoyable enough, but it was bland. Just a run of the mill high fantasy world. What I did like was that the queen and the nobles were at odds. Normally the royals have the nobility in their pocket for whenever needed, but the queen literally tortured them here.
I thought Cadence was a great character. She was a bit of a morally grey character, with a good heart but a bit of a weak outlook on life. She had a character arc. Remi on the other hand... annoying, and no character arc whatsoever. Not a fan. And for the romance? There was instalove. I guess we missed them meeting and getting to know each other because they were childhood best friends, but I feel like I missed out.
The writing was fine. I normally prefer fantasy to be written in third person for more of that magical feel, but that's not really a big thing. Again, another thing that was just fine but not great. She didn't segue between different plot points very well either, but it was fine.
What I didn't like was how Julia Ember felt like she had to introduce every tiny side character, some of which didn't even get the chance to talk or do anything, by their race. And they were only white or black, nothing else. It was...weird. I don't quite know what to make of it, but I'm not a fan.
Ruinsong is marketed as a Phantom of the Opera retelling, but I didn't get that vibe at all. There were music and masks. I just don't really feel like that makes it a Phantom retelling. More of a half-abandoned attempt and a marketing ploy.
All in all, though I didn't exactly regret my read, I wouldn't recommend it. It had so much potential, but it fell flat. If you do end up reading it, I hope you have a better time than I did!