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A review by connorjdaley
A Sea of Cinders by Adam R. Bishop
adventurous
challenging
dark
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-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
4.5
This is book one of The Voice of No Quarter, and a book that was on my radar for a while. The author very kindly sent me a copy for my reading enjoyment, and therefore I bumped it up the TBR stack!
The author sets up a world where humans and elves haven’t really ever been able to get along. The humans would much rather eradicate them instead. The elves, who are the more peaceful of the two, are still brutal warriors. I’ve kind of really been waiting for a story with elves that are kind of scary powerful, and I feel like this novel did teeter on that line (there are several TRIPLE headshots in this book).
The world the author created is nicely fleshed out. Cellagor is interesting and filled with places that were described in very easily pictured ways. I will admit I’d really like a map for book two though, not because I felt lost while reading, but because I’m actually interested in the world and land he created.
The characters are especially good in my opinion. They read as real and well thought out. Their conversations feel like people talking to me, and that’s not always how a book reads. The elves have some really awesome (very Tolkien-esque) names and are frankly all badass.
I will say that although I did enjoy William and Baldric giving the reader that authentic old school fantasy feel of a traveling journey, their chapters at times seemed to trouble the pacing for me. As a small criticism I would say that I think they should have ended toward the middle, with the other bits following as the climax. It kind of read as two full climaxes in a row the way.
The author sets up a world where humans and elves haven’t really ever been able to get along. The humans would much rather eradicate them instead. The elves, who are the more peaceful of the two, are still brutal warriors. I’ve kind of really been waiting for a story with elves that are kind of scary powerful, and I feel like this novel did teeter on that line (there are several TRIPLE headshots in this book).
The world the author created is nicely fleshed out. Cellagor is interesting and filled with places that were described in very easily pictured ways. I will admit I’d really like a map for book two though, not because I felt lost while reading, but because I’m actually interested in the world and land he created.
The characters are especially good in my opinion. They read as real and well thought out. Their conversations feel like people talking to me, and that’s not always how a book reads. The elves have some really awesome (very Tolkien-esque) names and are frankly all badass.
I will say that although I did enjoy William and Baldric giving the reader that authentic old school fantasy feel of a traveling journey, their chapters at times seemed to trouble the pacing for me. As a small criticism I would say that I think they should have ended toward the middle, with the other bits following as the climax. It kind of read as two full climaxes in a row the way.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood, Violence, Death, War, and Fire/Fire injury