A review by alyssamae
Foundryside by Robert Jackson Bennett

adventurous dark funny fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

hmmm… idk it was good. hard to get into but i kept reading and i was enjoying it but i feel like i still don’t really get it? scriving is very complicated and it’s explained but the book tosses so much information at you about the magic whilst also building on the plot of this incredible heist and it feels like there was no balance between the two. the merchant houses are big and powerful; why? what makes these houses so special? they work together to destroy other houses but why? women can’t scrive professionally.. why? maybe i just didn’t take everything in properly or perhaps it becomes more explained in the next books. however, it felt like the book was so long, yet i still feel confused on certain things. the place is supposedly lawless, yet there are ‘unspoken’ laws, and if you cross them you get punished.. so they do have laws then? they also have a judiciary system, though flawed, it still exists? not sure if i will pick up the other books. i enjoyed the characters a lot, but the magic system felt convoluted - there is definitely an idea there but it doesn’t feel fully fleshed out yet, and when it is explained, it just seems even more confusing..


also..

if gregor was scrived this whole time, how did clef not notice?