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A review by lucybbookstuff
Malice by John Gwynne
adventurous
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
Really enjoyed this by the end and I'm stoked to continue the series!!!
Very clunky setup in the beginning. So many POVs with very similar voices, lots of info dumping, and it dropped me into a conflict that I had no reason to care about. It was pretty frustrating for a while, and I was worried that I'd never be made to care.
However, by about 30%, it hooked me. It may have specifically beenthe animal companion that did it lol, but also by that point, the characters were starting to distinguish themselves, the world felt more established, and the stakes felt more real. And it only got better from there.
I didn't get quite as emotionally invested as I could have been (though there's plenty of potential for that as the series progresses, but I did grow to have pretty strong feelings, positive or negative, towards most of the characters. I especiallylove my baby Corban, and am extremely frustrated with Veradis. Mainly, I was just gripped by the action and the way the plot and all those POVs ended up coming together.
Despite the clunky beginning, it's still an impressive debut, and John Gwynne clearly has storytelling talent. I did appreciate the simple prose and short chapters. That made it easy to pick back up even when I was struggling.
I won't be getting to Valor right away, but I am very excited for it. I keep finding myself thinking about elements of this book and getting butterflies imagining where it could go. 👀
Very clunky setup in the beginning. So many POVs with very similar voices, lots of info dumping, and it dropped me into a conflict that I had no reason to care about. It was pretty frustrating for a while, and I was worried that I'd never be made to care.
However, by about 30%, it hooked me. It may have specifically been
I didn't get quite as emotionally invested as I could have been (though there's plenty of potential for that as the series progresses, but I did grow to have pretty strong feelings, positive or negative, towards most of the characters. I especially
Despite the clunky beginning, it's still an impressive debut, and John Gwynne clearly has storytelling talent. I did appreciate the simple prose and short chapters. That made it easy to pick back up even when I was struggling.
I won't be getting to Valor right away, but I am very excited for it. I keep finding myself thinking about elements of this book and getting butterflies imagining where it could go. 👀