Take a photo of a barcode or cover
thedreadpiratemonk 's review for:
Age of Ash
by Daniel Abraham
dark
emotional
sad
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
A middle of the road fiction book. Ultimately disappointing as an opening book. It took a long time to really get going - the main conflict didn't become clear until solidly halfway through. In all fairness, when it did finally start, the story became more interesting.
The characters are not particularly interesting. Mostly the characters are just kinda "there" and, while they do change over time, only Sammish seems to have an arc that makes sense, given her age and experiences. Their motivations, skills, and level of competency vary greatly, according to what the plot needs- which was also disappointing.
The world in which the story takes place is well built and established, with a spirit all its own. It is definitely the most interesting part of the whole story, and perhaps this is the whole point of the book- that people and stories come and go, but the city lives on. It's intriguing but not enough on its own to carry the story.
Plot is over-simplifed and drags on in spots, which really took away from the enjoyment of the whole thing.
For all its time spent building the characters and the world, though, none of it seems to really matter. The events of the story take place, and yet nothing much changes by the end. Some minor characters are eliminated, in one way or another, but no one that we really have any attachment to. So the point of the story going in a VERY slow circle is???
If this is the first of 3 books, I have to ask- how? The main story seems to have wrapped up and really didn't leave me wanting more.
Overall, I had high hopes for this book, but ended up disappointed. Given the writer's previous credits (The Expanse), I came for a complex world, with equally complex characters, and a web of interesting plots. Unfortunately, it's YA-level fiction, at most. Doubtful that I will even try the second book of the series.
The characters are not particularly interesting. Mostly the characters are just kinda "there" and, while they do change over time, only Sammish seems to have an arc that makes sense, given her age and experiences. Their motivations, skills, and level of competency vary greatly, according to what the plot needs- which was also disappointing.
The world in which the story takes place is well built and established, with a spirit all its own. It is definitely the most interesting part of the whole story, and perhaps this is the whole point of the book- that people and stories come and go, but the city lives on. It's intriguing but not enough on its own to carry the story.
Plot is over-simplifed and drags on in spots, which really took away from the enjoyment of the whole thing.
For all its time spent building the characters and the world, though, none of it seems to really matter. The events of the story take place, and yet nothing much changes by the end. Some minor characters are eliminated, in one way or another, but no one that we really have any attachment to. So the point of the story going in a VERY slow circle is???
If this is the first of 3 books, I have to ask- how? The main story seems to have wrapped up and really didn't leave me wanting more.
Overall, I had high hopes for this book, but ended up disappointed. Given the writer's previous credits (The Expanse), I came for a complex world, with equally complex characters, and a web of interesting plots. Unfortunately, it's YA-level fiction, at most. Doubtful that I will even try the second book of the series.