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the_bookishbug 's review for:
The Age Of Scorpius
by Audra Winter
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
There was a lot about this novel that did not work, both technically and in the actual concept.
There are a notable number of errors in the text and formatting, the prose is extremely repetitive, especially in the first quarter of the book, and certain turns of phrase are used incorrectly. The dialogue is stilted and awkward, making it a slog to read.
The world feels very built out in some ways - clearly a lot of thought went into some parts of it, but at the same time, there are glaring holes in the world that just aren't filled in. I don't feel like there's a bigger world at play beyond what our characters are participating in. The magic system has been so built out that it's actually very unwieldy and needlessly complex, and not in a way that's interesting or engaging.
The characters were all flat, with either no flaws or all the flaws. Seriously, what was up with the way Avia was often written and described? It felt like even the author didn't want her around, not just Reika.
The dreamscape flashbacks didn't do a good job of making me care about Narah at all - she was just there with absolutely no context for their relationship or the rebellion they started ever given. It made it hard to feel invested.
Overall, I wouldn't recommend this book unless you're just really, really into zodiac-based magic systems. Even then, I suspect there are better out there.
Also."Kira" is not the letters of "Reika" rearranged. That part made no sense and I actually found it pretty annoying given "Keira" is a perfectly serviceable name.
There are a notable number of errors in the text and formatting, the prose is extremely repetitive, especially in the first quarter of the book, and certain turns of phrase are used incorrectly. The dialogue is stilted and awkward, making it a slog to read.
The world feels very built out in some ways - clearly a lot of thought went into some parts of it, but at the same time, there are glaring holes in the world that just aren't filled in. I don't feel like there's a bigger world at play beyond what our characters are participating in. The magic system has been so built out that it's actually very unwieldy and needlessly complex, and not in a way that's interesting or engaging.
The characters were all flat, with either no flaws or all the flaws. Seriously, what was up with the way Avia was often written and described? It felt like even the author didn't want her around, not just Reika.
The dreamscape flashbacks didn't do a good job of making me care about Narah at all - she was just there with absolutely no context for their relationship or the rebellion they started ever given. It made it hard to feel invested.
Overall, I wouldn't recommend this book unless you're just really, really into zodiac-based magic systems. Even then, I suspect there are better out there.
Also.