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A review by nemerith
Empire of Ash by L.R.W. Lee
3.0
Empire of Ash is the first book I read by the author and while the plot sounded great, I, unfortunately, didn't like the book :(
Worldbuilding was good, scenes and environments were clear and detailed. As a fan of archaeology (and mythology), it was fun to read about the sites they explored, not to mention the mythological beings/people they encountered.
Character development was decent. We walked alongside Pell (short for Pellucid), an archaeologist, as she tries to undo the mess she caused by reading an ancient scroll she just found. Pell is, in my opinion, a pretty particular person with a lot of inner dialogue (like... a lot a lot). That, I could get on board with, but what bothered me the most was that she doesn't feel or act her age but more like a teenager. Add that to the insistent chatter of her inner dialogue and ... yeah, I really didn't connect with her.
Harpoc, our mystery man in a leather jacket, was well fleshed out and out of the two, strangely enough, felt more real and believable. While he was (and yes, still remains) a mystery, he does open up more and more to Pell.
Pacing and flow were good. A nice balance between conversation and action to keep the story moving forward.
There were no (noticeable) errors and there was no sex described in this book (if that is important to you).
I voluntarily read an advanced reader copy of this book and all in all I can say that unfortunately, this wasn't my cup of tea. It just felt unpolished and slightly too teens/ya for me. However, if the plot sounds good be sure to give the sample a try, it might be something for you!
Worldbuilding was good, scenes and environments were clear and detailed. As a fan of archaeology (and mythology), it was fun to read about the sites they explored, not to mention the mythological beings/people they encountered.
Character development was decent. We walked alongside Pell (short for Pellucid), an archaeologist, as she tries to undo the mess she caused by reading an ancient scroll she just found. Pell is, in my opinion, a pretty particular person with a lot of inner dialogue (like... a lot a lot). That, I could get on board with, but what bothered me the most was that she doesn't feel or act her age but more like a teenager. Add that to the insistent chatter of her inner dialogue and ... yeah, I really didn't connect with her.
Harpoc, our mystery man in a leather jacket, was well fleshed out and out of the two, strangely enough, felt more real and believable. While he was (and yes, still remains) a mystery, he does open up more and more to Pell.
Pacing and flow were good. A nice balance between conversation and action to keep the story moving forward.
There were no (noticeable) errors and there was no sex described in this book (if that is important to you).
I voluntarily read an advanced reader copy of this book and all in all I can say that unfortunately, this wasn't my cup of tea. It just felt unpolished and slightly too teens/ya for me. However, if the plot sounds good be sure to give the sample a try, it might be something for you!