A review by chrisb913
The Grace of Kings by Ken Liu

adventurous dark tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

For a debut novel, this was incredible. It took me on a journey through all of Dara and Ken Liu has established and the detail he put into the HUGE cast of characters was amazing. Even if the side characters were there for only a couple chapters, he was able to incorporate such life into them. Also his "villain" work is on point. The way Ken made me dispise certain characters through their inner monologuing, actions, and words. I literally could not stop reading this book.

There were two major cons for me though. One was the rampant misogyny throughout. The "villains" were open about it but even the heroes had it shine through from time to time either in actions or inner monologuing. Also, around the 55%-75% mark the story feels like it comes to a screeching halt to slog through some muck. It does pick up and ends on a high note.
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