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A review by el393way
The Children of Gods and Fighting Men by Shauna Lawless
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
5.0
This book was on my radar for a while and the mood hit right to start. The mix of Irish history, legends, magic, and the strong female characters really made this book to be even more than I expected. I truly enjoyed this to where I don’t have any critiques. If there are any to be had, my enjoyment in the moment overshadows it all to where I didn’t even notice them.
My biggest praise for Shauna Lawless in this book is how amazingly well she wrote strong female characters. The way in which female characters are so often poorly written as flat and cliché is really highlighted by how well the two perspectives of these books are done. And not other is there a solid female character, there are TWO. Two distinct and complex women with different motivations and backgrounds and personalities. One of them is a character I do not care for for their role in the plot but I still ate their chapters up. The refreshing feeling of getting to soak up good female characters is indescribable.
To also piggy back off discussion of the perspectives for the chapters, first person point of view is done so well. Normally, I find first person to be a bit simple in mid to high fantasy because it allows for neither a real grasp on a wide scope of the events nor a natural world building. It was over halfway through the book before I even consciously noted it was in first person.
For the world building to be so seamlessly natural in a first person pov is impressive. So often first person world building relies on extreme levels of exposition and infodumping. If there was any, I did not notice. There were just enough parts left for you to fill in on your own that I never felt talked at. But also, I never felt too confused.
I did a mixture of audio and reading and was so pleased at how amazing the narrator brought the writing to life. The writing and the audio paired so well together.
I finished this book in about two days which is not usual for me. The pacing was so spot on for consistent progression instead of starts and stops with whiplash between action and drags. I can see how some people expecting more fantasy would not enjoy the heavier political aspect over action and magic. The fantasy elements are definitely present, but they are not the forerunners for most parts. Normally I am not a fan of fantasies that lean more into the politics but wow. Definitely a favorite of the year so far.
My biggest praise for Shauna Lawless in this book is how amazingly well she wrote strong female characters. The way in which female characters are so often poorly written as flat and cliché is really highlighted by how well the two perspectives of these books are done. And not other is there a solid female character, there are TWO. Two distinct and complex women with different motivations and backgrounds and personalities. One of them is a character I do not care for for their role in the plot but I still ate their chapters up. The refreshing feeling of getting to soak up good female characters is indescribable.
To also piggy back off discussion of the perspectives for the chapters, first person point of view is done so well. Normally, I find first person to be a bit simple in mid to high fantasy because it allows for neither a real grasp on a wide scope of the events nor a natural world building. It was over halfway through the book before I even consciously noted it was in first person.
For the world building to be so seamlessly natural in a first person pov is impressive. So often first person world building relies on extreme levels of exposition and infodumping. If there was any, I did not notice. There were just enough parts left for you to fill in on your own that I never felt talked at. But also, I never felt too confused.
I did a mixture of audio and reading and was so pleased at how amazing the narrator brought the writing to life. The writing and the audio paired so well together.
I finished this book in about two days which is not usual for me. The pacing was so spot on for consistent progression instead of starts and stops with whiplash between action and drags. I can see how some people expecting more fantasy would not enjoy the heavier political aspect over action and magic. The fantasy elements are definitely present, but they are not the forerunners for most parts. Normally I am not a fan of fantasies that lean more into the politics but wow. Definitely a favorite of the year so far.