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A review by noranne
In a Garden Burning Gold by Rory Power
3.0
I found this book a little hard to get into. Eventually the story ended up picking up a little, but then it kind of went all over the place at the end. The idea of the characters and how they deal with their abusive father and their magical responsibilities was interesting, but they did not feel very real to me. I wasn't very sympathetic to them, running around acting like teenagers despite being ~100 years old. Obviously this is only the first book, so it couldn't end yet, but IMO the only satisfying ending would be . Also there was a significant death that actually surprised me and started what I saw as a bit of a derailment of the book's momentum that was
All in all, the worldbuilding felt a bit thin to me. I don't really see how these families would stay in power, when they don't actually have any power. Their magic is not skills so much as it is caretaking, and if they stop doing it (ie die) then it just goes back to being done automatically. Lots of people are said to have authority who I don't think actually would have any real authority. There were some comically see-through plot points
I might pick up the sequel if I see it around (from the library, like this one), but I don't think I'll be waiting for it.
Spoiler
this whole damn family realizing they've already had more life than anyone else and accepting they should all just dieSpoiler
then completely and casually undone in the epilogue? In fact that whole epilogue was a big no from me. A huge exposition dump to end the book does not make me excited for the next book, it makes me wonder why the f I spent so much time reading about other crap when actual important things could have been shown on the page.All in all, the worldbuilding felt a bit thin to me. I don't really see how these families would stay in power, when they don't actually have any power. Their magic is not skills so much as it is caretaking, and if they stop doing it (ie die) then it just goes back to being done automatically. Lots of people are said to have authority who I don't think actually would have any real authority. There were some comically see-through plot points
Spoiler
the eternally overlooked second son was the real villain! dun dun dun! the random proposition by the weakest member of the group to destroy the most powerful member of the group was in fact immediately told to that person, shock!I might pick up the sequel if I see it around (from the library, like this one), but I don't think I'll be waiting for it.