Take a photo of a barcode or cover
booksandlemonsquash 's review for:
Steel Crow Saga
by Paul Krueger
At first I really struggled to keep reading this book - not because it was bad, but because mentally I couldn’t quite connect and that was reflection of me and the world right now. I tried twice and was about to put aside for later (definitely not a dnf!) when a friend mentioned reading it on audio. So I thought I’d try that, and I’m really glad I did.
While it does take a while to get going, I loved the characters throughout, and especially liked how the relationships progressed through the story. Nothing is simple and clear cut, and there is insta-like but time is needed for feelings to develop.
You also get a beautifully complicated political world, from Xiulan and her family, to the iron prince and his throne. Jimuro really grew on me, and at the end he is really strong despite wavering in places through the book. I loved Lee, and her history and her flirting. Tala (and Mang!) is fantastic and probably goes through the most - certainly her storyline made me full on sob at one point. And Xiulan is probably my favourite, just for her reliance on her detective stories and her formalities. I loved them.
I also loved that there were multiple magic systems in place, and it was an evolving world - certainly seeing that start to happen politically was incredibly satisfying.
This sits brilliantly on its own, and it’s so satisfying to jump into a stand-alone novel that is as well done as this one. While I’d love to read more snippets from this universe, I think the ending perfectly wraps everything up while leaving enough room for hope and the future. An easy 4.5 star read.
While it does take a while to get going, I loved the characters throughout, and especially liked how the relationships progressed through the story. Nothing is simple and clear cut, and there is insta-like but time is needed for feelings to develop.
You also get a beautifully complicated political world, from Xiulan and her family, to the iron prince and his throne. Jimuro really grew on me, and at the end he is really strong despite wavering in places through the book. I loved Lee, and her history and her flirting. Tala (and Mang!) is fantastic and probably goes through the most - certainly her storyline made me full on sob at one point. And Xiulan is probably my favourite, just for her reliance on her detective stories and her formalities. I loved them.
I also loved that there were multiple magic systems in place, and it was an evolving world - certainly seeing that start to happen politically was incredibly satisfying.
This sits brilliantly on its own, and it’s so satisfying to jump into a stand-alone novel that is as well done as this one. While I’d love to read more snippets from this universe, I think the ending perfectly wraps everything up while leaving enough room for hope and the future. An easy 4.5 star read.