Take a photo of a barcode or cover
A review by ketreads
Gunmetal Gods by Zamil Akhtar
adventurous
dark
hopeful
3.5
This is a book I've had on my shelf ever since I read and LOVED the authors novella to this series Death Rider.
I wanted so badly to love this book, and while I don't think it worked as well as the novella, it does set up an intriguing world and cast of characters. The two main ones we follow are Micah: a religious fanatic invading the land that took his daughter and Kevah: an retired hero whose days of slaying magus (okay, maybe just the one) are far behind him.
These two were such perfect picks for our PoV chapters. Both are not only on opposing sides of the war, but they've also dealt with the grief of losing a loved one in vastly different ways. Being able to see both sides of the conflict and how these characters view one another, the world, the magic system, creates some fantastic reading moments.
My main gripe is the pacing. What worked incrediably effectively in Akhtar's novella does not seem to translate as well into a full-length novel. We would have scenes of methodic dialogue, reflection, and tense decision-making only to have the next scene skip weeks or even months. It was hard to keep up or feel like any real time had passed as these jumps in time weren't done as effectively as they could have been.
I truly did love the directions and decisions the author made in this book. I could never quite guess where it would go next, and I'm definitely interested in reading more of their work in the future.
I wanted so badly to love this book, and while I don't think it worked as well as the novella, it does set up an intriguing world and cast of characters. The two main ones we follow are Micah: a religious fanatic invading the land that took his daughter and Kevah: an retired hero whose days of slaying magus (okay, maybe just the one) are far behind him.
These two were such perfect picks for our PoV chapters. Both are not only on opposing sides of the war, but they've also dealt with the grief of losing a loved one in vastly different ways. Being able to see both sides of the conflict and how these characters view one another, the world, the magic system, creates some fantastic reading moments.
My main gripe is the pacing. What worked incrediably effectively in Akhtar's novella does not seem to translate as well into a full-length novel. We would have scenes of methodic dialogue, reflection, and tense decision-making only to have the next scene skip weeks or even months. It was hard to keep up or feel like any real time had passed as these jumps in time weren't done as effectively as they could have been.
I truly did love the directions and decisions the author made in this book. I could never quite guess where it would go next, and I'm definitely interested in reading more of their work in the future.