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A review by fellumhistane
Blackdog by K.V. Johansen
4.0
Wonderful world building, exquisite spiritual systems and lore behind the landscape presented. This might be seen as complex for some readers, but the continuity drawn between different places, names and origins are very well drawn.
Some characters are difficult to grow attached to, especially since the points of view bounce around quite a bit. I understand this is an introduction to a story that keeps on elaborating and developing, but in this tome some characters stay somewhat vague. In many cases, I felt that I was missing "something" in being shown some characters, especially people like Moth and Mikki, who clearly have entire stories on their own and of which this tome only shows the essentials. I particularly enjoyed the relationship between Holla-Sayan and Pakdhala, bringing me to tears in some parts. Meanwhile, characters like Gaguush and Atavaia I felt could have used more attention and human moments to really sink my teeth into.
This is a slow-burning story, where all events are unpacked long before they occur. This makes the experience somewhat lack excitement, as all points of views are shown before the stones finally drop.
This took me a while to get through, though I do plan on reading the following volumes someday. I would compare this series to a strong pot of tea you watch brew and enjoy one sip at a time.
Some characters are difficult to grow attached to, especially since the points of view bounce around quite a bit. I understand this is an introduction to a story that keeps on elaborating and developing, but in this tome some characters stay somewhat vague. In many cases, I felt that I was missing "something" in being shown some characters, especially people like Moth and Mikki, who clearly have entire stories on their own and of which this tome only shows the essentials. I particularly enjoyed the relationship between Holla-Sayan and Pakdhala, bringing me to tears in some parts. Meanwhile, characters like Gaguush and Atavaia I felt could have used more attention and human moments to really sink my teeth into.
This is a slow-burning story, where all events are unpacked long before they occur. This makes the experience somewhat lack excitement, as all points of views are shown before the stones finally drop.
This took me a while to get through, though I do plan on reading the following volumes someday. I would compare this series to a strong pot of tea you watch brew and enjoy one sip at a time.