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maedbetweenthepages 's review for:
Priest of Bones
by Peter McLean
3 stars.
I was able to finish this book in just two sittings, so it's definitely compulsively readable. That being said, there were some things I really enjoyed, and others I didn't, thus the middle rating of 3 stars.
I really enjoyed the characters and their dynamics with each other. I'm such a sucker for a group of criminals needing to work together, and the author does a really good job playing with how all of these grey characters would interact when in a group. The character work also allowed the discussions of deep/ horrific trauma to be very poignant. Some of the reveals of characters' past lives were heart-wrenching. I also found the spotlight put on discrimination of LGBTQ individuals to be surprisingly prevalent- in a good way.
On to things that weren't my favorite, I had a love-hate relationship with the politics in this world. There were some situations that I thought were very well crafted and I really enjoyed watching the plot progress. However, there were other scenes where the solution to an issue felt a bit contrived or convenient and left me feeling dissatisfied with the end result.
I also found the writing to be hit or miss. I understand that we are viewing this world through one perspective, and thus the narrative voice can, and some would say should, be quite distinct; but that doesn't mean that it has to be repetitive. I found myself rolling my eyes at points with how often a phrase or idea was repeated. Some of this clunkiness was smoothed out by the end of the novel (possibly as the author hit a stride with his narrative voice), but that didn't make the beginning any easier to get through.
I will say that the magic in this world has me very intrigued though, and it was a very fast read, so I wouldn't be opposed to continuing on with the series.
I was able to finish this book in just two sittings, so it's definitely compulsively readable. That being said, there were some things I really enjoyed, and others I didn't, thus the middle rating of 3 stars.
I really enjoyed the characters and their dynamics with each other. I'm such a sucker for a group of criminals needing to work together, and the author does a really good job playing with how all of these grey characters would interact when in a group. The character work also allowed the discussions of deep/ horrific trauma to be very poignant. Some of the reveals of characters' past lives were heart-wrenching. I also found the spotlight put on discrimination of LGBTQ individuals to be surprisingly prevalent- in a good way.
On to things that weren't my favorite, I had a love-hate relationship with the politics in this world. There were some situations that I thought were very well crafted and I really enjoyed watching the plot progress. However, there were other scenes where the solution to an issue felt a bit contrived or convenient and left me feeling dissatisfied with the end result.
I also found the writing to be hit or miss. I understand that we are viewing this world through one perspective, and thus the narrative voice can, and some would say should, be quite distinct; but that doesn't mean that it has to be repetitive. I found myself rolling my eyes at points with how often a phrase or idea was repeated. Some of this clunkiness was smoothed out by the end of the novel (possibly as the author hit a stride with his narrative voice), but that didn't make the beginning any easier to get through.
I will say that the magic in this world has me very intrigued though, and it was a very fast read, so I wouldn't be opposed to continuing on with the series.