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eyeofthedivine's review against another edition
4.0
For me the bad bits were overshadowed by the great bits. I found Cale's reactions to be quite believable considering his circumstances. I would have liked a bit more time with Henri and Kleist but I'm hoping that will happen in the next book maybe.
Though it looks a long time for me to read this book I actually completed it in three sittings so if you are a fantasy book lover it's very easy to read but has enough depth to it to keep you interested and feel as though you're in their world without getting bogged down with small details.
I also think there's a lot of military writing within it but it is kept simple enough for anyone to grasp so it's also accessible to all which is nice for those who aren't that experience with battles and close combat.
All in all I enjoyed the book and if you're interested as I was by the excerpt go for it. I highly doubt you'll feel you weren't getting your money's worth here.
Though it looks a long time for me to read this book I actually completed it in three sittings so if you are a fantasy book lover it's very easy to read but has enough depth to it to keep you interested and feel as though you're in their world without getting bogged down with small details.
I also think there's a lot of military writing within it but it is kept simple enough for anyone to grasp so it's also accessible to all which is nice for those who aren't that experience with battles and close combat.
All in all I enjoyed the book and if you're interested as I was by the excerpt go for it. I highly doubt you'll feel you weren't getting your money's worth here.
zeroambition's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
klar_ina's review against another edition
4.0
Nečekala jsem, že mě příběh Anděla smrti, Levé ruky boží až tak pohltí. Děj plyne velice svižně, knížka je protkaná pohlcující akcí. Svět je poměrně komplexně vystavěný a uvěřitelný. Jediným mínusem jsou za mě lehce ploché vedlejší postavy. Jsou napsaní schválně velmi rozdílně, zároveň však povrchně a jejich vlastnosti jsou tak trochu “na první dobrou”.
Naopak se mi moc líbí fakt, že autor pracuje s hlavním hrdinou, který je sice výjimečný, ale i přesto je smrtelný, musí používat rozum a učit se poznávat život i sebe sama, zdaleka totiž neví vše nejlépe, dělá špatná rozhodnutí a občas se chová jako pitomec, což zpětně reflektuje.
Za mě příjemné překvapení.
Naopak se mi moc líbí fakt, že autor pracuje s hlavním hrdinou, který je sice výjimečný, ale i přesto je smrtelný, musí používat rozum a učit se poznávat život i sebe sama, zdaleka totiž neví vše nejlépe, dělá špatná rozhodnutí a občas se chová jako pitomec, což zpětně reflektuje.
Za mě příjemné překvapení.
reader_01's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
3.75
autumndynasty's review against another edition
3.0
I really wanted to give this book more than 3 stars but on reflection, there were some glaring issues I just couldn't look past.
Positives
- The world-building is thorough and really interesting. It's a dark, brutal world but I do like that sort of thing so contrary to some people reviewing this book, it really drew me in and kept me reading. The same part of the brain that keeps you watching a trainwreck, perhaps.
- The main character, Cale is an interesting character. Not admirable or enviable but (most of the time) understandable. He definitely grabs the reader's attention in every scene, waiting to see what he'll do next. There were other characters I liked but Cale definitely stands out.
- While I could guess at the vague direction of the plot and a few of the surprises in the short-term, some things still caught me by surprise and there was definitely a sense that few characters were 'immortal' or bound to come out of things unscathed. I found a definite level of tension throughout most of the novel.
- I couldn't stop thinking about it until I finished it in about two days and I'll definitely start reading the second book soon. So it did something right!
Negatives
You may notice I hedged a big on the positives. That's because the downsides really did stick out in my mind, even though I really enjoyed the book.
- The characters around Cale are a bit eclipsed by him. While this isn't necessarily a deal-breaker, it reduces the impact of the plot and tension. Additionally, Cale himself didn't quite meet my expectations. My own fault, perhaps, as I anticipated from reviews here that Cale would be a similar sort of character to the Broken Empire trilogy's Jorg of Ancrath. Not quite as much of a likeable badass as that, I thought. But that is perhaps personal expectation and taste.
- I sometimes found it hard to follow the political or tactical discussions, particularly at the beginning. It got a little easier by the end as more was explained but it did make things harder going than they needed to be.
- My chief gripe is with the writing style. Hoffman has a chronic case of 'tell, not show'. Also, the third-person character perspective shifts often and it jarred me whenever it did. The overall effect of these things made it feel like the auther was telling me a heavily embellished summary of the story he was going to tell, including his justification for making a character do or say something and what they were thinking. Nobody in this novel is a beacon of human kindness or innocence (which I like) but did we really need to be told all of their motives and thoughts every time? The reader becomes a dispassionate god-like observer most of the time, which isn't an effect I particularly liked.
In summary, a book I enjoyed and couldn't stop thinking about or reading though I couldn't tell you precisely why!
Positives
- The world-building is thorough and really interesting. It's a dark, brutal world but I do like that sort of thing so contrary to some people reviewing this book, it really drew me in and kept me reading. The same part of the brain that keeps you watching a trainwreck, perhaps.
- The main character, Cale is an interesting character. Not admirable or enviable but (most of the time) understandable. He definitely grabs the reader's attention in every scene, waiting to see what he'll do next. There were other characters I liked but Cale definitely stands out.
- While I could guess at the vague direction of the plot and a few of the surprises in the short-term, some things still caught me by surprise and there was definitely a sense that few characters were 'immortal' or bound to come out of things unscathed. I found a definite level of tension throughout most of the novel.
- I couldn't stop thinking about it until I finished it in about two days and I'll definitely start reading the second book soon. So it did something right!
Negatives
You may notice I hedged a big on the positives. That's because the downsides really did stick out in my mind, even though I really enjoyed the book.
- The characters around Cale are a bit eclipsed by him. While this isn't necessarily a deal-breaker, it reduces the impact of the plot and tension. Additionally, Cale himself didn't quite meet my expectations. My own fault, perhaps, as I anticipated from reviews here that Cale would be a similar sort of character to the Broken Empire trilogy's Jorg of Ancrath. Not quite as much of a likeable badass as that, I thought. But that is perhaps personal expectation and taste.
- I sometimes found it hard to follow the political or tactical discussions, particularly at the beginning. It got a little easier by the end as more was explained but it did make things harder going than they needed to be.
- My chief gripe is with the writing style. Hoffman has a chronic case of 'tell, not show'. Also, the third-person character perspective shifts often and it jarred me whenever it did. The overall effect of these things made it feel like the auther was telling me a heavily embellished summary of the story he was going to tell, including his justification for making a character do or say something and what they were thinking. Nobody in this novel is a beacon of human kindness or innocence (which I like) but did we really need to be told all of their motives and thoughts every time? The reader becomes a dispassionate god-like observer most of the time, which isn't an effect I particularly liked.
In summary, a book I enjoyed and couldn't stop thinking about or reading though I couldn't tell you precisely why!
txra's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
sloth_star's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.5
beaktastic's review against another edition
3.0
I had quite a few issues with this book. It was good and enjoyable but it was quite hard to get into and a little confusing and infuriating at times. I don't know how much of this was because it took me like 6 months to read (I only really read it occasionally on my breaks at work and I would have like 10 minutes max to do so) or whether it's the book itself.
So basically, the story follows a young man/boy called Cale, who's an orphan in a this post-apocalypticy (I assume anyway, it's never really made clear) world in a place called the Sanctuary, which is run by militant asshole priests called Redeemers who really abuse these boys in their care. Cale is pretty badass himself, for reasons which are finally revealed about halfway through the book. One day, he and friends Kleist and Vague Henri see something they shouldn't in one of the forbidden areas of the Sanctuary and decide they have to runaway and escape, which they do. And from there the main plot begins as they encounter this new world and try to survive and make the most of it.
Cale was an alright protagonist. He's a bit of an ass at times and I found it kinda hard to really relate to him, but at the same time I could kinda sympathise with him and I liked how his character grew and developed over the course of the novel. Kleist and Vague Henri were nice secondary heroes, fairly typical, in that one is smart but more quiet and follower-y while the other is a bit of a smartass-y type guy. Hoffman introduces a wide variety of characters and it does kinda become hard to keep track of all of them an their motives, although that may be because of how long it took me to read.
From the writing style and stuff it felt like Hoffman was trying to be a bit like Stephen King or Justin Cronin with the covering of multiple perspectives and stuff but it just kinda fell flat.
The world itself was interesting but a little confusing as well, and I would have appreciated a few ore details about it and stuff.
Overall, it was a good book, and I liked it, but I felt that Hoffman didn't really fully explain it all and the reasons people did various things and the ending was just a bit rubbish and silly. Basically, I'm not desperate to start reading the sequel.
So basically, the story follows a young man/boy called Cale, who's an orphan in a this post-apocalypticy (I assume anyway, it's never really made clear) world in a place called the Sanctuary, which is run by militant asshole priests called Redeemers who really abuse these boys in their care. Cale is pretty badass himself, for reasons which are finally revealed about halfway through the book
Spoiler
- basically, he had a bit of brain trauma or something when he was young and now he can kinda foresee what his opponent is going to do in battle and so is pretty damn awesome in a fightCale was an alright protagonist. He's a bit of an ass at times and I found it kinda hard to really relate to him, but at the same time I could kinda sympathise with him and I liked how his character grew and developed over the course of the novel. Kleist and Vague Henri were nice secondary heroes, fairly typical, in that one is smart but more quiet and follower-y while the other is a bit of a smartass-y type guy. Hoffman introduces a wide variety of characters and it does kinda become hard to keep track of all of them an their motives, although that may be because of how long it took me to read.
From the writing style and stuff it felt like Hoffman was trying to be a bit like Stephen King or Justin Cronin with the covering of multiple perspectives and stuff but it just kinda fell flat.
The world itself was interesting but a little confusing as well, and I would have appreciated a few ore details about it and stuff.
Overall, it was a good book, and I liked it, but I felt that Hoffman didn't really fully explain it all and the reasons people did various things and the ending was just a bit rubbish and silly. Basically, I'm not desperate to start reading the sequel.