cyanide_latte's review
adventurous
dark
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
0.5
You know, I'd had hopes for this book. I was really taking a gamble, backing the entire Dragons of Isentol trilogy during their Kickstarter campaign, and I fully admit that. And you know what? The first book was solid. The second book wasn't that great, but it was still a quick read and for the most part I did enjoy it as a sophomore book in the trilogy.
But good God. This book proved a lot of things to me.
The first being this entire thing could have been published as a single standalone high fantasy. It still would have been sparse, but at least it would have been a single 600-some-or-so pages in a single volume that would have been fast-paced. I would have been fine with that.
The second is that for all that the authors or whoever went to the trouble to launch this Kickstarter to get the trilogy new covers, they spent no money on editing or polishing up the books otherwise. There are so many errors in the text. There weren't many in the first or second books, so I didn't say anything about it in my reviews for those. I don't always like pointing out editing issues in self-published books because I'm more than aware they don't always have the same resources as traditionally-published authors. But there were so many errors in this book, it was distracting and took me out of the read.
Point three is that the characters in this trilogy are so lacking. One or two were fine and well-developed, but just like everything else in this trilogy, true character work was heavily skimped on. Same with world-building, and even the story is just bare-bones minimum. Compelling and well-written characters can carry a bland story, but it doesn't work the other way around, and what happens when your stories, characters AND world are all bland?
Finally, I just want to say, by the end I really hated Conal. This book especially shows some serious red flags in his character, which signify the fact that ultimately, him claiming a throne isn't going to lead to true, positive change for the kingdom. He tells his usurper uncle that true kings are loved, not feared, but so many of his actions and choices indicate that he's also likely to rule largely by fear, even if he insists to himself and the reader that isn't his intention. So what's even the fucking point of everything that happens in the end? There isn't one.
Fuck this noise. Waste of my time, waste of my money. I'll be selling my copies of the trilogy because I want to at least make back a fraction of what I gave the Kickstarter campaign. If you have any self-respect, pass this on by, don't bother with it.
But good God. This book proved a lot of things to me.
The first being this entire thing could have been published as a single standalone high fantasy. It still would have been sparse, but at least it would have been a single 600-some-or-so pages in a single volume that would have been fast-paced. I would have been fine with that.
The second is that for all that the authors or whoever went to the trouble to launch this Kickstarter to get the trilogy new covers, they spent no money on editing or polishing up the books otherwise. There are so many errors in the text. There weren't many in the first or second books, so I didn't say anything about it in my reviews for those. I don't always like pointing out editing issues in self-published books because I'm more than aware they don't always have the same resources as traditionally-published authors. But there were so many errors in this book, it was distracting and took me out of the read.
Point three is that the characters in this trilogy are so lacking. One or two were fine and well-developed, but just like everything else in this trilogy, true character work was heavily skimped on. Same with world-building, and even the story is just bare-bones minimum. Compelling and well-written characters can carry a bland story, but it doesn't work the other way around, and what happens when your stories, characters AND world are all bland?
Finally, I just want to say, by the end I really hated Conal. This book especially shows some serious red flags in his character, which signify the fact that ultimately, him claiming a throne isn't going to lead to true, positive change for the kingdom. He tells his usurper uncle that true kings are loved, not feared, but so many of his actions and choices indicate that he's also likely to rule largely by fear, even if he insists to himself and the reader that isn't his intention. So what's even the fucking point of everything that happens in the end? There isn't one.
Fuck this noise. Waste of my time, waste of my money. I'll be selling my copies of the trilogy because I want to at least make back a fraction of what I gave the Kickstarter campaign. If you have any self-respect, pass this on by, don't bother with it.
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