theoliveprincess's review against another edition
5.0
This book is great and if there were half-stars I would give it 4.5 stars. My only real issues with it were the overuse of about five adjectives and that I spent the first half of the book wondering what Scorio looks like. It would have been helpful to describe him somehow. Also, the amount of wholesome hugging. Weird. Otherwise, super fun times from the beginning, when things immediately go unexpectedly and Scorio spends the rest of the book trying to make things go the way he thought they should have gone. I will definitely read the next book.
dalucar's review
adventurous
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
agott's review
3.5
In a genre such as progression fantasy, you don't need to use a thesaurus for every second word to seem smart; just knowing what a paragraph is puts you many steps ahead of 90% of your peers. A solid quarter of the book could've been shaved off if the author skipped the Redditor dialogue, repeat descriptions, and weird character interactions. And why do the majority of the women wear makeup, dresses, and/or have long hair in a world of martial strength?
maybeenaught's review
adventurous
hopeful
inspiring
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
goblinbishi's review
adventurous
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
punkhazard's review
5.0
So, this is my review of Bastion and let me just say up front that I absolutely LOVED this book! To an almost irrational degree. I am about to spend the next several hundred words describing and gushing about how much I love love love everything this book does and how everything worked and resonated with me. So, I will be talking about the Plot, Characters, world building, and action/magic system.
(WARNING THIS POST IS VERY LONG)
PLOT:
I have so much to say that I don’t even know where to begin. Let me start off by saying I am a plot over character reader. I think I am in the minority but I do not care about characters in general, in that a bad or good character doesn’t make or break a story for me normally. To the point that I actively hate the term “Character Development” when using it to describe why someone does or doesn’t like a book. I say this to say that the plot of this book really worked for me.
One of the biggest critiques I heard about this book before I picked it up is how the first 400 pages are notoriously slow and that it only gets good after that. I want to say up front how much I vehemently disagree with that statement. To the point I thought I was reading a different book from everyone else. From the moment Scorio opened his eyes on that first Bier I was hooked.
The progression elements were really interesting with the black seed plants, his learning about the city, navigating the ruins and its monster,his brief stint as a criminal and all the training with Naomi.
Though I admit when Imogen attacked and the story took a crazy exciting turn I was drawn in completely immersed in what was going to happen, how they were going to survive and just the imparators as a whole.
I was very happy Scorio didn’t go straight to the academy, I personally have always hated any school setting in my stories(from an overabundance of it in anime growing up) so the most interesting parts were when he was in the final door and then the ruins. Which is why I’m also super happy he chose not to return to the academy at the end, it makes me that much more excited for the next book
The stuff with the gauntlet run from the beginning to the end was always so engaging for me each and every time they did it. By the end I just wanted to see the new creative rooms and just how far they would get. I was not disappointed with those last 100 pages in the gauntlet.
One of the most important things this book did was the level of intrigue and attention grabbing tactics it stuffed in this book. From the different advancement lvls, the different parts of Hell, the past lives of the great souls, the lore we got sprinkled in about the past 1000 years and all the great souls who’ve come and gone, and a small glimpse of the overall goal and threat of the pit and hell. The incredible awe inspiring, goose bump inducing ending! The warnings made by past Scorio to not trust no one was so tantalizing that I could taste it. Them forming a band at the end to travel together immediately made me love everyone there. Just SO SO SO many different components that I can't wait to see explored and developed. It honestly makes my head spin with everything coming and I just pray that we get to see 10 huge books like this one come out over the next decade.
CHARACTERS:
Like I said above I am not normally a character reader but I loved almost every character and have something to say about almost all of them.
Scorio: The man of miracles himself, the badass on the cover, the epitome of everything I love about fantasy. Little known fact; I didn’t like Lindon from the Cradle series for the first 3 books(he grew on me eventually tho). Rei from Iron Prince I didn’t have any particular feelings towards at all, he was fine but he just served his purpose the protagonist well enough. None of this was the case for Scorio though. I absolutely loved the man from the start, his personality just felt so realistic. Not the paragon of morality that so many protagonists are but a person who can be selfish, obsessive, quick to anger, brash, a little pig headed but also determined, clever, loyal, able to acknowledge his faults and sincerely work to try to be better. I empathize so much with his journey through this book. Even when he was getting obsessive about the 2nd academy's gauntlet run and was scaring everyone with his selfish pursuit to get stronger I couldn’t help but still root for him no matter how crazy it was. When he made tomb spark and he came to that realization that his past is his responsibility, it was so profound with such depth that it literally brought a tear to my eye. I can’t wait to see how he grows and develops from here on out.
Naomi: You know what's crazy? She actually reminds me a lot of Vin from Mistborn. The difference is I hated Vin but I love Naomi. I think the biggest difference is because we didn’t spend as much time in Naomi's head as opposed to Vin, it was a less is more situation. Other than that I liked her stubbornness, her awkwardness, her badassery and just her general role in the story. She’s adorable and I can’t wait to see more from her. In fact, my theory is that she’ll be the one to become the Infarnach to save everyone by the end of the series. If I’m right please remember you read it here first.
Leonis: This man was hilarious, every speech, every joke, every teasing of Lianshi and every epic “Golden King moment” was memorable. He actually might be my favorite character(aside from Nox obviously). I just want him to succeed in everything he does. I have the sneaking suspicion that he’ll be left behind by Scorio and Lianshi at some point, I hope that doesn’t happen and he stays around.
Lianshi: She is definitely the heart of the group. Without her I honestly don’t think the rest of them could function. I especially like her lil mini arc about her past and juniper. Sometimes I felt like she cared more about Scorio than he really deserved but that just says something about how amazing of a person she is.
Praximor: I loved how much I hated him. He was an unique antagonist because I felt completely helpless against him. I knew there was nothing Scorio and his friends could do against a Pyre lord no matter how desperate they or the situation got. Most other series you kind of know that the villain will get their comeuppance by the end but we knew that wasn’t going to happen to him, at least not in this book. But the ending was super satisfying to see him shut up and looking like an idiot. I smiled so hard.I hope later on Scorio comes back and whoops him up and down those academy hallways.
I really grew a fondness for Jova and her friends at the end. It didn’t take much but I like their group and I can’t wait to see more of Juniper and Zala too!
WORLD BUILDING:
Now when I tell you the city of Bastion and Hell itself is one of the most unique and bizarre worlds I've ever been in. Please believe that I do not say that lightly, I have been reading Manga and watching anime for 17 years. I love this world. I really hope each book (apparently a 10 book series I hope) takes place in a new location with its own fauna and fiends. Made in Abyss is a manga/anime series that does something similar and I love that aspect of it.
The idea of reincarnation, past lives, epic heroes that tied their soul to some all powerful system that governs the world is so epic and cool. It reminds me of how it works in the servants from the Natsu verse from Fate Stay night/unlimited bladework. It’s a mechanic that I think is utilized to its full potential here with so much room to explore and evolve.
I am crazy interested in seeing the history behind each and every Great Soul and why they decided to go to hell. I can’t wait to delve deeper into Scorio's and friends' past and even Jova Pike. I also wonder if we’ll get to see Scorio’s 6 other incarnations lives. Imogen said once they reach Imperator you get to see all the memories of your past lives, so I can’t wait for that.
There were also a lot of mentions of organizations, factions, towns, locations from hell and on their original planet that I find so fascinating. WTF are the Herdsmen?? I don't know what they are but they’re my favorite thing in the world now, No I will not elaborate.
The creatures in this book are all the stuff of nightmares. I was genuinely scared of that purple monster that chased Scorio through the bronze door when he had to hide in that crack in the wall and that he fought later. They also all have a majestic and natural feel to them, like they're supposed to be there and the humans aren’t. It's fascinating. Nox is my spirit animal now in case you were wondering. In those are only the ones we saw ourselves. There are still crazy creative creatures like The living mountain Cazador, The Dying Dreamer and his white knights, The winged Plinth, and the Viridian Heart. I don’t know what exactly they are but just their descriptions alone had mereally excited
ACTION/MAGIC:
Now this is the most exciting part of everything for me. Like I keep mentioning, I grew up reading manga and watching anime, specifically shonen. I loooooove action and a good magic system. In fact I would go so far as to say most of the reason I read these progression fantasy books is because I ran out of cool action manga to read. So action is a very big deal to me. In fact I posted a question on reddit a couple months ago asking for a very specific type of magic system and action long before I ever heard of this book. It was like Phil Tucker saw that and decided to create a whole series just to grant my wish. The reddit post in question: https://www.reddit.com/r/ProgressionFantasy/comments/rcs6mz/looking_for_a_specific_type_of_action_series/
Mana: This is an aspect I can’t say I’ve seen explored before. Of course, I’ve heard the term mana used plenty of times but the idea of different mana types existing at the same time with various effects and characteristics. The fact that each mana type has its own specific roles in the advancement of great souls is crucial to the way I view the advancement. I think it is done better than even series like Cradle, where the quality of the mana (aura in cradles case) itself influences the upper levels just as much as the quantity and implementation of it. It just adds a different dimension to the whole thing.
Ingenious heart: I’m really curious on how Mr. Tucker came up with the idea of Igniting. It feels so organic and badass Having to change the depth, size and reservoir. I can’t wait to see all the tricks of the upper lvls with their heart. My guess is at one point you’re going to be able to open your heart completely and ignite the mana around you even as it flows toward you.
Specific abilities: Now this is the most fun aspect for me. For some reason fantasy novels have a habit of having a magic system that either is just a bunch of vague unexplained spells that anyone could use(Harry potter, malazan) or being one where everyone just does the same thing to various degrees of skill (Mistborn, Rage of Dragons), both of which I find so boring but is something I’ve don’t normally come across in manga. A lot of Shonen manga, The Cradle series, Storm light Archive and now Bastion don’t do this. Instead, they focus on individual abilities that are still grounded by fundamental rules and laws that govern the base lvl powers. It's more fun because it allows for more creative fights and solutions as we see how the different abilities interact with each other while still keeping power and skill as a primary factor. Again, this is exactly what my reddit post was asking for. Scorio’s form and Imogens’ shadow ability and that one character who could cause chunks of the ground to circle around her and explode in white flame to protect her are all my favorite abilities so far.
Trials: The trials are both confusing and enticing to me. Confusing cause I don’t quite understand the implication that you can make different decisions to get different abilities but only one is the actual thing they did in the past. It’s enticing because of all that I just said and the fact that it helps them learn about their past while helping them advance. It's so wonderfully complex. We get to see character work and advancement at the same time, it's almost too perfect.
Advancement: I loved the nameing convention of the advancement ranks but they confused me at first, they seemed arbitrary and I couldn’t remember the order(I had to make a note to keep track of it) but once I got used to it and they explored more of the different abilities and skills I fell in love. I literally jumped up and down when Scorio made Tomb Spark. Even seeing the Pyre Lords and Charnel Dukes showed me how well thought out the system actually is.
Can we talk about how cool the imperators are?? I immediately started to imagine how they would compare against the monarchs of Cradle. Like who would win between Imogen the Woe or Akura Malice, Two invincible shadow users? Sol the Just vs Northstrider, two badass macho men? I just love those types of comparisons.
If you’ve read all that I really appreciate it cause I said a lot but all in all I love this book. I also want to mention just how well written I thought it was. It felt like the perfect book in every way for me. Such an amazing book to start the year off with. I can’t wait for the sequel!!
(WARNING THIS POST IS VERY LONG)
PLOT:
I have so much to say that I don’t even know where to begin. Let me start off by saying I am a plot over character reader. I think I am in the minority but I do not care about characters in general, in that a bad or good character doesn’t make or break a story for me normally. To the point that I actively hate the term “Character Development” when using it to describe why someone does or doesn’t like a book. I say this to say that the plot of this book really worked for me.
One of the biggest critiques I heard about this book before I picked it up is how the first 400 pages are notoriously slow and that it only gets good after that. I want to say up front how much I vehemently disagree with that statement. To the point I thought I was reading a different book from everyone else. From the moment Scorio opened his eyes on that first Bier I was hooked.
The progression elements were really interesting with the black seed plants, his learning about the city, navigating the ruins and its monster,his brief stint as a criminal and all the training with Naomi.
Though I admit when Imogen attacked and the story took a crazy exciting turn I was drawn in completely immersed in what was going to happen, how they were going to survive and just the imparators as a whole.
I was very happy Scorio didn’t go straight to the academy, I personally have always hated any school setting in my stories(from an overabundance of it in anime growing up) so the most interesting parts were when he was in the final door and then the ruins. Which is why I’m also super happy he chose not to return to the academy at the end, it makes me that much more excited for the next book
The stuff with the gauntlet run from the beginning to the end was always so engaging for me each and every time they did it. By the end I just wanted to see the new creative rooms and just how far they would get. I was not disappointed with those last 100 pages in the gauntlet.
One of the most important things this book did was the level of intrigue and attention grabbing tactics it stuffed in this book. From the different advancement lvls, the different parts of Hell, the past lives of the great souls, the lore we got sprinkled in about the past 1000 years and all the great souls who’ve come and gone, and a small glimpse of the overall goal and threat of the pit and hell. The incredible awe inspiring, goose bump inducing ending! The warnings made by past Scorio to not trust no one was so tantalizing that I could taste it. Them forming a band at the end to travel together immediately made me love everyone there. Just SO SO SO many different components that I can't wait to see explored and developed. It honestly makes my head spin with everything coming and I just pray that we get to see 10 huge books like this one come out over the next decade.
CHARACTERS:
Like I said above I am not normally a character reader but I loved almost every character and have something to say about almost all of them.
Scorio: The man of miracles himself, the badass on the cover, the epitome of everything I love about fantasy. Little known fact; I didn’t like Lindon from the Cradle series for the first 3 books(he grew on me eventually tho). Rei from Iron Prince I didn’t have any particular feelings towards at all, he was fine but he just served his purpose the protagonist well enough. None of this was the case for Scorio though. I absolutely loved the man from the start, his personality just felt so realistic. Not the paragon of morality that so many protagonists are but a person who can be selfish, obsessive, quick to anger, brash, a little pig headed but also determined, clever, loyal, able to acknowledge his faults and sincerely work to try to be better. I empathize so much with his journey through this book. Even when he was getting obsessive about the 2nd academy's gauntlet run and was scaring everyone with his selfish pursuit to get stronger I couldn’t help but still root for him no matter how crazy it was. When he made tomb spark and he came to that realization that his past is his responsibility, it was so profound with such depth that it literally brought a tear to my eye. I can’t wait to see how he grows and develops from here on out.
Naomi: You know what's crazy? She actually reminds me a lot of Vin from Mistborn. The difference is I hated Vin but I love Naomi. I think the biggest difference is because we didn’t spend as much time in Naomi's head as opposed to Vin, it was a less is more situation. Other than that I liked her stubbornness, her awkwardness, her badassery and just her general role in the story. She’s adorable and I can’t wait to see more from her. In fact, my theory is that she’ll be the one to become the Infarnach to save everyone by the end of the series. If I’m right please remember you read it here first.
Leonis: This man was hilarious, every speech, every joke, every teasing of Lianshi and every epic “Golden King moment” was memorable. He actually might be my favorite character(aside from Nox obviously). I just want him to succeed in everything he does. I have the sneaking suspicion that he’ll be left behind by Scorio and Lianshi at some point, I hope that doesn’t happen and he stays around.
Lianshi: She is definitely the heart of the group. Without her I honestly don’t think the rest of them could function. I especially like her lil mini arc about her past and juniper. Sometimes I felt like she cared more about Scorio than he really deserved but that just says something about how amazing of a person she is.
Praximor: I loved how much I hated him. He was an unique antagonist because I felt completely helpless against him. I knew there was nothing Scorio and his friends could do against a Pyre lord no matter how desperate they or the situation got. Most other series you kind of know that the villain will get their comeuppance by the end but we knew that wasn’t going to happen to him, at least not in this book. But the ending was super satisfying to see him shut up and looking like an idiot. I smiled so hard.I hope later on Scorio comes back and whoops him up and down those academy hallways.
I really grew a fondness for Jova and her friends at the end. It didn’t take much but I like their group and I can’t wait to see more of Juniper and Zala too!
WORLD BUILDING:
Now when I tell you the city of Bastion and Hell itself is one of the most unique and bizarre worlds I've ever been in. Please believe that I do not say that lightly, I have been reading Manga and watching anime for 17 years. I love this world. I really hope each book (apparently a 10 book series I hope) takes place in a new location with its own fauna and fiends. Made in Abyss is a manga/anime series that does something similar and I love that aspect of it.
The idea of reincarnation, past lives, epic heroes that tied their soul to some all powerful system that governs the world is so epic and cool. It reminds me of how it works in the servants from the Natsu verse from Fate Stay night/unlimited bladework. It’s a mechanic that I think is utilized to its full potential here with so much room to explore and evolve.
I am crazy interested in seeing the history behind each and every Great Soul and why they decided to go to hell. I can’t wait to delve deeper into Scorio's and friends' past and even Jova Pike. I also wonder if we’ll get to see Scorio’s 6 other incarnations lives. Imogen said once they reach Imperator you get to see all the memories of your past lives, so I can’t wait for that.
There were also a lot of mentions of organizations, factions, towns, locations from hell and on their original planet that I find so fascinating. WTF are the Herdsmen?? I don't know what they are but they’re my favorite thing in the world now, No I will not elaborate.
The creatures in this book are all the stuff of nightmares. I was genuinely scared of that purple monster that chased Scorio through the bronze door when he had to hide in that crack in the wall and that he fought later. They also all have a majestic and natural feel to them, like they're supposed to be there and the humans aren’t. It's fascinating. Nox is my spirit animal now in case you were wondering. In those are only the ones we saw ourselves. There are still crazy creative creatures like The living mountain Cazador, The Dying Dreamer and his white knights, The winged Plinth, and the Viridian Heart. I don’t know what exactly they are but just their descriptions alone had mereally excited
ACTION/MAGIC:
Now this is the most exciting part of everything for me. Like I keep mentioning, I grew up reading manga and watching anime, specifically shonen. I loooooove action and a good magic system. In fact I would go so far as to say most of the reason I read these progression fantasy books is because I ran out of cool action manga to read. So action is a very big deal to me. In fact I posted a question on reddit a couple months ago asking for a very specific type of magic system and action long before I ever heard of this book. It was like Phil Tucker saw that and decided to create a whole series just to grant my wish. The reddit post in question: https://www.reddit.com/r/ProgressionFantasy/comments/rcs6mz/looking_for_a_specific_type_of_action_series/
Mana: This is an aspect I can’t say I’ve seen explored before. Of course, I’ve heard the term mana used plenty of times but the idea of different mana types existing at the same time with various effects and characteristics. The fact that each mana type has its own specific roles in the advancement of great souls is crucial to the way I view the advancement. I think it is done better than even series like Cradle, where the quality of the mana (aura in cradles case) itself influences the upper levels just as much as the quantity and implementation of it. It just adds a different dimension to the whole thing.
Ingenious heart: I’m really curious on how Mr. Tucker came up with the idea of Igniting. It feels so organic and badass Having to change the depth, size and reservoir. I can’t wait to see all the tricks of the upper lvls with their heart. My guess is at one point you’re going to be able to open your heart completely and ignite the mana around you even as it flows toward you.
Specific abilities: Now this is the most fun aspect for me. For some reason fantasy novels have a habit of having a magic system that either is just a bunch of vague unexplained spells that anyone could use(Harry potter, malazan) or being one where everyone just does the same thing to various degrees of skill (Mistborn, Rage of Dragons), both of which I find so boring but is something I’ve don’t normally come across in manga. A lot of Shonen manga, The Cradle series, Storm light Archive and now Bastion don’t do this. Instead, they focus on individual abilities that are still grounded by fundamental rules and laws that govern the base lvl powers. It's more fun because it allows for more creative fights and solutions as we see how the different abilities interact with each other while still keeping power and skill as a primary factor. Again, this is exactly what my reddit post was asking for. Scorio’s form and Imogens’ shadow ability and that one character who could cause chunks of the ground to circle around her and explode in white flame to protect her are all my favorite abilities so far.
Trials: The trials are both confusing and enticing to me. Confusing cause I don’t quite understand the implication that you can make different decisions to get different abilities but only one is the actual thing they did in the past. It’s enticing because of all that I just said and the fact that it helps them learn about their past while helping them advance. It's so wonderfully complex. We get to see character work and advancement at the same time, it's almost too perfect.
Advancement: I loved the nameing convention of the advancement ranks but they confused me at first, they seemed arbitrary and I couldn’t remember the order(I had to make a note to keep track of it) but once I got used to it and they explored more of the different abilities and skills I fell in love. I literally jumped up and down when Scorio made Tomb Spark. Even seeing the Pyre Lords and Charnel Dukes showed me how well thought out the system actually is.
Can we talk about how cool the imperators are?? I immediately started to imagine how they would compare against the monarchs of Cradle. Like who would win between Imogen the Woe or Akura Malice, Two invincible shadow users? Sol the Just vs Northstrider, two badass macho men? I just love those types of comparisons.
If you’ve read all that I really appreciate it cause I said a lot but all in all I love this book. I also want to mention just how well written I thought it was. It felt like the perfect book in every way for me. Such an amazing book to start the year off with. I can’t wait for the sequel!!
lonelymanatee's review against another edition
4.0
I got this book as an ARC reader in exchange for an honest review.
What a fun ride this was! Philip Tucker's newest novel is classified as a progression fantasy, so of course one would expect all the genre conventions that come with it. There's a hero that is striving to improve himself, and people that try to block his way. The hero is never overpowering, so when he succeeds despite his struggles, the victory feels well earned.
Yet what I loved most about Bastion was the world. What an interesting layered world it was. It took some time to understand the layout and nature of Bastion, but as someone who loves exploring secondary worlds in Fantasy, I was hooked. I fully recommend reading it just for the setting alone. The interesting characters and progression are icing on top.
What a fun ride this was! Philip Tucker's newest novel is classified as a progression fantasy, so of course one would expect all the genre conventions that come with it. There's a hero that is striving to improve himself, and people that try to block his way. The hero is never overpowering, so when he succeeds despite his struggles, the victory feels well earned.
Yet what I loved most about Bastion was the world. What an interesting layered world it was. It took some time to understand the layout and nature of Bastion, but as someone who loves exploring secondary worlds in Fantasy, I was hooked. I fully recommend reading it just for the setting alone. The interesting characters and progression are icing on top.
obredwolf's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
inspiring
mysterious
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
jbragg6625's review
adventurous
dark
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
beesandbooks's review against another edition
5.0
The Good:
There is some fantastic writing, character development, and world building in this book. Though we are primarily given the perspective of Scorio there are a couple of “interludes” that give some glimpses into the minds of other key characters. Through Scorio’s eyes, the whole world is new and largely unknown–even frightening at times. He makes an excellent character for introducing the readers to the world of pit fiends and mana leveling. Scorio also is introduced without knowing anything about himself or his past. This allows the readers to learn more about his character as he does, making for fewer exposition moments in which characters tell us their characteristics but do not demonstrate them at all. The mana leveling system is explained in a way that doesn’t feel out of place but a natural progression of the training Scorio undertakes. Side characters are fleshed out for the most part, and despite the multiple false climaxes throughout the action in the book the final climax is a genuinely satisfying one. Altogether, you can tell that this book was a labor of love for the fantasy genre and an excellent demonstration of writing skills.
The Meh:
My only real issue with the book is how unnecessarily purple prose-y it can get. The first ten to twelve chapters are full of overly long descriptions utilizing twice as many words as necessary. As someone who’s written fantasy myself, I know how tempting it can be to throw in all those extra words especially when establishing the tone and setting for the story. But don’t let those first few chapters stop you from making it to the meatier parts–the extra wordiness doesn’t entirely disappear but gets a lot more streamlined as the novel progresses.
Final Thoughts:
This is a fantasy novel that I whole heartedly recommend to the fellow fantasy readers who’re a little tired of reading the same progression of tropes and plot points over and over again. The first few chapters can be a bit difficult to chew through, since both reader and characters are largely unsure of what’s going on, but as the story progresses the characters become far more interesting, the world developed, and the magic system reveals itself in very cool ways. In a few scenes, the next plot point reveals itself a bit too early, but despite this it’s still intriguing to see how the situation will play out and what the reaction will be. Scorio is unpredictable, both as a character and as a narrator, and often makes choices that surprise reader and side characters alike. There are several climactic moments in the book leading up to the final challenge, and though one of those action packed sequences seems the most daunting of them all it doesn’t entirely stand out against the real plot of the story. It pokes its head up, makes itself known, and then sinks back down so the readers can reenter the main story. All in all, a fascinating read with a clear progression of power, well rounded characters, and some seriously great scenes for character development and action alike.
For a more in depth review, click here to read it on my book blog!
There is some fantastic writing, character development, and world building in this book. Though we are primarily given the perspective of Scorio there are a couple of “interludes” that give some glimpses into the minds of other key characters. Through Scorio’s eyes, the whole world is new and largely unknown–even frightening at times. He makes an excellent character for introducing the readers to the world of pit fiends and mana leveling. Scorio also is introduced without knowing anything about himself or his past. This allows the readers to learn more about his character as he does, making for fewer exposition moments in which characters tell us their characteristics but do not demonstrate them at all. The mana leveling system is explained in a way that doesn’t feel out of place but a natural progression of the training Scorio undertakes. Side characters are fleshed out for the most part, and despite the multiple false climaxes throughout the action in the book the final climax is a genuinely satisfying one. Altogether, you can tell that this book was a labor of love for the fantasy genre and an excellent demonstration of writing skills.
The Meh:
My only real issue with the book is how unnecessarily purple prose-y it can get. The first ten to twelve chapters are full of overly long descriptions utilizing twice as many words as necessary. As someone who’s written fantasy myself, I know how tempting it can be to throw in all those extra words especially when establishing the tone and setting for the story. But don’t let those first few chapters stop you from making it to the meatier parts–the extra wordiness doesn’t entirely disappear but gets a lot more streamlined as the novel progresses.
Final Thoughts:
This is a fantasy novel that I whole heartedly recommend to the fellow fantasy readers who’re a little tired of reading the same progression of tropes and plot points over and over again. The first few chapters can be a bit difficult to chew through, since both reader and characters are largely unsure of what’s going on, but as the story progresses the characters become far more interesting, the world developed, and the magic system reveals itself in very cool ways. In a few scenes, the next plot point reveals itself a bit too early, but despite this it’s still intriguing to see how the situation will play out and what the reaction will be. Scorio is unpredictable, both as a character and as a narrator, and often makes choices that surprise reader and side characters alike. There are several climactic moments in the book leading up to the final challenge, and though one of those action packed sequences seems the most daunting of them all it doesn’t entirely stand out against the real plot of the story. It pokes its head up, makes itself known, and then sinks back down so the readers can reenter the main story. All in all, a fascinating read with a clear progression of power, well rounded characters, and some seriously great scenes for character development and action alike.
For a more in depth review, click here to read it on my book blog!