matcha_pages's review against another edition
- 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
5.0
There were a few nods to pop-culture or our history ("we're not in kansas anymore" or the Raven's name) that pulled me out of the book, but didn't impede my enjoyment. However, some parts did get repetitive and not in a meaningful way. I don't think it's a stylistic choice because it's mostly world building elements or past events that get rephrased every so often.
I can't wait for the next book in April 2024!
Graphic: Violence, Death, and War
Moderate: Grief, Classism, and Xenophobia
onthesamepage's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
This book did not need to be 570+ pages long.
I've read from Mark Lawrence before, specifically Red Sister, and that's a series I fully intend to continue. I remember really enjoying his writing and the way the story developed, and went into this expecting to have a great time.
Sadly, I did not.
There is so much repetition in this book. I was willing to give the author the benefit of the doubt initially, hoping that, at some point, the repetition would be shown to have some mysterious purpose that I just couldn't grasp yet. But it serves none. Here's one example:
The days following the destruction of an Escape were the ones when another Escape was most likely to free itself from the Mechanism. The Soldier would stand guard.
One flip of the page later, this is followed by:
The destruction of one Escape often presaged the appearance of another, and this was the place they’d appear.
This is just one example, but it happened a lot. There are also multiple instances where we flash back to an earlier time just so we can see the exact details of how the characters came to be where they are, instead of just moving the story along. All this made the reading experience more tedious than it should have been. Because underneath all the repetition and needless meandering, there's a solid plot and a compelling mystery.
I always make it a point to mention both positive and negative things about a book in my 3 star reviews, but for the life of me I could barely think of anything positive to say aside from, "his writing is nice", and "the two main characters were interesting and I loved following Livira". And that says something when a book is this long, and the start of a series to boot. The thing is, I don't know if there's enough mystery or plot left for an entire trilogy. Sure, not everything gets explained to us, but by the end I felt like I had a solid grasp on how this world works and how things tie together, even though not everything is spelled out. One of the big themes is how history repeats itself. The story jumps around a couple of timelines, which means I already got a glimpse of the past. Sure, it doesn't fully explain how Evar came to be, but the seeds are there, and I don't know if I'm interested enough to read another 1000+ pages to finish the series. I'm not saying I know for sure that I'm right about everything in this world—I'm sure the author will add new elements that I haven't thought of yet. But as of the end of this book, I just don't see enough potential in the plot for an entire trilogy.
Graphic: Gore, War, Violence, Racial slurs, and Racism
Moderate: Classism
wrendezvoused's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.75
Minor: Grief, Kidnapping, Injury/Injury detail, Abandonment, Fire/Fire injury, Confinement, War, and Violence
plume_de_renarde's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
5.0
Graphic: Fire/Fire injury, Xenophobia, and Violence
Moderate: Grief and War
Minor: Suicidal thoughts
teri_b's review against another edition
- 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
5.0
We follow the story of two main characters, Livira and Evar. At the beginning, they seem to be unconnected, but then choices are made, things happen & places are found and one and one is put together.
This book is an absolutely amazing read. It talks about race and class and prejudice amongst many other things. But it is also about finding your place in the world, about learning and understanding and about personalities that are willing and capable to quest and ask uncomfortable questions and go the extra mile, rather than stay happy in a status quo.
This book also turns your understanding of time and space onto its head and then you will see where you come out in the end.
I absolutely recommend to read this book. Yes, it is that good.
For book lovers I would consider this to be a must read, because, honestly, who can resist this cover, first of all, and secondly, who can resist a really good story about books and a library with a cast of characters you start to care for so quickly and so entirely.
This review is based on the eARC I received from the publisher via Netgalley in return of an honest review.
Graphic: War, Death, and Violence
sophieamreacher's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.5
Graphic: Murder, War, Blood, Slavery, Fire/Fire injury, Death, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Animal death and Violence
curiosityp's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
I am grateful to NetGalley for access to the ARC.
Graphic: Fire/Fire injury and Violence
Moderate: War, Grief, Classism, and Racism
Being the first book in the series, the world-building involves descriptions of racism, classism, violence and war. The ending is hopeful toward the rest of the series being about those themes changing.