bookstarbri's review
adventurous
inspiring
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.5
Reading this book was such a treat. It reminded me why I love fantasy so much. From the first page, we enter the author's world and it's just a fascinating place to be. The world building gets started right away and there isn't a huge world building thrown at us right away like in some fantasy. There is a good bit in its early pages but it comes in throughout the book so we aren't bombarded, which I appreciated.
Let me start by saying I adore Gen. I knew I liked Gen right away. She's loyal and maybe not super trusting, but she has principles and sticks by them. She's also adventurous and smart and really caring, so I loved seeing all those parts of her character grow throughout the book. I liked her more and more as she grew more comfortable with her strength and confident as a competitor against Castor. Speaking of Castor...well I didn't feel as amicably for her. I started out really liking her. She was tough and you could tell that this competition was important to her. However, by the end of it I couldn't stand her whatsoever hahah. She was an amazingly developed character. Everything she did made sense and her motivations were clear-- I just hated her. She was selfish, ruthless (and not in the fun way), and didn't know how to take responsibility for her own actions. That said, these qualities made her a worthy adversary to Gen in this competition. The side characters: Pollux, Bale, and our wonderful animals were stunning. Lux is my soft boi king and I will love him forever. Bale is a splendid mess and the animals were a great addition to the story and really highlighted Gen's power!
The plot was great! Quest stories have a tendency to get boring at certain parts in the middle, but this one didn't for the most part! Very fast pacing and exciting action. There were a few aspects that I could've gone without (third act "betrayal" arc was meh and some of Castor's chapters felt a bit slower compared to the rest of the chapters). I also wanted more about the Empresses and their history and how they became these feared beings with so much control when this is a world where pretty much everyone has power of some kind. Finally, I wanted more Pollux. I'm not factoring that into my rating though bc I'm pretty sure there was a good amount of him, I'm just obsessed with him and wanted him everywhere at all times lol.
This is such a phenomenal fantasy. There are a lot of stories with Greek mythology inspiration, but this one still managed to be original and interesting. The story ends very interestingly and with the epilogue, it definitely gives a pretty clear indication of where a sequel would go. I do hope we get that sequel because I imagine it will be even more incredible! Thanks so much to the author, Flux, and NetGalley for an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review!
Let me start by saying I adore Gen. I knew I liked Gen right away. She's loyal and maybe not super trusting, but she has principles and sticks by them. She's also adventurous and smart and really caring, so I loved seeing all those parts of her character grow throughout the book. I liked her more and more as she grew more comfortable with her strength and confident as a competitor against Castor. Speaking of Castor...well I didn't feel as amicably for her. I started out really liking her. She was tough and you could tell that this competition was important to her. However, by the end of it I couldn't stand her whatsoever hahah. She was an amazingly developed character. Everything she did made sense and her motivations were clear-- I just hated her. She was selfish, ruthless (and not in the fun way), and didn't know how to take responsibility for her own actions. That said, these qualities made her a worthy adversary to Gen in this competition. The side characters: Pollux, Bale, and our wonderful animals were stunning. Lux is my soft boi king and I will love him forever. Bale is a splendid mess and the animals were a great addition to the story and really highlighted Gen's power!
The plot was great! Quest stories have a tendency to get boring at certain parts in the middle, but this one didn't for the most part! Very fast pacing and exciting action. There were a few aspects that I could've gone without (third act "betrayal" arc was meh and some of Castor's chapters felt a bit slower compared to the rest of the chapters). I also wanted more about the Empresses and their history and how they became these feared beings with so much control when this is a world where pretty much everyone has power of some kind. Finally, I wanted more Pollux. I'm not factoring that into my rating though bc I'm pretty sure there was a good amount of him, I'm just obsessed with him and wanted him everywhere at all times lol.
This is such a phenomenal fantasy. There are a lot of stories with Greek mythology inspiration, but this one still managed to be original and interesting. The story ends very interestingly and with the epilogue, it definitely gives a pretty clear indication of where a sequel would go. I do hope we get that sequel because I imagine it will be even more incredible! Thanks so much to the author, Flux, and NetGalley for an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review!
Content Warnings
Moderate: Emotional abuse, Excrement, Blood, Animal death, and Violence
Minor: Animal cruelty and Death of parent
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