lcasswrites's review against another edition
4.0
So my absolute favourite part of this book was the way Sonya Black described the different types of magic as musical notes, instruments and harmonies...it was absolutely delightful. Ris is a great protagonist, tough but human, and her three bonded protectors are all interesting and complex in their own right (Michel is secretly my fav though). The pacing is terrific, the story never felt like it was getting bogged down, and the writing keeps you engaged the whole time. This is a flintlock fantasy, not what I'd normally pick up, but I REALLY enjoyed it! The SPFBO finalists this year are fantastic and I highly recommend you one, or more, next time you're looking for a fantasy read
queenterribletimy's review against another edition
4.0
A Sea of Broken Glass is Team RockStarlit BookAsylum's finalist for SPFBO5! I gave it an 8/10 which was also our final rating for it. Congrats for making to the finals! The review below is only my opinion, for the rest of the team's reviews, please check the link!
My review was originally posted on RockStarlit BookAsylum as part of our semi-finalist reviews.
Upon finishing with slush piling, A Sea of Broken Glass definitely was among my favourites. I've read it very early, it was the third book I've sampled, but it stayed with me until the end. It was a no brainer that I would go back to read it until the end and that it will be among the contenders to be my semi-finalist. In the end I decided to go with another book, but I'm really happy that we've got A Sea of Broken Glass sorted into our group.
A Sea of Broken Glass is the first book of The Lady and the Darkness series, and does not waste any time to get right in the middle of things. Ris is being imprisoned by the Inquisitor, called Talbot under the accusation of using charms - and also because she is the last of the Lady's vessels, which makes her valuable for both those on the Light's side and on the Darkness'. Once her real identity is out the race starts. She has to find the Lady's Heart, a gem which the Lady of Light hid, and which is the source of all creation. During the cataclysm it got tainted and cursed along with a big portion of the land. Whichever side gets it under control will have immense power to decide the fate of the world. Agents of the Darkness are after her trying to either capture her, corrupt her or kill her in order to get the Heart. Ris and her company has to go a long way and there is no assurance they will survive the ordeal.
A Sea of Broken Glass is definitely a super fast read. I've read 60% of it in a day, and that's not something that happens to me a lot these days. I just couldn't not read it and know what's going to happen next. I also had a few "Oh shit. That's not going to go well." moments which is always a good thing. Especially since I'm not really a fan of books which has a lot of travelling - in this case I really didn't care about that as the characters kept me interested.
The mix of 1st and 3rd POV worked out really well. By making Ris a 1st POV character allows us to connect with her more but also puts her in the focus even more. Her companion, the paladins who all have different roles and types of magic (water, air, earth) opposite to her healing (fire) magic are all there to support and protect her. Not that she needs much protecting, because even though she is a kind of Chosen One, she has strength and independence. She can take care of herself, but she is also smart enough to know she won't succeed all by herself and that she'll need her friends for moral support if nothing else. She is not a damsel in distress kind of character who needs saving, but isn't an invincible bad-ass fighter either. I liked her interactions with the others and generally how all the characters interacted with each other. And the way they struggled with their own demons and minds when it threw them off way. But I think my favourite part was the way magic is described. All kind of magic has its distinct sound/instruments attached to them, creating a song rather than a spell.
In way of criticism, although I did enjoy the ride, I would have liked a bit more worldbuilding - to learn about the different titles and roles, the Bastion, the characters' past (though we do learn about them a bit, especially during the second half). A bit more showing than telling wouldn't have been amiss. There was a lot going on and I didn't got to really immerse myself in this world, to get a good grip on it. It also works with the usual tropes - Chosen One, quest for an important treasure to stop the world being destroyed, good vs evil. Which is fine, and as terms of writing, this book is really good, but for me there was something missing, something that would make me say "Now, that's what makes it stand out!"
Overall, A Sea of Broken Glass is a book I highly recommend checking out as it has some neat ideas - music based magic!! - likeable characters and an epic chase. Just be warned that you might end up staying up until way too late while reading... Now, where is the sequel??
My review was originally posted on RockStarlit BookAsylum as part of our semi-finalist reviews.
Upon finishing with slush piling, A Sea of Broken Glass definitely was among my favourites. I've read it very early, it was the third book I've sampled, but it stayed with me until the end. It was a no brainer that I would go back to read it until the end and that it will be among the contenders to be my semi-finalist. In the end I decided to go with another book, but I'm really happy that we've got A Sea of Broken Glass sorted into our group.
A Sea of Broken Glass is the first book of The Lady and the Darkness series, and does not waste any time to get right in the middle of things. Ris is being imprisoned by the Inquisitor, called Talbot under the accusation of using charms - and also because she is the last of the Lady's vessels, which makes her valuable for both those on the Light's side and on the Darkness'. Once her real identity is out the race starts. She has to find the Lady's Heart, a gem which the Lady of Light hid, and which is the source of all creation. During the cataclysm it got tainted and cursed along with a big portion of the land. Whichever side gets it under control will have immense power to decide the fate of the world. Agents of the Darkness are after her trying to either capture her, corrupt her or kill her in order to get the Heart. Ris and her company has to go a long way and there is no assurance they will survive the ordeal.
A Sea of Broken Glass is definitely a super fast read. I've read 60% of it in a day, and that's not something that happens to me a lot these days. I just couldn't not read it and know what's going to happen next. I also had a few "Oh shit. That's not going to go well." moments which is always a good thing. Especially since I'm not really a fan of books which has a lot of travelling - in this case I really didn't care about that as the characters kept me interested.
The mix of 1st and 3rd POV worked out really well. By making Ris a 1st POV character allows us to connect with her more but also puts her in the focus even more. Her companion, the paladins who all have different roles and types of magic (water, air, earth) opposite to her healing (fire) magic are all there to support and protect her. Not that she needs much protecting, because even though she is a kind of Chosen One, she has strength and independence. She can take care of herself, but she is also smart enough to know she won't succeed all by herself and that she'll need her friends for moral support if nothing else. She is not a damsel in distress kind of character who needs saving, but isn't an invincible bad-ass fighter either. I liked her interactions with the others and generally how all the characters interacted with each other. And the way they struggled with their own demons and minds when it threw them off way. But I think my favourite part was the way magic is described. All kind of magic has its distinct sound/instruments attached to them, creating a song rather than a spell.
In way of criticism, although I did enjoy the ride, I would have liked a bit more worldbuilding - to learn about the different titles and roles, the Bastion, the characters' past (though we do learn about them a bit, especially during the second half). A bit more showing than telling wouldn't have been amiss. There was a lot going on and I didn't got to really immerse myself in this world, to get a good grip on it. It also works with the usual tropes - Chosen One, quest for an important treasure to stop the world being destroyed, good vs evil. Which is fine, and as terms of writing, this book is really good, but for me there was something missing, something that would make me say "Now, that's what makes it stand out!"
Overall, A Sea of Broken Glass is a book I highly recommend checking out as it has some neat ideas - music based magic!! - likeable characters and an epic chase. Just be warned that you might end up staying up until way too late while reading... Now, where is the sequel??
barb4ry1's review against another edition
3.0
3.5/5
As a fan of flintlock fantasy, I had high hopes for A Sea of Broken Glass. Its unattractive cover works against it, but well-written synopsis promises exciting things and I read for both escapism and excitement. Does it deliver?
Plot & Structure
I appreciate A Sea of Broken Glass’ clear and logic structure. Merissa LaRoche is a Healer who loves her vocation and helping others. Beyond that she’s the last Vessel - if Darkness doesn’t corrupt her, she can harness the power of Light. Happily very few people know about it. Unhappily, wrong ones discover it and first accuse her of Witchcraft (a crime punishable by death) and, when she escapes, force her and her companions to run from demons, the Bastion, and the Darkness.
Characters
Ris grew up in Greendale and was raised by her guardians Bran and Aeron (known as her Shield and Cloak). They taught her how to fight, pick locks and shoot pistols. Bran is like a second father to Ris, overprotective, mature, and loyal. Aeron has a past that haunts him. There’s also Michel who became Ris’ Sword less than an hour after meeting her. She’s that special.
I liked characters and their dynamics but I wasn’t able to emotionally engage with any of them. Not that they lack anything. Except, maybe, they’re too good and pure deep inside for my taste?
Point of view
We follow the story through four POV’s - Ris and her “guardians”. The chapters alternate between characters and the author handles multiple POV with gusto. Their arcs intertwine and complement each other. Through the first-person narration in Ris chapters, we get a very clear idea about her motivations, desires, and internal conflict. Her struggle feels convincing and credible.
The narration changes to third-person limited in chapters focused on her “guardians“. As a result, it’s more difficult to connect with them as strongly as with Ris. While each of them is interesting and has a story to share, I felt their POV weren’t distinct enough to make them stand apart.
Setting
The story takes place in a dark world where a fallen goddess unleashed a curse. The world-building could have been clearer to me in parts but it didn’t really bother me because I expect the lingering questions to be answered in future books. Ris will have to find a way to contain the Darkness and deal with the Bastion. Not to mention Plague and War. I see Big problems ahead of her.
Voice/tone
Light, I wish the characters could just say “fuck“ and use other dirty words when the situation requires it. I’m not too keen on fake swear words, especially not the ones as lame as Light. Sorry :)
Sea of Broken Glass never becomes too gloomy in tone. It doesn’t lose its sense of optimism. I had a feeling throughout that everything not only might, it surely would turn out all right in the end. I wasn’t entirely right, but I rarely felt the stakes were high (even though they were high).
Timing/pacing
The Sea of Broken Glass has a steady rhythm and finds a nice balance between action, introspection, and world-building. It never drags or focuses on unnecessary things. With (relatively) short chapters and focused narrative it effectively tells the story.
In closing
I liked it. It’s well written, well-edited, and smart. Because I couldn’t develop any meaningful emotional attachment to characters, I can’t rate it higher, but it’s just me. It’s well worth your time and money, especially if you need another dark flintlock fantasy fix.
As a fan of flintlock fantasy, I had high hopes for A Sea of Broken Glass. Its unattractive cover works against it, but well-written synopsis promises exciting things and I read for both escapism and excitement. Does it deliver?
Plot & Structure
I appreciate A Sea of Broken Glass’ clear and logic structure. Merissa LaRoche is a Healer who loves her vocation and helping others. Beyond that she’s the last Vessel - if Darkness doesn’t corrupt her, she can harness the power of Light. Happily very few people know about it. Unhappily, wrong ones discover it and first accuse her of Witchcraft (a crime punishable by death) and, when she escapes, force her and her companions to run from demons, the Bastion, and the Darkness.
Characters
Ris grew up in Greendale and was raised by her guardians Bran and Aeron (known as her Shield and Cloak). They taught her how to fight, pick locks and shoot pistols. Bran is like a second father to Ris, overprotective, mature, and loyal. Aeron has a past that haunts him. There’s also Michel who became Ris’ Sword less than an hour after meeting her. She’s that special.
I liked characters and their dynamics but I wasn’t able to emotionally engage with any of them. Not that they lack anything. Except, maybe, they’re too good and pure deep inside for my taste?
Point of view
We follow the story through four POV’s - Ris and her “guardians”. The chapters alternate between characters and the author handles multiple POV with gusto. Their arcs intertwine and complement each other. Through the first-person narration in Ris chapters, we get a very clear idea about her motivations, desires, and internal conflict. Her struggle feels convincing and credible.
The narration changes to third-person limited in chapters focused on her “guardians“. As a result, it’s more difficult to connect with them as strongly as with Ris. While each of them is interesting and has a story to share, I felt their POV weren’t distinct enough to make them stand apart.
Setting
The story takes place in a dark world where a fallen goddess unleashed a curse. The world-building could have been clearer to me in parts but it didn’t really bother me because I expect the lingering questions to be answered in future books. Ris will have to find a way to contain the Darkness and deal with the Bastion. Not to mention Plague and War. I see Big problems ahead of her.
Voice/tone
Light, I wish the characters could just say “fuck“ and use other dirty words when the situation requires it. I’m not too keen on fake swear words, especially not the ones as lame as Light. Sorry :)
Sea of Broken Glass never becomes too gloomy in tone. It doesn’t lose its sense of optimism. I had a feeling throughout that everything not only might, it surely would turn out all right in the end. I wasn’t entirely right, but I rarely felt the stakes were high (even though they were high).
Timing/pacing
The Sea of Broken Glass has a steady rhythm and finds a nice balance between action, introspection, and world-building. It never drags or focuses on unnecessary things. With (relatively) short chapters and focused narrative it effectively tells the story.
In closing
I liked it. It’s well written, well-edited, and smart. Because I couldn’t develop any meaningful emotional attachment to characters, I can’t rate it higher, but it’s just me. It’s well worth your time and money, especially if you need another dark flintlock fantasy fix.
filipmagnus's review against another edition
2.0
This review was originally published over at Booknest.eu for SPFBO 2019.
A Sea of Broken Glass is the first of three books I am to read for Booknest’s SPFBO finalist phase, the shortest among them, and handpicked by my friends over at RockStarLit Book Asylum. I was curious to read it. The author also employs a mixture of first-person and third-person points of view in her telling of the story, which I have always been fond of. The stream-of-consciousness of its main character, in particular, was very much to my liking.
A Sea of Broken Glass never quite fulfills the promise of its opening. Here is a healer on trial for witchcraft, innocent in fact but pronounced guilty through the machinations of an Inquisitor whose motives are unknown to us. This opening establishes the voice of the main character, Marissa or Ris, as she’s also known, in an engaging way; she is horrified and outraged in equal measure, and that struck a spark. Sadly, as the novel continued onwards, that spark went out for me. Above all else, I found myself incapable of connecting with the main characters at an emotional level; worse yet, the reactions of several of them in tight spots across the length of the novel came across as unbelievable. I simply could not buy into a lot of what was happening between Ris and her guardians, Aeron and Michel. All of them started off engaging enough but they lacked veracity too often throughout both dialogue and non-dialogue cues.
Sonya M. Black’s novel comes across as a pastiche of 80s sword’n’sorcery; its uncomplicated battle of good versus evil is straightforward and very familiar to every one of us fantasy nerds. The magic system leans heavily on music; the characters, all of whom have access to one set of magical skills or another, are empowered by the Light and weave their variety of magic into sounds and even songs. Interesting descriptions that weren't pushed nearly far enough to make the magic truly exceptional.
Manifestations of Darkness and Light as beings is always a fun concept to play around with, but the Darkness was never as threatening as the Inquisitor it possessed at the opening of A Sea. After a few scenes in the dream-world the characters call ‘Beyond,’ I found myself familiar with the blueprint of each encounter between the Darkness and one or another of the protagonists. This extends to other elements of the novel – I can’t, for the life of me, think of any one revelation which surprised me or brought something outside my expectations to Ris' story.
This isn’t a bad book but having reached its end, I already find myself blanking out on the events within its covers. A Sea of Broken Glass didn’t engage with me, though it certainly had elements I enjoyed – the elements of steampunk, the opening, the musicality of the magic. Booknest's SPFBO score for this one is a 5/10.
I wish Sonya the very best of luck – I’m sure A Sea of Broken Glass has its audience, and I regret that it wasn’t to my taste.
A Sea of Broken Glass is the first of three books I am to read for Booknest’s SPFBO finalist phase, the shortest among them, and handpicked by my friends over at RockStarLit Book Asylum. I was curious to read it. The author also employs a mixture of first-person and third-person points of view in her telling of the story, which I have always been fond of. The stream-of-consciousness of its main character, in particular, was very much to my liking.
A Sea of Broken Glass never quite fulfills the promise of its opening. Here is a healer on trial for witchcraft, innocent in fact but pronounced guilty through the machinations of an Inquisitor whose motives are unknown to us. This opening establishes the voice of the main character, Marissa or Ris, as she’s also known, in an engaging way; she is horrified and outraged in equal measure, and that struck a spark. Sadly, as the novel continued onwards, that spark went out for me. Above all else, I found myself incapable of connecting with the main characters at an emotional level; worse yet, the reactions of several of them in tight spots across the length of the novel came across as unbelievable. I simply could not buy into a lot of what was happening between Ris and her guardians, Aeron and Michel. All of them started off engaging enough but they lacked veracity too often throughout both dialogue and non-dialogue cues.
Sonya M. Black’s novel comes across as a pastiche of 80s sword’n’sorcery; its uncomplicated battle of good versus evil is straightforward and very familiar to every one of us fantasy nerds. The magic system leans heavily on music; the characters, all of whom have access to one set of magical skills or another, are empowered by the Light and weave their variety of magic into sounds and even songs. Interesting descriptions that weren't pushed nearly far enough to make the magic truly exceptional.
Manifestations of Darkness and Light as beings is always a fun concept to play around with, but the Darkness was never as threatening as the Inquisitor it possessed at the opening of A Sea. After a few scenes in the dream-world the characters call ‘Beyond,’ I found myself familiar with the blueprint of each encounter between the Darkness and one or another of the protagonists. This extends to other elements of the novel – I can’t, for the life of me, think of any one revelation which surprised me or brought something outside my expectations to Ris' story.
This isn’t a bad book but having reached its end, I already find myself blanking out on the events within its covers. A Sea of Broken Glass didn’t engage with me, though it certainly had elements I enjoyed – the elements of steampunk, the opening, the musicality of the magic. Booknest's SPFBO score for this one is a 5/10.
I wish Sonya the very best of luck – I’m sure A Sea of Broken Glass has its audience, and I regret that it wasn’t to my taste.
woahno's review against another edition
3.0
I came across this book while trying to find a book that would fit the r/fantasy bingo self-published hard mode square and merging it with the books that made it as SPFBO5 finalists. So a shout out to those communities for broadening my reading horizons once again.
What I liked.
This was a fast paced, action packed, fantasy quest adventure. It drops you right into the middle of an ongoing story. Honestly, it starts where the climax of another tale could have been ending and propels you forth from there. It doesn't really start out as your stand fantasy quest but it eventually melds into some of the familiar trappings of that kind of story. I thought the structure of the novel was interesting in this way, dropping you in and asking you to hold on as the plot takes off immediately.
I liked the plotting, the pacing, the magic system, and the main character. The magic system is particularly noteworthy as it blends some soft and hard magic system ideas together. It has a magical class system along with elemental aptitudes which leans more towards a hard system. However, it doesn't quite explain some of the details such as limits or costs to the user. There was also a neat way of describing the magic with musical sounds. How some elements or users sounded different and how it blended with other magic users helped me to understand how certain abilities or interactions worked. It added a level of depth to the story and characters that I found unique. I couldn't help but think that if this was ever adapted to other media (TV, Movie, video game) that the task of making this music magic system work would be difficult but impressive and satisfying.
What I did not like.
The side characters felt flat to me. You get point of views from them but they seemed stiff and one dimensional. Honestly, a lot of the paladins just felt the same to me. They shared a lot of character traits and without a bit of their backstories I would have thought they were like...fire mage 1, water mage 3, earth mage 2, just bodies to fill slots to get us to the ending.
I was also left wanting more. The sea of broken glass referenced in the title was barely described. I felt like there could have been a few repeated points here to help understand the magic or haunting of the place and more imagery given to fully flesh it out. Perhaps more backstory about it as well, just a page maybe to set the stage and bring a weight to the scenes there. It lacked depth and emotion for me when I thought it could have had both in spades.
To me, this book offered up a lot of potential but did not fully deliver on it. There are some good themes that I enjoyed, some fun fantasy elements that could play well into the characters and their interactions, a magic system that could offer a lot of fun but in the end it pulled punches in exchange for incredibly fast pacing. There were many moments of emotional gravity for the characters here but without some more build up, with out some more time to develop some of these plot lines and bring me in as a reader to empathize with them I only felt like a spectator instead of a participant.
Subsequently, while I liked this novel, I was left feeling disappointed. It was entertaining but I think it could have been more captivating if only it had stuck the landing on it's bigger moments. Instead it staggered a little and left me thinking it was more typical than it was distinct.
What I liked.
This was a fast paced, action packed, fantasy quest adventure. It drops you right into the middle of an ongoing story. Honestly, it starts where the climax of another tale could have been ending and propels you forth from there. It doesn't really start out as your stand fantasy quest but it eventually melds into some of the familiar trappings of that kind of story. I thought the structure of the novel was interesting in this way, dropping you in and asking you to hold on as the plot takes off immediately.
I liked the plotting, the pacing, the magic system, and the main character. The magic system is particularly noteworthy as it blends some soft and hard magic system ideas together. It has a magical class system along with elemental aptitudes which leans more towards a hard system. However, it doesn't quite explain some of the details such as limits or costs to the user. There was also a neat way of describing the magic with musical sounds. How some elements or users sounded different and how it blended with other magic users helped me to understand how certain abilities or interactions worked. It added a level of depth to the story and characters that I found unique. I couldn't help but think that if this was ever adapted to other media (TV, Movie, video game) that the task of making this music magic system work would be difficult but impressive and satisfying.
What I did not like.
The side characters felt flat to me. You get point of views from them but they seemed stiff and one dimensional. Honestly, a lot of the paladins just felt the same to me. They shared a lot of character traits and without a bit of their backstories I would have thought they were like...fire mage 1, water mage 3, earth mage 2, just bodies to fill slots to get us to the ending.
I was also left wanting more. The sea of broken glass referenced in the title was barely described. I felt like there could have been a few repeated points here to help understand the magic or haunting of the place and more imagery given to fully flesh it out. Perhaps more backstory about it as well, just a page maybe to set the stage and bring a weight to the scenes there. It lacked depth and emotion for me when I thought it could have had both in spades.
To me, this book offered up a lot of potential but did not fully deliver on it. There are some good themes that I enjoyed, some fun fantasy elements that could play well into the characters and their interactions, a magic system that could offer a lot of fun but in the end it pulled punches in exchange for incredibly fast pacing. There were many moments of emotional gravity for the characters here but without some more build up, with out some more time to develop some of these plot lines and bring me in as a reader to empathize with them I only felt like a spectator instead of a participant.
Subsequently, while I liked this novel, I was left feeling disappointed. It was entertaining but I think it could have been more captivating if only it had stuck the landing on it's bigger moments. Instead it staggered a little and left me thinking it was more typical than it was distinct.
its_justine's review against another edition
3.0
A Sea of Broken Glass by Sonya M. Black is a fun and brisk tale of the fragile battle between good an evil. It's a story that follows the misadventures of a young healer as she journeys to save the world from absolute destruction, but shadows plague her at every turn, threatening to tear out pieces of her true self along the way. An homage to classic fantasy, it promotes the idea that even when all seems lost to the darkness, hope and faith should never be abandoned. The first entry in her The Lady & The Darkness series, it's a solid foundation for an epic tale of fate, demons, and resolve.
The story is told through the eyes of four separate characters; Ris and her pack of ancient wardens. It begins by dropping readers right into the thick of things as Ris is accused of witchcraft and sentenced to death. Imprisoned and tortured by a sadistic Inquisitor, as well as Black assigning her the only first-person viewpoint, it was easy to quickly feel sympathy for her. Bran, her Shield, is portrayed with a hardened constitution, but also masks the pain of what he has endured. Aeron, her Cloak, a rogue with an easy smile, yet haunted by his past sins. Michel, her Sword, a master swordsman, but a lone wolf hesitant to get too close to anyone. Each chapter focuses on a specific character, allowing for small insights into the past, but their brevity and central focus more on the journey itself also prevents from making the strong emotional connections that I always hope for.
Let's talk about worldbuilding. I'm going to be honest here - I wanted more. I want to know more about the fall. I want to know more about the curse that fractured and blighted the land. I want to know more about the relationship between the Lady and the Darkness that sparked it all. There's a world defined by an implied rich history - give it to us! Brief dreams and visions build upon these elements, but they can be unclear at times. I'm hoping future installments offer answers to my lingering questions.
While I enjoyed my journey alongside Ris and Crew, there was one essential thing missing for me: tension. We're presented with the idea that the stakes are high - the fate of the world rests in Ris' hands - but I just never felt the severity of what was laid before me. The start of the story is strong with a perfect loathsome antagonist, but he's quickly removed from the equation and replaced by a threat made of shadows. The journey is quickly embarked on, mini-bosses quickly dispatched, an underlying conflict of betrayal hinted at, but not yet developed - things just felt a bit shallow for me at times. The ideas are there, the foundation is set, but I was waiting for that extra something to add the wow factor.
Well written and edited with very few errors between the covers, a straightforward plot, and a dark and gloomy tone with the light of hope shining in the distance, A Sea of Broken Glass left me needing to know what happens next. I found its mysterious magic system both beautiful and intelligent, using the law of opposites to both bring people together and tear them apart - a concept touched upon often throughout. There were some great moments that I hope to see built upon in the future, and I'm looking forward to the continuation of Ris' journey in From Bone and Ash.
The story is told through the eyes of four separate characters; Ris and her pack of ancient wardens. It begins by dropping readers right into the thick of things as Ris is accused of witchcraft and sentenced to death. Imprisoned and tortured by a sadistic Inquisitor, as well as Black assigning her the only first-person viewpoint, it was easy to quickly feel sympathy for her. Bran, her Shield, is portrayed with a hardened constitution, but also masks the pain of what he has endured. Aeron, her Cloak, a rogue with an easy smile, yet haunted by his past sins. Michel, her Sword, a master swordsman, but a lone wolf hesitant to get too close to anyone. Each chapter focuses on a specific character, allowing for small insights into the past, but their brevity and central focus more on the journey itself also prevents from making the strong emotional connections that I always hope for.
Let's talk about worldbuilding. I'm going to be honest here - I wanted more. I want to know more about the fall. I want to know more about the curse that fractured and blighted the land. I want to know more about the relationship between the Lady and the Darkness that sparked it all. There's a world defined by an implied rich history - give it to us! Brief dreams and visions build upon these elements, but they can be unclear at times. I'm hoping future installments offer answers to my lingering questions.
While I enjoyed my journey alongside Ris and Crew, there was one essential thing missing for me: tension. We're presented with the idea that the stakes are high - the fate of the world rests in Ris' hands - but I just never felt the severity of what was laid before me. The start of the story is strong with a perfect loathsome antagonist, but he's quickly removed from the equation and replaced by a threat made of shadows. The journey is quickly embarked on, mini-bosses quickly dispatched, an underlying conflict of betrayal hinted at, but not yet developed - things just felt a bit shallow for me at times. The ideas are there, the foundation is set, but I was waiting for that extra something to add the wow factor.
Well written and edited with very few errors between the covers, a straightforward plot, and a dark and gloomy tone with the light of hope shining in the distance, A Sea of Broken Glass left me needing to know what happens next. I found its mysterious magic system both beautiful and intelligent, using the law of opposites to both bring people together and tear them apart - a concept touched upon often throughout. There were some great moments that I hope to see built upon in the future, and I'm looking forward to the continuation of Ris' journey in From Bone and Ash.
nick_borrelli's review against another edition
4.0
A SEA OF BROKEN GLASS opens with the main character Ris barely escaping execution for practicing witchcraft at the hands of a corrupt and vile Inquisitor. Aided by two Paladins of Light named Bran and Michel, she is quickly secreted away by her protectors and transported to a place of safety, or so they believe.
Many are looking for Ris as she represents the last vessel of the Lady, the ancient savior and creator born from The Bastion of Light. The Lady needs Ris if she hopes to once again save the world and keep her vessel from being corrupted. But the Darkness also seeks Ris for its own gains and has deployed various agents in the hopes of capturing Ris and tainting her magic, thus controlling the world and plunging it into an age of despair and anguish.
Ris is saddled with the unenviable task of trying to free the Lady from the bonds of Darkness so that she may hopefully restore balance again to the world. But to do so she must first battle all likes of demons and evil minions who hunt her from one border of the continent to the next. Coupled with that is the realization that the taint of the darkness is spreading across the land bringing plague and war in its wake. It soon becomes a battle against time and powerful enemies for Ris and her fellow protectors of Light, where the fate of the world is anything but certain and the motivations of some of the main players are very much in question.
This book was a joy to read and I devoured it in just about a week even though it's just short of 400 pages in length. I simply loved the elements of witchcraft and the Victorian-esque setting that almost bordered on Steampunk at times. Reading it, I couldn't help but make comparisons to Mary Wells' Death of the Necromancer and Paula Volsky's The Grand Ellipse (Two favorites of mine), but this is also a book that has its own unique story to tell, and it's a very good one at that.
The chapters alternate viewpoints between four characters whose stories and actions move the plot forward in their own particular way. Although there are four viewpoints, it is obvious that the main character is Ris and she is the one that I felt the most connected to and invested in as a reader. Without giving away too much, let's just say that she is put through a lot of duress throughout the book and the strength of her character and force of will is really on full display. Likewise, the other viewpoint characters Bran, Michel, and Aeron were fleshed out very well and gave a depth to the story that I thought worked extremely well and enhanced the experience.
In closing, A SEA OF BROKEN GLASS was such a delight to read and I recommend it to anyone who likes their fantasy with a bit of Victorian flair, witchery, and a timeless light vs dark, good vs evil plot line. The characters and world-building really sucked me into this wonderful dark fantasy read. I look forward to the second book in Sonya M. Black's The Lady & The Darkness series with much anticipation!
Many are looking for Ris as she represents the last vessel of the Lady, the ancient savior and creator born from The Bastion of Light. The Lady needs Ris if she hopes to once again save the world and keep her vessel from being corrupted. But the Darkness also seeks Ris for its own gains and has deployed various agents in the hopes of capturing Ris and tainting her magic, thus controlling the world and plunging it into an age of despair and anguish.
Ris is saddled with the unenviable task of trying to free the Lady from the bonds of Darkness so that she may hopefully restore balance again to the world. But to do so she must first battle all likes of demons and evil minions who hunt her from one border of the continent to the next. Coupled with that is the realization that the taint of the darkness is spreading across the land bringing plague and war in its wake. It soon becomes a battle against time and powerful enemies for Ris and her fellow protectors of Light, where the fate of the world is anything but certain and the motivations of some of the main players are very much in question.
This book was a joy to read and I devoured it in just about a week even though it's just short of 400 pages in length. I simply loved the elements of witchcraft and the Victorian-esque setting that almost bordered on Steampunk at times. Reading it, I couldn't help but make comparisons to Mary Wells' Death of the Necromancer and Paula Volsky's The Grand Ellipse (Two favorites of mine), but this is also a book that has its own unique story to tell, and it's a very good one at that.
The chapters alternate viewpoints between four characters whose stories and actions move the plot forward in their own particular way. Although there are four viewpoints, it is obvious that the main character is Ris and she is the one that I felt the most connected to and invested in as a reader. Without giving away too much, let's just say that she is put through a lot of duress throughout the book and the strength of her character and force of will is really on full display. Likewise, the other viewpoint characters Bran, Michel, and Aeron were fleshed out very well and gave a depth to the story that I thought worked extremely well and enhanced the experience.
In closing, A SEA OF BROKEN GLASS was such a delight to read and I recommend it to anyone who likes their fantasy with a bit of Victorian flair, witchery, and a timeless light vs dark, good vs evil plot line. The characters and world-building really sucked me into this wonderful dark fantasy read. I look forward to the second book in Sonya M. Black's The Lady & The Darkness series with much anticipation!
kartiknarayanan's review against another edition
3.0
A Sea of Broken Glass has a fast pace and drops the reader right into the thick of things. There are shades of David Gemmell to it but, overall, I found it to be more like a script for the cutscenes in a video game than a proper book. I would really love to see to more pauses with some time for character building.
kittyg's review against another edition
2.0
*I read this as a judge for the #SPFBO*
I'm fairly sure I'll be a minority in my review of this title, but it just didn't work well for me from the start. The book opens with a witch trial of our main character Ris, which I thought was snappy and exciting and promised a lot. Ris' POV is first person and her story sounded interesting to me from the start, but I quickly realised that there was a very overbearing good Vs evil plotline here.
Ris is our main lady and her POV is first person and immediate. I think the author intends for the reader to connect with Ris as the other characters are third person, but I found it super jarring to change the POV so much chapter by chapter. The other characters of Bran and Michel all felt flat to me, and Ris was unfortunately a 'girl with a destiny' stereotype for me. I never felt a real sense of connection with any of the characters and I particularly struggled with Ris as the main one.
The magic and darkness of this world are in eternal competition and we know that Ris is heavily connected to everything. Some how she is integral to banishing the darkness from the world (a literal character called Darkness) and helping it stay stable. She's on a journey for a lot of the book with the other characters to find the heart...
I'd say the story is a bit of a slow one after the first scene. Personally I found it hard to connect and maybe that's why the chapters fell a bit flat for me at times and I didn't really have the emotional investment in the characters' stories. I would have liked to have more development on the characters and also more world building and plot. Basically, it hinted at a lot but I didn't feel that it truly achieved as much as I wanted from what seemed to be a witch-hunt at first. Maybe my expectations were way off, but I don't think this one had the power to change my mind about how I felt, and sadly by the end I was just pleased I had finished it and had no urge to keep going.
Overall, it's not a bad book but it didn't work for my reading tastes or style. I think there were good moments, but I didn't love the whole vibe and I found it hard to enjoy it and want to come back to it. 2.25* which is 4.5/10 for #SPFBO.
I'm fairly sure I'll be a minority in my review of this title, but it just didn't work well for me from the start. The book opens with a witch trial of our main character Ris, which I thought was snappy and exciting and promised a lot. Ris' POV is first person and her story sounded interesting to me from the start, but I quickly realised that there was a very overbearing good Vs evil plotline here.
Ris is our main lady and her POV is first person and immediate. I think the author intends for the reader to connect with Ris as the other characters are third person, but I found it super jarring to change the POV so much chapter by chapter. The other characters of Bran and Michel all felt flat to me, and Ris was unfortunately a 'girl with a destiny' stereotype for me. I never felt a real sense of connection with any of the characters and I particularly struggled with Ris as the main one.
The magic and darkness of this world are in eternal competition and we know that Ris is heavily connected to everything. Some how she is integral to banishing the darkness from the world (a literal character called Darkness) and helping it stay stable. She's on a journey for a lot of the book with the other characters to find the heart...
I'd say the story is a bit of a slow one after the first scene. Personally I found it hard to connect and maybe that's why the chapters fell a bit flat for me at times and I didn't really have the emotional investment in the characters' stories. I would have liked to have more development on the characters and also more world building and plot. Basically, it hinted at a lot but I didn't feel that it truly achieved as much as I wanted from what seemed to be a witch-hunt at first. Maybe my expectations were way off, but I don't think this one had the power to change my mind about how I felt, and sadly by the end I was just pleased I had finished it and had no urge to keep going.
Overall, it's not a bad book but it didn't work for my reading tastes or style. I think there were good moments, but I didn't love the whole vibe and I found it hard to enjoy it and want to come back to it. 2.25* which is 4.5/10 for #SPFBO.