mychemicalseal's review against another edition
4.0
It took me a while to get into with the audiobook but I did really enjoy the world building.
kutterek's review against another edition
3.0
The magic system is super cool, especially because it comes at the cost of the caster’s own lifespan. Interesting story, but I felt like the exposition was too long and then the ending came too quick. That being said, I really liked the character interactions and the political strife and by the end I was obviously wanting more.
direton1's review against another edition
I struggled to connect with the characters, and I found the magic system confusing. I am unlikely to come back to finish this one.
asyaqub's review against another edition
1.0
Technically I read this whole book but I still have no idea what actually happened. Too much world-building and not enough plot makes for an extremely boring read.
vivianne's review against another edition
3.0
Spoiler free mini review.
This book was very much just an okay/average book for me. I feel like I never really got into it that well.
I do really love the magic system, which was the strong point of this book. I feel like that was so creative and well thought out. The world was also good. I especially liked the refusers element, angels and the beastlings. But I felt like more could have been added to make it more interesting. The story line was a bit underwhelming and I felt like there was just one main plot, that could have been made more interesting especially towards the end. I just missed some surprising twists. I also felt like the pacing was a little bit off.
I also liked the characters enough, but I felt like I wanted more from them. Especially from the four. In the beginning I was obsessed with Liliath I found her such an awesome villain; so determined, so strong, so mysterious. However towards the ending I felt like the focus was not so much on her and I feel like I wanted so much more from her as a character and villain. What I LOVED was that in this world the women had really high powerful places in society and that it wasn’t questioned, e.g. the cardinal and captain of the guard.The writing style was also just okay. I did like the multiple pov, but this also made it not as mysterious because you know what the good and the bad guys are doing.
I was most disappointed with the ending. I really felt like what was the point of this 536 page book, since it's a standalone. It just ended? No epilogue? Where do the characters end up? What will happen to the world? So unsatisfying.
This book was very much just an okay/average book for me. I feel like I never really got into it that well.
I do really love the magic system, which was the strong point of this book. I feel like that was so creative and well thought out. The world was also good. I especially liked the refusers element, angels and the beastlings. But I felt like more could have been added to make it more interesting. The story line was a bit underwhelming and I felt like there was just one main plot, that could have been made more interesting especially towards the end. I just missed some surprising twists. I also felt like the pacing was a little bit off.
I also liked the characters enough, but I felt like I wanted more from them. Especially from the four. In the beginning I was obsessed with Liliath I found her such an awesome villain; so determined, so strong, so mysterious. However towards the ending I felt like the focus was not so much on her and I feel like I wanted so much more from her as a character and villain. What I LOVED was that in this world the women had really high powerful places in society and that it wasn’t questioned, e.g. the cardinal and captain of the guard.The writing style was also just okay. I did like the multiple pov, but this also made it not as mysterious because you know what the good and the bad guys are doing.
I was most disappointed with the ending. I really felt like what was the point of this 536 page book, since it's a standalone. It just ended? No epilogue? Where do the characters end up? What will happen to the world? So unsatisfying.
nikkim167's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
1.25
I knew the second I saw this stand alone book had FOUR (?!?) EXTREMELY DETAILED MAPS that I was going to dislike this book.This book has more description of setting, people, and things than actual plot and I was just plain bored, which was sad cause the concept had the ability to be really interesting.
There were also just too many characters that they switch between before giving us a chance to get invested in any of them. I didn’t feel like was starting to really get connected to them until I had 100 nook pages left and even then not really because again the majority of the book was unimportant (to me at least) descriptions.
If you like lord of the rings (I only read the hobbit and hated it) this is probably the book for you.
paukinra's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death and Injury/Injury detail
drkappitan's review against another edition
adventurous
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
4.5
I tore through this so quickly that I'm tempted to give it an immediate second listen, although I think I'll wait and pick up a physical copy later instead (I wouldn't object to growing my collection of Garth Nix a bit more, after all). On first reflection, I quite enjoyed it, as I tend to do with Nix's work. It is possible, however, that the main characters are all a little one-note - I'll have to see how they hold up on the next read.
jeuvrard's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
medium-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? It's complicated
4.75
sammilynnebob's review against another edition
adventurous
hopeful
lighthearted
mysterious
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.25