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elliotism's review
adventurous
emotional
funny
hopeful
mysterious
relaxing
tense
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? It's complicated
3.75
This one really took me three whole weeks huh? Yeah Kieli isn't exactly an easy read. I think it has a lot to do with how it's structured and narratively built but also with my expectations going into this book. Generally I wasn't too aware of the contents but deep down I was hoping for some insane philosophical masterpiece going by some reviews I read as well as the previews for the chapters in the book itself (the color pages with the quotes) as well as the backside text. However Kieli is something else entirely and I don't think you should go into this with any expectations at all. Having said that, there's still quite a lot to say about Kieli. To be frank the story structure itself isn't anything crazy. It's more generic than anything and uses often seen narrative/plot devices to move the story forwards. And I guess that's what mostly bothered me for the first three chapters as they didn't convey anything overly interesting besides set up for later chapters. And even after reflecting and reviewing my feelings, I believe these first three chapters are just fine but they certainly hold a lot of value to the latter parts as they set up dynamics and plot points extremely well. I also believe they do a pretty good job of easing you into the pace and the really well done world of Kieli which feel like the most unique thing about this book. Going from there, chapter 4 was when I realized how cool Kieli could be, as it not only gave so much context to the characters told in an incredibly charming fashion, it also shed light on other sides of the world, raising our awareness that there's much more to come. Chapter 5 and chapter 6 were simply breathtaking and incredibly well written stories, each giving Kieli and Harvey much more time to show us who they truly are and lending supremely well done set up for upcoming volumes. I think if the upcoming volumes improve upon the rougher edges of this volume and use more time on the quieter and less generic moments that portray the incredibly atmospheric world of Kieli in a way that it absolutely needs to shown in, I can see myself thinking of this series as an underrated classic that should most certainly raise in popularity. That being said, Kieli volume 1 was a perfect entrance to a world that blends unique and often seen elements in awesome and unseen ways, setting up a story for the ages. Good book, definitely recommend if you're alright with stories that occasionally get very slow with their pace and of course for some steampunk goodness
djinnia's review
4.0
This was an interesting book with ghosts, undying, and a strange amalgamation of science fiction and religion.
Kieli is a girl who can see ghosts. She meets Harvey an Undying. He was created as a soldier by the Church to fight the war. Now they are being hunted and killed.
Kieli and Harvey's adventures begin with this book.
The writing at times is a bit stiff, but that's only from the tranlation. It has a great description of world and people without being too heavy.
Kieli is a girl who can see ghosts. She meets Harvey an Undying. He was created as a soldier by the Church to fight the war. Now they are being hunted and killed.
Kieli and Harvey's adventures begin with this book.
The writing at times is a bit stiff, but that's only from the tranlation. It has a great description of world and people without being too heavy.
misssusan's review
4.0
I'm going to enjoy this series. :) Kieli and Harvey are already giving me feelings what with the slow way trust built up between them and how Kieli questions the church and how she reacts to things in a way that makes sense for a girl who's been lonely and seeing ghosts for most of her life. The illustrations are really nice too. 4 stars
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