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readundancies's review
adventurous
mysterious
relaxing
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
2.5
We must first talk about the quality of the hardcover of this novel because it is aces. The embossing on the front with the Angelus symbol, the binding itself, and the overall feel of the book as a whole is impressive.
Which means we begin with a solid start.
We then follow with a map. A map which is interesting in that the font is a bit superfluous in it’s nature and style. Other than that, there’s nothing terribly noteworthy about it, but I appreciate it’s inclusion. Not sure it complements the story however because of the way the story is paced. A lot of things like travel are glossed over or they off-page which makes the map feel a bit irrelevant.
And to be honest, that’s where things take a bit of a turn. Maybe more than just a bit.
The writing is not what I would consider strong. It’s serviceable I suppose, but there’s nothing really distinct about it and I found it left me wanting. Character relationships are just not fleshed out, but the foundations are there, they just don’t grow into anything of substance. That and the characters are nothing special, but again, I think that’s because of the writing.
The world-building suffers from the rather lacklustre writing; it’s a plot-driven novel but I wanted more exposition especially in it’s sci-if fantasy setting to really get a feel for the world and become immersed. That never happened.
It also feels very young in tone. I know it’s YA, and I tried to be unbiased when considering my rating because it is marketed as such but it just felt very juvenile which did not appeal to me. The world and the themes that were tackled never really went into any depth which is a bit of shame because I do think there’s a great story somewhere in this book, but it’s not quite there for me. Perhaps if it was middle grade it would be a better fit?
The plot itself is probably the strongest aspect of the novel, but the pacing is almost too fast to truly appreciate and there was this constant motion of things happening that it felt rushed. Like, all of the important bits were covered but not in any great detail and thus not in any sort of memorable way.
I think there’s definitely some interesting concepts, like the different peoples and cultures and the whole human evolution out in space essentially creating a different species of humans but I never really connected to it and nothing really stood out.
So unfortunately, this wasn’t a winner for me which I’m more than a little disappointed about because this was one of my more anticipated reads of 2021. I’m not interested in picking up the sequel and wouldn’t really recommend this to anyone unless you’re actually a part of the target demographic (on the younger side of YA) and want to dip your toes into sci-fi fantasy to try it out.
Which means we begin with a solid start.
We then follow with a map. A map which is interesting in that the font is a bit superfluous in it’s nature and style. Other than that, there’s nothing terribly noteworthy about it, but I appreciate it’s inclusion. Not sure it complements the story however because of the way the story is paced. A lot of things like travel are glossed over or they off-page which makes the map feel a bit irrelevant.
And to be honest, that’s where things take a bit of a turn. Maybe more than just a bit.
The writing is not what I would consider strong. It’s serviceable I suppose, but there’s nothing really distinct about it and I found it left me wanting. Character relationships are just not fleshed out, but the foundations are there, they just don’t grow into anything of substance. That and the characters are nothing special, but again, I think that’s because of the writing.
The world-building suffers from the rather lacklustre writing; it’s a plot-driven novel but I wanted more exposition especially in it’s sci-if fantasy setting to really get a feel for the world and become immersed. That never happened.
It also feels very young in tone. I know it’s YA, and I tried to be unbiased when considering my rating because it is marketed as such but it just felt very juvenile which did not appeal to me. The world and the themes that were tackled never really went into any depth which is a bit of shame because I do think there’s a great story somewhere in this book, but it’s not quite there for me. Perhaps if it was middle grade it would be a better fit?
The plot itself is probably the strongest aspect of the novel, but the pacing is almost too fast to truly appreciate and there was this constant motion of things happening that it felt rushed. Like, all of the important bits were covered but not in any great detail and thus not in any sort of memorable way.
I think there’s definitely some interesting concepts, like the different peoples and cultures and the whole human evolution out in space essentially creating a different species of humans but I never really connected to it and nothing really stood out.
So unfortunately, this wasn’t a winner for me which I’m more than a little disappointed about because this was one of my more anticipated reads of 2021. I’m not interested in picking up the sequel and wouldn’t really recommend this to anyone unless you’re actually a part of the target demographic (on the younger side of YA) and want to dip your toes into sci-fi fantasy to try it out.
ryan_dm's review
2.0
What a pretty cover!
What about the story?
What a pretty cover!!!
No, seriously. What about the story?
I abandoned it after reading 25%. There's only so much stupid and clunky writing I can tolerate, even from YA.
___________
___________
A collection of aggravating excerpts:
“Do you think they would have killed me?”Antiquity asked. The old woman squinted. “Maybe. The Dreadth family has always delighted in violence against others. And that Manson . . . he likes it more than most his age.”
_____________
Vestige darkened. “You are naive and foolish, Antiquity. I have seen what happens to those who challenge the Dreadths,”the old woman hissed, growing angry. “The men, gone. Buried in the mines. Women too. I have lives to keep safe beyond your own. If you do this, I will have to denounce you as a heretic, in public before the Elders. You often do the opposite of what I tell you. It will be the only way to keep the few of us left alive. There will come a time when your discovery will matter. For all of us. That time is not now. Not yet.”
_________
“Trust me. I am old and have seen much. I have a plan to deal with the Dreadths. Always.”
“What plan?”
“In time, you will come to know it and see as I do,” Vestige said. “In time.”
__________
New anger flooded through Antiquity. Vestige Angelus had used her sixteen-year-old granddaughter’s life to barter. For societal standing. Used her. One word echoed inside her. Betrayed. “The families of Dreadth and Angelus shall be wedded through the union of my son Manson and Antiquity,” Jackson Dreadth said.
___________
___________
Thanks to Netgalley for providing this ARC.
What about the story?
What a pretty cover!!!
No, seriously. What about the story?
I abandoned it after reading 25%. There's only so much stupid and clunky writing I can tolerate, even from YA.
___________
___________
A collection of aggravating excerpts:
“Do you think they would have killed me?”Antiquity asked. The old woman squinted. “Maybe. The Dreadth family has always delighted in violence against others. And that Manson . . . he likes it more than most his age.”
_____________
Vestige darkened. “You are naive and foolish, Antiquity. I have seen what happens to those who challenge the Dreadths,”the old woman hissed, growing angry. “The men, gone. Buried in the mines. Women too. I have lives to keep safe beyond your own. If you do this, I will have to denounce you as a heretic, in public before the Elders. You often do the opposite of what I tell you. It will be the only way to keep the few of us left alive. There will come a time when your discovery will matter. For all of us. That time is not now. Not yet.”
_________
“Trust me. I am old and have seen much. I have a plan to deal with the Dreadths. Always.”
“What plan?”
“In time, you will come to know it and see as I do,” Vestige said. “In time.”
__________
New anger flooded through Antiquity. Vestige Angelus had used her sixteen-year-old granddaughter’s life to barter. For societal standing. Used her. One word echoed inside her. Betrayed. “The families of Dreadth and Angelus shall be wedded through the union of my son Manson and Antiquity,” Jackson Dreadth said.
___________
___________
Thanks to Netgalley for providing this ARC.
beaubookish's review against another edition
3.0
I received this ebook for free to review.
The premise of this story was interesting. A conquered earth, titanium mechs and a deposed ruling family seem like the start to a great book. It did have those things going for it but I struggled to connect to the characters. Nothing about them felt particularly likable or hated. They did not elicit strong emotions though they clearly were meant to. Some of the dialogue was choppy to me.
I felt like we didn’t get enough of the history of this planet or the oppression of the people to really be able to get behind the main characters cause. I could never really feel the high stakes.
I will say that i never expected to cringe at the detailed destruction of a mech the way i would cringe at a particularly terrible death of a character. Also what a killer title!
The premise of this story was interesting. A conquered earth, titanium mechs and a deposed ruling family seem like the start to a great book. It did have those things going for it but I struggled to connect to the characters. Nothing about them felt particularly likable or hated. They did not elicit strong emotions though they clearly were meant to. Some of the dialogue was choppy to me.
I felt like we didn’t get enough of the history of this planet or the oppression of the people to really be able to get behind the main characters cause. I could never really feel the high stakes.
I will say that i never expected to cringe at the detailed destruction of a mech the way i would cringe at a particularly terrible death of a character. Also what a killer title!
belleanndthebook's review
adventurous
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.5
This book was unexpectedly refreshing! I think that in the beginning I thought it would be quite a generic sci-fi story, but I was pleasantly surprised by the depth of the world-building and of the story after the initial set-up chapters of the story.
My single complaint is that there are a lot of old, wise mentor-type characters that the protagonists encounter who info-dump and then give the protagonists a quest that they “must uncover on their own” rather saying things outright. I think if it happened only once, it would be forgivable; however, that was not the case.
I think that this is the type of story that many readers will just sit back and read for the enjoyment/escapism. However, I wanted to point out that there was also some explicit thematic commentary present in the story due the parallels to real-world politics in the Middle East. I have never read another SFF book inspired by modern day middle eastern politics, and I think that there are people who would enjoy the representation of those aspects in an SFF story.
All-in-all, this is a very approachable book in the tradition of Star Wars, and I would recommend to both YA and adult audiences!
I'll be keeping an eye out for subsequent books in the series, and I would like to thank NetGalley for giving me the arc in exchange for an honest review!
I'll be keeping an eye out for subsequent books in the series, and I would like to thank NetGalley for giving me the arc in exchange for an honest review!
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death
arabic and persian political tensionxalrynne's review
adventurous
lighthearted
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? No
2.5
This book starts out with a bang—I was invested from the very first page. Basically, the image on the amazing cover is what is described in the beginning of the book, so I could already put names and faces to the descriptions. Unfortunately, my interest waned as the story progressed, and I ended up not loving this book as much as I expected and hoped to.
One day, Antiquity Grey discovers the remains of a giant mech buried in the sand, what she believes is the last of its kind. She wants to unearth it and take it home in an attempt to recover her family’s reputation, but she is thwarted by Manson Dreadth, the son of the enemy family, who tries to claim the mech for himself. What ensues is a battle between enemies who may have to make an uneasy alliance to fight a grander off-world enemy trying to destroy the mech altogether.
When I discovered that this book features both futuristic technology AND dragons, I was so excited!! Two of my favorite things. This is a coming-of-age story with lots of adventure and big bot battles. Despite the descriptions, however, there were hardly any dragons in this book, which disappointed me. There were mentions of dragons, and they talk about going to the Dragonell Mountains a lot, but none actually made an appearance until over 70% into the story, and even then they were barely present.
This book features my least favorite trope, which is the coming-back-to-life trope. This book is kind of different because here there’s a hologram of a dead person, but it has that person’s memories and can communicate as if they were alive. So that kind of bugged me, and the fact that this holo-dead person is who gives Antiquity the quest that she spends the book working toward. And then of course the fate of the whole world rests on whether she can accomplish this quest or not. I don’t like when books (or movies) have the protagonist in charge of saving the whole world or the whole galaxy, etc. because that’s too unrealistic to ever be believable. I like when books have smaller stakes, but that’s just a personal preference for me.
Another issue I had was that Antiquity and her crew spend almost the whole book going on this adventure, and then in the span of a single page, they go back home. That’s just poor writing, in my opinion, and it kind of made the whole adventure feel pointless.
The dialogue between characters felt stilted and contrived to me, like people wouldn’t really talk like that, and the characters themselves were two-dimensional and needed more depth. I attribute those shortcomings to bad writing as well. I admit that I didn’t love the overall writing style in this book, and I think that was my biggest problem. I liked the story and the setting, but I don’t think it was put together well.
The pacing is kind of odd in this book. It feels slow-paced during each scene because the dialogue is slow, but then the book will jump between scenes quickly. Like all of a sudden the characters were in a new place and barely any time was spent getting from A to B, but then they will spend forever in that place, talking. It was kind of jarring and not super enjoyable for me.
I would have liked more explanation surrounding the technology, the government structure, the original purpose of the mechs, and the politics surrounding the Imperium and the Celestials and Erth. The setting itself was really neat, but there was not enough world-building done to really make any aspects of the story come to life for me.
From about the 50% mark to the end, I struggled to maintain focus on the story. I just wanted to be done. This book had so many components that I love in fantasy/sci-fi stories: a dystopian setting, futuristic technology, dragons, giant mechs, a mysterious quest, a female protagonist, enemies to friends trope, and so much more. But I didn’t entirely care for how it was executed. There wasn’t enough substance here, and the writing style wasn’t my favorite. If anyone knows of a book with similar elements but with in-depth descriptions and more sophisticated writing, let me know!
I don’t know if I’ll be continuing on with this series or not. This first book wrapped up nicely and I don’t feel super inclined to continue the story. If I can find audiobooks for future installments I might give it a go, but I can’t see myself reading more books with my eyes, based on how I struggled so much to get through the second half of the book. I do, however, think The Tempered Steel of Antiquity Grey would make a great tv show, and I would love to watch it if that ever happens.
One day, Antiquity Grey discovers the remains of a giant mech buried in the sand, what she believes is the last of its kind. She wants to unearth it and take it home in an attempt to recover her family’s reputation, but she is thwarted by Manson Dreadth, the son of the enemy family, who tries to claim the mech for himself. What ensues is a battle between enemies who may have to make an uneasy alliance to fight a grander off-world enemy trying to destroy the mech altogether.
When I discovered that this book features both futuristic technology AND dragons, I was so excited!! Two of my favorite things. This is a coming-of-age story with lots of adventure and big bot battles. Despite the descriptions, however, there were hardly any dragons in this book, which disappointed me. There were mentions of dragons, and they talk about going to the Dragonell Mountains a lot, but none actually made an appearance until over 70% into the story, and even then they were barely present.
This book features my least favorite trope, which is the coming-back-to-life trope. This book is kind of different because here there’s a hologram of a dead person, but it has that person’s memories and can communicate as if they were alive. So that kind of bugged me, and the fact that this holo-dead person is who gives Antiquity the quest that she spends the book working toward. And then of course the fate of the whole world rests on whether she can accomplish this quest or not. I don’t like when books (or movies) have the protagonist in charge of saving the whole world or the whole galaxy, etc. because that’s too unrealistic to ever be believable. I like when books have smaller stakes, but that’s just a personal preference for me.
Another issue I had was that Antiquity and her crew spend almost the whole book going on this adventure, and then in the span of a single page, they go back home. That’s just poor writing, in my opinion, and it kind of made the whole adventure feel pointless.
The dialogue between characters felt stilted and contrived to me, like people wouldn’t really talk like that, and the characters themselves were two-dimensional and needed more depth. I attribute those shortcomings to bad writing as well. I admit that I didn’t love the overall writing style in this book, and I think that was my biggest problem. I liked the story and the setting, but I don’t think it was put together well.
The pacing is kind of odd in this book. It feels slow-paced during each scene because the dialogue is slow, but then the book will jump between scenes quickly. Like all of a sudden the characters were in a new place and barely any time was spent getting from A to B, but then they will spend forever in that place, talking. It was kind of jarring and not super enjoyable for me.
I would have liked more explanation surrounding the technology, the government structure, the original purpose of the mechs, and the politics surrounding the Imperium and the Celestials and Erth. The setting itself was really neat, but there was not enough world-building done to really make any aspects of the story come to life for me.
From about the 50% mark to the end, I struggled to maintain focus on the story. I just wanted to be done. This book had so many components that I love in fantasy/sci-fi stories: a dystopian setting, futuristic technology, dragons, giant mechs, a mysterious quest, a female protagonist, enemies to friends trope, and so much more. But I didn’t entirely care for how it was executed. There wasn’t enough substance here, and the writing style wasn’t my favorite. If anyone knows of a book with similar elements but with in-depth descriptions and more sophisticated writing, let me know!
I don’t know if I’ll be continuing on with this series or not. This first book wrapped up nicely and I don’t feel super inclined to continue the story. If I can find audiobooks for future installments I might give it a go, but I can’t see myself reading more books with my eyes, based on how I struggled so much to get through the second half of the book. I do, however, think The Tempered Steel of Antiquity Grey would make a great tv show, and I would love to watch it if that ever happens.
spacearcheologist's review
2.0
I loved the first few chapters of this book however at about 20% in it started to stagnate and I really struggled to stay invested.
The story follows Antiquity who lives on a struggling planet and whose family line has been shamed and ostracised in her community. She comes upon an old Mech in the desert and everything starts to heat up from there. I thought I was going to love Antiquity as a character but I didn't, she just felt hollow most of the time and none of the characters really resonated at all.
The world-building was fantastic and I wish we had got to see more of the lore of Erth. It is action-packed but at the same time didn't feel it, the pacing didn't work for me.
This wasn't awful but it wasn't great either and I probably won't continue following the series.
Thanks to Netgalley for an ARC of this in exchange for an honest review.
The story follows Antiquity who lives on a struggling planet and whose family line has been shamed and ostracised in her community. She comes upon an old Mech in the desert and everything starts to heat up from there. I thought I was going to love Antiquity as a character but I didn't, she just felt hollow most of the time and none of the characters really resonated at all.
The world-building was fantastic and I wish we had got to see more of the lore of Erth. It is action-packed but at the same time didn't feel it, the pacing didn't work for me.
This wasn't awful but it wasn't great either and I probably won't continue following the series.
Thanks to Netgalley for an ARC of this in exchange for an honest review.
lostcanticles's review
adventurous
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
1.0
Sigh. I'll start by saying that the premise interested me and that this started quite strong, but unfortunately not for me. This was a blend of science fiction and fantasy, it reminded me somehow of Star Wars and Pacific Rim. I enjoyed the presence of the robots here (like BB8), and the world it was set in. To be honest, that's about it.
The characters were flat, they never did anything that wasn't unexpected of them. This book really lacked character development. The number of convenient events also irked me, I noticed when things were getting dire, a character would step in and be the one to get Antiquity and her friends to safety. The dialogue didn't do it for me either, talking in riddles is really not a subtle way to foreshadow.
I think this had a lot of potential, it's just that not a lot of things were actually explored here or elaborated on. This book lacked details in my opinion. Full review here: https://litandroses.tumblr.com/post/656968985021202432/arc-review-the-tempered-steel-of-antiquity-grey
Thanks to Edelweiss and the publisher for the arc!
The characters were flat, they never did anything that wasn't unexpected of them. This book really lacked character development. The number of convenient events also irked me, I noticed when things were getting dire, a character would step in and be the one to get Antiquity and her friends to safety. The dialogue didn't do it for me either, talking in riddles is really not a subtle way to foreshadow.
I think this had a lot of potential, it's just that not a lot of things were actually explored here or elaborated on. This book lacked details in my opinion. Full review here: https://litandroses.tumblr.com/post/656968985021202432/arc-review-the-tempered-steel-of-antiquity-grey
Thanks to Edelweiss and the publisher for the arc!
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