mdominiak3's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
osboma's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
nwill_reads's review against another edition
3.5
3.5 ⭐️
Firstly I would like to say that this is only the second fantasy book I have ever read, so my review is absolutely no reflection on the author or anything and is purely just my own personal experience.
I absolutely loved this read, all the characters were all loveable in their own ways, I was sad at the loss of one of them but I shan’t say whom. The storyline was really good and I loved the twists and turns and the descriptions the author gave etc. I’m intrigued to see where the series goes.
I did however find it a bit hard to read, again this might be because it’s only my second fantasy read and I’m not yet used to the style or it could be the authors writing style. Who knows, but it did mean that the book took me longer than another of its size and font style. I sometimes found that the shift from charachters pov’s took me a bit to catch up to where we were. Which, I did actually get slightly more used to toward the end of the book. But overall I throughout enjoyed the gutter prayer and will be reading the next in the series at some point.
Firstly I would like to say that this is only the second fantasy book I have ever read, so my review is absolutely no reflection on the author or anything and is purely just my own personal experience.
I absolutely loved this read, all the characters were all loveable in their own ways, I was sad at the loss of one of them but I shan’t say whom. The storyline was really good and I loved the twists and turns and the descriptions the author gave etc. I’m intrigued to see where the series goes.
I did however find it a bit hard to read, again this might be because it’s only my second fantasy read and I’m not yet used to the style or it could be the authors writing style. Who knows, but it did mean that the book took me longer than another of its size and font style. I sometimes found that the shift from charachters pov’s took me a bit to catch up to where we were. Which, I did actually get slightly more used to toward the end of the book. But overall I throughout enjoyed the gutter prayer and will be reading the next in the series at some point.
ben_gullam's review
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
2.5
little_red_dragon's review against another edition
3.0
“Now, we turn to the gods – not for guidance or protection, but as experimental subjects. Deities, demons and other supernatural entities can be considered as self-perpetuating structures in the elemental chaos. They might be naturally accreting structures, or perhaps they were unconsciously shaped over many generations by blind faith. These self-perpetuating structures can channel elemental energy through congruent souls – or, to put it another way, saints manifest the sacred blessings of the gods.”
With a thief's guild and a good sprinkling of fantasy mixed in, I was really hoping for a solid heist, maybe some pulse-pounding moments? Some really cool magic? Sadly, a lot of that was lacking in The Gutter Prayer--at least for the first 60% or so.
Don't get me wrong, there is definitely some great world building in the first part and the conclusion is absolutely impossible to put down. But it just took so long to get there that I hard a hard time pushing through. It's also quite dark, so you've been warned.
If lush world-building is something you love and you're willing to push through the first half of the book, I promise that the finale is worth it. But I needed a bit more in the beginning of the book to make this any higher than a 3-star read.
With a thief's guild and a good sprinkling of fantasy mixed in, I was really hoping for a solid heist, maybe some pulse-pounding moments? Some really cool magic? Sadly, a lot of that was lacking in The Gutter Prayer--at least for the first 60% or so.
Don't get me wrong, there is definitely some great world building in the first part and the conclusion is absolutely impossible to put down. But it just took so long to get there that I hard a hard time pushing through. It's also quite dark, so you've been warned.
If lush world-building is something you love and you're willing to push through the first half of the book, I promise that the finale is worth it. But I needed a bit more in the beginning of the book to make this any higher than a 3-star read.
altlovesbooks's review against another edition
3.0
This book had me in the very beginning, lost me in the middle, and then found me again near the end. The writing was very dark and engaging, but for some reason all the middle banter and groups of main characters splitting off, reforming differently, and splitting off again was a little hard to get used to. I also feel like this book suffers from having too many main characters doing too many important things at once. Everyone has some divine importance, and when everybody does, it sort of loses its impact. I'll still likely read the second book, all that said. There was something fun about it that I liked a lot.
sleepycharlene's review against another edition
4.0
3.75 stars★★★★
☞ Trigger warnings: **contains spoilers**
Spoiler
ableism, blood & gore depictions, body horror, body shaming, body modifications, burns, building collapse, chemical warfare, classism, cults, captivity & confinement, death, dead bodies, drugging, death of a parent, disappearance of a loved one, drowning, depersonalisation, dissociation, earthquakes, estrangement, exile, explosions, eyeball trauma, fire, gentrification, grief & loss depictions, gun violence, hanging, home invasion, homelessness, hostage situation, imprisonment & incarceration, intrusive thoughts, knife violence & stabbing, loss of autonomy, medical experimentation, mind control & possession, murder & attempted murder, needles & syringes, nightmares, physical assault, physical injuries, parental abuse & neglect, panic attack, poverty themes, religious persecution, riots, poisoning, shipwreck, indentured servitude, loss of limb, torture, war themes & military violenceThe hype surrounding this book a few years ago made me excited to pick it up. The sequel has come out but I haven't heard a peep. Knowing what I know now, I am not picking up the sequel. Personally I am pretending this is a stand alone and that makes me feel better.
This is a story about three thieves. Rat the Ghoul, Cari the runaway and Spar the Stone Man. This story starts with a heist. Me, I love a heist. This heist goes wrong, fast. Cari is injured, Stone Man tries to save her but they are both captured.
I am not as versed in grimdark fantasy but I had an expectation of amazing worldbuilding with amazing characters. This book as such a unique world, with a distant Godswar that affects this neutral city. The worldbuilding felt like the main character. It was incredible and intricate but felt like the main focus. I was more interested in what was happening with the three thieves, as they all became 'more'. The author seemed aware of the fact that he wanted to focus on worldbuilding in the author interview at the end, with character writing being hard for him. I can feel it when Cari mainly operates on one emotion, and doesn't learn from her rash decisions. She says she does better when she doesn't plan but I see no evidence to the contrary. Rat is pushed to the back burner as a side character which is a shame as I was intrigued by his relationship with the surface and his connection to the elders. Spar was primed to be the most heartwarming of characters and then the author did him so dirty.
Cari's cousin was the most annoying character and makes my list of characters that I hate. Her self-absorption makes my blood boil and her character has little development, just trauma responses.
Overall, this was an exciting grim dark fantasy with a heavy use of religion that was new and creative. I wish it was a standalone with a definitive ending. I wanted a better ending for the characters and the next book doesn't focus on Cari or Spar but Cari's annoying cousin. Pass.
☁︎ Would I recommend this book?
Maybe, if you like grim dark fantasy and are more interested in worldbuilding and plot than characters
☁︎ Will I re-read this book?
I don't think so. It was a good book but I have no need to revisit the world.
☁︎ Will I read the rest of the series?
Again. I'm not compelled to continue as the series focuses on different characters. Also what they did to Spar makes me mad.
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kitvaria_sarene's review against another edition
5.0
I really, really loved this one!
It is a really wild mix of ideas and themes - and while a lot of books get bogged down if they try to do to much - this one soared! It has so many things... Ghouls, Stone Men, some sort of Worm People, magic, alchemy, gods, saints and quite a few more things. The world worked perfectly for me and I enjoyed every second of exploring it. The characters also felt like actual people not like predictable cardboard cutouts.
There's a mystery to be solved, but whenever we learn something we also find three new puzzles! It never got boring and I can't wait for a sequel so I can go back and spend some more time with the characters (those that made it...) and explore even more of the world!
It is a really wild mix of ideas and themes - and while a lot of books get bogged down if they try to do to much - this one soared! It has so many things... Ghouls, Stone Men, some sort of Worm People, magic, alchemy, gods, saints and quite a few more things. The world worked perfectly for me and I enjoyed every second of exploring it. The characters also felt like actual people not like predictable cardboard cutouts.
There's a mystery to be solved, but whenever we learn something we also find three new puzzles! It never got boring and I can't wait for a sequel so I can go back and spend some more time with the characters (those that made it...) and explore even more of the world!
yorkshirepud's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.25
The Gutter Prayer offers immense world building and a heavy plot that, for me, carried the book. So if you are into books where you are immersed from the offset into a world full of interesting candle creatures, stone men and ghouls, this book is perfect. I loved that the creatures and plagues were relatively unseen in fantasy books, unlike elves and vampires and sirens. It was refreshing, however...
I found that the characters, especially for the first part of the book, were very two dimensional. It was obvious that each of the main trio were coded to a certain stereotype and I felt that it took a long portion of the book for the characters to get fleshed out. This could have been that the main trio were going through similar plot lines, but the main characters just felt like the saying "same character, different font". There were even chapters written from Rat's POV where it mistakenly referenced Rat as Spar. I've read a few other reviews saying they loved Aleena and I feel the same but that's because she had a distinct voice. She was relatable and a breath of fresh air in the book. I even found myself preferring Eladora because at least she got a character arc and acted consistently. But Aleena definitely carried the characters aspect of the book for me which is a shame and I really hope that the next book explores characters a bit more.
I had high hopes for this book and am glad that the plot made up for the lack of character development in my opinion. The ending was a little rushed so am looking forward to see how it affects everything in the sequel 🤞🤞
I found that the characters, especially for the first part of the book, were very two dimensional. It was obvious that each of the main trio were coded to a certain stereotype and I felt that it took a long portion of the book for the characters to get fleshed out. This could have been that the main trio were going through similar plot lines, but the main characters just felt like the saying "same character, different font". There were even chapters written from Rat's POV where it mistakenly referenced Rat as Spar. I've read a few other reviews saying they loved Aleena and I feel the same but that's because she had a distinct voice. She was relatable and a breath of fresh air in the book. I even found myself preferring Eladora because at least she got a character arc and acted consistently. But Aleena definitely carried the characters aspect of the book for me which is a shame and I really hope that the next book explores characters a bit more.
I had high hopes for this book and am glad that the plot made up for the lack of character development in my opinion. The ending was a little rushed so am looking forward to see how it affects everything in the sequel 🤞🤞
Content Warnings
Graphic: Cannibalism, Gore, Blood, Death, and Fire/Fire injury