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thebookwormsfeast's review
5.0
4.5 stars
I really enjoyed this book - but I would have liked a little more Phantom of the Opera-ness, hence the .5 of a star. It follows two women doing their best to survive in a kingdom ruled through terror - where magic is wrought through songs. I really liked the magic system, and the bits of intrigue peppered throughout. I'd loved to have dipped more into the supporting cast of characters, so if any other stories came from this world in the future I'd be very keen to delve back on in.
I really enjoyed this book - but I would have liked a little more Phantom of the Opera-ness, hence the .5 of a star. It follows two women doing their best to survive in a kingdom ruled through terror - where magic is wrought through songs. I really liked the magic system, and the bits of intrigue peppered throughout. I'd loved to have dipped more into the supporting cast of characters, so if any other stories came from this world in the future I'd be very keen to delve back on in.
anagram's review
4.0
3.5 stars, rounded up.
Let's get the obvious out of the way. Magic battles? Awesome. Magic battles that are also musicals? Even awesomer. As pretty much every other reviewer had mentioned, Ruinsong's magic system is a masterpiece. Defined and original, it adds a haunting and imaginative edge to the story. If I had to find a criticism, it would be that I'd have liked to see more of it.
As incredible as it seems, Julia Ember managed an incredible feat among fantasy authors: using first-person present tense in a way that didn't make me hate the characters. No one let out a breath she didn't know she was holding. No one looked in the mirror while giving a complete rundown of her features. The writing style adds to the story; I can't imagine it being told in any other way.
Also, not hating the characters doesn't cover it. Cadence is a complex masterpiece of a protagonist. The reader supports her even when she makes (arguably) bad choices, because it's easy to understand where she's coming from. Her internal narration of her conflicts was super interesting, and I loved her character arc. Not to quote Elene, but Cadence really did learn she was a mage and not a mouse.
Unfortunately, Remi fell a little short to me. Even with the plot point at the end, it didn't feel like she had to be there. Like there was no distinct reason for her to have a narration. Maybe it that her motivation seemed to fall short, or maybe she wasn't distinctive enough. Anyway. She was just kind of iffy for the entire book.
I did like the dynamic between Cadence and Remi, but it didn't really sell the whole "childhood best friends" thing. Also it was a little too much like instalove for my taste.
All in all, I'd definitely recommend Ruinsong to a friend. A short but very interesting read, don't be afraid to give this book a try!
Let's get the obvious out of the way. Magic battles? Awesome. Magic battles that are also musicals? Even awesomer. As pretty much every other reviewer had mentioned, Ruinsong's magic system is a masterpiece. Defined and original, it adds a haunting and imaginative edge to the story. If I had to find a criticism, it would be that I'd have liked to see more of it.
As incredible as it seems, Julia Ember managed an incredible feat among fantasy authors: using first-person present tense in a way that didn't make me hate the characters. No one let out a breath she didn't know she was holding. No one looked in the mirror while giving a complete rundown of her features. The writing style adds to the story; I can't imagine it being told in any other way.
Also, not hating the characters doesn't cover it. Cadence is a complex masterpiece of a protagonist. The reader supports her even when she makes (arguably) bad choices, because it's easy to understand where she's coming from. Her internal narration of her conflicts was super interesting, and I loved her character arc. Not to quote Elene, but Cadence really did learn she was a mage and not a mouse.
Unfortunately, Remi fell a little short to me. Even with the plot point at the end, it didn't feel like she had to be there. Like there was no distinct reason for her to have a narration. Maybe it that her motivation seemed to fall short, or maybe she wasn't distinctive enough. Anyway. She was just kind of iffy for the entire book.
I did like the dynamic between Cadence and Remi, but it didn't really sell the whole "childhood best friends" thing. Also it was a little too much like instalove for my taste.
All in all, I'd definitely recommend Ruinsong to a friend. A short but very interesting read, don't be afraid to give this book a try!
eggwiggle's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.5
I couldn't get past every single character being introduced as "black" or "white". An interesting premise but the writing not there to back it up.
onlytheimmature's review
adventurous
challenging
dark
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.75
belleden's review
inspiring
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
Wish there was a “How would you rate the pace of this book?” option that just said “weird”.
Edit: This was supposed to be a Phantom of the Opera retelling???
Edit: This was supposed to be a Phantom of the Opera retelling???
Content Warnings
Moderate: Animal death
ailishh's review
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
2.5
emmhardt's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
selkietoes's review
dark
emotional
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
While I did enjoy the overall story (Sapphic high fantasy inspired by Phantom of the Opera? Sign me up), it did have some flaws.
The pacing was a bit off where it felt a bit slow and then everything happened all at once very quickly. I think this could have been helped by being a duology.
I really enjoyed the musicality of everything and the music based magic system, I think a little more world building would have made things even better.
Overall, I think it's a solid book and I am going to add more from this author to my "to read" pile.
The pacing was a bit off where it felt a bit slow and then everything happened all at once very quickly. I think this could have been helped by being a duology.
I really enjoyed the musicality of everything and the music based magic system, I think a little more world building would have made things even better.
Overall, I think it's a solid book and I am going to add more from this author to my "to read" pile.