Scan barcode
zackargyle's review
adventurous
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
5.0
If you love interesting magic systems woven into epic fantasy, Banebringer will not disappoint. Carol A. Park has a dark imagination and a story to tell.
When I first heard about this book, it sounded like all of the things I love, especially with comments about it feelings very Sanderson-esque. The magic system is exactly that. Banebringers are Carol's version of Allomancers, each breed wielding their own form of magic while being alike in the aether that runs through their blood. When a banebringer dies, it tears an interdimensional rift that releases a bloodbane, demonic creatures with intent to kill. Even the names of the banebringers have a very Sanderson vibe: Moonblood, Sunblood, Bindblood, Beastblood, Weaveblood, Fireblood, Iceblood, Lightblood, Darkblood, Charmblood.
(slight detour; if you don't like blood, don't read this. If you didn't notice from the banebringer types, it is expanded in the bloodbane types: bloodwolves, bloodhawks, bloodcrabs, bloodsprites, bloodgiants, bloodspiders, bloodbats, bloodrats. They also use magic-enhanced microscopes to look at blood, and they do a lot of pricking of their fingers and arms.)
Anyway, beside the cool, well thought out magic system, the plot is strong as well. I do think it could have been a slightly shorter book if it were tightened up (it's nearly 600 pages), but overall, the pace moves along nicely.
Alright, let's talk about the reasons this isn't five stars for me (4.5).
First is the main character Vaughn, who is too horny for my personal tastes. That said, my resentment of that led to a satisfying conclusion in the end. Sweetblade/Ivana, was a much more interesting character. She was haunted by her past, decisive in her worldview, and held firm throughout the story.
The second is the ending, which can make or break a book. I would give the ending 4 stars with a few spoilery comments. (view spoiler) But that is all opinion, and, overall, I felt like the ending was a satisfying conclusion to the story while leaving it open for more.
So, there you have it! A great story with an awesome magic system and plenty of strong worldbuilding. I definitely look forward to reading more from Park in the future.
When I first heard about this book, it sounded like all of the things I love, especially with comments about it feelings very Sanderson-esque. The magic system is exactly that. Banebringers are Carol's version of Allomancers, each breed wielding their own form of magic while being alike in the aether that runs through their blood. When a banebringer dies, it tears an interdimensional rift that releases a bloodbane, demonic creatures with intent to kill. Even the names of the banebringers have a very Sanderson vibe: Moonblood, Sunblood, Bindblood, Beastblood, Weaveblood, Fireblood, Iceblood, Lightblood, Darkblood, Charmblood.
(slight detour; if you don't like blood, don't read this. If you didn't notice from the banebringer types, it is expanded in the bloodbane types: bloodwolves, bloodhawks, bloodcrabs, bloodsprites, bloodgiants, bloodspiders, bloodbats, bloodrats. They also use magic-enhanced microscopes to look at blood, and they do a lot of pricking of their fingers and arms.)
Anyway, beside the cool, well thought out magic system, the plot is strong as well. I do think it could have been a slightly shorter book if it were tightened up (it's nearly 600 pages), but overall, the pace moves along nicely.
Alright, let's talk about the reasons this isn't five stars for me (4.5).
First is the main character Vaughn, who is too horny for my personal tastes. That said, my resentment of that led to a satisfying conclusion in the end. Sweetblade/Ivana, was a much more interesting character. She was haunted by her past, decisive in her worldview, and held firm throughout the story.
The second is the ending, which can make or break a book. I would give the ending 4 stars with a few spoilery comments. (view spoiler) But that is all opinion, and, overall, I felt like the ending was a satisfying conclusion to the story while leaving it open for more.
So, there you have it! A great story with an awesome magic system and plenty of strong worldbuilding. I definitely look forward to reading more from Park in the future.
cpark2005's review
5.0
Banebringer kept me up at night. Sometimes because I couldn't keep from turning the page. Sometimes because my mind was racing with the possibilities for the next step in the plot. Mostly because the characters here grab you and refuse to let go. Books rarely make me blink away tears, but there were at least three times I was shedding tears during Banebringer. It's not cheap emotion either, it's subtle and well laid out. Perhaps the best way to say it is that the emotional payoff at various points is utterly satisfying. It's a book that grabs you, holds you, and then releases you in an extremely satisfying way.
MINOR SPOILERS BELOW THIS POINT
My favorite character is Vaughn. His character arc is gripping and fascinating and yet brilliantly subtle. He realizes things about himself, about his treatment of others, and ultimately about what his character (or lack-thereof) has cost him. Somehow Park manages all of this with seeming preachy at any point. Add to all this a very interesting "hard magic" system, and it makes for an engrossing read. I can't wait to see where Vaughn's journey goes in the future.
This isn't to say that Ivana is boring. Quite the opposite. Her own journey is perhaps the more emotional of the two. There is one scene near the end of the book that makes me cry every time I read it because it is so real, and honest, and cathartic. I find Kaladin, in Brandon Sanderson's Stormlight Archive books, to be incredibly relatable. Ivana is relatable in an entirely different way, but to the same depth as Kaladin. She may wear a mask and build walls to cover it, but she feels deeply and that feeling--or, at the beginning, lack of feeling--is woven as a brilliant driving force in the story being told here.
I think at its heart Banebringer is more of a character story than we often find in Fantasy at present. It scratches an itch I didn't quite know I had. I can't recommend it highly enough.
FULL DISCLOSURE: I was an alpha/beta reader for this book and I am related to the author.
MINOR SPOILERS BELOW THIS POINT
My favorite character is Vaughn. His character arc is gripping and fascinating and yet brilliantly subtle. He realizes things about himself, about his treatment of others, and ultimately about what his character (or lack-thereof) has cost him. Somehow Park manages all of this with seeming preachy at any point. Add to all this a very interesting "hard magic" system, and it makes for an engrossing read. I can't wait to see where Vaughn's journey goes in the future.
This isn't to say that Ivana is boring. Quite the opposite. Her own journey is perhaps the more emotional of the two. There is one scene near the end of the book that makes me cry every time I read it because it is so real, and honest, and cathartic. I find Kaladin, in Brandon Sanderson's Stormlight Archive books, to be incredibly relatable. Ivana is relatable in an entirely different way, but to the same depth as Kaladin. She may wear a mask and build walls to cover it, but she feels deeply and that feeling--or, at the beginning, lack of feeling--is woven as a brilliant driving force in the story being told here.
I think at its heart Banebringer is more of a character story than we often find in Fantasy at present. It scratches an itch I didn't quite know I had. I can't recommend it highly enough.
FULL DISCLOSURE: I was an alpha/beta reader for this book and I am related to the author.
More...