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sarasreading's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-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
4.0
What a great, action packed read. Love the world building and all of the mysteries within the tower and the plot. Just a fascinating premise and a well thought out plot. Definitely more plot based than character based, which isn't normally my jam, but the plot makes up for it. In the beginning I also thought the characters were pretty flat, but they were more fleshed out as the story developed, which I appreciated.
I'm hoping for even more character development as the series continues. And I'm so excited to dive into the next one. I couldn't put this down. I listened to the audiobook, and I kept upping the speed, not because I was bored but because I had to know what was going to happen next. If I'd had a physical book I don't think I could have kept my eyes from darting to the bottoms of the page.
It was a bit brutal in places, but they were quick and even a wimp like me could take it. On to the next!
I'm hoping for even more character development as the series continues. And I'm so excited to dive into the next one. I couldn't put this down. I listened to the audiobook, and I kept upping the speed, not because I was bored but because I had to know what was going to happen next. If I'd had a physical book I don't think I could have kept my eyes from darting to the bottoms of the page.
It was a bit brutal in places, but they were quick and even a wimp like me could take it. On to the next!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Violence, and Classism
Moderate: Drug use, Slavery, and Trafficking
chalkletters's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
1.75
When I reviewed Red Seas Under Red Skies, I said that fantasy heist meets pirate adventure was tailor-made to my interests. Senlin Ascends proves that even when a book has one’s favourite elements, there’s no guarantee it will become a favourite. Senlin Ascends has an art heist!, piracy!, a group of misfits struggling against society! and yet I’m not at all sure I’ll ever read the next book in the series.
Senlin Ascends gets off to a bad start. The first two thirds of the book consist of Senlin’s episodic encounters with a world and a cast of characters that unrelentingly want to screw him over. The Tower of Babel was such a disappointing, chaotic place that I found myself wondering why I was supposed to want to read about it. To give full credit to Josiah Bancroft, that’s not entirely his fault: I made an early assumption about Senlin’s relationship with Marya which coloured his rescue mission as more cynically hopeless than intended.
Even an art heist wasn’t enough to get me on board, because although Senlin had to work with others to pull it off, there was no sense of connection to any of the characters. Tarrou gave the impression of being too superficial to ever be relied upon, and Senlin had left everyone else he’d encountered worse off than when he found them, which didn’t encourage much sympathy.
Fortunately, there was a turning point when almost everything I disliked about the book changed at once: Senlin took responsibility for the consequences of his actions, he started connecting with other characters who had stories of their own and I was finally able to hope that his quest might not be as doomed as I’d first assumed. The leaps of personality taken by Senlin came a little too quickly, but I was so relieved not to be miserable reading about this unpleasant place that I didn’t really mind.
The ending of Senlin Ascends is promising, which is a weird thing to say about the ending of a book. It left me torn about whether or not to continue the series; does the potential of a group of misfits attempting piracy on an airship outweigh the fact that I really didn’t enjoy most of the book? Fortunately, my TBR is long enough that I can put the decision off for several months….
Content Warnings
Moderate: Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Addiction, Death, Slavery, Violence, Kidnapping, and Medical trauma
lighterthaneyre's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
hopeful
reflective
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
So, you start this book and if you're like me, you'll be worried this is going to turn into a story about a Dude who has to get by with his Masculinity and Violence and Self Reliance- really Fight Club shit.
Let me assure you that doesn't happen.
The main character does have a very well defined journey of growth and discovery, but he never loses sight of caring for others, even as it's proved to be risky. The characters learn it is risky, but ultimately the only thing that matters.
The setting of the Tower is fucking buck wild- this book clearly had a lot of exposition to set it all up, but it's interesting and dynamic enough to be engaging. Sometimes the pacing gets a little bogged down, but in a way you can tell won't be as big of an issue in later books (I haven't read the followups here, but my friend who recommended this one says that's the case)
There's also a diverse cast that has a lot of women that feel like individuals, not props. I think I'd swear fealty to Iren, which is usually a good sign of a well written woman.
Let me assure you that doesn't happen.
The main character does have a very well defined journey of growth and discovery, but he never loses sight of caring for others, even as it's proved to be risky. The characters learn it is risky, but ultimately the only thing that matters.
The setting of the Tower is fucking buck wild- this book clearly had a lot of exposition to set it all up, but it's interesting and dynamic enough to be engaging. Sometimes the pacing gets a little bogged down, but in a way you can tell won't be as big of an issue in later books (I haven't read the followups here, but my friend who recommended this one says that's the case)
There's also a diverse cast that has a lot of women that feel like individuals, not props. I think I'd swear fealty to Iren, which is usually a good sign of a well written woman.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Violence
Minor: Drug use and Slavery
lores's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
hopeful
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
I really really enjoyed Senlin Ascends. The Tower of Babel is an incredible setting, as is well-advertised, and it functions both as a wonder, allegory, and a mystery. It drew me in most by the dynamic of the Tower, and this main setting was one of my favourite things about the book, but the cast in the background also fascinated me and I can't wait to read more about them. It is probably necessary to know that this is part of a series, and not everything will be wrapped up or finished, but the development of Senlin, Edith, Adam and made me so excited to see more.
Also - I will say that the flashbacks reveal that Senlin's wife was a previous student of his. While I have problems with positive modern depictions of such relationships, and this book presents it as a pretty neutral fact, I didn't feel like it disrupted my personal experience of the book and it felt appropriate in the context of the setting and characters so far, and may be explored as a dynamic in the future. However, if that's a hard line for you, this may not be the book for you.
Also - I will say that the flashbacks reveal that Senlin's wife was a previous student of his. While I have problems with positive modern depictions of such relationships, and this book presents it as a pretty neutral fact, I didn't feel like it disrupted my personal experience of the book and it felt appropriate in the context of the setting and characters so far, and may be explored as a dynamic in the future. However, if that's a hard line for you, this may not be the book for you.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Sexism, Violence, Trafficking, and Kidnapping
arinowasabi's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
reflective
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death, Violence, and Blood
Minor: Sexual harassment
unboxedjack's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Content Warnings
Minor: Drug abuse, Gun violence, Slavery, Violence, Trafficking, and Kidnapping