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wardenred's review against another edition
challenging
dark
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
People do not exist to serve their governments or their kings. Governments exist to serve the people.
This was a pretty epic read. I really enjoyed the worldbuilding with all of its different magic systems and the gradually unveiled secrets. Also, I found the overall concept of the story super interesting. There are lots of stories where overthrowing a king who's been harming the kingdom is the goal; here, it's an inciting incident. The story is about what happens after that one big change, and all the small changes that needs to be done, and the not-so-nice-and-shiny decisions that need to be made, and the payoff of the risks that had been taken, and all sorts of previously unknown information coming to light a little too late for contingency plans. I drew a lot of parallels with the real world events as I read, both from the faraway past and the recent history, and generally found this portrayal of a changing country compelling.
For the most part, I liked how the multiple POVs worked here, though sometimes I felt the need for some extra points of view. In particular, I'm sad that we never got into Ka-poel's head; I loved her so much. There were also times I wished the narration lingered more in a particular POV before the imminent switch to another one, or simply went deeper. That is mostly like a case of "it's not you, and me"; while objectively the characterization in general is pretty good here and the depth of character building is 100% appropriate for a more setting and plot focused story like this, subjectively I enjoy a slightly more character-driven approach.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Ableism, Death, Gun violence, Misogyny, Racism, Violence, War, and Injury/Injury detail
bookishwondergoth's review against another edition
The Powder Mage trilogy has been on my TBR for a long time and I was so so looking forward to reading it, that I bought the entire trilogy in one go, confident I'd blast through it for the following reasons:
1) The story is inspired by the French Revolution; 100% my bag
2) Brian McClellan is repeatedly recommended to fans of the grimdark genre, particularly Joe Abercrombie. Admittedly, I am very wary of comparisons to Joe Abercrombie because no one writes like Joe Abercrombie, but on this occasion I was ready to be convinced.
3) The cover is fantastic.
4) I'd heard only good things.
Well, I first tried to read this book back in October 2022 and didn't get very far. I felt myself going into a slump and stopped, thinking I was perhaps just a bit burned out. Then I picked it up again at the beginning of this month (March 2023) because I felt like I was in the mood again.
I was not in the mood. I still found myself feeling extremely bored, uninterested in what was happening, and overall just massively disappointed that this trilogy I'd convinced myself I was going to love just wasn't living up to my expectations. The writing is pedestrian, the characters flat, the plot uninteresting and often obscured by tedious action sequence after action sequence to the point I can't really remember what the hell is going on or why I'm supposed to care. What's more, the title of this story is 'Promise of Blood'. WHERE IS THE BLOOD? Considering the amount of action sequences, you'd think there'd be a bit more gore, a bit more violence, a bit more brutality, but there's nothing. The death scenes are off-screen (yes, even the deaths of the nobles and the monarchs that inspired this revolution) and the betrayals and backstabbings are completely predictable. I'm not uncomfortable, I'm not invested, I'm not repulsed, horrified, moved or disturbed. I'm just bored. SO BORED.
So I tried. I tried to read this book twice—really forced myself to try because I was so convinced I was going to love it—and the sad truth, I just don't. This isn't the book for me, let alone the trilogy. So I give up. I'm done.
And I'm so, so sad about it.
1) The story is inspired by the French Revolution; 100% my bag
2) Brian McClellan is repeatedly recommended to fans of the grimdark genre, particularly Joe Abercrombie. Admittedly, I am very wary of comparisons to Joe Abercrombie because no one writes like Joe Abercrombie, but on this occasion I was ready to be convinced.
3) The cover is fantastic.
4) I'd heard only good things.
Well, I first tried to read this book back in October 2022 and didn't get very far. I felt myself going into a slump and stopped, thinking I was perhaps just a bit burned out. Then I picked it up again at the beginning of this month (March 2023) because I felt like I was in the mood again.
I was not in the mood. I still found myself feeling extremely bored, uninterested in what was happening, and overall just massively disappointed that this trilogy I'd convinced myself I was going to love just wasn't living up to my expectations. The writing is pedestrian, the characters flat, the plot uninteresting and often obscured by tedious action sequence after action sequence to the point I can't really remember what the hell is going on or why I'm supposed to care. What's more, the title of this story is 'Promise of Blood'. WHERE IS THE BLOOD? Considering the amount of action sequences, you'd think there'd be a bit more gore, a bit more violence, a bit more brutality, but there's nothing. The death scenes are off-screen (yes, even the deaths of the nobles and the monarchs that inspired this revolution) and the betrayals and backstabbings are completely predictable. I'm not uncomfortable, I'm not invested, I'm not repulsed, horrified, moved or disturbed. I'm just bored. SO BORED.
So I tried. I tried to read this book twice—really forced myself to try because I was so convinced I was going to love it—and the sad truth, I just don't. This isn't the book for me, let alone the trilogy. So I give up. I'm done.
And I'm so, so sad about it.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Gun violence and War
Moderate: Animal death, Racial slurs, Violence, and Murder
Minor: Ableism, Torture, Alcohol, and Classism