Reviews tagging 'Death'

The Ninth Rain by Jen Williams

9 reviews

moonlitreading_'s review against another edition

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adventurous funny hopeful relaxing tense slow-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

“There is, it seems to me, a certain type of man who is terrified of the idea of a woman wielding power, of any sort; the type of man who is willing to dress up his terror in any sort of trappings to legitimise it.”

The Ninth Rain is told in multiple POVs, both of main and minor characters. It mainly follows Tor, an Eboran who left his kingdom because he can’t bear to see his kinsmen die one by one because of the death of their tree-god. He is then employed by Lady Vincenza “Vintage” de Grazon, a forty-something scholar who is obsessed with researching the Jure’lia. The Jure’lia are these beings that attack the world and Eborans like Tor are the only ones who could fight them off. Tor and Vintage bump into Noon, a fell-witch who escaped the Winnowry. Together, the three of them discover things that could probably save the world or doom it.

The Ninth Rain was so good!!! Williams took her time with world-building so it was kind of slow but I enjoyed every bit of it. I’m almost always confused when starting a new fantasy book/series but that wasn’t the case here. The multiple POVs really helped with understanding how their world worked. One of the things I liked about this was that the Jure’lia were basically aliens and it’s very interesting that there were aliens in a fantasy book. There was a little romance in this book and I loved that it didn’t take the focus away from the story.

I really really recommend this book and I hope it one day gets the hype it deserves.

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kiwij96's review against another edition

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adventurous dark mysterious tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

A multiple POV with a brilliant cast of characters, unique magic system and an easy to understand world ans history.

Quite a slow start which took me a minute to get into, but that's true of most adult fantasy stories I get into (the world is already established and I need a minute to catch up while the lore trickles in). By about chapter 6-7, I was fully immersed and entralled. Was it a bit predictable at times? For sure yes, but not in a way that took anything away from the plot or the experience. Everything written in this book served a purpose and came full circle by the end. Nothing was waated or overexplained, everything was well-paced and well-written.

Bit gory at times, took a minute to get into, and times felt like it dragged a bit, but I can appreciate the way it was written: to establish the characters, their discoveries, relationships, and to allow the world to reveal itself to the reader whilst building up to the ending. Very much looking forward to reading the sequel.

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ingju's review against another edition

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adventurous dark mysterious 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? No

4.25

Starts slow but when it gets going you can't stop reading.

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eldane's review

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adventurous challenging dark funny mysterious tense slow-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

This was, perhaps, one of the strangest epic fantasies I've ever read! I was not expecting elf-vampire-warriors or an insectoid alien invasion OR a steampunk flair, but somehow The Ninth Rain managed to weave them all together beautifully. I loved all of the characters, especially Vintage, and found the mystery of the Jure'lia and Ebora wholly compelling. The pace is a little slow, but it's a 600 page book so it's not entirely surprising. That said, the pace does pick up quite quickly once you reach the last third or so, and I was SEATED the entire time. The action and descriptions are so unique and detailed, and the little journal entry-epigraphs added a nice touch of worldbuilding. I am really eager to see what happens in the next book.

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chaos_positive's review

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adventurous dark funny mysterious medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

5.0

very fun fantasy story with unique world building. if you ever wanted characters with the vibes of, a middle age unfazed Victorian woman researcher, a traumatized human torch, and a elf (kinda) who's whole race has (kinda) become vampires' out of "problems" with dying, this is a great place to find it. 

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kaziaroo's review against another edition

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adventurous dark emotional mysterious tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? No

5.0

Do you ever love a book so much you almost wonder if it was written for you? This had everything I've ever wanted from a book. I can't wait to read the sequel.

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ijustreallyliketrees's review

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adventurous dark mysterious medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

While I found it slow to start with I very quickly ended up completely invested. Will be getting book 2 asap.

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zoelri's review

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adventurous dark tense fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.5

Holy crap, this book was a journey. It is a slow start/build up, but it is amazing. The world building is phenomenal. I’m fairly new to fantasy books that are this complex, and I have to say I am highly impressed. This was a great intro for me. The last few chapters really have you on the edge of your seat. Lastly, I wanna say that this trio (Vintage, Noon, and Tor) are just great together. I am definitely interested to see where the rest of the series goes.

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teaful's review

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adventurous dark emotional mysterious tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.75


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