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moonlitreading_'s review against another edition
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.
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.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Confinement, Death, Gore, Forced institutionalization, Blood, Fire/Fire injury, War, and Injury/Injury detail
kiwij96's review against another edition
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.
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.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror, Death, Gore, Self harm, Xenophobia, Blood, Death of parent, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, War, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Addiction, Animal death, Drug use, Genocide, Sexual content, Torture, and Religious bigotry
ingju's review against another edition
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.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Blood, and Fire/Fire injury
Moderate: Panic attacks/disorders and Violence
eldane's review
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.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror, Death, Violence, Blood, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, and War
Moderate: Animal death, Cursing, Drug use, Self harm, Sexual content, and Death of parent
chaos_positive's review
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.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror, Chronic illness, Confinement, Death, Self harm, Sexual content, Terminal illness, Violence, Forced institutionalization, Blood, Death of parent, Fire/Fire injury, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Genocide and Murder
uncreativeoops's review
adventurous
funny
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
This was so much fun! Like a classical high fantasy long epos I used to devour when I was younger, but with unusual worldbuilding (kinda post-apocalyptic, kinda pre-apocalyptic with different peoples that are a mix of your usual fantasy races) and characters that were kind of archetypical but at the same time a reinterpretation or subversion of their stereotypes. I especially loved Vintage (more older women as protagnists in fantasy please!!). At some moments character choices seemed heavily influenced by the fact that the author needed the character to be at a specific location just in time for a specific event so the plot could unfold as it was supposed to (which was noticeable because it didn't make much sense for the character to act like that), but it didn't took that much enjoyment from my reading. The writing was also great and I'm really excited for the sequel!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror, Confinement, Cursing, Violence, Forced institutionalization, Blood, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Drug use and Alcohol
Minor: Self harm
miraclesnow's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
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
Ahhhhhhh- what a relief. I’ve been wanting to read this series for years, and it did not disappoint.
The first thing to impress me was the worldbuilding. It takes a bit to get used to as it’s unique mix of elements can be hard to wrap your head around at first, once I gelled with it everything made a lot of sense. This story feels very well thought through and I can already see the framework of how intense it’s going to be in the other two books but not being able to predict everything that’ll happen.
The characters were spectacular as well. These are my type of characters I love, flawed, annoying, absolutely lovely and just full of life. At first I wasn’t sure if I would like them all but Jen truly bamboozled me and I fell for all of them. And now I’m invested in them 🥹
The romances were also well done for the varying amount of time each gets.
I think there is only more to get excited about for The Bitter Twins and I can’t wait to start it. Except now, I sleep.
The first thing to impress me was the worldbuilding. It takes a bit to get used to as it’s unique mix of elements can be hard to wrap your head around at first, once I gelled with it everything made a lot of sense. This story feels very well thought through and I can already see the framework of how intense it’s going to be in the other two books but not being able to predict everything that’ll happen.
The characters were spectacular as well. These are my type of characters I love, flawed, annoying, absolutely lovely and just full of life. At first I wasn’t sure if I would like them all but Jen truly bamboozled me and I fell for all of them. And now I’m invested in them 🥹
The romances were also well done for the varying amount of time each gets.
I think there is only more to get excited about for The Bitter Twins and I can’t wait to start it. Except now, I sleep.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror, Terminal illness, Fire/Fire injury, War, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Violence and Blood
Minor: Self harm and Alcohol
ijustreallyliketrees's review
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.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror and Death
Moderate: Sexual content and Torture
Minor: Child death and Blood
lolaslalaland's review
adventurous
dark
funny
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
5.0
This is a fantasy book like no other I have ever read. Without getting into too much detail, in this world there have been wars with an unknown enemy that appears from an unknown place and wages a destruction war. The only defenders are the Ebornas who live for hundreds, if not thousands of years, but in the last war their protective tree god died and now they have been reduced to consuming human blood which is slowly killing them.
In this story we follow three main characters, Vintage, a forty-ish year-old woman who is investigating the mysteries of their world: the monsters, the hidden history and an enemy that no one knows anything about. Tor, an Eboran who decided to leave his homeland to escape the sickness spreading among his people. And, Noon, a fell-witch. Together they go on adventures and learn more about this mysterious world and its long lost history. I absolutely loved Vintage and how she was this curious middle-aged woman acting almost as a babysitter to the youngsters, Tor had this gloomy sarcasm about him and Noon was just growing more and more into a badass and I loved everything about all of them. But what fascinated me the most was the world, the mix of such classic fantasy elements with alien/sci-fi stuff was not what I expected and I fell in love with all of it! I am eager to read Bitter Twins.
In this story we follow three main characters, Vintage, a forty-ish year-old woman who is investigating the mysteries of their world: the monsters, the hidden history and an enemy that no one knows anything about. Tor, an Eboran who decided to leave his homeland to escape the sickness spreading among his people. And, Noon, a fell-witch. Together they go on adventures and learn more about this mysterious world and its long lost history. I absolutely loved Vintage and how she was this curious middle-aged woman acting almost as a babysitter to the youngsters, Tor had this gloomy sarcasm about him and Noon was just growing more and more into a badass and I loved everything about all of them. But what fascinated me the most was the world, the mix of such classic fantasy elements with alien/sci-fi stuff was not what I expected and I fell in love with all of it! I am eager to read Bitter Twins.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Fire/Fire injury
Moderate: Slavery, Torture, Blood, and War
zoelri's review
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.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death and Violence
Moderate: Self harm, Sexual content, and Blood