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jenpaul13's review against another edition
4.0
Vying for power and political advantage drive the actions of the families within In a Garden Burning Gold by Rory Powers.
To read this, and other book reviews, visit my website: http://makinggoodstories.wordpress.com/.
The Argyrosi twins, Rhea and Lexos, along with their two younger siblings, have been given power from their father to help rule over their country and keep their people in line with abilities to control the change of the seasons, the stars in sky, and the ebb of the tides, all of which have a role in harvests and trade opportunities. Along with this power comes a long life, near immortality, and for approximately a century the children have been shielding one another from their father’s anger in his ruthless pursuit to maintain their control. As rumors of a rebellion for independence grow stronger and their father’s rule appears to weaken, this causes concern for Lexos, who pleads with Rhea to defy their father’s guidance in selecting her next consort, whose life is taken in order to change the seasons, so that they can better protect their family. In doing so, and venturing to the north for the first time with the winter consort Michali, Rhea learns much more than she anticipated, setting in to motion events that may wind up bringing the federation of countries and their leaders crumbling down, along with fracturing the Argyrosi family, pitting the twins against one another.
With a premise that captivates as it melds familiar sociopolitical struggles with elements of the fantastic through powers and longevity of character lives, this narrative serves to establish the vital players whose actions and experiences will drive the story forward in subsequent installment(s); while not going in to this story thinking that there was going to be a continuation, it soon became clear that would be the case with the construction of the narrative’s pacing, as well as the kind of ending it provided. The writing clearly portrays the emotional strain of serving as a pawn to manipulate in someone else’s plans and is made particularly evident through the Argyrosi children, especially as this portion of the narrative comes to its close. The relationship dynamics between characters were fascinating to see develop – both those that grew and those that fractured. The world is vast and, though there’s only a relatively small portion of it that readers see, it’s relatively well-developed, offering a decent sense of how the world functions and the political structures that keep it running but greater exploration of these would be enlightening for a better understanding of the ambitious tale.
Overall, I’d give it a 3.5 out of 5 stars.
*I received a copy of this book from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
To read this, and other book reviews, visit my website: http://makinggoodstories.wordpress.com/.
The Argyrosi twins, Rhea and Lexos, along with their two younger siblings, have been given power from their father to help rule over their country and keep their people in line with abilities to control the change of the seasons, the stars in sky, and the ebb of the tides, all of which have a role in harvests and trade opportunities. Along with this power comes a long life, near immortality, and for approximately a century the children have been shielding one another from their father’s anger in his ruthless pursuit to maintain their control. As rumors of a rebellion for independence grow stronger and their father’s rule appears to weaken, this causes concern for Lexos, who pleads with Rhea to defy their father’s guidance in selecting her next consort, whose life is taken in order to change the seasons, so that they can better protect their family. In doing so, and venturing to the north for the first time with the winter consort Michali, Rhea learns much more than she anticipated, setting in to motion events that may wind up bringing the federation of countries and their leaders crumbling down, along with fracturing the Argyrosi family, pitting the twins against one another.
With a premise that captivates as it melds familiar sociopolitical struggles with elements of the fantastic through powers and longevity of character lives, this narrative serves to establish the vital players whose actions and experiences will drive the story forward in subsequent installment(s); while not going in to this story thinking that there was going to be a continuation, it soon became clear that would be the case with the construction of the narrative’s pacing, as well as the kind of ending it provided. The writing clearly portrays the emotional strain of serving as a pawn to manipulate in someone else’s plans and is made particularly evident through the Argyrosi children, especially as this portion of the narrative comes to its close. The relationship dynamics between characters were fascinating to see develop – both those that grew and those that fractured. The world is vast and, though there’s only a relatively small portion of it that readers see, it’s relatively well-developed, offering a decent sense of how the world functions and the political structures that keep it running but greater exploration of these would be enlightening for a better understanding of the ambitious tale.
Overall, I’d give it a 3.5 out of 5 stars.
*I received a copy of this book from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
lauramariewheeler's review against another edition
5.0
I really enjoyed the audiobook for this one. This book is an excellent set up for the other half of the duology, I almost wish I had waited until both were published to read this one because now the wait is hard.
alexus_curlz's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
It takes the entire book to make sense of anything, but sets up for a sequel well.
I’m not sure if the plot twists at the end work, or if I was glad for the book to be over so I could move on. I will be reading the 2nd but with little to no hope of things working out.
Because wtf did I just read.
I’m not sure if the plot twists at the end work, or if I was glad for the book to be over so I could move on. I will be reading the 2nd but with little to no hope of things working out.
Because wtf did I just read.
gazook's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
hopeful
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
unsinkablemolly's review against another edition
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
slow-paced
4.25
secretdearest's review against another edition
3.0
Writing clear, apart from the political parts
Interesting, but not engrossing.
⅓ through the book, it becomes very political
It was a bit boring, and even the twists did not save the rating
3.4/5
Interesting, but not engrossing.
⅓ through the book, it becomes very political
It was a bit boring, and even the twists did not save the rating
3.4/5
skylarklocker's review against another edition
literally just so bored and confused right off the bat. it’s a waste of my time to keep reading especially when all the reviews for book two are not good. absolutely nothing was explained and you’re kinda just thrown right in except it’s REAL complex so you can’t even kinda pick up on what is happening. not for me :/
kat_sanford's review against another edition
dark
emotional
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
bberndt47's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.75