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pheltzer's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
mysterious
reflective
fast-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
4.25
wordsareworlds's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
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
5.0
nishana's review against another edition
slow-paced
3.0
interesting concept, but ultimately fell a bit flat. ahilya and iravan are definitely interesting characters, being a bit more mature than your typical fantasy protagonists and being over a decade into their marriage.
the story itself, unfortunately, felt like a whole lot of nothing going on. and whilst ahilya and iravan's marital conflicts were interesting initially, towards the end, i couldn't help but feel like i didn't really understand why they were drawn to each other and why they loved one another.
the story itself, unfortunately, felt like a whole lot of nothing going on. and whilst ahilya and iravan's marital conflicts were interesting initially, towards the end, i couldn't help but feel like i didn't really understand why they were drawn to each other and why they loved one another.
lemon_nadie's review
adventurous
reflective
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? It's complicated
3.0
essgee's review
adventurous
challenging
emotional
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
The premise was really good. The world building and magic system was really interesting (the magic system was, admittedly a bit overly complicated).
I did have one main issue with this book and that was just how much of the focus of the story was on the struggling marriage between the two mcs. I found myself getting bored with how much both the characters went on and on about the issues of their marriage. I felt more attention should have been paid to the overall story and world and fleshing out the other characters. The last quarter did pick up alot though and the story felt like it was getting started in earnest.
I did have one main issue with this book and that was just how much of the focus of the story was on the struggling marriage between the two mcs. I found myself getting bored with how much both the characters went on and on about the issues of their marriage. I felt more attention should have been paid to the overall story and world and fleshing out the other characters. The last quarter did pick up alot though and the story felt like it was getting started in earnest.
rebelbelle13's review
adventurous
challenging
emotional
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.25
The Surviving Sky is a beautiful, complicated, fantastical future world, mired down by marriage problems. That's unfortunately not a metaphor. The two main characters, Ahilya and Iravan, have been separated for months and are on the brink of divorce when the story opens. He is an architect; a human imbued with supernatural powers that can control plants and their growth, leading to floating cities above the destructive non-stop storms that have become the surface of the planet. She is an archaeologist and was not blessed with magical abilities. This is the basis of their anger, miscommunication and arguments. The narrative goes equally as deep into the history, magic system, and beliefs of the people as it does the relationship between the two main characters. We read from both of their perspectives; and while we can understand both of their stances, I was finding reading from Iravan's perspective to be a more pleasant reading experience.
This book drags in the middle, which probably would lead many to put the book down and walk away. The author also relies heavily on the reader learning about the world and the magic system through context, and that can be mentally draining at times. We hear multiple instances of the architects 'entering the moment' and 'creating mazes' but I still honestly have no idea what that means. I am still unsure about exactly what happened at the climax of the story. I have the gist of it, but not the specifics. It can be very frustrating plowing through a novel hoping the author will explain themselves, only to find out they never do.
It feels like Rao borrowed certain plot points from the Wheel of Time (people being reborn at a different age, being born with a power that comes from nature, having the ability to cut those off from the power and it being the worst thing ever, being connected to another person through the power, etc).
I really wish this was more about the magic system and the world rather than the dynamic between the two main characters. There was a time where I was considering putting this down and walking away because of it. If it instead was a slow burn romance, I think it would have been much more palatable to the average reader.
As it stands, I won't be continuing on in the series, and the ending of this novel is a perfect place to stop. It was well imagined and well written, but overly complicated at times and spent too many pages focusing on the wrong thing.
This book drags in the middle, which probably would lead many to put the book down and walk away. The author also relies heavily on the reader learning about the world and the magic system through context, and that can be mentally draining at times. We hear multiple instances of the architects 'entering the moment' and 'creating mazes' but I still honestly have no idea what that means. I am still unsure about exactly what happened at the climax of the story. I have the gist of it, but not the specifics. It can be very frustrating plowing through a novel hoping the author will explain themselves, only to find out they never do.
It feels like Rao borrowed certain plot points from the Wheel of Time (people being reborn at a different age, being born with a power that comes from nature, having the ability to cut those off from the power and it being the worst thing ever, being connected to another person through the power, etc).
I really wish this was more about the magic system and the world rather than the dynamic between the two main characters. There was a time where I was considering putting this down and walking away because of it. If it instead was a slow burn romance, I think it would have been much more palatable to the average reader.
As it stands, I won't be continuing on in the series, and the ending of this novel is a perfect place to stop. It was well imagined and well written, but overly complicated at times and spent too many pages focusing on the wrong thing.
brogancha's review
adventurous
challenging
emotional
hopeful
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.75
Content Warnings
Moderate: Murder
Minor: Vomit
megbellinger's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
medium-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? Yes
4.0
mathiasaurous's review
emotional
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? Yes
4.0