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josiah17's review against another edition
- 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
4.5
"A knife is not malicious merely because it is sharp, and a plot is not evil merely because it is effective. All depends on the wielder. The grace of kings is not the same as the morals governing individuals."
"Safety is an illusion, as is faith without temptation. We're imperfect, unlike the gods, but in that imperfection we may yet make them jealous."
The worldbuilding in this is quite exceptional too. The fantastical elements feel innovative with these gas-powered airships, the meddling and argumentative gods of Dara, and of course the cruben which are essentially giant narwhals who are even ridden by the natives of the island Tan Adü. How can you not be swept away by a world like this!? The Asian-inspired elements are certainly there too, and provide a great atmosphere for the whole narrative landscape.
"The Four Placid Seas are as wide as the years are long.
A wild goose flies over a pond, leaving behind a voice in the wind.
A man passes through this world, leaving behind a name."
Going back to the play-like drama writing style, it makes the pacing almost snappy quick a lot of the time, at least in my opinion, which I found nice even considering how absolutely massive the scope and timeline is for this story. It's a very ambitious novel. And I can understand one of the main criticisms of of this book being that it can feel disjointed because of that. It often jumps from place to place, character to character, especially early on. It also jumps ahead months in time in mere sentence with a summarization of events that have occured. The way character background stories are inserted can also add to that potential disjointment. I think all of this comes from Ken Liu being only a short story writer before this book. It is his debut. But for me, I did not feel like this book was too disconnected besides a bit in the very beginning. But nothing more than the normal adjustment period when diving into a new large sff series.
"Who says it praises only the chrysanthemum? Does the dandelion not bloom in the same hue, my brother?"
All in all, I thought The Grace of Kings was a wonderful book. Especially for a debut. It's unique, captivating, philosophical, tragic, and thrilling. Plus I just loved reading out of the broken binding midnight edition set I've purchased. Can't wait to start The Wall of Storms because I hear it only improves in all aspects going forward!
"You swept through the world in a tempest of gold. My brother, there will never be another like you in these Islands."
Graphic: Violence and War
Moderate: Sexual content and Suicide
ashthigs7's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
Graphic: Animal death, Death, Suicide, Blood, Death of parent, Murder, War, and Injury/Injury detail
chrisb913's review
- 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
4.5
There were two major cons for me though. One was the rampant misogyny throughout. The "villains" were open about it but even the heroes had it shine through from time to time either in actions or inner monologuing. Also, around the 55%-75% mark the story feels like it comes to a screeching halt to slog through some muck. It does pick up and ends on a high note.
Graphic: Death, Violence, and War
Moderate: Misogyny, Sexism, Suicide, and Murder
Minor: Animal death, Rape, and Sexual assault
chasinggrace's review
- 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? It's complicated
3.0
The culture that the author creates is masterful and the world is lush. If you take the time to understand the intricacies of this land and its people, you’ll be transported.
However, it’s clear that this book is to be seen as a tool for world-building. While the pacing isn’t bad, the middle of the novel is bogged down with details - names, battles, animals, locations, places, gods, etc - that slow down the plot. I found this book difficult to want to pick up at times, because it isn’t something to be consumed lightly. There is a need to constantly remind myself of who is who, where everyone is, which god rules which state, what city is where, etc. Many characters are introduced just to be killed, but such is the matter of war.
Overall, I’m interested to see where this story goes, but I hope the next books are more intriguing than a war & peace play-by-play. I hope to feel more attached to the characters, hopefully through more intricate relationships. This was a slow-burn labor of love to read.
Favorite characters I hope to see explored in the following books: Jia, Gin, Kuni
Graphic: Animal death, Bullying, Death, Gore, Misogyny, Self harm, Slavery, Suicide, Blood, Grief, Murder, Pregnancy, Alcohol, Colonisation, War, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism
aloy's review
- 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
Graphic: Animal death, Death, Suicide, Violence, and War
isi__1's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
2.25
The focus of the story constantly switches between different sides of the war and also between more important characters and very minor characters.
The best way to describe this book is that it feels like reading a textbook about this important historical event: This battle happened at this place, then these characters met and had a discussion about this topic, then this other battle took place, then this person died, then another battle took place,…you get the gist.
I saw someone else describe this as “outlining a whole epic series“ which is a rather apt description, in my opinion.
Because the narration felt so clinical and impersonal, I had a hard time getting attached to the characters. In the same way you wouldn‘t really get attached to the characters in a history textbook. I‘ve heard that the sequel is a bit more character-driven. That‘s why I really want to try it. If it doesn‘t manage to pull me in, though, I‘m just gonna have to accept that this series might not be for me.
It very well is a case of this book just not working for me personally. I would still recommend checking it out if it sounds interesting, because it could be a new favorite for someone else.
The writer is certainly skilled and the book feels well-thought-out. The concept is definitely quite intriguing, but the execution simply didn‘t work for me.
I don‘t dislike this book, but I also don‘t care about it at all. It unfortunately left me with this feeling of apathy. Not necessarily what I‘m looking for when I‘m reading a book for entertainment.
Graphic: War
Moderate: Infidelity, Misogyny, Suicide, Violence, and Murder
Minor: Pregnancy
blacksphinx's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Graphic: Animal death, Death, Gore, Infidelity, Misogyny, Suicide, Terminal illness, Torture, Violence, Murder, War, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Child abuse, Drug use, Sexual assault, Slavery, Xenophobia, Trafficking, Kidnapping, Grief, Death of parent, Pregnancy, and Fire/Fire injury
Minor: Infertility, Excrement, Cannibalism, and Colonisation
There is lots of talk of forcing women into sexual slavery. Eye injuries.thecriticalreader's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
2.0
Graphic: Suicide, Violence, and War
shermansays's review against another edition
- 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
Graphic: Suicide, Violence, and War
Moderate: Classism
Minor: Rape, Sexual assault, Slavery, Cannibalism, and Pregnancy
kendal_reads's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
Graphic: Death, Suicide, Violence, Murder, Colonisation, and War