emilyrainsford's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
5.0
Now THIS is grown up fantasy!!
This might be a backlist book from 2002 but it was such a dang breath of fresh air to me. I came to this having just finished a "romantasy" arc that read like the fanfic it grew from and followed what seems to be a modern trend of popcorn reads that are far more "roman-" than "-tasy". Imagine my glee upon picking up this book and finding a meaty, elaborate fantasy with solid worldbuilding, political intrigue galore, morally grey characters that are actually interesting and complex, and an epic plotline that DARES you to even GUESS what might come next.
As someone who reads 99.5% female authors, I have found it a little concerning that two of my favourite reads were written by dudes (Empire of the Vampire, and The Book that Wouldn't Burn). Reading this book however, reassured me that the identity of the author had nothing to do with it. What I love is a substantial story with vivid worldbuilding, and characters with realistically human levels of depth and moral complexity.
I have nothing against romantasy as a genre, in fact I enjoy it myself often. But it can tend towards being shallow, and poorly developed beyond all the lusting and smoldering.
This epic 650+ page read was everything I want from a fantasy. There were plenty of feisty and interesting female characters. It had just the right amount of brutality without feeling gratuitous. It had interesting themes of religion and power.
It also made me realise that I had somehow forgotten that fantasy just means it's set in an imaginary world - that fantasy doesn't actually have to involve magic or mythical creatures.
Somehow I was absolutely hooked on this book and my very distractable self was able to read chapter after chapter after chapter without pause. I absolutely cannot wait to read the rest of this series. And I hope that authors and publishers keep putting out this type of fantasy well into the future!
This might be a backlist book from 2002 but it was such a dang breath of fresh air to me. I came to this having just finished a "romantasy" arc that read like the fanfic it grew from and followed what seems to be a modern trend of popcorn reads that are far more "roman-" than "-tasy". Imagine my glee upon picking up this book and finding a meaty, elaborate fantasy with solid worldbuilding, political intrigue galore, morally grey characters that are actually interesting and complex, and an epic plotline that DARES you to even GUESS what might come next.
As someone who reads 99.5% female authors, I have found it a little concerning that two of my favourite reads were written by dudes (Empire of the Vampire, and The Book that Wouldn't Burn). Reading this book however, reassured me that the identity of the author had nothing to do with it. What I love is a substantial story with vivid worldbuilding, and characters with realistically human levels of depth and moral complexity.
I have nothing against romantasy as a genre, in fact I enjoy it myself often. But it can tend towards being shallow, and poorly developed beyond all the lusting and smoldering.
This epic 650+ page read was everything I want from a fantasy. There were plenty of feisty and interesting female characters. It had just the right amount of brutality without feeling gratuitous. It had interesting themes of religion and power.
It also made me realise that I had somehow forgotten that fantasy just means it's set in an imaginary world - that fantasy doesn't actually have to involve magic or mythical creatures.
Somehow I was absolutely hooked on this book and my very distractable self was able to read chapter after chapter after chapter without pause. I absolutely cannot wait to read the rest of this series. And I hope that authors and publishers keep putting out this type of fantasy well into the future!
ngreads's review against another edition
DNF around page 163.
I just can’t get into this. The world is interesting but under-described. The politics lack the mystery and character necessary for them to have any interest. The book is almost all telling and very little showing (or what is told is something we’ve already been shown, rendering the shown bits impotent and useless).
Also, all I can tell you about the character who is arguably our lead is that he’s smart and doesn’t think human sacrifice is a good thing. He’s blandly kind and wants to be a doctor.
He’s about as interesting as a slice of white bread with a hint of butter scraped on top. Sure, he has potential, but there’s nothing to draw me to him.
Also, if a big part of the plot is to have a character grappling with a religion that he believes to be false, maybe keep the facts surrounding that religion as a mystery for a while instead of revealing just about everything within the first few chapters.
Twists don’t generally make or break a book, but mysteries add tension, and tension was what was sorely lacking.
I just can’t get into this. The world is interesting but under-described. The politics lack the mystery and character necessary for them to have any interest. The book is almost all telling and very little showing (or what is told is something we’ve already been shown, rendering the shown bits impotent and useless).
Also, all I can tell you about the character who is arguably our lead is that he’s smart and doesn’t think human sacrifice is a good thing. He’s blandly kind and wants to be a doctor.
He’s about as interesting as a slice of white bread with a hint of butter scraped on top. Sure, he has potential, but there’s nothing to draw me to him.
Also, if a big part of the plot is to have a character grappling with a religion that he believes to be false, maybe keep the facts surrounding that religion as a mystery for a while instead of revealing just about everything within the first few chapters.
Twists don’t generally make or break a book, but mysteries add tension, and tension was what was sorely lacking.
amiraisas's review against another edition
1.75
This has the dubious honor of being the first book to get a 1-star rating from me in a very long time, but I'm giving it an extra 0.75 because at least it wasn't a slog. It was quick and readable but MAN what I was reading was not for me.
mcaulifferd's review against another edition
adventurous
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Loveable characters? Yes
4.5
raven_acres's review against another edition
4.0
I kept moving this series around, wanting to read, but not sure if I wanted to take the time to go through 3 books. My mistake. Thoroughly good series, I enjoyed the mental thoughts, twists and turns of the main character, and the whole manipulation of religion to get control.
hotpinkmess's review against another edition
dark
emotional
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
2.0
pryme's review
adventurous
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? Yes
4.5
annasirius's review against another edition
Too stereotyped. Characters stayed very too-dimensional.
bookstuff's review against another edition
3.0
3.5 I like the political machinations, though the characters are too stereotypically good vs evil for my taste.