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tiesforpenguins's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
tense
medium-paced
4.75
emberfire31's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
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? N/A
3.0
Good prose, kinda boring
mkay98's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
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
samtm's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
lighthearted
mysterious
sad
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
venla_reads's review against another edition
3.0
2.5 stars? I desperately wanted to like this but it was boring and repetitive, the plot is too simple and not moving forward at all and there wasn't enough character moments or development for my liking. My biggest problem, though, was the writing. It's just not beautiful or intriguing or lyrical. At times it was almost like reading a text book, and while I do appreciate all the research that went into the book, it's just not for me. And as a Finnish person I have to point out how amusing it is when fantasy authors choose to use the Finnish language for their Northern peoples - they always choose either the most common or most ridiculous Finnish names.
(One thing I really liked, though, is that the MC is 25 years old. I read mostly ya/na fantasy and find it so sad and frustrating when characters are usually around 16-19 years old - those are literal teenagers, not young adults.)
(One thing I really liked, though, is that the MC is 25 years old. I read mostly ya/na fantasy and find it so sad and frustrating when characters are usually around 16-19 years old - those are literal teenagers, not young adults.)
penguin_emperor_of_the_north's review against another edition
2.0
On the plus side, I liked the way that folk stories were relayed between Gaspar and Evike giving insight into their respective religions and cultures. And I liked the nuanced take where Gaspar and Evike both come from abused backgrounds but the book deals with the complexity of resenting their abuse but also still loving their respective families. The book walked a fine line there and I appreciate that the author approached that complex situation with some nuance.
On the downside, I really didn't like Evike or Gaspar. Evike reacts to every thing with anger and aggression (and I would've thought that would have been beaten out of her based on how she describes her upbringing). If the author was going for 'strong character' then I think I would've preferred a more shrewd character who played her cards close to her chest because it would've fit with her background more and would've been a smarter response to a lot of the situations she's in. As it is she just flips out in response to everything and that raises questions about why all these people supposedly bigoted against Evike are tolerating her behavior.
And Gaspar is just the opposite, he's spineless and it's rather frustrating. Though his behavior does align with the situations they find themselves in where Evike and he are clearly outnumbered and have little power so his more reserved response made sense. Still does get frustrating though.
Also, for being in a non-Earth world, the Yehulli are very clearly Jews. Like they have rabbis, the legend of the golem, the Biblical book of Esther . . . it's on the nose to the point that I was distracted while listening to it. Guess it's not necessarily a bad thing but I found it distracting.
On the downside, I really didn't like Evike or Gaspar. Evike reacts to every thing with anger and aggression (and I would've thought that would have been beaten out of her based on how she describes her upbringing). If the author was going for 'strong character' then I think I would've preferred a more shrewd character who played her cards close to her chest because it would've fit with her background more and would've been a smarter response to a lot of the situations she's in. As it is she just flips out in response to everything and that raises questions about why all these people supposedly bigoted against Evike are tolerating her behavior.
And Gaspar is just the opposite, he's spineless and it's rather frustrating. Though his behavior does align with the situations they find themselves in where Evike and he are clearly outnumbered and have little power so his more reserved response made sense. Still does get frustrating though.
Also, for being in a non-Earth world, the Yehulli are very clearly Jews. Like they have rabbis, the legend of the golem, the Biblical book of Esther . . . it's on the nose to the point that I was distracted while listening to it. Guess it's not necessarily a bad thing but I found it distracting.
kimberlite_11711's review against another edition
Ultimately just not in the mood for this one. I hit a lag in the plot and now I can't stay focused on it.
rageofcaliban's review against another edition
adventurous
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
daniellejb's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
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
4.5
I loved how this book drew you in with its descriptive writing and storytelling laced throughout the book. An adventure story with romantic undertones and mythology overtones, it starts a fast, gets a bit slow and has enough turns to keep you guessing on what’s going to happen. The ending picked up and kept me glued through the end. I had a few qualms with some of the pacing, the abrupt decisions by some characters, and Évike’s lingering thoughts on Gáspár could be reigned in a bit - but that didn’t take away from my overall enjoyment of the book.