ketreads's review
adventurous
dark
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? N/A
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
Another one from my list of ''free Ebooks from indie authors'' and this time we're following the main character of Jie as she is tasked by the emperor to infiltrate as a rogue lord's servant to spy.
The novella is short and sweet, the writing style immediately strikes me as unique with a edge or dry whit to our MC's thoughts.
As soon as I realised this was a pre-industrial era China-inspired setting I did get a little perturbed, by no fault of the author! I've just found it isn't the genre for me when I've read previous works set in a similar setting. Though Kang's world building throughout the pages did somewhat to relieve me of that initial dislike, having his world immediately feel more fantastical with various sets of magic, while still keeping that dark undertone of danger for our woman MC. (Something I'm not always a big fan of as I am personally getting a little exhausted of sexism in fantasy)
Our main character of Jie was enjoyably capable, having trained for many years. As well as her being half-elf which gives her genetic advantages over a lot of the characters we see, she's also shown as resourceful especially in a tight spot.
The brief story we got drew me in and I did find myself consuming the whole thing very quickly.
My one gripe is the story itself doesn't actually resolve..?? I'm not sure if this is because the first book is a continuation of this novella or whether the author just chose to show off his prose and writing ability. As it stands the 70 pages of build up abruptly end as we're then given a snippet of the first book, which as far as I can tell has no relation to any of the rest of the novella.
If anything you could argue this is a plus as it just proves I clearly want to see more regarding characters we've just met due to Kang's great writing, haha!
The novella is short and sweet, the writing style immediately strikes me as unique with a edge or dry whit to our MC's thoughts.
As soon as I realised this was a pre-industrial era China-inspired setting I did get a little perturbed, by no fault of the author! I've just found it isn't the genre for me when I've read previous works set in a similar setting. Though Kang's world building throughout the pages did somewhat to relieve me of that initial dislike, having his world immediately feel more fantastical with various sets of magic, while still keeping that dark undertone of danger for our woman MC. (Something I'm not always a big fan of as I am personally getting a little exhausted of sexism in fantasy)
Our main character of Jie was enjoyably capable, having trained for many years. As well as her being half-elf which gives her genetic advantages over a lot of the characters we see, she's also shown as resourceful especially in a tight spot.
The brief story we got drew me in and I did find myself consuming the whole thing very quickly.
My one gripe is the story itself doesn't actually resolve..?? I'm not sure if this is because the first book is a continuation of this novella or whether the author just chose to show off his prose and writing ability. As it stands the 70 pages of build up abruptly end as we're then given a snippet of the first book, which as far as I can tell has no relation to any of the rest of the novella.
If anything you could argue this is a plus as it just proves I clearly want to see more regarding characters we've just met due to Kang's great writing, haha!
jjwilbourne's review
adventurous
fast-paced
4.5
Have you ever tried a new author and knew from the very start that you were going to read every single book in the series? I had that with JC Kang’s Prelude to Insurrection. Quick and stuffed with stealthy action, Kang’s effortless ability to draw me into the world and action sequences has me hooked and wanting more. I don’t want to go into detail about what the story is about because it’s rather short and it’s an easy (and free) read, but I can’t wait to read more in this world.
neilsef's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
4.5
This is a quick-paced short story that adds another nugget of information about the events leading up to the Dragon Songs Saga.
yonnyan's review
4.0
Damn, that was pretty great. I love the action and hints of political strife. Looking forward to diving into the full blown novels next.
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