Scan barcode
mercutio's review against another edition
2.0
Pretty standard fantasy fare - I get that Nix is well regarded these days. I found his first book to contain some nice concepts, but generally underwhelming.
smcrain's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
I enjoyed this. Reminds me of Howl's Moving Castle or Stardust as far as felt like a standalone fantasy, though also is the first in a series, so will be curious to see where the other books go. I think my main issue was that it being a complete story, parts of it felt rushed. The end felt rushed, and the relationship between some characters also felt added in, but not well developed, or as developed as I would have liked. My main complaint when some authors, usually male, try to do romance it seems just to happen vs more character interaction and relationship development to make it feel believable. The world building and the writing was great though, all that aside. But this again just to kind of explains why of late I've been gravitating to female authors, because I'm in my romance era and those are the plot points I want expanded on.
idlevera's review against another edition
adventurous
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
2.75
sarahetc's review against another edition
4.0
Interesting, predictable, and at times, uneven, but the 1995 copyright brings everything together. This may be the last gasp of fantasy with predictable tropes that don't involve ensembles, dystopias, or Mary Sues. Good enough at the end to think I might pursue the rest of the series, but a little too necrophiliac for me to do it right away.
voelks's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
sas02948's review against another edition
adventurous
inspiring
mysterious
fast-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
5.0
a_chickletz's review against another edition
3.0
Again, I blame this on being spoiled by writers who develop their worlds and their characters in detail. But just enough that everything makes sense.
While this story is great, what bogs it down is the narrative - how short it is, how the author skimps on the detail, and in return, makes the world building messy and disjointed. I had to read the prologue three times after halfway through the first chapter because at one point we are left to think that the world is some quasi-middle ages place, and then we see the character in a school, wearing a uniform and talking about cars and electric light. Then, it got even more confusing when the other world (the one that we were in the prologue) exists, but it's on the other side of a wall. That the two worlds apparently are separated by said wall and one can use magic and the other cannot. However, it doesn't explain why that exactly is and it bothered me a fuck ton.
Then, the romance that creep-ed into the book came out of left field. Touchstone is an interesting character but, again, the development on him was shitty. Yet, the author did some weird thing about not revealing what was really up with the character, based on it being a huge plot point. Hey - how can the plot point work if the the world is horribly described/envisioned?
However, the adult nature of the tale, the protagonist, and the side-kick demon cat was enough to keep me going. Up until the slog of the ending, it was a great story, just not a fan of how skimpy the thing was written.
I am currently reading book two. So hopefully the author got better on details.
While this story is great, what bogs it down is the narrative - how short it is, how the author skimps on the detail, and in return, makes the world building messy and disjointed. I had to read the prologue three times after halfway through the first chapter because at one point we are left to think that the world is some quasi-middle ages place, and then we see the character in a school, wearing a uniform and talking about cars and electric light. Then, it got even more confusing when the other world (the one that we were in the prologue) exists, but it's on the other side of a wall. That the two worlds apparently are separated by said wall and one can use magic and the other cannot. However, it doesn't explain why that exactly is and it bothered me a fuck ton.
Then, the romance that creep-ed into the book came out of left field. Touchstone is an interesting character but, again, the development on him was shitty. Yet, the author did some weird thing about not revealing what was really up with the character, based on it being a huge plot point. Hey - how can the plot point work if the the world is horribly described/envisioned?
However, the adult nature of the tale, the protagonist, and the side-kick demon cat was enough to keep me going. Up until the slog of the ending, it was a great story, just not a fan of how skimpy the thing was written.
I am currently reading book two. So hopefully the author got better on details.
christinamartin's review against another edition
adventurous
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
4.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death, Violence, and Blood