moi_av's review against another edition
adventurous
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
belden1922's review against another edition
4.0
Really enjoyed this book. As others have noted, it is fast paced and exciting. The main character seems well defined and I found myself rooting for her almost immediately. The magic system was interesting and I think there is a lot of potential to flesh it out even more in future installments.
The book isn't long and the setting is relatively confined, so don't expect expansive world building, but it does lay a solid foundation to build on.
The book isn't long and the setting is relatively confined, so don't expect expansive world building, but it does lay a solid foundation to build on.
briarrose1021's review
5.0
I loved this book! The world-building was really good; with the religions setting the sexes against each other by forcing the separation in the education and setting up the other as the enemy. With that background, it's no wonder that Alatheia's presence in the temple where only males have been before being the spark that launches the coup against her father, against her, which is what pushed her to rebel against the coup by trying to dig for the truth. And what a truth it is that she finds. So good.
The audiobook was also good for an author-read book. There were some production issues where there were differences in the recording from chapter to chapter that made it sound like a different narrator from one to the next chapter at times. Still, the author's knowledge and passion for his book come through with his narration which makes it a good listen.
With the way this book ends, I am definitely looking forward to the next book in the series. I need to find out what happens next.
The audiobook was also good for an author-read book. There were some production issues where there were differences in the recording from chapter to chapter that made it sound like a different narrator from one to the next chapter at times. Still, the author's knowledge and passion for his book come through with his narration which makes it a good listen.
With the way this book ends, I am definitely looking forward to the next book in the series. I need to find out what happens next.
mothandnessieread's review
3.5
Fantasy + LGBTQ rep? Perfect combo for me! I enjoyed this story and I’m glad that I requested to read it, but I must admit that I didn’t end up liking it as much as I thought I would. The plot of this story had a lot of promise but I felt that it ended up leaving a lot to be desired. Not in the sense that it was nicely set up for the rest of the series, but rather that important information was just missing. This might just have been my perception, and possibly because I wasn’t able to read the whole story right away, but I wish there had been more to it. I really enjoyed Aletheia and Gaxna and the relationship they developed. Everything about how they were made sense and I'm glad the author didn’t just force a relationship for the sake of having “proper” LGBTQ+ rep. I received a free copy of this story from Hidden Gems in an exchange for an honest review.
kitvaria_sarene's review
adventurous
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
tense
fast-paced
4.0
While I would have liked a little bit more depth here and there, this was one hell of an entertaining and fast paced book!
I loved the main character who refuses to be labeled and put into a specific mold of society. She does have male magic, but that's not her only bit of uniqueness.
I really enjoyed her spreading her wings and finding her own way, I stead of going where she is meant to go.
It definitely is a YA story with all the important bits for that age group, but it had enough other bits and pieces to still make it a very enjoyable read for 35 year old me just as well.
This will definitely not be my last Levi Jacobs book!
I loved the main character who refuses to be labeled and put into a specific mold of society. She does have male magic, but that's not her only bit of uniqueness.
I really enjoyed her spreading her wings and finding her own way, I stead of going where she is meant to go.
It definitely is a YA story with all the important bits for that age group, but it had enough other bits and pieces to still make it a very enjoyable read for 35 year old me just as well.
This will definitely not be my last Levi Jacobs book!
barb4ry1's review
3.0
3.5/5
I had a blast reading this book. Jacobs drops the reader right into the middle of the action and rarely slows down.
Daughter of Flood & Fury follows Aletheia, a girl born with a man’s magic, considered a walking heresy. She survives in the temple because she’s the best at everything (except speaking to people; she prefers to act, often in anger). Early in the story, the killers of her father force her to flee the temple. But she, a chosen-one figure on her coming-of-age arc, won’t stop before she punishes bad guys.
It’s a YA book throughout. It contains loads and loads of angst, hidden vulnerability, characters discovering their identity (and sexuality). Bad guys lack nuance and depth. I found the romantic arc unconvincing (having the author repeating, again and again, that one character loves the other isn’t enough*). Happily, great pacing and intriguing magic make up for these shortcomings and make the book hard to put down. The time for reflection comes later :)
The magic system is gender-based. Monks (men) study and master watersight allowing them to read minds through any kind of water connection, and learn to control their emotions (“ice” them). Women who study bloodwork can gain control over bodies and minds. Both powers have darker sides and are based on limited definitions of gender. Aletheia’s powers pose a threat to the power structure in the temple.
I enjoyed the book and Aletheia’s voice. Despite some shortcomings, it’s fun, intense, and quick o read. I would highly recommend Jacobs’ oeuvre to Sanderson’s fans - they’ll find plenty of thrills here.
* I enjoy Jacobs's writing and find pleasure in his books. That said, his Beggar’s Rebellion series also suffered from unconvincing romance. Repeating that someone loves someone isn't enough to convince me.
I had a blast reading this book. Jacobs drops the reader right into the middle of the action and rarely slows down.
Daughter of Flood & Fury follows Aletheia, a girl born with a man’s magic, considered a walking heresy. She survives in the temple because she’s the best at everything (except speaking to people; she prefers to act, often in anger). Early in the story, the killers of her father force her to flee the temple. But she, a chosen-one figure on her coming-of-age arc, won’t stop before she punishes bad guys.
It’s a YA book throughout. It contains loads and loads of angst, hidden vulnerability, characters discovering their identity (and sexuality). Bad guys lack nuance and depth. I found the romantic arc unconvincing (having the author repeating, again and again, that one character loves the other isn’t enough*). Happily, great pacing and intriguing magic make up for these shortcomings and make the book hard to put down. The time for reflection comes later :)
The magic system is gender-based. Monks (men) study and master watersight allowing them to read minds through any kind of water connection, and learn to control their emotions (“ice” them). Women who study bloodwork can gain control over bodies and minds. Both powers have darker sides and are based on limited definitions of gender. Aletheia’s powers pose a threat to the power structure in the temple.
I enjoyed the book and Aletheia’s voice. Despite some shortcomings, it’s fun, intense, and quick o read. I would highly recommend Jacobs’ oeuvre to Sanderson’s fans - they’ll find plenty of thrills here.
* I enjoy Jacobs's writing and find pleasure in his books. That said, his Beggar’s Rebellion series also suffered from unconvincing romance. Repeating that someone loves someone isn't enough to convince me.
dewi's review
3.0
3 stars
I liked it, didn’t love it and I feel like it could have done with 100 more pages to allow for more world building and especially for more character development because I never really got attached to Aletheia or in the romance, hopefully more of this will be present in the sequel!
One small note I had, which might be nitpicky (sorry haha) but throughout the entire book she always referred to her father as such, but in one instance she suddenly called him her dad, which felt wrong in the overall feel off the book, because everything is very ‘proper’ in terms of speech and it made if feel more modern in some way (if that makes sense) Definitely not a big issue but just something I noticed:)
I liked it, didn’t love it and I feel like it could have done with 100 more pages to allow for more world building and especially for more character development because I never really got attached to Aletheia or in the romance, hopefully more of this will be present in the sequel!
One small note I had, which might be nitpicky (sorry haha) but throughout the entire book she always referred to her father as such, but in one instance she suddenly called him her dad, which felt wrong in the overall feel off the book, because everything is very ‘proper’ in terms of speech and it made if feel more modern in some way (if that makes sense) Definitely not a big issue but just something I noticed:)
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