soless's review against another edition
4.0
Not at all what I was expecting based on the book blurb, but damn if I wasn't pleasantly surprised.
kairin16's review against another edition
1.0
I debated whether to give this book one or two stars, but ultimately the anxiety mixed with boredom this book instilled in me just won over any enjoyment I might have found in the last few chapters.
Mostly, this book made me realise how spoiled I am with the amount of warnings and tags that go on in my internet consumption and online reading, because this book has some serious dubious consent vibes and it stressed me very, very much. One of the protagonists, the titular Gabriel, suffers from some sort of mental illness, making him act and think in a rather fantastical, sometimes childish manner. Intimacy is something he seemingly never considered or tried and is not sure about at first and it can make some readers, me included, just very uncomfortable.
The story follows Colin, who for the most of the chapters is kind of unlikeable. He comes from a rich family and was spoiled his whole life, not to mention his gambling addiction that he doesn't really deal with at all. Through certain circumstances that mainly consist of him getting in deep debt with some rough people and throwing a tantrum over his father scolding him and running away from home, because he's so adult and responsible and can deal with his own problems, he gets involved with Gabriel who is a cutthroat for hire.
The biggest shock for him is that the captain of the guard prosecutes poor and rich alike for murder and he might get in deep trouble for breaking someone's skull. He realises that he can't go home and goes back to Gabriel who at this point assigned him a role of a lucky dragon. And I mean literally, as in his less lucid moments Gabriel 100% seem to believe Colin is a dragon in disguise.
For many many chapters nothing of note happens at all. Don't get me wrong, there's action almost all the time: stealing, fighting, hanging watching, gambling.... But nothing that has any consequences other than making the reader know the characters more. As Colin isn't really likeable until about 23rd chapter, it's not a great read.
The last, I want to say 5 chapters are really nice on the other hand, their well paced and give the reader a proper mix of action, fluff and background history and I enjoyed reading them greatly. But it was only the last few chapters and they couldn't save the book for me.
During the lecture, I have sent a friend a message "gr8 book if u kind of want both protags to die for ur own peace of mind" and it still probably stands as the best review I could have given this book.
Mostly, this book made me realise how spoiled I am with the amount of warnings and tags that go on in my internet consumption and online reading, because this book has some serious dubious consent vibes and it stressed me very, very much. One of the protagonists, the titular Gabriel, suffers from some sort of mental illness, making him act and think in a rather fantastical, sometimes childish manner. Intimacy is something he seemingly never considered or tried and is not sure about at first and it can make some readers, me included, just very uncomfortable.
The story follows Colin, who for the most of the chapters is kind of unlikeable. He comes from a rich family and was spoiled his whole life, not to mention his gambling addiction that he doesn't really deal with at all. Through certain circumstances that mainly consist of him getting in deep debt with some rough people and throwing a tantrum over his father scolding him and running away from home, because he's so adult and responsible and can deal with his own problems, he gets involved with Gabriel who is a cutthroat for hire.
The biggest shock for him is that the captain of the guard prosecutes poor and rich alike for murder and he might get in deep trouble for breaking someone's skull. He realises that he can't go home and goes back to Gabriel who at this point assigned him a role of a lucky dragon. And I mean literally, as in his less lucid moments Gabriel 100% seem to believe Colin is a dragon in disguise.
For many many chapters nothing of note happens at all. Don't get me wrong, there's action almost all the time: stealing, fighting, hanging watching, gambling.... But nothing that has any consequences other than making the reader know the characters more. As Colin isn't really likeable until about 23rd chapter, it's not a great read.
The last, I want to say 5 chapters are really nice on the other hand, their well paced and give the reader a proper mix of action, fluff and background history and I enjoyed reading them greatly. But it was only the last few chapters and they couldn't save the book for me.
During the lecture, I have sent a friend a message "gr8 book if u kind of want both protags to die for ur own peace of mind" and it still probably stands as the best review I could have given this book.
felixalmighty's review
It wasn't the book I thought I was going to read. It's not bad, just not what I wanted to read.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Slavery, Police brutality, and Schizophrenia/Psychosis
wart's review
3.0
You can read this and other reviews at Things I Find While Shelving
I received a free ARC via NetGalley
Under normal circumstances, this would be a 4-5 star book.
It’s very much a story about two people, more so than it is a story that is heavy on plot. It’s about Colin, a rich nobleman who finds himself in the wrong place at the wrong time and winds up getting sucked into the underbelly of the city he’s used to. The city of thieves and murders, the city of living hand to mouth, never sure if you’ll have to steal your next meal or if you’ll have a roof over your head.
In this city, Colin meets Gabriel. Gabriel who is kind of a legend around the city - a monster, kissed by the Lady (death), her chosen one. Gabriel who’s grasp of reality is a little on the iffy side. Gabriel who calls Colin Drake because for him Colin is a dragon in disguise - a great, rich, noble beast, hiding among the humans.
And in a way, perhaps he is.
It’s about Colin becoming Drake. Becoming the man Gabriel sees in him. It’s about Drake being an anchor for Gabriel’s sanity.
And I loved that aspect of it. I loved it so much.
But I can only give this book 3 stars. Because of the sex. Not that it was poorly written, no, it was the fact that Gabriel, even when he’s lucid, doesn’t read like he comprehends enough to fully consent to sex and that gave the sex a level of skeeve that I know wasn’t intended, but for me it just didn’t feel right. It might just be me, but that’s just how I read Gabriel.
I received a free ARC via NetGalley
Under normal circumstances, this would be a 4-5 star book.
It’s very much a story about two people, more so than it is a story that is heavy on plot. It’s about Colin, a rich nobleman who finds himself in the wrong place at the wrong time and winds up getting sucked into the underbelly of the city he’s used to. The city of thieves and murders, the city of living hand to mouth, never sure if you’ll have to steal your next meal or if you’ll have a roof over your head.
In this city, Colin meets Gabriel. Gabriel who is kind of a legend around the city - a monster, kissed by the Lady (death), her chosen one. Gabriel who’s grasp of reality is a little on the iffy side. Gabriel who calls Colin Drake because for him Colin is a dragon in disguise - a great, rich, noble beast, hiding among the humans.
And in a way, perhaps he is.
It’s about Colin becoming Drake. Becoming the man Gabriel sees in him. It’s about Drake being an anchor for Gabriel’s sanity.
And I loved that aspect of it. I loved it so much.
But I can only give this book 3 stars. Because of the sex. Not that it was poorly written, no, it was the fact that Gabriel, even when he’s lucid, doesn’t read like he comprehends enough to fully consent to sex and that gave the sex a level of skeeve that I know wasn’t intended, but for me it just didn’t feel right. It might just be me, but that’s just how I read Gabriel.
efyoung's review
5.0
I picked this up on recommendation, and enjoyed it even more than I expected to.
The worldbuilding is solid. Casmile has a flavor, and I ended up with an idea of the geography as defined by waterfront and bad neighborhoods, of climate and food. It works even better on a human level, with details about how cultures and classes interact in the city.
The characters are where it really shines: Colin/Drake has a gambling problem, and it does not go away even when his circumstances change, and it shows through even though it's Drake telling the story, and he wouldn't characterize it as a problem. The shift in identity from Colin to Drake was in itself fascinating, and indicative of one of the things I really loved about Gabriel's City: Drake is addicted to stories, from the gossip he searches out at dinner to the fairy tales he tells Gabriel in private to the narrative of a dragon he takes refuge in to get through fights. He worries about Gabriel buying too deeply into stories, but prolonged exposure to him gives Drake more faith in their power.
The pacing was just right - I got lost in it, and kept wanting to know what happened next, and spent a whole morning in bed reading on my phone.
The worldbuilding is solid. Casmile has a flavor, and I ended up with an idea of the geography as defined by waterfront and bad neighborhoods, of climate and food. It works even better on a human level, with details about how cultures and classes interact in the city.
The characters are where it really shines: Colin/Drake has a gambling problem, and it does not go away even when his circumstances change, and it shows through even though it's Drake telling the story, and he wouldn't characterize it as a problem. The shift in identity from Colin to Drake was in itself fascinating, and indicative of one of the things I really loved about Gabriel's City: Drake is addicted to stories, from the gossip he searches out at dinner to the fairy tales he tells Gabriel in private to the narrative of a dragon he takes refuge in to get through fights. He worries about Gabriel buying too deeply into stories, but prolonged exposure to him gives Drake more faith in their power.
The pacing was just right - I got lost in it, and kept wanting to know what happened next, and spent a whole morning in bed reading on my phone.
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