yrc's review against another edition
5.0
l'll start with the bottom line- Mr. Beaulieu is a new favorite author!
I heard about this book a while back but only got to it recently. However, this book far exceded my expectations. I rarely rate any book 5 stars, but for me that's the mark it deserves:
The background- an Arab\Muslim desert worlds with a wondrous city by the name of Sharakhai in its center. many of the traditions, clothes and more are actually taken from real life. It was very refreshing for me as an avid fantasy reader to start in a new and eastern oriented sitting, instead of being introduced to yet another version of medieval Europe. In addition- a city with 12 rulers and such rich lore, traditions and vibes is indeed rare to come across.
The characters- C'eda who is a truly impressive character and is hellbent on achieving it a specific goal. she's kick-ass and adoptable, and that is how female protagonists deserved to be portrayed (I don't read as many books with female leads, and this one was awesome). Gradually her character becomes deeper until the very last pages. Emre- ceda's close friend, he charms the ladies but beneath the facade lie much darker secrets. And that's just to name a few.
The plot- one of the things I enjoyed mostly was the even pacing and it not being too slow or fast. This was quite a length read, but the pace, plot, characters and world building made it one of the best fantasy books I've read in a while.
I can't wait to continue reading this intriguing series and strongly recommend it to those who enjoy an original and exciting read!
I heard about this book a while back but only got to it recently. However, this book far exceded my expectations. I rarely rate any book 5 stars, but for me that's the mark it deserves:
The background- an Arab\Muslim desert worlds with a wondrous city by the name of Sharakhai in its center. many of the traditions, clothes and more are actually taken from real life. It was very refreshing for me as an avid fantasy reader to start in a new and eastern oriented sitting, instead of being introduced to yet another version of medieval Europe. In addition- a city with 12 rulers and such rich lore, traditions and vibes is indeed rare to come across.
The characters- C'eda who is a truly impressive character and is hellbent on achieving it a specific goal. she's kick-ass and adoptable, and that is how female protagonists deserved to be portrayed (I don't read as many books with female leads, and this one was awesome). Gradually her character becomes deeper until the very last pages. Emre- ceda's close friend, he charms the ladies but beneath the facade lie much darker secrets. And that's just to name a few.
The plot- one of the things I enjoyed mostly was the even pacing and it not being too slow or fast. This was quite a length read, but the pace, plot, characters and world building made it one of the best fantasy books I've read in a while.
I can't wait to continue reading this intriguing series and strongly recommend it to those who enjoy an original and exciting read!
lib_britannia's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
reflective
tense
medium-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
4.5
justicen1511's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
emotional
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.25
matt4hire's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
slow-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
3.5
A promising start to what’s a huge series. Beaulieu’s world has depth and character, and our main characters are interesting enough. I wish he’d tighten up his action scenes a little; there’s a lot going on, but none of it feels very propulsive.
joliendelandsheer's review against another edition
3.0
I'm not sure how to rate this book yet, so I'll think on it for a while first.
What I loved:
• the setting: Sharakhai was such an interesting place, and I loved getting to know it through çeda's eyes. From the pits to Tauriyat, every aspect of the city was exciting to discover.
• the characters: I have to admit that I wish we got to know some of the other characters as well as Ceda, but overall the characters were pretty intriguing. Emre might be my favorite so far.
• the history: One of my favorite parts of reading a fantasy novel is learning the history and culture of that place. Sharakhai has an interesting history, stemming from 12 tribes and being ruled by 12 kings. There's much more to it that that, however, and I'm excited to find out more in the sequel.
• the multiple PoVs: It did take a while for the other PoVs to kick in, but I enjoyed having them there. I think they added to the story, as we got to discover more of other characters' journeys without being limited to Ceda's knowledge.
What I didn't like
• the writing: Usually, writing doesn't really stand out to me. However, in Twelve Kings I found myself getting annoyed with sentence structure at times. I wish the author would have used pronouns more instead of repeating the character's name constantly. Small things like this slowed down my reading so much.
• the parts that simply don't make sense: There were times I was drawn out of the story because I started questioning everything. For example, when Ceda meets the Kings she says she only recognizes a few by face. Ihnan (I think that's his name), is one of the few she doesn't recognize. When he steps forward to introduce himself, however, she thinks Ihnan is handsome and uses his name. After she thinks that, he states his name and introduces himself. But I am reading from Ceda's perspective? If she didn't know which King he was, how did she use his name in her thoughts before he introduced himself? Another thing that doesn't make sense to me is how Ceda has wanted revenge for her mother's murder for years, and wants to kill the kings because of it. Yet in all that time, she has made zero actual plans and has learned nothing about them. How does that make sense? Do you just plan to walk up to them at some point and hope for the best?
• the pacing: The first third of this book is quite slow, as we're getting to know the world. That's fine. The middle picks up a bit, but our main character still gets nowhere with her plans (which she didn't even have, see point above). Then suddenly in the last 100 pages everything falls into place and gets resolved so easily. I didn't really love that.
Overall, I think this is an enjoyable high fantasy novel. I'll probably continue the series at some point, but I don't own the sequel at the moment.
What I loved:
• the setting: Sharakhai was such an interesting place, and I loved getting to know it through çeda's eyes. From the pits to Tauriyat, every aspect of the city was exciting to discover.
• the characters: I have to admit that I wish we got to know some of the other characters as well as Ceda, but overall the characters were pretty intriguing. Emre might be my favorite so far.
• the history: One of my favorite parts of reading a fantasy novel is learning the history and culture of that place. Sharakhai has an interesting history, stemming from 12 tribes and being ruled by 12 kings. There's much more to it that that, however, and I'm excited to find out more in the sequel.
• the multiple PoVs: It did take a while for the other PoVs to kick in, but I enjoyed having them there. I think they added to the story, as we got to discover more of other characters' journeys without being limited to Ceda's knowledge.
What I didn't like
• the writing: Usually, writing doesn't really stand out to me. However, in Twelve Kings I found myself getting annoyed with sentence structure at times. I wish the author would have used pronouns more instead of repeating the character's name constantly. Small things like this slowed down my reading so much.
• the parts that simply don't make sense: There were times I was drawn out of the story because I started questioning everything. For example, when Ceda meets the Kings she says she only recognizes a few by face. Ihnan (I think that's his name), is one of the few she doesn't recognize. When he steps forward to introduce himself, however, she thinks Ihnan is handsome and uses his name. After she thinks that, he states his name and introduces himself. But I am reading from Ceda's perspective? If she didn't know which King he was, how did she use his name in her thoughts before he introduced himself? Another thing that doesn't make sense to me is how Ceda has wanted revenge for her mother's murder for years, and wants to kill the kings because of it. Yet in all that time, she has made zero actual plans and has learned nothing about them. How does that make sense? Do you just plan to walk up to them at some point and hope for the best?
• the pacing: The first third of this book is quite slow, as we're getting to know the world. That's fine. The middle picks up a bit, but our main character still gets nowhere with her plans (which she didn't even have, see point above). Then suddenly in the last 100 pages everything falls into place and gets resolved so easily. I didn't really love that.
Overall, I think this is an enjoyable high fantasy novel. I'll probably continue the series at some point, but I don't own the sequel at the moment.
chawlios's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.0
emiann2023's review against another edition
2.0
I'm sorry, I tried. I couldn't do it. DNF. No clue how far it, it was an audiobook...ten percent maybe?
On the surface, this book has everything I love in an epic fantasy. 1. Epic, sprawling plot with lots of mystery and intrigue. 2. Awesome, badass characters being badasses. 3. An incredible cover. 4. Interesting unique premise.
I'm still new to audiobooks, and I'm having some trouble adjusting to having someone else read a book to me. Because I now hear that story in another person's voice, which is often markedly different than what I would come up with. So I've been lenient, because I know I need to adjust. At first, I thought that was my issue with this book. The narrator for the most part is great, except, she voices all of the men (and some of the women) exactly the same. And in this gruff, scratchy voice that not every single person would ever have. It got to be annoying, but I soldiered on.
But then, I realized, I was not excited to turn my phone on and listen to this story on my commute. I was...disinterested. Again, I assumed I just needed time. But then I realized the problem. I didn't care about these characters at all. The story, which started out mildly interesting, quickly sunk into tons of chapters of boring exposition and uninteresting events from the past that could have been summed up in far fewer words without the time skips, or even taken care of later in the book when I was more invested. As it was, it took forever for things to even move a little bit, and then I decided I didn't care.
I have my suspicions about...Ceda? Jeda? I was confused but this too, and it didn't help my impression. Unnecessarily complicated name is unnecessarily complicated. Anyway, the hints to the truth of her identity are pretty damn obvious. If I ever come across a physical copy of the book, I may flip to the back to confirm them, or view comment spoilers below, but honestly, I just can't bring myself to care.
On the surface, this book has everything I love in an epic fantasy. 1. Epic, sprawling plot with lots of mystery and intrigue. 2. Awesome, badass characters being badasses. 3. An incredible cover. 4. Interesting unique premise.
I'm still new to audiobooks, and I'm having some trouble adjusting to having someone else read a book to me. Because I now hear that story in another person's voice, which is often markedly different than what I would come up with. So I've been lenient, because I know I need to adjust. At first, I thought that was my issue with this book. The narrator for the most part is great, except, she voices all of the men (and some of the women) exactly the same. And in this gruff, scratchy voice that not every single person would ever have. It got to be annoying, but I soldiered on.
But then, I realized, I was not excited to turn my phone on and listen to this story on my commute. I was...disinterested. Again, I assumed I just needed time. But then I realized the problem. I didn't care about these characters at all. The story, which started out mildly interesting, quickly sunk into tons of chapters of boring exposition and uninteresting events from the past that could have been summed up in far fewer words without the time skips, or even taken care of later in the book when I was more invested. As it was, it took forever for things to even move a little bit, and then I decided I didn't care.
I have my suspicions about...Ceda? Jeda? I was confused but this too, and it didn't help my impression. Unnecessarily complicated name is unnecessarily complicated. Anyway, the hints to the truth of her identity are pretty damn obvious. If I ever come across a physical copy of the book, I may flip to the back to confirm them, or view comment spoilers below, but honestly, I just can't bring myself to care.
iba's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
reflective
tense
slow-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
3.75
yvonnie90's review against another edition
3.0
The second half of the book was far better than the first half. The story took a long time to start, but once it did it was really good.