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cedrisc's review against another edition
3.0
Interesting fantasy novel. Magical powers have an different twist. Kept me guessing.
borjabilbao's review against another edition
4.0
Una notable novela fantástica con todos los elementos imprescindibles del género. Aunque pertenece a una saga se puede leer como libro independiente.
agnewjacob120's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
inspiring
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
penguin_emperor_of_the_north's review against another edition
3.0
I was pleasantly surprised by this one. I'm a fan of Butcher's Dresden Files series but I was wondering how Butcher would handle a high fantasy series. And Butcher didn't disappoint.
The story takes place in Alera which is inhabited by humans with the ability to control furies which seem to be nature spirits and it follows the efforts of two groups of people to either start or stop an invasion of the Calderon valley.
The action scenes are cool and exciting to read. Similarly to the Dresden Files, Butcher puts a lot of thought into the fight scenes and making them seem like mad, desperate affairs.
And, I think the world building is well done. Creatures like the gargant and herdbane are introduced and we get the sense of what they are without taking a time out for a natural history lesson. And the furies are well integrated. I think Butcher really took the time to imagine a society where where everyone has that power.
Which brings me to Tavi. Tavi is a kid without a fury (apparently unheard of in Alera) but he still manages to get by with his wits and courage. Which is just cool. Kind of like Batman taking on Superman.
The story takes place in Alera which is inhabited by humans with the ability to control furies which seem to be nature spirits and it follows the efforts of two groups of people to either start or stop an invasion of the Calderon valley.
The action scenes are cool and exciting to read. Similarly to the Dresden Files, Butcher puts a lot of thought into the fight scenes and making them seem like mad, desperate affairs.
And, I think the world building is well done. Creatures like the gargant and herdbane are introduced and we get the sense of what they are without taking a time out for a natural history lesson. And the furies are well integrated. I think Butcher really took the time to imagine a society where where everyone has that power.
Which brings me to Tavi. Tavi is a kid without a fury (apparently unheard of in Alera) but he still manages to get by with his wits and courage. Which is just cool. Kind of like Batman taking on Superman.
igemona's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
laurntiu's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
mysterious
tense
fast-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
4.25
squbber22's review against another edition
3.0
I would give this book one less star but I did not finish it. I’ll give it the benefit of the doubt since a lot of others seemed to have enjoyed it.
I made it about two thirds of the way through this book before I decided I wasn’t able to finish it. It started off really good. I liked the world building, it has an interesting magic system which is something I like a lot in a fantasy book.
After I got about halfway through the book I realized that I didn’t care about the characters at all. There was some characterization at the start but very little after that, and all the action left little space to learn about the characters. This in turn made it difficult to care about the action. The action is well written but there aren’t any significant breaks from it after it starts; it became tedious after a while.
The world building was intriguing at the start but after a while of not getting more it started to feel a little bit bare bones. Just a generic roman-ish empire in a mostly generic fantasy world. The other races are talked about a little bit but there isn’t nearly enough content about them to make them feel like fully realized cultures in their own right.
I made it about two thirds of the way through this book before I decided I wasn’t able to finish it. It started off really good. I liked the world building, it has an interesting magic system which is something I like a lot in a fantasy book.
After I got about halfway through the book I realized that I didn’t care about the characters at all. There was some characterization at the start but very little after that, and all the action left little space to learn about the characters. This in turn made it difficult to care about the action. The action is well written but there aren’t any significant breaks from it after it starts; it became tedious after a while.
The world building was intriguing at the start but after a while of not getting more it started to feel a little bit bare bones. Just a generic roman-ish empire in a mostly generic fantasy world. The other races are talked about a little bit but there isn’t nearly enough content about them to make them feel like fully realized cultures in their own right.
jimber101's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
funny
hopeful
mysterious
tense
fast-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? It's complicated
5.0
marvin_wowbagger's review against another edition
5.0
4.5 Stars. Although FOC doesn't break any new ground, Butcher's talent at crafting both good characters and excellent pacing made this book a fun read.