vivri's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
medium-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? Yes
4.0
allycat616's review against another edition
4.0
I really enjoyed the story, and the voice acting was fantastic.
One thing that bothered me was the scene where Thessalyn and Silveo meet for the first time. Because Thessalyn is blind, she touches his face, which is her way of "seeing" someone. Blind people do not actually do this, and I cringe whenever this stereotype shows up in movies or books.
One thing that bothered me was the scene where Thessalyn and Silveo meet for the first time. Because Thessalyn is blind, she touches his face, which is her way of "seeing" someone. Blind people do not actually do this, and I cringe whenever this stereotype shows up in movies or books.
justineboots's review
4.0
I came to this series after reading some of the author's other works under her pen name.
I enjoyed the world-building which was subtle and well-done. It did rely on more info dumps than her other work (hence the chapter openings) but it was well blended into the story. It's definitely a complicated world but the book is able to communicate enough for you to follow and enjoy the story but I assume there will be more in the succeeding books.
I enjoyed the two main characters: Gerard and Silveo. They are our protagonists but they're definitely not heroes. Meaning they are not Lawful Good. Gerard is probably Lawful Neutral and Silveo is Chaotic Neutral. Maybe even Chaotic Evil, depending on how you define Good/Evil in DnD. The point is. They are not Good Guys. I definitely don't like the Police or the Sea Watch as Institutions. I'm pretty blatantly rooting for Gwain and the Resistance. But am I sympathetic to the two protagonists? Definitely. They're very relatable characters. I would say they're even likable characters, morality not withstanding.
The one issue I have with the book (hence the one star deduction) is its portrayal of Thessalyn. I'm unsure if her being blind and her being portrayed as a semi-seer, semi-magical, gifted thing is really a good depiction of disability. It's kind of falling into the trope of giving disabled people magical powers to "make up" for their disability. Also Gerard tends to infantilize her because of her disability.
It's not enough to make me stop reading the series. And I know from her other works that this author is pretty good at representing the queer community in her works. She could simply do with some improvement in representing the disabled community as well.
I enjoyed the world-building which was subtle and well-done. It did rely on more info dumps than her other work (hence the chapter openings) but it was well blended into the story. It's definitely a complicated world but the book is able to communicate enough for you to follow and enjoy the story but I assume there will be more in the succeeding books.
I enjoyed the two main characters: Gerard and Silveo. They are our protagonists but they're definitely not heroes. Meaning they are not Lawful Good. Gerard is probably Lawful Neutral and Silveo is Chaotic Neutral. Maybe even Chaotic Evil, depending on how you define Good/Evil in DnD. The point is. They are not Good Guys. I definitely don't like the Police or the Sea Watch as Institutions. I'm pretty blatantly rooting for Gwain and the Resistance. But am I sympathetic to the two protagonists? Definitely. They're very relatable characters. I would say they're even likable characters, morality not withstanding.
The one issue I have with the book (hence the one star deduction) is its portrayal of Thessalyn. I'm unsure if her being blind and her being portrayed as a semi-seer, semi-magical, gifted thing is really a good depiction of disability. It's kind of falling into the trope of giving disabled people magical powers to "make up" for their disability. Also Gerard tends to infantilize her because of her disability.
It's not enough to make me stop reading the series. And I know from her other works that this author is pretty good at representing the queer community in her works. She could simply do with some improvement in representing the disabled community as well.
pjmurphy3's review
3.0
It was hard to get into. didn't make a lot of sense till I read the glossery. good story moved at a fast pace.
frothy's review against another edition
4.0
I came to this book having read quite a bit of her other work. It's the first in a series, so there is quite a bit of world building in this book.
Persist! It's worth it.
Persist! It's worth it.
eleanorjmca's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
3.0
emaack's review
adventurous
dark
medium-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? Yes
4.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence
Moderate: Cannibalism
mrella's review against another edition
3.0
Warning: This is not an mm romance, this is not even a bromance. Just two guys forced to work together.
Never mind the overwhelming amount of species, in the end they all sound like drones. At 45% I feel like nothing is happening. The story is too slow with too many unnecessary info dumps.
Never mind the overwhelming amount of species, in the end they all sound like drones. At 45% I feel like nothing is happening. The story is too slow with too many unnecessary info dumps.
gilbertog13's review
4.0
I first heard about Abigail Hilton on the Round Table Podcast, and I was instantly interested in the world she had created. The world of Panamindorah is populated by shelts. These shelts are made up of different species under the three umbrella categories of fauns, panauns, and nauns. The fauns are the shelts with hooves, the panauns the shelts with paws, and the nauns the shelts who swim. Each shelt is made up of a human torso, arms, and head (with ears), and their animal legs.
The story starts with the promotion of Gerard, an exiled prince, to captain of the Police, a secret force that serves the High Priestess of Wefrivain. Skillfully, Hilton begins to weave in details of the reason for the prince’s exile, and the reader learns about his forbidden affair with the court minstrel.
The most interesting part of this book is the developing relationship between Gerard and Admiral Silveo of the Sea Watch, the other faction of Wefrivain’s military. Silveo was born a street rat and had to fight his way up the ranks. He is a foxling, a diminutive species of panaun. Gerard was born a privileged prince who was practically handed the title of captain after his exile into the Sea Watch.
Silveo hates Gerard from the beginning, but the High Priestess forces them to work together in order to defeat a rebellious group of fauns who wish to fight against the grishnards, a gryphon panaun, who have conquered all of Wefrivain at the command of the wyverns.
As they follow the High Priestess’s commands, Silveo and Gerard’s relationship develops, and the reader discovers more about Silveo’s past. It is this character development that keeps the book going. The plot moves slowly, but Hilton keeps her characters doing interesting things. Each character feels like they actually lived before the plot began, and it adds to this already wonderfully developed world.
This first book is free as an ebook on Amazon, but just as I expected, it is only a teaser. The ending isn’t very complete, but it sure makes one want to continue reading. You can also find the podcasted version of this book on iTunes.
The story starts with the promotion of Gerard, an exiled prince, to captain of the Police, a secret force that serves the High Priestess of Wefrivain. Skillfully, Hilton begins to weave in details of the reason for the prince’s exile, and the reader learns about his forbidden affair with the court minstrel.
The most interesting part of this book is the developing relationship between Gerard and Admiral Silveo of the Sea Watch, the other faction of Wefrivain’s military. Silveo was born a street rat and had to fight his way up the ranks. He is a foxling, a diminutive species of panaun. Gerard was born a privileged prince who was practically handed the title of captain after his exile into the Sea Watch.
Silveo hates Gerard from the beginning, but the High Priestess forces them to work together in order to defeat a rebellious group of fauns who wish to fight against the grishnards, a gryphon panaun, who have conquered all of Wefrivain at the command of the wyverns.
As they follow the High Priestess’s commands, Silveo and Gerard’s relationship develops, and the reader discovers more about Silveo’s past. It is this character development that keeps the book going. The plot moves slowly, but Hilton keeps her characters doing interesting things. Each character feels like they actually lived before the plot began, and it adds to this already wonderfully developed world.
This first book is free as an ebook on Amazon, but just as I expected, it is only a teaser. The ending isn’t very complete, but it sure makes one want to continue reading. You can also find the podcasted version of this book on iTunes.
graculus's review
4.0
Another bargain ebook that turned out to be much better than I expected, this is the first of a trilogy (so far), set in a fantasy world quite different than anything I've seen before. The world in question is a series of islands, under the rule of a mysterious religious order, and inhabited by grishnards (human from the waist up, griffin below) and other shelts (part-human and part various animals).
Our protagonist, Gerard, is an exiled prince who finds himself thrown into the position of captain of police, working closely with Silveo, an admiral with a chip on his shoulder. Not only is the police force Gerard inherits notoriously corrupt, Silveo seems determined to get him killed and there's a rebellion in the offing.
If there's one downside to 'The Guild of the Cowry Catchers' it's that this particular volume of the series appears to just stop. No real resolution, just a bit of a teasing introduction to the next book, which is a little vexing. Still, it was all intriguing enough for me to buy the two books that are currently available, [b:The Guild of the Cowry Catchers, Book 2: Flames, Deluxe Illustrated Edition|10394785|The Guild of the Cowry Catchers, Book 2 Flames, Deluxe Illustrated Edition|Abigail Hilton|http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1297030299s/10394785.jpg|15298627] and [b:The Guild of the Cowry Catchers, Book 3: Ashes, Deluxe Illustrated Edition|10853999|The Guild of the Cowry Catchers, Book 3 Ashes, Deluxe Illustrated Edition|Abigail Hilton|http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1300916585s/10853999.jpg|15768796], so I guess the teaser worked?
Our protagonist, Gerard, is an exiled prince who finds himself thrown into the position of captain of police, working closely with Silveo, an admiral with a chip on his shoulder. Not only is the police force Gerard inherits notoriously corrupt, Silveo seems determined to get him killed and there's a rebellion in the offing.
If there's one downside to 'The Guild of the Cowry Catchers' it's that this particular volume of the series appears to just stop. No real resolution, just a bit of a teasing introduction to the next book, which is a little vexing. Still, it was all intriguing enough for me to buy the two books that are currently available, [b:The Guild of the Cowry Catchers, Book 2: Flames, Deluxe Illustrated Edition|10394785|The Guild of the Cowry Catchers, Book 2 Flames, Deluxe Illustrated Edition|Abigail Hilton|http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1297030299s/10394785.jpg|15298627] and [b:The Guild of the Cowry Catchers, Book 3: Ashes, Deluxe Illustrated Edition|10853999|The Guild of the Cowry Catchers, Book 3 Ashes, Deluxe Illustrated Edition|Abigail Hilton|http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1300916585s/10853999.jpg|15768796], so I guess the teaser worked?
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