faehistory's review against another edition
dark
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
ellie_remlap's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
jessthebookworm's review against another edition
2.0
This is a fantasy novel, the first in a series, set in a world that is under attack by creatures called lyrinx, who are killing off humanity. Humanity is trying to fight back by using magical crystals to power machines on the front line of battle.
Tiaane is a girl who is talented in using the crystals to power the machines and the majority of the story is set at the factory where she works.
The story sounded quite promising, but had some very odd story lines sprinkled throughout such as the breeding factories. I don't know, but the writing style and the characters just didn't resonate with me. I don't think that it was very well written. None of the main characters were likeable, and Tiaane was a special kind of stupid.
I won't be reading the rest of the series.
Tiaane is a girl who is talented in using the crystals to power the machines and the majority of the story is set at the factory where she works.
The story sounded quite promising, but had some very odd story lines sprinkled throughout such as the breeding factories. I don't know, but the writing style and the characters just didn't resonate with me. I don't think that it was very well written. None of the main characters were likeable, and Tiaane was a special kind of stupid.
I won't be reading the rest of the series.
woolfardis's review against another edition
2.0
[Short and quick review from memory before I re-read and re-review at a later date:
I do recall being recommended this book by two dear friends, and I think this was more a book of Setting The Scene rather than anything else, but the rest of the series really picked up. I'm quite excited for the re-read.]
I do recall being recommended this book by two dear friends, and I think this was more a book of Setting The Scene rather than anything else, but the rest of the series really picked up. I'm quite excited for the re-read.]
molokov's review against another edition
3.0
At the start of this book, I thought there was a lot about this world that the main characters knew that was misinformation - but no, it was mostly true. It took a while to hook me, but eventually it did. Some of the middle (chase after chase after chase) made me feel a "Get on with it!" feeling, but there was still enough there - especially the point-of-view characters to keep me interested. The last section played out pretty much as I had predicted, but it's still a good setup for the next books to come. All in all, it's a fairly decent read - nothing super original in the Epic Fantasy genre, to my mind, but decent enough to keep on with the series.
lulu628's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
1.5
Marked as fantasy but written more like military sci-fi with some magic.
niennamarie_'s review against another edition
1.0
I read this book years ago. Well before I’d got a goodreads account. I do remember though, as I was setting up my account and inputting all the books I’d already read, that I thought of this book but I couldn’t for the life of me remember what it was called. I thought I’d thrown it away.
That is, until today. I’m moving house, so everything is being dragged out of their hiding spots and shoved into boxes and I came across this book hiding in the deepest, darkest corner of my bedroom cupboard. Actually, the deepest, darkest corner of my bedroom cupboard is a lot more than it deserves. You see, the reason I can remember it so well, and the reason I was desperate to review it all those years ago, was because it was, without a doubt, the worst book I’d ever read in my life.
It still holds that title today.
That is, until today. I’m moving house, so everything is being dragged out of their hiding spots and shoved into boxes and I came across this book hiding in the deepest, darkest corner of my bedroom cupboard. Actually, the deepest, darkest corner of my bedroom cupboard is a lot more than it deserves. You see, the reason I can remember it so well, and the reason I was desperate to review it all those years ago, was because it was, without a doubt, the worst book I’d ever read in my life.
It still holds that title today.
xenotundra's review
adventurous
dark
mysterious
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
All three stars are for world building alone, the women in this book are written by a horny man. All romance in this book involves some form of abuse and it'd is only once not entirely directed at the woman (All straight). Really wanted to enjoy the rich world but the author seemed hell-bent on focusing on tit-based tangents.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Emotional abuse
Groomingisovector's review against another edition
2.0
I picked this up as part of a returning-to-YA-classics because I was looking for something lighter to read while falling asleep. Geomancer is unfortunately less good than I remember it being. The characters are almost unanimously unlikable, have no arcs, and don't actually learn anything in the hundred thousand pages that this book feels like. Irvine's plot points out lots of odd things --- most notably a character's father being in bed with another man, at which our narrator is "disgusted!" --- and then doesn't do anything with them. The 75% of the book is long and slow, and spends a lot of time with our main character dealing with an addiction, that she never solves, and is repeatedly used against her, by the same people, to accomplish the same goal. And then the last quarter goes SUPER FAST where everyone manages to cross the whole damn continent on foot in a few pages and then open up a damn hole in the universe and get her sister killed and then be betrayed and sell out humanity. All in like 100 pages. My guess is that this guy didn't have an editor.
All in all it's an OK read. The story is pretty interesting, but would be much better if it were 1/5th of the length.
All in all it's an OK read. The story is pretty interesting, but would be much better if it were 1/5th of the length.