inthelunaseas's review against another edition
4.0
After I won [b:The Shadow tech Goddess|22842875|The Shadow tech Goddess (The League Of Elder #8)|Ren Garcia|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1406732035s/22842875.jpg|42400821] as part of Goodreads Giveaways & First Reads, [a:Ren Garcia|3230510|Ren Garcia|https://d.gr-assets.com/authors/1319424813p2/3230510.jpg] was kind enough to send me a copy of this and its continuation/sequel, [b:Against the Druries|19039632|Against the Druries (Belmont Saga #2)|Ren Garcia|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1385717332s/19039632.jpg|24601088]. I really enjoyed The Shadow tech Goddess, so I was more than happy to read and review these books, too.
I read The Shadow tech Goddess shortly before and after surgery, but I found the story so easy to follow that I only missed a few details due to the anesthesia-and-painkiller-induced fog I was in. I love fantasy and sci-fi, but I often find some stories are almost impossible for me to read. Furthermore, as The Shadow tech Goddess is part of a series, I was worried I'd not be able to understand the characters relationships with one another. This wasn't the case at all, and I fell in love with the characters and their stories- Taara and A-Ram were my favourites.
Getting the chance to read these characters from the start was fantastic. I already knew the characters, but getting to see them meet for the first time was a joy. While they've matured come The Shadow tech Goddess, I can still see their youth now, looking back.
The importance of the HRN coat, the MARZABLEs, Holystones and NTH all make sense now. I knew they were important on some level, but getting to read about how Belmont came to own these items and learn to wield them was good. It was a little unusual to have a 180-page back story in the middle of a 280-page novel, and I think this could have been laid out a little better, but on the other hand, it didn't particularly detract from the story at hand. Knowing this book leads directly into Against the Druries makes it easier to understand, and reading some of the reviews, I think this may be where people struggled. The book does end at an unusual spot for a standalone novel.
Normally I would keep another book in the series at close hand when reading part of a saga (it's a habit- I love to cross reference), but as I recently moved, my copy of Shadow tech Goddess is... somewhere. So that did detract my usual cross referencing joy, but I'm not willingly to swim in a pile of cardboard boxes and books and risk getting nipped by a spider.
Again, I really love the illustrations. There weren't as many in this as there were in the later book. I really liked the detail, though, and as I'm a little obsessed with reading comic books/graphic novels at the moment (I may have bought seven the other day... and I'm still reading Runaways and I'm in the middle of Black Hole in addition), this did get a kick out of me.
I'll be hitting up Against the Druries shortly, and with much enthusiasm.
I read The Shadow tech Goddess shortly before and after surgery, but I found the story so easy to follow that I only missed a few details due to the anesthesia-and-painkiller-induced fog I was in. I love fantasy and sci-fi, but I often find some stories are almost impossible for me to read. Furthermore, as The Shadow tech Goddess is part of a series, I was worried I'd not be able to understand the characters relationships with one another. This wasn't the case at all, and I fell in love with the characters and their stories- Taara and A-Ram were my favourites.
Getting the chance to read these characters from the start was fantastic. I already knew the characters, but getting to see them meet for the first time was a joy. While they've matured come The Shadow tech Goddess, I can still see their youth now, looking back.
The importance of the HRN coat, the MARZABLEs, Holystones and NTH all make sense now. I knew they were important on some level, but getting to read about how Belmont came to own these items and learn to wield them was good. It was a little unusual to have a 180-page back story in the middle of a 280-page novel, and I think this could have been laid out a little better, but on the other hand, it didn't particularly detract from the story at hand. Knowing this book leads directly into Against the Druries makes it easier to understand, and reading some of the reviews, I think this may be where people struggled. The book does end at an unusual spot for a standalone novel.
Normally I would keep another book in the series at close hand when reading part of a saga (it's a habit- I love to cross reference), but as I recently moved, my copy of Shadow tech Goddess is... somewhere. So that did detract my usual cross referencing joy, but I'm not willingly to swim in a pile of cardboard boxes and books and risk getting nipped by a spider.
Again, I really love the illustrations. There weren't as many in this as there were in the later book. I really liked the detail, though, and as I'm a little obsessed with reading comic books/graphic novels at the moment (I may have bought seven the other day... and I'm still reading Runaways and I'm in the middle of Black Hole in addition), this did get a kick out of me.
I'll be hitting up Against the Druries shortly, and with much enthusiasm.
leftoverwords's review against another edition
2.0
I was really enjoyed the beginning of this book. It was a fun opening to what promised to be a romping good space opera with a little magic thrown in. Bel and his newly appointed crew had stuck it to the admiralty and were all set to deliver the brandy and then the author pulls the rug out from under the reader and spends three quarters of the book telling us all about Bel's overbearing mother and upbringing.
When the story finally wound its way back to the present day we are left with a rushed climax and a cliffhanger. The tale that the blurb for this book advertises is never even concluded.There is very little haunted ship in space and we never even see Bazz, let alone deliver any brandy there. No, we leave things four days away from Bazz after some demons infiltrate the ship. Oh, and a twist regarding Lilly that most readers will have figured out a hundred pages earlier.
Sands of the Solar Empire reads like half a book. I liked the writing, characters and the story. I even liked the character portraits and other visual elements placed throughout the novel, although they threw me at first. I did not like having to read a short novel's worth of history in the middle of the adventure I was actually there to read. It didn't work here, but I could have forgiven it had the author got around to finishing what he started. That said, I did enjoy the story and would have picked up the sequel if it had been available. With the back story out of the way I think the author could have a fun story on his hands. I suggest any potential readers way for the next book before starting this one.
When the story finally wound its way back to the present day we are left with a rushed climax and a cliffhanger. The tale that the blurb for this book advertises is never even concluded.
Sands of the Solar Empire reads like half a book. I liked the writing, characters and the story. I even liked the character portraits and other visual elements placed throughout the novel, although they threw me at first. I did not like having to read a short novel's worth of history in the middle of the adventure I was actually there to read. It didn't work here, but I could have forgiven it had the author got around to finishing what he started. That said, I did enjoy the story and would have picked up the sequel if it had been available. With the back story out of the way I think the author could have a fun story on his hands. I suggest any potential readers way for the next book before starting this one.
sunsoar25's review
5.0
Absolutely brilliant! I had not read any previous installments of The League of Elder series before I purchased a copy of the Sands of the Solar Empire from the author himself at a local event and I'm glad I didn't miss my opportunity to jump into his magnificent Belmont Saga! Thank you very much, Mr. Garcia, for taking the time to discuss your work with me! I can't wait to follow Lord Stenstrom and his motley crew to Bazz and discover the mystery behind Lilly. I'm hooked and I can't wait until I have the opportunity to read Against the Druries and further explore the League of Elder.
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