A review by straaawbs
Luck in the Shadows by Lynn Flewelling
3.0
Look, I enjoyed this quite a bit. I just didn't love it as much as I wanted to.
I liked the characters. They're interesting. They're smart. They're flawed. I feel invested enough that I do want to continue with this series, because I want to see how the characters develop. Like a lot of reviewers, I was pulled in by the m/m element (although there's not much of that in the first book). I'm always looking for characters in fantasy that I can relate to and want to emulate in some way, ie. interesting male characters with strong friendships and who don't get sidetracked by pretty girls. I think this series is going to offer that, so I'm happy. The main characters are all male, which is fine for me, but there are also some interesting female characters in the background, who don't just exist for the mens' gratification. Oh, and this world's monarchy is based on matrilineal descent, so that's pretty cool.
The trouble with fantasy books sometimes is, being introduced to a new world, a magic system, all the religious stuff they believe in, and so forth...it's a lot of new information to take in. It can be tricky to introduce these elements in a natural and clear way. Here, the author was prone to info-dumping, so I often found I was no longer following what was happening. I could tell that the author had a vivid picture in her mind, but was struggling to convey it on the page.
I found the plot in the first half of the book stronger than the second half. It became kind of a political intrigue in the second half, which is the sort of story I never find overly compelling. The plot lagged a lot in the middle, but I managed to plough through to a fairly satisfying and wide-open ending. My interest is mildly piqued. Like I said, I'm definitely planning to read the second book.
I liked the characters. They're interesting. They're smart. They're flawed. I feel invested enough that I do want to continue with this series, because I want to see how the characters develop. Like a lot of reviewers, I was pulled in by the m/m element (although there's not much of that in the first book). I'm always looking for characters in fantasy that I can relate to and want to emulate in some way, ie. interesting male characters with strong friendships and who don't get sidetracked by pretty girls. I think this series is going to offer that, so I'm happy. The main characters are all male, which is fine for me, but there are also some interesting female characters in the background, who don't just exist for the mens' gratification. Oh, and this world's monarchy is based on matrilineal descent, so that's pretty cool.
The trouble with fantasy books sometimes is, being introduced to a new world, a magic system, all the religious stuff they believe in, and so forth...it's a lot of new information to take in. It can be tricky to introduce these elements in a natural and clear way. Here, the author was prone to info-dumping, so I often found I was no longer following what was happening. I could tell that the author had a vivid picture in her mind, but was struggling to convey it on the page.
I found the plot in the first half of the book stronger than the second half. It became kind of a political intrigue in the second half, which is the sort of story I never find overly compelling. The plot lagged a lot in the middle, but I managed to plough through to a fairly satisfying and wide-open ending. My interest is mildly piqued. Like I said, I'm definitely planning to read the second book.