A review by withyly
The Eyes of Tamburah by Maria V. Snyder
3.0
I'm a sucker for any kind of fantasy setting that could very well be our own in the future. The idea that the earth being too hot and people have to live in underground cities was fascinating and the general worldbuilding was done well. That was probably one of the few aspects I found enjoyable. I have very mixed feelings about this story because while I liked how this world was designed, so many other aspects were a struggle to get through or took me out of my reading.
Firstly, the writing style relies heavily on telling instead of showing and it didn't immerse me into the story as well as it could have. There were some parts that were described really well (e.g. the prince's special rooms and the black river) but they were only a small part of the book. I would have loved to get a deeper understanding of the caves, the communes, the air shafts, etc. and get a deeper appreciation of the city as a whole. Also, there were some weird words/phrases that seemed out of place in this setting, like "doozy" or "hq" or "hot". Hot sounds sensible in context, but this was used to describe her thoughts on a man.
Parts of the story are ridiculously stretched out to the point where I zoned out. When Shyla, it went on for so long that I wished it had been halved because literally nothing happened and the time dedicated to that scene could've been better spent developing other areas of the book. For example, the magic system. Shyla spends a good majority of the book scoffing at magic and then it turns out It's not a very deep system considering how big of a plot point it is. Part of the reason is definitely that Shyla is a Mary Sue.
One of my biggest gripes with this book was just how many stupid decisions Shyla made as a functioning adult. One example is when Gasp! Horror! Who would have thought? Me, I did. It was done so clearly to advance the plot and it was even more annoying because Shyla deliberately tells the reader why she did it when it was a really stupid choice.
Another gripe was how Shyla just....
This next point is me making links to issues outside of the context of this story. I usually don't, but this one was so stark that my mind immediately jumped to it. Shyla, being sun-kissed, has blond hair. Cool beans, some brown people have blond hair. But then Shylaand this comment sent bells clanging through my head. I thought I could be reading too much into it, but then I came across another review which made a note of it as well (and in greater depth). That kind of comment only came up that one time, but it was enough to tinge the rest of my reading with a sour note.
The best character was Rendor, hands down. He's the only one who gets any kind of character development and we see two very different sides of him as he struggles with his loyalties. Is he a guard that will follow all orders for the prince or is he a friend that is loyal to Shyla? Is he a cruel monster who tortures prisoners without emotion or is he a caring man who would do anything to keep Shyla safe? The two opposing sides of him were interesting to read through and ponder, and I would have loved to see more of him in the story.
I think I'll keep reading this series to see where it goes. This first book was only setting everything up, so there's a good chance some of the things I didn't enjoy (not enough depth in worldbuilding or characterisation) will be built upon.
Firstly, the writing style relies heavily on telling instead of showing and it didn't immerse me into the story as well as it could have. There were some parts that were described really well (e.g. the prince's special rooms and the black river) but they were only a small part of the book. I would have loved to get a deeper understanding of the caves, the communes, the air shafts, etc. and get a deeper appreciation of the city as a whole. Also, there were some weird words/phrases that seemed out of place in this setting, like "doozy" or "hq" or "hot". Hot sounds sensible in context, but this was used to describe her thoughts on a man.
Parts of the story are ridiculously stretched out to the point where I zoned out. When Shyla
Spoiler
was caught by the Invisible Army and undergoing testingSpoiler
magic is real and it's ridiculously easy to pick up even though there's a whole "do you believe" and "are you worthy" thing going on. Why is magic so easy to use?One of my biggest gripes with this book was just how many stupid decisions Shyla made as a functioning adult. One example is when
Spoiler
she and Jayden (I have no idea how to spell his name because I listened to this as an audiobook) were fighting, she made a point to knock him in the head but only enough to stop him instead of knocking him out completely. And what happens? Jayden recovers, takes Shyla by surprise and then she's taken away!Another gripe was how Shyla just...
Spoiler
took control of the Invisible Army. Like yeah, okay, she implanted Tamburah's eyes for her own and she's their true leader but she literally still has no idea how the organisation runs, she doesn't have any experience leading a group of rebels and not to mention that she only just started to learn magic and isn't very powerful either. But yes, these people who fight against the evils of the city will accept all of this and hop behind her because she's a Mary Sue who cares about saving all these people she barely has a relationship withThis next point is me making links to issues outside of the context of this story. I usually don't, but this one was so stark that my mind immediately jumped to it. Shyla, being sun-kissed, has blond hair. Cool beans, some brown people have blond hair. But then Shyla
Spoiler
takes Tamburah's blue eyes and Rendor tells her that she looks lovely. The blond hair and blue eyes combination is largely associated with European features,The best character was Rendor, hands down. He's the only one who gets any kind of character development and we see two very different sides of him as he struggles with his loyalties. Is he a guard that will follow all orders for the prince or is he a friend that is loyal to Shyla? Is he a cruel monster who tortures prisoners without emotion or is he a caring man who would do anything to keep Shyla safe? The two opposing sides of him were interesting to read through and ponder, and I would have loved to see more of him in the story.
I think I'll keep reading this series to see where it goes. This first book was only setting everything up, so there's a good chance some of the things I didn't enjoy (not enough depth in worldbuilding or characterisation) will be built upon.