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A review by trips
Foundryside by Robert Jackson Bennett
adventurous
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Foundryside is a fantasy novel with a dense, rich magic system and a lot of sassy characters. The world is extremely nuanced and well thought out, and there is a talking magical key, who I loved. The characters have depth and feel like fully-fleshed out beings in this intensely magical world. And there are heists! I love heists!
Unfortunately, the writing style just didn't work for me, which severely impacted my enjoyment of the story. Bennett slowly introduces the plot to the reader and I mean like really slowly, preferring to world build and write witty banter between characters for the majority of the first 50% of the book. Which will work for some people, just not me. In fact, I almost dropped the book, but there is a really good hook at around 50% mark that made me want to see the story through to the end. The plot does get quite interesting after that point, but it felt like a slog to get there. So, mixed feelings! I liked some parts, really didn't like others.
Unfortunately, the writing style just didn't work for me, which severely impacted my enjoyment of the story. Bennett slowly introduces the plot to the reader and I mean like really slowly, preferring to world build and write witty banter between characters for the majority of the first 50% of the book. Which will work for some people, just not me. In fact, I almost dropped the book, but there is a really good hook at around 50% mark that made me want to see the story through to the end. The plot does get quite interesting after that point, but it felt like a slog to get there. So, mixed feelings! I liked some parts, really didn't like others.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Slavery, Torture, Violence, and Blood
Moderate: Toxic relationship