A review by speakinglatin
When the Sea Is Rising Red by Cat Hellisen
3.0
Originally posted at Beneath the Jacket
I was looking forward to this book like whoa, so when I got it, I put what I was going to read next aside and picked up When the Sea is Rising Red. And...I was a little disappointed.
Hellisen's writing is great. She is very descriptive and I enjoyed the world that she built, along with the mythology that comes with it. I love the fact that each of the noble families have different magical talents. I also think the idea of having to use a powder called "scriv" to use the magic is brilliant. It's all very thought-out, but here's also where it fell apart for me: the environment/world of the book comes across as a bit of a hodgepodge of myths. Example, the book has things like unicorns and vampires and sea witches. Hellisen pulls some from here and some from there and some more from over there, then puts it all in a pot. But instead of it mixing together to make something complete, it feels more like pieces of different stories. Yes, there's a fascinating reason within the story that explains the unicorns, but a unicorn is still a unicorn. I wanted her magical world to work for me, but sometimes it didn't. It all came across as too complicated. I feel dumb, but for the majority of the last half of the book, I was confused. Then the climax happens and I have almost no idea what's going on. It all happens too fast and it's like the author is trying to explain everything that she's been building up to in the last third of the book. I wish it could have been longer.
Characters: Felicita has her moments, but none of the characters, expect Jannik, held much interest for me. I really like Jannik and found him to be the most intriguing character in the story.
All in all, it was an okay read. My main complaint is the fact that I felt stupid for not knowing what was happening there at the end, but I mostly figured it out and all is well. If you're looking for something different, then check this one out! This is a book with a lot to digest, so don't read it too quickly. Just take your time and is should be okay.
I was looking forward to this book like whoa, so when I got it, I put what I was going to read next aside and picked up When the Sea is Rising Red. And...I was a little disappointed.
Hellisen's writing is great. She is very descriptive and I enjoyed the world that she built, along with the mythology that comes with it. I love the fact that each of the noble families have different magical talents. I also think the idea of having to use a powder called "scriv" to use the magic is brilliant. It's all very thought-out, but here's also where it fell apart for me: the environment/world of the book comes across as a bit of a hodgepodge of myths. Example, the book has things like unicorns and vampires and sea witches. Hellisen pulls some from here and some from there and some more from over there, then puts it all in a pot. But instead of it mixing together to make something complete, it feels more like pieces of different stories. Yes, there's a fascinating reason within the story that explains the unicorns, but a unicorn is still a unicorn. I wanted her magical world to work for me, but sometimes it didn't. It all came across as too complicated. I feel dumb, but for the majority of the last half of the book, I was confused. Then the climax happens and I have almost no idea what's going on. It all happens too fast and it's like the author is trying to explain everything that she's been building up to in the last third of the book. I wish it could have been longer.
Characters: Felicita has her moments, but none of the characters, expect Jannik, held much interest for me. I really like Jannik and found him to be the most intriguing character in the story.
All in all, it was an okay read. My main complaint is the fact that I felt stupid for not knowing what was happening there at the end, but I mostly figured it out and all is well. If you're looking for something different, then check this one out! This is a book with a lot to digest, so don't read it too quickly. Just take your time and is should be okay.