A review by steviereads77
Song of Silver, Flame Like Night by Amélie Wen Zhao
adventurous
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Bargains with demon gods, a hidden magic school, and a ruthless colonizing force that needs to be stopped.
Plot: 3/5
The concept of this plot is really compelling. There were unpredictable twists and enough intrigue to keep you interested through out. But the pacing of the plot felt really off, there were several times that the book felt like it had completed the story but there was still a lot to go. The training arc was too short for the power that Lan seemed to suddenly have.
Characters: 3/5
Zen is the redeeming character here. I really enjoyed his perspective and his internal struggle with demons.
Lan felt very inconsistent. The way she thought and saw herself didn't line up with how she acted and what she said. There was just an odd disconnect there. She had a lot of funny lines that I definitely enjoyed, her personality really shows. But there was something about her character that wasn't super compelling to me.
The side characters fell really flat, they needed more detail and interactions to come to life.
Writing: 3/5
I think that Zhao did a really good job of mixing humor into serious situations, it made the reactions much more believable. A fair bit of the dialogue felt very stiff but it wasn't a huge deterrent.
Overall: 3/5
I'm interested to see Zhao's writing in her other books and see how her characters develop in those before I decide if she is an author for me or not.
Plot: 3/5
The concept of this plot is really compelling. There were unpredictable twists and enough intrigue to keep you interested through out. But the pacing of the plot felt really off, there were several times that the book felt like it had completed the story but there was still a lot to go. The training arc was too short for the power that Lan seemed to suddenly have.
Characters: 3/5
Zen is the redeeming character here. I really enjoyed his perspective and his internal struggle with demons.
Lan felt very inconsistent. The way she thought and saw herself didn't line up with how she acted and what she said. There was just an odd disconnect there. She had a lot of funny lines that I definitely enjoyed, her personality really shows. But there was something about her character that wasn't super compelling to me.
The side characters fell really flat, they needed more detail and interactions to come to life.
Writing: 3/5
I think that Zhao did a really good job of mixing humor into serious situations, it made the reactions much more believable. A fair bit of the dialogue felt very stiff but it wasn't a huge deterrent.
Overall: 3/5
I'm interested to see Zhao's writing in her other books and see how her characters develop in those before I decide if she is an author for me or not.