A disappointingly tough start, but I did end up really enjoying it.
The story, based on the graphic novel, BRZRKR, follows B/Unute - a man who cannot dA disappointingly tough start, but I did end up really enjoying it.
The story, based on the graphic novel, BRZRKR, follows B/Unute - a man who cannot die. As a consequence, he's lived eons and is now being utilised by the military as something of a killing machine, and in return he's working with a doctor to try and discover more about who/what/WHY he is.
Now, the writing is immediately overblown. I've never read anything by China Mieville so this has put me off reading anything further; every sentence is work to read, using multiple words when one would suffice. I found it such a drag to read at the start, which was really disappointing because I've been hanging out for this book since it was announced.
Once I was about one hundred or so pages in, however, the story took over to a point where I noticed the writing less. There's a lot that's similar to the graphic novel, but there's an entirely separate story here, too, so fans of the graphic novel will find themselves learning more and appreciating the extra depth.
There's a great balance of action, story, and horror. Some perfectly creepy moments, and great gory scenes. Some softer moments are driven by character development, and it's fascinating trying to understand B and what he's been through and feeling as a consequence.
The writing plays with viewpoints and styles, with some parts told in second person, which was a little weird but something I adapted to okay eventually. It's a little jarring - especially with the convoluted writing style - but it does add an extra flavour to the story.
I think ultimately this was always going to be a fantastic, fun, hectic story, but the writing of it was too pretentious to allow the reader in fully. I can see that they've gone for different to make it more memorable; to make it stand out more and be more unique. Personally, I found it too much at the start but did enjoy it by the end.
I like that it was a little different, but being so different so soon will alienate a lot of readers, I feel, so it won't be everyone's cup of tea. I think fans of the graphic novel will eventually appreciate it if they persevere, but those unfamiliar with the story may discard it fairly quickly unless this particular writing style is something they enjoy.
For my part, the strangeness and depth of the story was enough to make me happy, and so I put up with, and eventually enjoyed, the writing. ...more
Narrated by Kate Dobson Presented by Bolinda Audio
Oh this was such a delight!
From start to finish, I was immersed in this one. The characters are fantaNarrated by Kate Dobson Presented by Bolinda Audio
Oh this was such a delight!
From start to finish, I was immersed in this one. The characters are fantastic, there's an intriguing mystery regarding murdered werewolves, and there's enough character stuff to get me invested without slowing down the action.
Sage is a Werewolf who wants to be a detective, Oren is a warlock detective who prefers to work alone. When a friend of Sage turns up dead, the two must work together to solve the case.
I just loved all of this. The premise was so original, and the characters so full of life (despite some of them being dead). The story flowed so neatly, and the narration really brought the characters a lot of warmth. There's a decent pace that keeps the story moving forward, while still making time for us to get to know everyone.
I really enjoyed the narration, too; I thought it was done well.
This was a unique urban fantasy and I'd love to read more set in this world.
Narrated by Emma Fenney Presented by Dreamscape Media
Some excellent creepy vibes, though a bit long and meandering for my tastes.
I liked the setup, witNarrated by Emma Fenney Presented by Dreamscape Media
Some excellent creepy vibes, though a bit long and meandering for my tastes.
I liked the setup, with the kids going missing and the Heedful Ones haunting our sham psychic. It was an interesting idea and it had me instantly intrigued.
Sadly, I lost interest very fast. There's a lot of family issues that I didn't care for, and didn't fully understand, to be honest. I felt it was unnecessary and slowed the story down considerably.
Freddy with his podcast was pretty predictable and again, didn't make too much sense to me. It seemed a thin excuse to get Ashley working on the case of the missing kids.
It just seemed like there were a lot of threadbare ideas holding this one together, and it never quite delivered. There were some cool spooky ideas but then it was back to mundane things; the storytelling just didn't have the consistency we needed to be properly impressed by all the eerie happenings.
I did enjoy the backstory of the setting, and there were still some great moments that held me captivated. But ultimately this one fell short of fully sucking me in.
The narration was fine, but again I was reading at 2x speed without any issues because it was so slow and full of pauses. There wasn't a huge amount of characterisation in the voices, and at times Freddy sounded a lot like Ashley. It wasn't a deal breaker, but it didn't add much to the story for me.
This may read better on paper, but it's slow in places which takes away from the creepiness this should have held well throughout. The setting and story is perfect for horror vibes, but the story wastes time with people drama, slowing things down to a more mundane pace.
If you're into crime stories with a supernatural twist, this one could work for you, but be prepared to wait patiently for the best stuff.
You can read my individual thoughts for each part in my reading progress, but basically this was a rollercoaster.
I really loved theBruh I am NOT OKAY.
You can read my individual thoughts for each part in my reading progress, but basically this was a rollercoaster.
I really loved the beginning - seeing Roland's battle with Cort play out in such vivid detail was a great opener and it made me very happy. Then watching the gang's adventures in Hambry, knowing how things were going to go down, was quite a thrill. I've always loved Cuthbert and Sheemie's relationship so it was cool to see it here.
The road back to Gilead was a new story created for the graphic novels, and while it was nice to have some new material I felt this one dragged on a bit. It was great for Bert and Alain to have their time to shine but I slowed down a bit at this point as overall it just didn't interest me as much.
Seeing Gilead in its glory was a lot of fun, though, and the new stories that came out here were fantastic. There's so much lore to this world, but throughout the seven-novel series we discover very little about Roland's early years in the city. So it was nice to get a glimpse of how things were, even if they didn't fit quite as seamlessly as I hoped they would.
The Fall of Gilead was absolutely gut-wrenching. This is something we readers of the novels knew happened, but details have always been vague. I've always wanted to know how such a magnificent, powerful place fell to ruin, but seeing it all play out was heartbreaking. There was always a polite distance between Roland's past and his present in the novels, so being confronted with that in-between time and witnessing everything falling apart is really brutal. My heart ached for these characters I'd come to know so well.
I do really love the characters of the series, so in the graphic novel format we do unfortunately lose so much of the nuances of who they are. I was glad to have read the novels first, so I knew these characters better.
This is also, I think, why the last volume was not enough for me. I knew tragedies were coming but they were so quickly left behind in the graphic novel version, due to the nature of the format. There's so much awfulness, pain, death, tragedy, but six issues is just not enough time to feel and grieve it all. It wasn't at all like I'd pictured when reading the novels so I wanted more.
That said, Robin Furth and team have absolutely delivered here. Robin's knowledge and understanding of King's world is incredible and she handles it with great respect, understanding and love. The artwork suits the story perfectly, and the characters are vivid and memorable. The way the stories have been transported into the graphic novel format is simply incredible, and as someone obsessed with the novels I was so incredibly grateful for how brilliantly this was done.
The graphic novel collection also includes short stories and insights into mid-world, which was an unexpected delight. This colours in our understanding of Roland's world and enhances the overall experience. I loved all the extra details, but I did get impatient at times so skipped some of the end stories with the intention of going back at a later time.
Overall, this made my heart happy. Bruised, battle-worn and weary, but happy.
A must-read for fans of the novels, and highly recommended for people wanting to access such a massive story in a slightly easier format. Also just a fantastic read for graphic novel fans of darker fantasy and horror.
I think this is the fastest I've ever read 900+ pages.
I mean, this is a mammoth book. Of the type affectionately referred to as 'doorstop books'. But I think this is the fastest I've ever read 900+ pages.
I mean, this is a mammoth book. Of the type affectionately referred to as 'doorstop books'. But it also covers a long passage of time (see what I did there) so it works.
Now, first I have to say that the less you know before you read it, the better. I would recommend you steer clear of reviews and synopses and just let the story unfold by itself. Much more interesting that way, and I really enjoyed the way the story was told. If you intend to ignore this advice, please read on. :)
Plot: Basically, there's a science experiment that goes horribly wrong and starts the apocalypse. It's hard to really talk about the plot without giving away too much but I think it's no spoiler to say that it's split between now and after. There are some really interesting characters and we get several viewpoints to make things interesting, and through each individual story is woven that of Amy, who is a Really Big Deal. It's interesting to read about how people deal with this collapse of society, and what sort of lives rise from the ashes.
At the same time, I kinda hate that element. This had all the stuff I hate about zombie books. Small bands of survivors scurrying around just trying to survive in the ghost of the World That Was. I don't know why this one was so much more interesting for me. There were still moments that seemed straight out of a zombie film but I guess I liked the characters enough to forgive this. Also how they relate to one another when there are so few of them is quite interesting. Some of the colony stuff was a bit slow for my liking but I still got through it fast enough.
Reality is, a book this long is not going to be non-stop action. But a lot of this story is the 'what would you do?' factor so there are a lot of moral questions and there's plenty of curiosity raised just by human behaviour. The different environments, different actions and emotions, different outcomes. Plenty to sink your teeth into. (see what I did there, too.)
If someone had told me the gist of this book, I probably never would have read it. So I'm really glad I went into it relatively ignorant. This book gives plenty of info but I still have so many questions so I'll be moving on to the next one asap!
Now, for those who have read it, here's some spoilery thoughts: (view spoiler)[
1. Super curious about what Amy was before she got injected. Coz the animals already knew 'what she was' at the zoo, but like, I don't? I thought maybe she'd already been vamped one night while mum was out. Looking forward to an explanation!
2. Sad for the lack of Carter after everything goes up in smoke. I hope he gets a starring role later.
3. Books that kill dogs are THE WORST.
4. Nearly lost it when Lacey turned up again and then it switched to Sarah's viewpoint. So did NOT care about Sancho dying.
5. Had an 'awwww' moment over the backpack and the Peter thing, though.
6. I kinda didn't get Amy saying goodbye to Wolgast? Like, he was a ghost that was stalking her? But why? And how? That bit was too confusing.
7. Kinda wish the vampires were more like vampires and less like mindless zombies. If you're gonna combine two classic horror baddies, I'd much rather see werewolves.
8. So curious about Bolivia.
9. The whole 'fat lady dream' thing did nothing for me. Like, I got it, but it was tiring and repetitive and I'm super glad that he got blown up.
It's not even 11am and I need a stiff drink or seven.
So. Where to begin?
This was a tough read, to be honest! It amps up Finally finished this monster.
It's not even 11am and I need a stiff drink or seven.
So. Where to begin?
This was a tough read, to be honest! It amps up everything about 110% - more violence, more sex, more carnage, more horror. I found it so heavy around the 240-page mark that I slowed right down and had to read other, happier books as an interlude.
But I do think it was necessary for the story to really convey how high the stakes are.
This is not a pretty world - it is dark and hopeless for mortals, and Gabe and Dior really have their work cut out for them if they're going to save it.
I appreciated the necessity of the darkness, but I was glad to move on from it.
The story went in all kinds of unpredictable directions, and it sure messes with the emotions in terms of casualties. Things were constantly dire and the good guys just seemed to never catch a break. It hurt my heart. But there were really satisfying moments, too - it's a LOT of doom and gloom, but there are rays of sunshine that preserve hope just a little. We get a dual narrative here, too, which was fun for something different.
It's a strong continuation from the first book, but not for the faint of heart. Readers should appreciate that this is more horror than fantasy - be prepared for ugly, and you might be okay with it.
Hopefully surviving this one will make the payoff of the third book even sweeter, but we'll have to wait and see!...more
This series really blew me out of the water. I've been smashing through them this year and stillSweet cheeses, this got seriously HECTIC.
I am reeling.
This series really blew me out of the water. I've been smashing through them this year and still not stopping. The characters are fantastic and there are so many twists and turns to the story that it's hard to stop reading at any point.
I felt many, many emotions reading this. What a wild ride.
Also enjoying the slow introduction and get-to-know-you moments for new characters. Ashia is a fkn badass so I'm very happy to have heard more about her in this volume.
I thought there would be more Jardir and Arlen so on that account it was a little disappointing, but there was so much going on with everyone else that I forgot about that complaint easily enough.
Even Leesha had her moments, here, although she has become more unbearable as the series has progressed.
This latest book got me good, so I'm very keen to finish off the series!...more
The story: rebellious teen goes to Brat Camp, falls in love with Bad Boy who is also secretly a werewolf. Shh!
FMore cheese here than in all of France.
The story: rebellious teen goes to Brat Camp, falls in love with Bad Boy who is also secretly a werewolf. Shh!
Firstly, this dude is very free with his secret. Also a terrible liar. I'll say nothing more.
Shelby is a classic case of, 'omg I'm such a rebel but I am trying so hard not to be, it's just in my nature I swear I can't help it' while she brats all over the place. Hated her.
There's lots of sneaking around and breaking rules and rebelling against authority and of course even more GUSHING about how gosh darn ATTRACTIVE everyone is.
Honestly I just read this for a challenge and I'm pretty sure it cost me a few brain cells.
Firstly, I really enjoyed the backtracking to see Inevera's past. I thought it was quite fascinatingBruhhhh what just happened!!
Reeling, I am REELING.
Firstly, I really enjoyed the backtracking to see Inevera's past. I thought it was quite fascinating, and a great way to create sympathy for a character that has, thus far, kind of been a trouble-making antagonist. It was great to learn a little more about her and how she came to be the snake she is in the present.
Lots of political manoeuvrings in this one, and less demons. I find myself feeling less for the Hollowers and more for the Krasians. Leesha is driving me insane with her fickleness and the whole plot her mum comes up with and she decides to execute?! WHY. So I find myself really starting to dislike her. Same with Rojer - his shenanigans and hot temper really kinda annoy me. They seem to act very high and mighty which is the opposite of what Arlen has ever wanted.
Tell you what, though - I really love Renna. I wasn't sure how I felt about her at first, and her mood swings are wild, but I like how fierce she's become and how hard she stands by Arlen.
Meanwhile, the bloodthirsty Krasians are slowly winning me over. They have some brutal methods and take killing very lightly and also treat most of their women terribly, but somehow I find myself really admiring them and the organisation they have.
That final chapter of course had me reading with my mouth hanging open and anxious for everyone involved - I'll have to pick up the next book sooner than I anticipated now!
All in all, I really loved this installment. The series is building to a point where I have no clue what's going to happen and that really excites me....more
Narrated by Lynnette R Freeman Presented by RB Media
A really fun read enhanced once again by Freeman's narration.
This is my first from this author but Narrated by Lynnette R Freeman Presented by RB Media
A really fun read enhanced once again by Freeman's narration.
This is my first from this author but certainly won't be my last. It had a perfect blend of action, fantasy, and wit, and Eveen is tough and sassy but not obnoxiously so. Exactly the kind of blend I like.
The story follows our assassin, Eveen, when she's tasked with a kill she finds she can't carry out. It's one of the unbreakable rules, though, so trouble will inevitably follow if she doesn't commit the crime.
I don't quite know what I was expecting from this one, but it certainly wasn't what I got. This was funny and fast, and strayed into some interesting corners. The characters were delightful and I liked the variety.
The narration was fantastic, just as it was with the last book I listened to with this narrator (The Poisons We Drink - Review Here). I love the way she brings the story to life and infuses characters with personality flawlessly. She gives these characters their own unique voices so brilliantly that if you told me this was narrated by multiple people, I'd believe you. I didn't think I'd ever be the kind of person to choose a book based on narrator but you can bet I'll be looking for anything this woman does from now on.
Admittedly, with this being audio I did zone out a little more than I would have liked, but I'd happily listen to it again - it was just that fun.
Solid story, fun characters and superior narration. Happy to recommend this one to fantasy lovers and audio fans!
Wasn't sure how I was going to go with this chonky boi but the 750+ pages flew by. Book two was officially as addictivThis series is actually SO GOOD.
Wasn't sure how I was going to go with this chonky boi but the 750+ pages flew by. Book two was officially as addictive as the first.
Opening on the desert folks and following Jardir's rise to power was an unexpected joy - I wasn't a fan to start but really enjoyed getting to see what made him the man he's become and honestly felt a lot of respect for him. Clearly this will be a many-layered story as this book only introduced more factors for character-building.
It was quite fascinating following Jardir after his brief appearance as a villain in the first book. Was cool to see the overlapping oh his path with that of the Painted Man but to also get a bit more info on why things went down the way they did. Then switching back to our regular gang and integrating all the viewpoints just rounded everything out really well.
The characters of this series easily drive the narrative - they're richly detailed and unpredictable, and you never know where the twists of the story will take them.
Not too keen on the war talk and politics and strategy etc but something has to drive the overall series so I'm very curious as to how everything will play out.
Naturally I'm dying to jump straight to the next book but I know its another doorstop so I'll give myself a little intermission before moving onward.
Highly recommend this series for lovers of darker, epic fantasy....more
A unique supernatural thriller that kept me invested the whole way through.
In one of the greatest opening scenes I've read in a while, our protagonistA unique supernatural thriller that kept me invested the whole way through.
In one of the greatest opening scenes I've read in a while, our protagonist wakes in the rain, surrounded by dead bodies, with no knowledge of who she is and the only clue a letter that begins, 'Dear You ...'
Hook, line and sinker, my friends.
What follows is an introduction to a secret supernatural organisation where our mind-wiped protagonist, Myfawny is charged with keeping things orderly and making sure that inconvenient supernatural disturbances are followed up with all the appropriate forms - all while trying to figure out who is responsible for her current state. Oh, she also has superpowers. As do most of her colleagues.
A comparison to X-Men comes to mind, but there's no dramatic heroics here - saving the day is just a regular Monday. In fact, a lot of the humour comes from how calmly these crazy situations are dealt with. I loved how Myfawny 2.0 just had no patience - it was so refreshing for there to be more anger than fear and have her just go OFF at these psychotic supernatural beings for messing up her day. I support the new model wholeheartedly.
There's the consistent, nagging mystery of how she ended up mind-wiped, which is enough to keep you reading, but then there's also one crazy happening after another and let me just say, these are things that 14 seasons of Supernatural still did not prepare me for.
So the pacing is fantastic, with the main storyline intersected by the 'mundane' day to day business of Myfawny's position. Plenty of action, plenty of humour, and some really unique powers on display.
The characters are a lot of fun, though I did get a couple mixed up. A little more depth on some would have been nice, but there were a lot to introduce in this novel so I'm looking forward to getting to know people better in the next one. As it stands, there's still enough info to give you an idea of the personalities hanging around the office and an understanding of what drives each.
The whole thing was honestly just a lot of fun and I flew through it. It's a refreshing take on super-powered humans dealing with supernatural things, with a nice side of comedy to lighten the mood.
This is BEYOND MESSED UP and I don't know how to feel other than disgusted.
How do I even describe how disturbing this was?
Body horror, sexual depravitThis is BEYOND MESSED UP and I don't know how to feel other than disgusted.
How do I even describe how disturbing this was?
Body horror, sexual depravity, mutilations and murder, twisted entities ... the whole collection was batsh*t insane.
Some of the stories were cleverly disturbing, like the one where a girl is obsessed with scratching herself.
Some were hilarious, like the monster-girl whose head pops off every time she orgasms.
Then some were just straight up nonsensical and bizarre, like the one with some god-slug thing sucking the life from buildings.
That's just a small example - honestly, I tried to burn most of these out of my brain immediately after reading.
There is a plethora of naked bodies in all kinds of messy detail; one story even focuses on (view spoiler)[the application of penises with foreskin in new and unconventional settings. (hide spoiler)] There is an abundance of rape and mutilation and everything seems to come with its own depraved sexual angle. There's one panel showing (view spoiler)[a girl being penetrated from behind by a horse (hide spoiler)] which I'm still trying to wrap my head around.
And somehow there's still a dark, purposeful humour to it all.
This is next level Japanese horror. It goes to all kinds of extreme lengths to gross you out and succeeds almost too well. It's bizarre and twisted and will take you in unexpected directions that will more often than not make you want to scream/cry/puke.
I hated reading it, and it made me think longingly of getting into a hot shower fully clothed and sobbing til I had nothing left.
An extremely ambitious, tangled web of a novel that will keep you guessing til the final page.
Was a bit of a slow set up, but once we finally met the An extremely ambitious, tangled web of a novel that will keep you guessing til the final page.
Was a bit of a slow set up, but once we finally met the Library it became easily addictive.
The story tells of Livira, an orphan from the Dust (i.e a tiny town in the middle of a desert) kidnapped by 'Sabbers', who eventually winds up in the city (whose name I forget entirely) of The Library, and Evar, who lives confined to a chamber of The Library with only his three (once four) siblings and two helpers for company.
The story is set predominantly in The Library, which is essentially a world of its own. It's so big that no one actually knows how big, and its set into a mountain so its not like you can just measure it. It has chambers with locked doors and only houses ONE copy of each book. And the librarians are very precious about who accesses the library, its chambers and its books.
As mentioned, it's an incredibly ambitious novel. My first and only previous Mark Lawrence book was Prince of Thorns and I found it to be painfully terrible writing so I honestly wasn't sure how I was going to feel about this one. The story won me over pretty quickly, but I did lose respect for the author again when he quoted himself, not just once but TWICE. I found it unnecessary and arrogant, particularly as the book quotes that opened each chapter really didn't add all that much to the story.
I also find his writing style to be unnecessarily complex, with the personification of inanimate objects leading to some really confusing sentences. It's an obvious attempt to create poetic work, but instead of enhancing the story visually it just confuses. Same with some of the long monologues, particularly from Yute. The author is trying so hard to create quotable quotes that it comes across as pretentious. There are some deep themes here for sure, but we don't need it drilled into us with a thousand words when a mere handful will suffice.
Writing aside, though, this really is one hell of a story.
How can anyone complain about a story set in a library that is a world of its own? The scale is grand, and it's easy to get lost in dreams of wandering this mysterious library yourself. A magnificent, mysterious place with a rich history of secrets hiding between its walls.
Livira is a strong willed girl who refuses to stop asking questions; she's wild, reckless and fiercely loyal so it's honestly hard not to root for her. Her inevitable rise to a position of importance felt a bit rushed to me, but with the book already clocking in at over 500 pages I'm kinda glad that there wasn't more. I think I just would have preferred better character building in place of the long musings on history and war etc.
Evar's situation was most intriguing, and I wanted to solve the mystery of his world so bad. There were so many questions around him, his family, the mechanism, and especially the past. We got some answers, but book 2 is going to have a lot of work to do.
There were so many questions raised in this book that it was a miracle any of them got answered at all. It did feel all a bit rushed at the end, with so much information coming at once that I feel like so many questions slipped through the cracks. It's astonishing to me that a book this long still feels like it only just scratched the surface of this world. And the world so far is just a library. Yikes. I'll say it again: book 2 has its work cut out for it.
Beyond the first 100 or so pages, the pace really picks up and the jumping back and forth between Livira's and Evar's points of view will leave you spinning. There's plenty of tension and just SO. MANY. QUESTIONS that will leave you desperate to just read a few pages more. I found it almost impossible to put down at times, which is one of my favourite things about reading.
A truly brilliant, formidable novel. The writing took me out at times and I really wish the author wasn't quite so arrogant, but I have very few complaints about the story. This book transported me to this massive, fantastic Library, and I thoroughly enjoyed my time there.
I guess I was expecting something deeper and more disturbing and less kinky.
Some good gruesome moments but for the most part it was disappointing.
The I guess I was expecting something deeper and more disturbing and less kinky.
Some good gruesome moments but for the most part it was disappointing.
The blurb mentions three women, so I was expecting three interwoven stories. Instead, the first half of the book focuses entirely on Erin as the world starts to go a little crazy. It's a slow start to the horror, and I really wanted more. I was also frustrated by Erin's behaviour, so following her as sole protagonist wasn't a lot of fun.
When the horror finally takes hold, it does so quite suddenly and I found it jarring.
The other two women mentioned in the blurb don't get too much attention compared to Erin, but their paths are firmly in the disturbing so finally the horror gets interesting. Still, I felt the idea wasn't really done justice.
I wanted to enjoy this more than I did. I'm not hugely into the kinky stuff but if it's done with purpose (and horror) I don't mind so much. The line was thin here. On the most part I didn't mind it, but I also wondered if its inclusion in the story was necessary.
Ultimately, I enjoyed the idea of this more than the execution. I think there was so much going on here that narrowing it down to the three women didn't do it justice. There are some interesting ideas and social commentary but it's mostly neglected rather than expanded upon.
Disappointing, to be honest. I wanted so much more than what I got. It wasn't awful, but it could have been so much more than it was....more
Don't sell me a book as a 'gothic mystery' about seances and then give me more romance and misdirectioPretty disappointed with this one, to be honest.
Don't sell me a book as a 'gothic mystery' about seances and then give me more romance and misdirection than ghosts.
This actually started out okay - Lenna is an understudy for D'Allaire, and hopes to learn the art of conducting a seance so that she can determine the murderer of her younger sister, Evie. I am here for ghosts, seances, and historic murder mysteries. I am here for secret societies.
I am NOT here for romance and bad writing.
The whole thing just seemed really poorly put together. We get the story from both Lenna and Mr Morley, so that does keep things interesting but at the same time it felt kinda messy, and I'm not entirely sure what the point of dating each chapter was, especially when Morley kept reminiscing about the past? I found it kind of confusing, actually.
Now, the romance. I mean, I was expecting GOTHIC and GHOSTS, so I guess I just wasn't expecting love. Especially not after 80 pages with barely any character building. So I was definitely taken by surprise by it and, reading on, it really seemed more like it was for plot convenience than for any kind of actual character depth. I find that very frustrating. I don't mind a smidge of romance if it's done well and makes sense within the story, but this was neither.
The characters were so bland and the story itself, though interesting enough, seemed kind of pointless. Lenna jumps to ridiculous conclusions constantly and this is one of those frustrating stories where you're just internally screaming for her to JUST SAY SOMETHING. Instead of making all these dumb conclusions when the real answer is so painfully obvious. We the reader are really treated like a moron - given obvious red herrings and pointless diversions. I just was not vibing with this at all.
I still read through it easily enough, so it's not like it was bad, but I was expecting great things from it so it was ultimately a disappointing read. I wanted to be sucked into this world of secret meetings to contact the dead, but there's a total of TWO actual seances conducted over the course of the book and very little ghost activity. This is more about how CLEVER the author is in deceiving us, and relationships. Very little dark magic going on here. Thus, very disappointing.
Not at all what I expected, and not a strong story at all. Washed out characters and too much trying to misdirect and build a clever story. A little too forced for my tastes....more
Nothing says !!MALE AUTHOR!! like a sex act in almost EVERY. SINGLE. CHAPTER and women ALWAYS described first and foremost by theirPREPARE FOR A RANT.
Nothing says !!MALE AUTHOR!! like a sex act in almost EVERY. SINGLE. CHAPTER and women ALWAYS described first and foremost by their heaving, always engorged breasts.
I'm so mad.
A Summary: - Characters are never properly described -Allusions to the past make you feel you missed an entire book/trilogy before this -Plot is hard to make out -Sex nudity sex boobs rape sex boobs groping sex obscene paintings boobs rape nudity sex ETC
In further detail:
Characters Having read this book, I still have very little idea of what ANY of these characters look like. I was 300 pages in before I realised one of the characters was black. That seems like something I should have known. Other than that, the dudes have guts and the ladies have heaving breasts.
It is very hard to follow a story with multiple characters when you have no idea what any of the characters actually look like.
Allusions to the Past The setting of this book is about a decade after a big battle in which all the main characters were heroes, to the extent that they killed a dragon and led armies to great victory. Now they're old and essentially past their prime but things drag them back into the fold somehow.
I honestly had to double check that there wasn't another book or series set in the same world with these characters. I still feel like there is and I just missed it. Because there are so many references to things that happened in the past that are more confusing than scene-building. For example, how is it that they killed a dragon and it was a big deal and then there is just zero other references to dragons?! Also who/what are these Lizard people and where are they now? Admittedly, I skimmed a lot of the political rants because I could not make heads or tails of any of it. There are so many names for people, places, things, etc that I could not keep track one bit. There is so much information and none of it is explained clearly enough to get a true picture of this world.
Plot So, as mentioned above, things are very messy and confusing. Our main protagonist, Ringil, is drawn out of the quiet life by the search for his cousin. This happens within the first few chapters of the book, yet we see almost zero progress in this quest aside from Ringil insulting people and either getting into fights or getting into bed with them. I liked the steppe dude and his basic story of sibling rivalry but the third main character? I just honestly had no idea what was going on with her. Something about being a lapdog for the emperor. *shrugs* She also has a lot of names that I honestly could not be bothered even READING let alone mentally pronouncing properly.
Sex etc. DON'T EVEN GET ME STARTED.
What IS it with male fantasy authors needing to live out their every pornographic fantasy in the books they write? There was 100% NO NEED for this level of debauchery. Also, WHY are fat, ugly, has-been heroes irresistible to one and all? Get outta here.
Conclusion This book was just so heavily overshadowed by all the sex, rape and acts of sexual subservience that there was no room left to develop plot, characters or the world. A complete mess from start to finish.
Target audience: dudes who love 'anti hereoes' who are actually just unappealing men who get laid a lot; guys who say they like 'gritty' fantasy but actually just like lots of death and sex; readers who prefer sex and violence over plot and world-building....more
I've been having some mad jealousy seeing everyone else's great reviews for this, so it was nice to finally experience it forAyyyy I finally read it!!
I've been having some mad jealousy seeing everyone else's great reviews for this, so it was nice to finally experience it for myself and see what the fuss is about.
I get it! This was a great read!
I really enjoy when SK delves into fantasy. My favourites of his work are definitely the fantasy ones: The Eyes of the Dragon and the entire Dark Tower series. Some of my favourite books of all time, in fact, because he balances fantasy with horror and thriller so well!
This book was no exception. It took its time building up the mundane but the payoff was entirely worth it.
It's a lengthy sort of epic, with so much happening that it really does feel like it occurs across years. There are fantastic characters and original ideas and still a lurking, creeping horror that means it's almost impossible to look away.
I particularly enjoyed Radar the dog being such a big part of the story. Who can't relate to the importance of dogs?!
All in all, I agree with everyone that found it fabulous. A little slow to start with, which sees it miss out on the 5th star for me, but definitely a story that will stay with me.
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