Publisher: Harper Voyager (2018)
Format: ebook | 480 pages
Genre(s): Fantasy
Disclaimer: I thoroughly enjoyed this book.
However... it has so many structural problems, I can't in good conscience give it more than 2 stars. So...
The good:
- The writing: very engaging and the narrator did a decent job at reading it.
- The pace: it was fast-paced and there wasn't time to feel bored.
- The self-discovery journey: while recounted in a cliché manner I liked how Evie reclaimed herself and learned to stand up for what she believed.
The not so good:
- The entire storyline: it was predictable and followed a well-threaded path in urban fantasy books.
- The character development: most of the characters were stereotypes and never got past it - the mwahaha, bully villain, the selfless heroine, the troubled and brooding male lead. More nuanced characters were never explored.
- The magic system: it was explained, but it was too simplistic and just there so people could have magic.
- The world building: was terrible. I was confused the whole time, the world seemed post-medieval (sort of) with swords and castles and nobles, but they had toilets, hot water and showers (how, we're never explained).
In speech the characters drew comparisons with modern things and used modern idioms. Basically there was no world building. This book is plain urban fantasy, the world is just sketched and there to accommodate the characters, it does not stand on his own. There was no effort made to create a sustainable, believable fantasy world.
So these were my impressions of the book. It's deeply flawed but I still enjoyed it as fluff "reading".
Comentários