*Thank you to BookishFirst and Tor Publishing for this ARC of The Sin in the Steel*
Wow! What a wild, fast-paced, thrilling debut fantasy novel from Ryan Van Loan. With pirates, mages, Dead and new gods, dead walkers, cannibals, and a tough as nails duo, Buc and Eld- the cast of characters ensured that this novel would be a ride. I am pleased to say that it lived up to my expectations.
Buc is a 17 year old girl with intelligence that is sometimes too much for her, resulting in her inability to trust others with her plans in situations that truly would have benefited from her discussing them before leaping into action. This is especially true when it comes to her companion (and partner in "crime") Eld. Her intelligence comes across as arrogance and over confidence which oftentimes got the duo into more trouble than was necessary. Eld was the counterweight to Buc, where she was rash and hot headed, he was diplomatic and rational- which made them a stellar team.
What was truly exceptional to me was the extensive world-building and the magic system. I love the concepts surrounding the Dead and New Gods and how their followers harness the magic provided by these deities. The environments in which the characters found themselves were well explained and allowed me to be fully immersed in the world, I was especially fond of the Port 'au Sheen.
As a debut novel I think Ryan Van Loan did an excellent job setting the stage for the series ahead- I am excited to see what happens to these characters!
Wow! What a wild, fast-paced, thrilling debut fantasy novel from Ryan Van Loan. With pirates, mages, Dead and new gods, dead walkers, cannibals, and a tough as nails duo, Buc and Eld- the cast of characters ensured that this novel would be a ride. I am pleased to say that it lived up to my expectations.
Buc is a 17 year old girl with intelligence that is sometimes too much for her, resulting in her inability to trust others with her plans in situations that truly would have benefited from her discussing them before leaping into action. This is especially true when it comes to her companion (and partner in "crime") Eld. Her intelligence comes across as arrogance and over confidence which oftentimes got the duo into more trouble than was necessary. Eld was the counterweight to Buc, where she was rash and hot headed, he was diplomatic and rational- which made them a stellar team.
What was truly exceptional to me was the extensive world-building and the magic system. I love the concepts surrounding the Dead and New Gods and how their followers harness the magic provided by these deities. The environments in which the characters found themselves were well explained and allowed me to be fully immersed in the world, I was especially fond of the Port 'au Sheen.
As a debut novel I think Ryan Van Loan did an excellent job setting the stage for the series ahead- I am excited to see what happens to these characters!