This book is one that you start and think, “I’m not sure about this… I’m a bit confused … Not really my style,” but you keep reading and soon you find you’re walking around everywhere saying, “Aye!” I felt like the book dragged a little bit in the first half, mostly due to the fact that I was a bit confused with the world building. I was much more interested in the events of the second half and the end.
At the half way point, I was not sure I would continue on with the series, but by the end I definitely wanted to see where the story and characters went next. It picked up considerably and I found the characters much more relatable towards the end. I also found the subject matter unique and the world that the author created immersive.
The novel wasn’t without faults, but I hate to be too harsh since this is a debut.
I was excited to see that the main character was a female who appeared to have not only a love of books and knowledge but was also feisty and independent. Unfortunately, it fell flat.
My main issue was this: A strong female character can just be a strong female character without a need to explain herself or to put down those around her – men and women alike. Implicit references– little things like having a person in power address Eld rather than Buc, thinking that he must be in charge and not she – go a long way to show not only the societal inequality, but also Buc’s role and ability to stand up for herself and assert her position in power. These nods to both sides of the issue were appreciated. But too often I felt like the fact that she was a “strong woman” and that men were “bad/stupid/rash/not as good as women” was being thrown in my face at every turn.
I think it ended up serving the exact opposite purpose than the author intended – it described both men and women in the book in stereotypical manners and made their being male or female define their strengths and weaknesses without diving into their complexities as individuals. I would’ve appreciated their personalities and actions to speak for themselves, and I hope as the series goes on, this will be the case.
To be fair, some of the commentary could be due to Buc’s emotional immaturity and her overall character arc in the first book. It is also a fantasy novel so that should be kept in mind I think.
Overall, I thought the book was a solid read with content that I don’t see in a lot of novels these days (pirates included!). I honestly feel like the author has the potential to be fantastic, and I hope that will show as the series continues.
At the half way point, I was not sure I would continue on with the series, but by the end I definitely wanted to see where the story and characters went next. It picked up considerably and I found the characters much more relatable towards the end. I also found the subject matter unique and the world that the author created immersive.
The novel wasn’t without faults, but I hate to be too harsh since this is a debut.
I was excited to see that the main character was a female who appeared to have not only a love of books and knowledge but was also feisty and independent. Unfortunately, it fell flat.
My main issue was this: A strong female character can just be a strong female character without a need to explain herself or to put down those around her – men and women alike. Implicit references– little things like having a person in power address Eld rather than Buc, thinking that he must be in charge and not she – go a long way to show not only the societal inequality, but also Buc’s role and ability to stand up for herself and assert her position in power. These nods to both sides of the issue were appreciated. But too often I felt like the fact that she was a “strong woman” and that men were “bad/stupid/rash/not as good as women” was being thrown in my face at every turn.
I think it ended up serving the exact opposite purpose than the author intended – it described both men and women in the book in stereotypical manners and made their being male or female define their strengths and weaknesses without diving into their complexities as individuals. I would’ve appreciated their personalities and actions to speak for themselves, and I hope as the series goes on, this will be the case.
To be fair, some of the commentary could be due to Buc’s emotional immaturity and her overall character arc in the first book. It is also a fantasy novel so that should be kept in mind I think.
Overall, I thought the book was a solid read with content that I don’t see in a lot of novels these days (pirates included!). I honestly feel like the author has the potential to be fantastic, and I hope that will show as the series continues.