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willrefuge's review against another edition
5.0
10 / 10 ✪
https://arefugefromlife.wordpress.com/2024/02/15/blade-of-dream-by-daniel-abraham-review/
Age of Ash was… okaaay.
That’s really the best I could’ve said for it. I found the story a bit dry and meandering, a mixed bag with its characters, and nothing I really related to enough to easily draw me into the tale. When I finally did get immersed in the world—the laboriously crafted Kithamar—I reasonably enjoyed it, though that was a near-thing, even approaching the close.
So when it came to the sequel I was… not terribly optimistic. Didn’t know if I’d continue with the series, if I’m honest. Even after I requested it, the book sat unopened on my kindle, and while I did try to find time for it, I ultimately wouldn’t until after the start of 2024.
Now I’m wishing that I would’ve read it sooner—so that I could’ve read and REREAD it by now.
But here’s the thing: it’s going to be very hard for me to recommend this book, even though it may well be the best book I’ll read this year.
We’ll get into why in a moment. First, let’s set the scene.
—
Everything rose and was lost. Every decision ended the other paths that a different choice would have opened. Including all the lives in which this still might be his home.
—
Garreth Left is a merchant’s son, scion to one of the guild’s most successful families. His life had been built and planned all before he escaped swaddling, with some few caveats left for him to indulge himself on. But what’s clear is his path, where he will build on his parents’ success and lead into the future. Although…
Try as they might, his parents have had a hard run of things lately. And Garreth’s already set-out path has gained a new certainty: marriage to a woman he’s never met and does not love, all to cement a deal that will save his family.
Life to Garreth is not about choice, but duty. And yet one night, an impossible encounter with an equally unavailable woman, and Garreth finds himself in love with a stranger he’ll likely never see again, nor even learn the name of. And yet he is tempted to try. More tempted than he’s ever been by anything.
I think we’ll leave it there.
—
"Mother is trying to make an alliance. Yrith is here to marry you. She's your wife in everything but the ceremony. How would you feel if she were dragging strange men into her bed?"
“Get her some. We'll find out."
—
So, you’ve seen my rating and read (or skimmed) my spiel—you know I loved this book. Now the why.
I always wondered how a story written over three books—all set concurrently—would play out. If done well, it could be a masterpiece, with each volume getting more and more immersive, each revealing minute details you’d have to reread the previous to understand fully. A bit like three people drawing the same map; individually, none would stand out, but when overlaid upon one another, each adding details only noticed by that person, the grander picture would come slowly into focus. Age of Ash was slow, I already said. Though it did tell a complete story. But only here, after Blade of Dream, does the larger scale come into view.
I didn’t relate much to Alys (I’m neither cocksure, nor ambitious), and while I enjoyed Sammish more, I never really got to love her. Garreth and Elaine I fell in love with at the start. Two affluent youngsters, with their futures already laid out before them, set in stone. And yet they feel lost, unsure whether either wants to accept the path that is before them, inevitable or not. They happen upon one another, and it’s like the eye of the storm—only the other is visible, yet that’s all either has eyes for anyway. I’m at a time in my life where nothing is clear, lost in a fog where before their was nothing but clear skies. Not only did this come at the perfect time for me, but I related well to both the characters I was presented with. Neither of which could be said of the first book.
The build was a bit slow, but after the scene was set and I got into it—I was out. Just ran through it. When I wasn’t reading it, I was thinking about reading it. When I wasn’t thinking about reading it, I was dissecting every detail I remembered from Book 1. Heck, I even went back and reread passages from Age of Ash to compare the two events side-by-side. Even now, weeks after I finished it, the story is still at the front of my mind. None of my more recent reads have replaced, or even competed with it. And yet…
I’ve seen a lot of reviews from people who loved the first book, but were less than thrilled with the second. A few that loved both, and a few that were mediocre either way. It’s going to be difficult for me to recommend a book that I know really worked for me because of who I am. Just like I couldn’t recommend the first book—for the exact same reason. I will say that the two work very well together, but I’m still not sure if that’ll be enough to get some of you to approach this series. As I know firsthand, what works for one person may not work well for the next, especially with entries that don’t really share any characters between their pages. Yes, the setting is the same, but the cast has flipped entirely. It’s like turning on the season premier of your favorite show and learning that they’ve decided to go in a different direction, sacked and completely replaced the cast, relocated to a different part of town—though the overarching plot and settings remain the same. It’s the sort of thing that would raise an eyebrow. And lose not a little amount of viewers.
I mean… if you loved the first—maybe you’ll like the second? If you were on the fence—well, maybe you’ll like the second? If you’re intrigued and want to see how it all comes together—yeah, feel encouraged to check out the series. Maybe even read them together, I dunno. But I do know that while I didn’t love the first, I adored the second, and am very much anticipating the release of the third, to see how it all ties together!
TL;DR
I’m not summarizing. You know that I loved the book. If you want to know why, you’ll have to take the long road—sorry.
https://arefugefromlife.wordpress.com/2024/02/15/blade-of-dream-by-daniel-abraham-review/
Age of Ash was… okaaay.
That’s really the best I could’ve said for it. I found the story a bit dry and meandering, a mixed bag with its characters, and nothing I really related to enough to easily draw me into the tale. When I finally did get immersed in the world—the laboriously crafted Kithamar—I reasonably enjoyed it, though that was a near-thing, even approaching the close.
So when it came to the sequel I was… not terribly optimistic. Didn’t know if I’d continue with the series, if I’m honest. Even after I requested it, the book sat unopened on my kindle, and while I did try to find time for it, I ultimately wouldn’t until after the start of 2024.
Now I’m wishing that I would’ve read it sooner—so that I could’ve read and REREAD it by now.
But here’s the thing: it’s going to be very hard for me to recommend this book, even though it may well be the best book I’ll read this year.
We’ll get into why in a moment. First, let’s set the scene.
—
Everything rose and was lost. Every decision ended the other paths that a different choice would have opened. Including all the lives in which this still might be his home.
—
Garreth Left is a merchant’s son, scion to one of the guild’s most successful families. His life had been built and planned all before he escaped swaddling, with some few caveats left for him to indulge himself on. But what’s clear is his path, where he will build on his parents’ success and lead into the future. Although…
Try as they might, his parents have had a hard run of things lately. And Garreth’s already set-out path has gained a new certainty: marriage to a woman he’s never met and does not love, all to cement a deal that will save his family.
Life to Garreth is not about choice, but duty. And yet one night, an impossible encounter with an equally unavailable woman, and Garreth finds himself in love with a stranger he’ll likely never see again, nor even learn the name of. And yet he is tempted to try. More tempted than he’s ever been by anything.
I think we’ll leave it there.
—
"Mother is trying to make an alliance. Yrith is here to marry you. She's your wife in everything but the ceremony. How would you feel if she were dragging strange men into her bed?"
“Get her some. We'll find out."
—
So, you’ve seen my rating and read (or skimmed) my spiel—you know I loved this book. Now the why.
I always wondered how a story written over three books—all set concurrently—would play out. If done well, it could be a masterpiece, with each volume getting more and more immersive, each revealing minute details you’d have to reread the previous to understand fully. A bit like three people drawing the same map; individually, none would stand out, but when overlaid upon one another, each adding details only noticed by that person, the grander picture would come slowly into focus. Age of Ash was slow, I already said. Though it did tell a complete story. But only here, after Blade of Dream, does the larger scale come into view.
I didn’t relate much to Alys (I’m neither cocksure, nor ambitious), and while I enjoyed Sammish more, I never really got to love her. Garreth and Elaine I fell in love with at the start. Two affluent youngsters, with their futures already laid out before them, set in stone. And yet they feel lost, unsure whether either wants to accept the path that is before them, inevitable or not. They happen upon one another, and it’s like the eye of the storm—only the other is visible, yet that’s all either has eyes for anyway. I’m at a time in my life where nothing is clear, lost in a fog where before their was nothing but clear skies. Not only did this come at the perfect time for me, but I related well to both the characters I was presented with. Neither of which could be said of the first book.
The build was a bit slow, but after the scene was set and I got into it—I was out. Just ran through it. When I wasn’t reading it, I was thinking about reading it. When I wasn’t thinking about reading it, I was dissecting every detail I remembered from Book 1. Heck, I even went back and reread passages from Age of Ash to compare the two events side-by-side. Even now, weeks after I finished it, the story is still at the front of my mind. None of my more recent reads have replaced, or even competed with it. And yet…
I’ve seen a lot of reviews from people who loved the first book, but were less than thrilled with the second. A few that loved both, and a few that were mediocre either way. It’s going to be difficult for me to recommend a book that I know really worked for me because of who I am. Just like I couldn’t recommend the first book—for the exact same reason. I will say that the two work very well together, but I’m still not sure if that’ll be enough to get some of you to approach this series. As I know firsthand, what works for one person may not work well for the next, especially with entries that don’t really share any characters between their pages. Yes, the setting is the same, but the cast has flipped entirely. It’s like turning on the season premier of your favorite show and learning that they’ve decided to go in a different direction, sacked and completely replaced the cast, relocated to a different part of town—though the overarching plot and settings remain the same. It’s the sort of thing that would raise an eyebrow. And lose not a little amount of viewers.
I mean… if you loved the first—maybe you’ll like the second? If you were on the fence—well, maybe you’ll like the second? If you’re intrigued and want to see how it all comes together—yeah, feel encouraged to check out the series. Maybe even read them together, I dunno. But I do know that while I didn’t love the first, I adored the second, and am very much anticipating the release of the third, to see how it all ties together!
TL;DR
I’m not summarizing. You know that I loved the book. If you want to know why, you’ll have to take the long road—sorry.
marshall_lancey's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
reesethedonut's review
adventurous
emotional
funny
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.5
tmarthal's review
dark
emotional
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
laelyn's review
2.0
I'm one of those people who heard about Daniel Abraham's Kithamar series because of his Expanse fame, which is probably why I went into this series with high expectations. Sadly, I struggled a lot with the first book in the series, but I did hear from early reviews that the second one was actually much improved.
I don't really agree with this, as I struggled only mildly less with this second entry, "Blade of Dream". Now, I can see Abraham is a skilled writer, it's just that his particular, generally more detached writing style isn't my personal cup of tea. I did like the main characters in this one much, much more than the ones in the first book who I never managed to warm up to, but in the end, I didn't really connect with them either. I'm more of a character-focused reader so I have a hard time staying interested in the plot of a book if I just don't feel for the characters involved. The pacing is also rather slow, which in this case didn't help, because I wasn't really interested in the goingson already. The world-building is interesting though, and while this series clearly isn't for me, I still recommend people check it out.
Many thanks to orbit and Netgalley for the arc!
I don't really agree with this, as I struggled only mildly less with this second entry, "Blade of Dream". Now, I can see Abraham is a skilled writer, it's just that his particular, generally more detached writing style isn't my personal cup of tea. I did like the main characters in this one much, much more than the ones in the first book who I never managed to warm up to, but in the end, I didn't really connect with them either. I'm more of a character-focused reader so I have a hard time staying interested in the plot of a book if I just don't feel for the characters involved. The pacing is also rather slow, which in this case didn't help, because I wasn't really interested in the goingson already. The world-building is interesting though, and while this series clearly isn't for me, I still recommend people check it out.
Many thanks to orbit and Netgalley for the arc!
gaulien's review
adventurous
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
cupiscent's review
adventurous
hopeful
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Short version: What Abraham is doing with this series is blowing my mind, and I cannot wait to see how the third book rounds things out. It's also absolutely beautiful work on character and setting and themes.
What Abraham's doing: telling the same story - or at least the same events over the same time period - with different POVs. This time, we're spending the book with Garreth Left and Elaine a Sal, who were tangentially essential to the cast of events in the first book. It's an audacious decision - telling the story in character focus rather than the usual chronology that would see the first book be the first third of the story from everyone's POV.
It feels like it shouldn't work, when the reader knows what's going to happen, knows who survives and who doesn't, knows the central mystery. And yet it works, mostly because it's so deeply seated in the character focus; though I knew the mystery and the end, I needed to see Elaine's journey to it (and there are bigger questions at stake than mere bodily survival). The deeply embedded viewpoint gives new perspectives on the city (such an important part of the story) and whole new themes. (Where the first book was about grief and denying death, this is about love and defining self, and that shows up in so many layers.)
This series certainly won't be for everyone. It's gentle and implacable and almost poetic in ways that won't be the preference of many fantasy readers. But it's bold and elegant in so many ways; I am absolutely fascinated by what it's doing, and what the third book might add to all of that.
What Abraham's doing: telling the same story - or at least the same events over the same time period - with different POVs. This time, we're spending the book with Garreth Left and Elaine a Sal, who were tangentially essential to the cast of events in the first book. It's an audacious decision - telling the story in character focus rather than the usual chronology that would see the first book be the first third of the story from everyone's POV.
It feels like it shouldn't work, when the reader knows what's going to happen, knows who survives and who doesn't, knows the central mystery. And yet it works, mostly because it's so deeply seated in the character focus; though I knew the mystery and the end, I needed to see Elaine's journey to it (and there are bigger questions at stake than mere bodily survival). The deeply embedded viewpoint gives new perspectives on the city (such an important part of the story) and whole new themes. (Where the first book was about grief and denying death, this is about love and defining self, and that shows up in so many layers.)
This series certainly won't be for everyone. It's gentle and implacable and almost poetic in ways that won't be the preference of many fantasy readers. But it's bold and elegant in so many ways; I am absolutely fascinated by what it's doing, and what the third book might add to all of that.
lisasibbett's review
adventurous
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
why_balloo's review
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
mysterious
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
acleary_1963's review against another edition
4.0
Every author makes choices about their books and writing, and those choices are always going to have positives and negatives for various readers. I think Abraham executes the choices that he makes very well; it's that the choices he made aren't the right ones *for me*. So my rating kind of combines the fact that what he writes isn't really my favorite with my judgment that he's very good at what he does.
If you're read Abraham before, I'm not going to tell you something you don't know: he is not a plot driven author. He is much more interested in telling human stories that happen to be set in a somewhat fantasy setting that he is in telling a fantasy story that is populated by people. And that's great, but I find myself growing bored and a little disinterested after a while... There's only so much I need to know about the weather on a day to day basis in a story in which very little is happening. More story, less weather, at least for my taste.
But Abraham can certainly write some prose, from his worldbuilding descriptions (yes including the weather), to character development and inner voice, to philosophical nugget, the prose is rich in skill. I dabble a bit in writing and Abraham does in every paragraph what I mostly fail to do at all. But lost in that for me is much *more* than that. It's more form and less substance. You could summarize the actual plot points in the two books of this series in a pretty short paragraph I suspect. And even then, the plot isn't particularly interesting, and on the few occasions it does get interesting, if you take a moment and step back, those moments kind of seem to come out of nowhere, almost as if Abraham wanted to write a book that described a city and some characters and oh wait let's glom on some improbably things... "Gods" of some sort just form out of, umm, like people's thoughts or something, we don't need to be too clear about that. The crime boss just happens to have constructed some sort of mechanized subway under the river that comes in handy sort of during a climactic scene but this construction seems completely out of character with the rest of the state of technology in the world. Oh and no one ever noticed this tunnel, or leaked its secret. Throwing one lit lamp over a wall burns down an entire religious complex, even though as far as I can tell it's mostly made of stone. And if it isn't and can burn so easily, somehow never did over many, many years.
There's good stuff here and I've read these two books quickly end to end, so that means it passes the "I enjoy reading these test." I'll read the 3rd when it comes out. But if you're someone that loses patience quickly with a slowburn read, you probably ought to look elsewhere... Though that's my general impression of Abraham's work.
If you're read Abraham before, I'm not going to tell you something you don't know: he is not a plot driven author. He is much more interested in telling human stories that happen to be set in a somewhat fantasy setting that he is in telling a fantasy story that is populated by people. And that's great, but I find myself growing bored and a little disinterested after a while... There's only so much I need to know about the weather on a day to day basis in a story in which very little is happening. More story, less weather, at least for my taste.
But Abraham can certainly write some prose, from his worldbuilding descriptions (yes including the weather), to character development and inner voice, to philosophical nugget, the prose is rich in skill. I dabble a bit in writing and Abraham does in every paragraph what I mostly fail to do at all. But lost in that for me is much *more* than that. It's more form and less substance. You could summarize the actual plot points in the two books of this series in a pretty short paragraph I suspect. And even then, the plot isn't particularly interesting, and on the few occasions it does get interesting, if you take a moment and step back, those moments kind of seem to come out of nowhere, almost as if Abraham wanted to write a book that described a city and some characters and oh wait let's glom on some improbably things... "Gods" of some sort just form out of, umm, like people's thoughts or something, we don't need to be too clear about that. The crime boss just happens to have constructed some sort of mechanized subway under the river that comes in handy sort of during a climactic scene but this construction seems completely out of character with the rest of the state of technology in the world. Oh and no one ever noticed this tunnel, or leaked its secret. Throwing one lit lamp over a wall burns down an entire religious complex, even though as far as I can tell it's mostly made of stone. And if it isn't and can burn so easily, somehow never did over many, many years.
There's good stuff here and I've read these two books quickly end to end, so that means it passes the "I enjoy reading these test." I'll read the 3rd when it comes out. But if you're someone that loses patience quickly with a slowburn read, you probably ought to look elsewhere... Though that's my general impression of Abraham's work.