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4.07 AVERAGE
4.07 AVERAGE
hopeful
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
This was a very easy book to read. As stated it's a young man's journey to self-discovery. To me it felt like a young adult book, and there's nothing wrong with those, but it felt very one-level and simplistic. I didn't feel a lot for any of the characters, I didn't particularly like or dislike them. They felt quite 1-dimensional, as did the world building.
The writing was good and kept me reading despite myself, but I needed a bit more tension, oomph, stronger more rounded characters.
The writing was good and kept me reading despite myself, but I needed a bit more tension, oomph, stronger more rounded characters.
I really loved this book and it's art-as-magic system. It's a super cozy, comforting and blend of genres.
This was such an epic read! It has been such a long while since I’ve read a 500+ page book, and this was worth the read! Sometimes I read a 500 page book and it feels like only 400ish were needed, here, every word on every page was needed.
This started of as a wonderfully slow and solitary, ambling journey, and then with each chapter the main character’s world expanded as he met more people on his travels. So then little by little the story itself blossomed.
The post-technology world Fairleigh has created for ‘Oil and Dust’ is almost idyllic with its focus on community, love, family, and working together to make life better for everyone. You can see the care and detail which has been put into the world building to make it feel real. Especially as a pathway for the world after it had warred itself almost to extinction.
Through the eyes of the main character, Matthew, we get to see his sheltered view of the world change as he travels and meets new people. This is what makes his reaction to the the growing tension and turmoil that lies beneath the surface of his community focused world so interesting. I loved reading this story from his perspective and seeing the growth he goes through during his journey. Both in the sense of his physical journey from A to B and his emotional journey as well.
Speaking of emotional journeys, I went through one just reading this novel. I wasn’t expecting this to get as intense as it did, but I loved the direction it went in. When I say I was on the edge of my seat at one point, I mean it! I got so attached to the characters that I ended up in tears nearing the end of the novel.
This was such a wonderful read! I highly recommend it to anyone looking for a fantasy adventure, and for an epic tale of travel, discovery, and found family.
Thank you to BookSirens and the author who sent me this free eARC (eAdvanced Reader Copy), I am leaving this review voluntarily.
This started of as a wonderfully slow and solitary, ambling journey, and then with each chapter the main character’s world expanded as he met more people on his travels. So then little by little the story itself blossomed.
The post-technology world Fairleigh has created for ‘Oil and Dust’ is almost idyllic with its focus on community, love, family, and working together to make life better for everyone. You can see the care and detail which has been put into the world building to make it feel real. Especially as a pathway for the world after it had warred itself almost to extinction.
Through the eyes of the main character, Matthew, we get to see his sheltered view of the world change as he travels and meets new people. This is what makes his reaction to the the growing tension and turmoil that lies beneath the surface of his community focused world so interesting. I loved reading this story from his perspective and seeing the growth he goes through during his journey. Both in the sense of his physical journey from A to B and his emotional journey as well.
Speaking of emotional journeys, I went through one just reading this novel. I wasn’t expecting this to get as intense as it did, but I loved the direction it went in. When I say I was on the edge of my seat at one point, I mean it! I got so attached to the characters that I ended up in tears nearing the end of the novel.
This was such a wonderful read! I highly recommend it to anyone looking for a fantasy adventure, and for an epic tale of travel, discovery, and found family.
Thank you to BookSirens and the author who sent me this free eARC (eAdvanced Reader Copy), I am leaving this review voluntarily.
Listen, I love the premise of this. Post apocalpse, humanity has recategorized itself into small self sufficient communities in the ruins of a previous society. I love that. I did really like the vibes but I had several major issues. First, that the main character just keeps telling the reader about who he is, what he's like and how people perceive him and these descriptions do not seem to be supported by the text itself which is irritating. The other thing that really grates for me is that in theory we have a very simple plot of man doesn't want to settle down until he finds his family and we don't resolve that plot in 500 pages instead we spend that time wandering around trying to find out the identity of someone who seems to be placing obstacles in Matthew's way. Which fine, but we also don't resolve that. I actually don't think we resolve anything, which is annoying as hell. And then we have the world building of one of the things that made the world end is religion which doesn't exist anymore except for Christianity which is evil. Also the Christians are just straight up murdering anyone who doesn't convert which is like wild. But the thing about this that REALLY gets me is that all of the other religious are ostensibly fully gone. Like it seems like The Bible(tm) is the only surviving religious text and we managed to get Christians again (who are still called that) but there's no Jewish people, no Muslims, nobody else and within the text that's presented as a good thing and I couldn't stop thinking about that.
I had skipped this title a couple times, when I was going through possible books to request at a couple websites. The description made the story feel a bit too Young Adult to me, and I just was not in the mood for that style of writing. However, I took a chance, and am glad I did.
Sure it sounds a little cheesy... an orphaned boy trained in a magical art, out in the real world realizing he has no social skills. But Fairleigh makes it come together, and I felt pulled into the story. The world building was not the greatest, as all we can tell is it is a dystopian future, and I felt there were some parts that were not explained well. Characters come into the story easy enough, and there really isn't much background on them either. Almost as if they were written in, and that was when their lives began.
The story rolled along well, and I found myself drawn in. The main character's lack of social skills made for a couple humorous events, yet it felt good for him to learn from those mistakes. The search for his family, and information that was revealed in the story, make we wonder how long we will have to wait for the next book in the series.
I received this book through Booksirens and Kitsune Press, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.
#Booksirens #OilAndDust
Sure it sounds a little cheesy... an orphaned boy trained in a magical art, out in the real world realizing he has no social skills. But Fairleigh makes it come together, and I felt pulled into the story. The world building was not the greatest, as all we can tell is it is a dystopian future, and I felt there were some parts that were not explained well. Characters come into the story easy enough, and there really isn't much background on them either. Almost as if they were written in, and that was when their lives began.
The story rolled along well, and I found myself drawn in. The main character's lack of social skills made for a couple humorous events, yet it felt good for him to learn from those mistakes. The search for his family, and information that was revealed in the story, make we wonder how long we will have to wait for the next book in the series.
I received this book through Booksirens and Kitsune Press, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.
#Booksirens #OilAndDust
Got halfway-ish. Never felt invested with the protagonist. Kept meaning to go back to it but just… didn’t care to.
4,5 stars
Oil and Dust by Jami Farleigh is a coming-of-age fantasy novel set in a post-apocalyptic world where the main character, a trained artist, can change the world by drawing it. The magic system is presented mostly as science, and the characters are all genuine and have a voice. The novel stays firm in a single point of view, and the dialogue is crisp, with inner thought and body language present.
Jami Fairleigh's use of art as a magic system, along with the well-crafted rules and constructs, captivated me. The found family trope was executed perfectly, and I fell in love with every character. The novel's slice of life moments helped flesh out the world and characters. Moreover, the discussion about how money, politics, greed, religion, and power can corrupt people was enlightening and thought-provoking.
My only issue with the protagonist is that he occasionally appears overly aware of his own emotions, analyzing his mental state and motivations to a degree that surpasses most therapists. Personally, I prefer leaving a bit more of that to the reader's interpretation.
Read more at: https://www.summonfantasy.com/reviews/oil-and-dust-by-jami-fairleigh-book-review
Oil and Dust by Jami Farleigh is a coming-of-age fantasy novel set in a post-apocalyptic world where the main character, a trained artist, can change the world by drawing it. The magic system is presented mostly as science, and the characters are all genuine and have a voice. The novel stays firm in a single point of view, and the dialogue is crisp, with inner thought and body language present.
Jami Fairleigh's use of art as a magic system, along with the well-crafted rules and constructs, captivated me. The found family trope was executed perfectly, and I fell in love with every character. The novel's slice of life moments helped flesh out the world and characters. Moreover, the discussion about how money, politics, greed, religion, and power can corrupt people was enlightening and thought-provoking.
My only issue with the protagonist is that he occasionally appears overly aware of his own emotions, analyzing his mental state and motivations to a degree that surpasses most therapists. Personally, I prefer leaving a bit more of that to the reader's interpretation.
Read more at: https://www.summonfantasy.com/reviews/oil-and-dust-by-jami-fairleigh-book-review
This is an absolutely amazing book! I read it in one sitting, I couldn’t put it down. Matthew is an artist who can build and create through his Art. The entire concept of Art is Magic brings this post apocalyptic to life. It’s a rich satisfying read with found family, quests and side quests and women who don’t wait to be rescued. Although I received a copy from Voracious Readers only, I promptly went to Amazon and ordered the second book Graphite and Tribulation. Look for my longer review on #booktok. Loved this book!
When I was reading this, I couldn't stop thinking about it whenever I had to put it down. And now that I'm done, I still find my mind wandering to this book.
What I didn't love
I think where it fell a little short is the tonal shift that happens toward the end of the book. I would have liked some kind of signal earlier on in the book or in the synopsis, as the synopsis led me to believe that this book would be purely nice and calming. That all being said, this wasn't a deal breaker by any means. I still went on to read the sequel and plan to read the third book as well !
What I loved
Firstly, I'm a huge sucker for found family stories and this book has that in boatloads. I love that time is taken to get to know different characters along Matthew's journey, and I love that some of them come back and he ends up meeting up with them again. I also loved seeing Matthew's opinions change about living in a community, and seeing him get to know others and open up.
Secondly, I love Akiko! She's such a cute addition and her and Matthew's relationship is so fun to watch here.
Thirdly, the magic is interesting. I love reading about different magic systems, and surprisingly this is my first time reading about an art-based one. I think it's done in a really interesting way. This book is also light on the magic so that's something to keep in mind if that matters to you.
Fourthly, I'm obsessed with the world building. This is why I find myself constantly thinking about this book. I keep imagining what it would be like to live in this world. To live in small communities, trading skills and labor for food, shelter, and items. To depend on others and have others depend on you. I also had a lot of fun thinking about what the world looks at this point - what it's like traveling between communities, depots, just being able to camp on the side of the road. For me, this was the strongest aspect of this book and it's what kept me coming back to it.
What I didn't love
I think where it fell a little short is the tonal shift that happens toward the end of the book.
Spoiler
I found it a quite jarring when they start finding dead bodies, and when the battle breaks out and the threat of religion comes back, since the first 70% of the book was quite uneventful.Spoiler
It can hardly be called a "perfect escape" when things that caused the apocalypse (which are things that are going on in real life) come back to haunt this one.What I loved
Firstly, I'm a huge sucker for found family stories and this book has that in boatloads. I love that time is taken to get to know different characters along Matthew's journey, and I love that some of them come back and he ends up meeting up with them again. I also loved seeing Matthew's opinions change about living in a community, and seeing him get to know others and open up.
Secondly, I love Akiko! She's such a cute addition and her and Matthew's relationship is so fun to watch here.
Thirdly, the magic is interesting. I love reading about different magic systems, and surprisingly this is my first time reading about an art-based one. I think it's done in a really interesting way. This book is also light on the magic so that's something to keep in mind if that matters to you.
Fourthly, I'm obsessed with the world building. This is why I find myself constantly thinking about this book. I keep imagining what it would be like to live in this world. To live in small communities, trading skills and labor for food, shelter, and items. To depend on others and have others depend on you. I also had a lot of fun thinking about what the world looks at this point - what it's like traveling between communities, depots, just being able to camp on the side of the road. For me, this was the strongest aspect of this book and it's what kept me coming back to it.
It’s two hundred years after technology died. Now the world exists with medieval level tech. Matthew Sugiyama is an artist, able to bring to life whatever he depicts through his artwork. If he paints a building where seconds before there were only ruins, a building will appear, exactly as he depicted it. Needless to say, Matthew’s skills are very in demand and every community he encounters would love to have him be their artist in residence. I was captivated by the world building, which got quite gritty in places (it’s not easy being a traveler) and dystopian setting of OIL AND DUST and loved the descriptions of Matthew and Josephine’s time on the road, and the various communities they visited. Such interesting world building. Matthew could be very comfortable as an artist, but he wants more than anything to find out what happened to his birth family. Clues lie in letters from someone named “T” and as we draw closer to the end, your heart breaks as you wonder if you really want Matthew to find out the truth at all. I loved the side characters in this as well, particularly Genevie, Whistler, Sally, Ben and Charcoal the dog. This was an absolute delight and I cannot wait for part two!