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ngreads's review against another edition
4.0
3.5/5, rounded up.
As a fan of Glenda Larke, I was excited to dive into her first trilogy (and second published book, as far as I know), with The Aware. Based off the Irish isles, it seemed to have a neat premise with the promise of Glenda's excellent worldbuilding, which I've come to expect from her work.
Here's what I liked:
- The worldbuilding, as usual, was a highlight. The story is actually broken up in parts by letters written by an ethnographer studying the Glory Isles fifty years after the events of the trilogy, with Blaze recounting the events that led to something called 'The Change.' These letters actually give us hints about the culture the ethnographer is from, as well as some small elements of his own storyline. I thought it was a neat touch, and a pretty interesting way to show how early anthropology was used, before the cultures being studied were truly shown as being human and equal. I thought it was a neat touch.
The culture was also very well fleshed out, which is something that Larke has done exceptionally well in all the books by her that I've read. The creatures and races, as well, were unique and distinctive.
- I liked the characters, and some of their backstories were downright tragic. I look forward to learning more about them in the other books of the trilogy.
- The magic system was cool. I liked the dynamic between sylvmagic and dunmagic.
What I didn't like:
- There were a few parts of this that got...uncomfortably sexual in this.
Larke's work generally has heavy sexual tones, but this one felt a lot stronger than her later trilogies. There were some scenes that just felt uncomfortably sexual, there was A LOT of reference to rape, that kind of thing. It doesn't normally stand out to me, but something about the way it was done in this book just made me uncomfortable rather than making me feel like it was a natural part of the worldbuilding.
- I just didn't feel particularly engaged through the whole book. Maybe it was just a me thing, but I struggled to really connect with the story. Part of it is probably due to the nautical/marine nature of the setting, since that's not a setting I really vibe with, but it was still a detractor for me.
As a fan of Glenda Larke, I was excited to dive into her first trilogy (and second published book, as far as I know), with The Aware. Based off the Irish isles, it seemed to have a neat premise with the promise of Glenda's excellent worldbuilding, which I've come to expect from her work.
Here's what I liked:
- The worldbuilding, as usual, was a highlight. The story is actually broken up in parts by letters written by an ethnographer studying the Glory Isles fifty years after the events of the trilogy, with Blaze recounting the events that led to something called 'The Change.' These letters actually give us hints about the culture the ethnographer is from, as well as some small elements of his own storyline. I thought it was a neat touch, and a pretty interesting way to show how early anthropology was used, before the cultures being studied were truly shown as being human and equal. I thought it was a neat touch.
The culture was also very well fleshed out, which is something that Larke has done exceptionally well in all the books by her that I've read. The creatures and races, as well, were unique and distinctive.
- I liked the characters, and some of their backstories were downright tragic. I look forward to learning more about them in the other books of the trilogy.
- The magic system was cool. I liked the dynamic between sylvmagic and dunmagic.
What I didn't like:
- There were a few parts of this that got...uncomfortably sexual in this.
Larke's work generally has heavy sexual tones, but this one felt a lot stronger than her later trilogies. There were some scenes that just felt uncomfortably sexual, there was A LOT of reference to rape, that kind of thing. It doesn't normally stand out to me, but something about the way it was done in this book just made me uncomfortable rather than making me feel like it was a natural part of the worldbuilding.
- I just didn't feel particularly engaged through the whole book. Maybe it was just a me thing, but I struggled to really connect with the story. Part of it is probably due to the nautical/marine nature of the setting, since that's not a setting I really vibe with, but it was still a detractor for me.
ariannemaya's review against another edition
3.0
I had a hard thing getting into this at first - it's the same problem I often have with fantasy, in the sense that, the first book of a trilogy or of a serie always has to put so many things into place that it sometimes feel like it's a long time before the story actually.
That being said, once I really got into it, I couldn't stop. I'll definitely be reading the next two, eventually.
That being said, once I really got into it, I couldn't stop. I'll definitely be reading the next two, eventually.
lian_tanner's review against another edition
4.0
Very enjoyable fantasy. I haven't come across Glenda Larke before, but will definitely read more. I liked the way she took a more nuanced view of magic than is usual, with the recognition that it places non-magical people at a serious disadvantage, and that even 'good' magic creates a two-tiered society and is open to abuse (for all the best reasons, of course!). The trilogy seems to be aiming towards a point where the islands have lost their magic altogether - which in most fantasy would be mourned, but here seems a liberation.
thiefofcamorr's review
2.0
I read the Last Stormlord before this, so it felt like a bit of a let down. Larke's writing has improved tenfold since this book. I almost gave up around page 200 or so, but a cyclone locking me inside encouraged me to finish the book in a day a week later. I think I'm glad I did. It gets better as it goes along, but still very cliche, pointing out the obvious, praising the lead role too much for little reason, telling instead of showing... etc
I have the rest of the series, so shall probably read on in due time. I adore Glenda's Stormlord series, and adore her as a person - love her blog and loved her at WorldCon, so I shall do my best to read on and enjoy it more :)
I have the rest of the series, so shall probably read on in due time. I adore Glenda's Stormlord series, and adore her as a person - love her blog and loved her at WorldCon, so I shall do my best to read on and enjoy it more :)
anna_hepworth's review against another edition
4.0
Not a real review, just some bullet point reactions:
‰Ыў Larke has managed a story which has strong and believable female (main) characters while working within a somewhat feudal world setting.
‰Ыў The romance sub-text is kept firmly under the carpet, and not allowed to take over any of the storyline.
‰Ыў Both the first person narrative, and the interspersed letters from the ethnographer worked, individually and in their interaction.
‰Ыў Despite there being a fair number of characters, keeping the narrative to two viewpoints very much helped my ability to keep track, and increased my enjoyment. I suspect that there is also some very clever writing happening that is cueing which chacters is involved, rather that requiring detailed exposition (of which there is some, scattered through, but mostly for the filling in of backstory) every time someone appears on the scene.
‰Ыў Larke has managed a story which has strong and believable female (main) characters while working within a somewhat feudal world setting.
‰Ыў The romance sub-text is kept firmly under the carpet, and not allowed to take over any of the storyline.
‰Ыў Both the first person narrative, and the interspersed letters from the ethnographer worked, individually and in their interaction.
‰Ыў Despite there being a fair number of characters, keeping the narrative to two viewpoints very much helped my ability to keep track, and increased my enjoyment. I suspect that there is also some very clever writing happening that is cueing which chacters is involved, rather that requiring detailed exposition (of which there is some, scattered through, but mostly for the filling in of backstory) every time someone appears on the scene.
ireadthebooks's review against another edition
4.0
The Isles of Glory have strict citizenship laws, and halfbreeds like Blaze aren’t welcome anywhere but the lowest of the low: Gorthan Spit, the lawless island where criminals go to hide. On top of being tall and lethally skilled, Blaze is also “Aware.” She can sense the magic of others and is immune to sylv and dunmagic. With her Awareness and fighting skills, Blaze is a powerful force to be reckoned with, and her years growing up in the street have hardened her. She works for the Keepers, the self-appointed guardians of order and peace for the Isles of Glory, in hopes of earning legitimate citizenship, and they’ve sent her to Gorthan Spit to find a runaway Circasian slave.
I liked Blaze as a character. Larke presented her as a hardened badass, and unlike similar heroines I’ve read, she lives up to this characterization. She doesn’t go through a novel and find friends or romance and become a completely different person. She’s resourceful and despite the numerous dangerous situations she finds herself in, she never succumbs to fear. Note: This is definitely one for the “adult fantasy” category. Blaze is beautiful and confident, and she has no shortage of men interested in keeping her company.
The world-building in this book was as well. I’m always interested in magic systems because Brandon Sanderson’s are so intricate. While this isn’t as developed as his, it has limitations, and it makes sense. Awareness, Sylv talent, and dunmagic don’t have all the answers and the characters have to rely on their other talents and a lot of luck to not die all the time. Larke developed the relationship between the different magics very well. She also paid very close attention to the interaction between the peoples of different Isles. Citizenship is a big deal, and the Keepers have no authority to do the things they do, yet the majority of people accept their rule without protest because they have cut down on piracy, keep the streets safer, and facilitated trade among the Isles. Of course, they also use their power to get their way, and that’s not always the best thing.
On the whole, I found The Aware to be a very strong novel and a highly enjoyable read. I’ve already started the next in the series! Definitely one I recommend if you like high fantasy like Sanderson and Rothfuss.
I liked Blaze as a character. Larke presented her as a hardened badass, and unlike similar heroines I’ve read, she lives up to this characterization. She doesn’t go through a novel and find friends or romance and become a completely different person. She’s resourceful and despite the numerous dangerous situations she finds herself in, she never succumbs to fear. Note: This is definitely one for the “adult fantasy” category. Blaze is beautiful and confident, and she has no shortage of men interested in keeping her company.
The world-building in this book was as well. I’m always interested in magic systems because Brandon Sanderson’s are so intricate. While this isn’t as developed as his, it has limitations, and it makes sense. Awareness, Sylv talent, and dunmagic don’t have all the answers and the characters have to rely on their other talents and a lot of luck to not die all the time. Larke developed the relationship between the different magics very well. She also paid very close attention to the interaction between the peoples of different Isles. Citizenship is a big deal, and the Keepers have no authority to do the things they do, yet the majority of people accept their rule without protest because they have cut down on piracy, keep the streets safer, and facilitated trade among the Isles. Of course, they also use their power to get their way, and that’s not always the best thing.
On the whole, I found The Aware to be a very strong novel and a highly enjoyable read. I’ve already started the next in the series! Definitely one I recommend if you like high fantasy like Sanderson and Rothfuss.
coolcurrybooks's review against another edition
3.0
Trigger warning for sexual assault
The Aware is the first book in a second world fantasy series about Blaze Halfbreed. Blaze is searching for a mysterious Circasian woman on the spit, a lawless stretch of sand where the Isles of Glory send their unwanted. Along the way she encounters enough dunmagic, an evil form of magic that corrupts other magic users, to pose a threat to the entire Isles.
Blaze is one of the aware, people who can see and sense magic even if they cannot use it themselves. She is of mixed race, her parents coming from different islands. This heritage makes her despised and citizenless. She survives by working as a spy and assassin for the Keepers, the “good” magic users who have almost uncontested control over all the islands.
What I found most interesting about The Aware was the use of a framing device. The book starts with a letter written by a young anthropologist from a culture that seems sort of like Victorian England. He’s done some studies in the Islands of Glory which included interviewing Blaze as an old woman. The events in the book is what Blaze told him about her life. He is doubtful about her claims of magic and otherworldly creatures – in the present day, there is no magic in the islands. Unlike so many stories of magic returning to the world, it looks like this series will be about magic leaving it.
The Aware had some good world building ideas, but it fell flat in places. I loved the idea of a bunch of interacting islands, and I liked some of the creatures and magics Larke invented. However, I just never felt as intensely involved in the world as I would have liked. It lacked the vivid quality I find in the best built worlds.
Blaze is a fairly familiar character type – tough female mercenary, but she was well enough constructed even if she never exactly wowed me. I did like that she had an important female friend. However, I did feel that she became friends with everyone else a bit too quickly. She goes from being the friendless, hardened mercenary to making connections and caring about people within the span of a few days? It felt too sudden.
There was also something about Blaze and Flame, the female friend that bugged me. They are continually mistaken for lovers, and Blaze will then go on to assert her heterosexuality, except for once where she plays along and gives a speech about accepting gay people. However, there are no textual LGBTQ characters in the book. Something about all of this felt really off to me.
In reference to the trigger warning at the start of the review, the sexual assault that takes place within the main events of the story does not happen to Blaze and it is not explicitly shown. However, given that it does have a significant presence in the story and that Blaze herself has sexual assault in her backstory, I figured I’d err on the side of warning people in advance.
I did like The Aware, but I wouldn’t go out of my way to recommend it to anyone. In all likelihood, I won’t read the next one in the series.
Originally posted on The Illustrated Page.
The Aware is the first book in a second world fantasy series about Blaze Halfbreed. Blaze is searching for a mysterious Circasian woman on the spit, a lawless stretch of sand where the Isles of Glory send their unwanted. Along the way she encounters enough dunmagic, an evil form of magic that corrupts other magic users, to pose a threat to the entire Isles.
Blaze is one of the aware, people who can see and sense magic even if they cannot use it themselves. She is of mixed race, her parents coming from different islands. This heritage makes her despised and citizenless. She survives by working as a spy and assassin for the Keepers, the “good” magic users who have almost uncontested control over all the islands.
What I found most interesting about The Aware was the use of a framing device. The book starts with a letter written by a young anthropologist from a culture that seems sort of like Victorian England. He’s done some studies in the Islands of Glory which included interviewing Blaze as an old woman. The events in the book is what Blaze told him about her life. He is doubtful about her claims of magic and otherworldly creatures – in the present day, there is no magic in the islands. Unlike so many stories of magic returning to the world, it looks like this series will be about magic leaving it.
The Aware had some good world building ideas, but it fell flat in places. I loved the idea of a bunch of interacting islands, and I liked some of the creatures and magics Larke invented. However, I just never felt as intensely involved in the world as I would have liked. It lacked the vivid quality I find in the best built worlds.
Blaze is a fairly familiar character type – tough female mercenary, but she was well enough constructed even if she never exactly wowed me. I did like that she had an important female friend. However, I did feel that she became friends with everyone else a bit too quickly. She goes from being the friendless, hardened mercenary to making connections and caring about people within the span of a few days? It felt too sudden.
There was also something about Blaze and Flame, the female friend that bugged me. They are continually mistaken for lovers, and Blaze will then go on to assert her heterosexuality, except for once where she plays along and gives a speech about accepting gay people. However, there are no textual LGBTQ characters in the book. Something about all of this felt really off to me.
In reference to the trigger warning at the start of the review, the sexual assault that takes place within the main events of the story does not happen to Blaze and it is not explicitly shown. However, given that it does have a significant presence in the story and that Blaze herself has sexual assault in her backstory, I figured I’d err on the side of warning people in advance.
I did like The Aware, but I wouldn’t go out of my way to recommend it to anyone. In all likelihood, I won’t read the next one in the series.
Originally posted on The Illustrated Page.
marktimmony's review
3.0
Here is a world filled with vivid characters and written with strong prose that captivates and enthrals from the very first page.
celiaedf12's review
3.0
It took me ages to get into this book - the setting, the evil dunmagic, the swashbuckling lead character (who is at least a woman, which makes the genre a little fresher), but I kept going with it, and it grew on me. It's a little cliched in places, and the evil is a little too utterly evil for my taste, but I enjoyed it enough by the end to think about getting the second book in the trilogy.
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