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e_flah's review against another edition
The Sin in the Steel started out really promising. The dynamic between brilliant, detached Buc and the strong, kind Eld grabbed my attention from the beginning. It isn't quite a Sherlock and Watson vibe as thankfully Buc is more aware of how the world works than Sherlock typically is. The balance between Buc and Eld is great, though, and kept me invested in the story for at least the first hundred pages.
The two main things I struggled with in The Sin in the Steel were the world-building and the character development. I'm pretty open to different world-building methods, particularly in debuts, as long as it's done in a way where I have a sufficient sense of how the world works. I was baffled about the various religious groups and their politics, which initially seemed insignificant but was getting increasingly more important as the book went on. If I don't understand some of the key players in a world, it's hard to feel invested in the stakes of the story.
The number one reason I set this book aside was the character development. The archetypes Buc and Eld fit into appeal to me enough that I didn't need a ton of additional character development at the beginning to have a fun time. As the book went on, though, I started to care less and less about these characters. With Buc in particular it seemed like there just wasn't more to her than the genius who doesn't communicate plans and pretends not to care about people but does. As most of the book is narrated from Buc's perspective, this ended up making for a frustrating reading experience. Her tragic backstory kept being teased as the reason for Buc's behavior. I don't like when trauma is set up to be a plot device and/or character development reveal, which is where it felt like this was headed. We still hadn't gotten the reason for Buc's behavior when I set the book down at 73%.
I liked the concept of a dynamic duo solving mysteries on pirate ships but sadly the execution just did not work for me.
The two main things I struggled with in The Sin in the Steel were the world-building and the character development. I'm pretty open to different world-building methods, particularly in debuts, as long as it's done in a way where I have a sufficient sense of how the world works. I was baffled about the various religious groups and their politics, which initially seemed insignificant but was getting increasingly more important as the book went on. If I don't understand some of the key players in a world, it's hard to feel invested in the stakes of the story.
The number one reason I set this book aside was the character development. The archetypes Buc and Eld fit into appeal to me enough that I didn't need a ton of additional character development at the beginning to have a fun time. As the book went on, though, I started to care less and less about these characters. With Buc in particular it seemed like there just wasn't more to her than the genius who doesn't communicate plans and pretends not to care about people but does. As most of the book is narrated from Buc's perspective, this ended up making for a frustrating reading experience. Her tragic backstory kept being teased as the reason for Buc's behavior. I don't like when trauma is set up to be a plot device and/or character development reveal, which is where it felt like this was headed. We still hadn't gotten the reason for Buc's behavior when I set the book down at 73%.
I liked the concept of a dynamic duo solving mysteries on pirate ships but sadly the execution just did not work for me.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Blood, War, and Gun violence
stupendoussteve's review against another edition
adventurous
medium-paced
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
An exciting fantasy story, the main character is extremely cockey and know it all, and gets a little grating at times.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Blood, Gore, and Death
cavernism's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
fast-paced
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
This book had me from the start - a dangerous mission, a whip-smart and acid-witted teen and her hardened ex-soldier companion, and...pirates?? This all had me sold from the start, but after the first third of the book, my interest started to wane. It wasn't that the pacing was slow - far from it. Buc and Eld get tossed from danger to danger within each short chapter. What was missing for me was a buy-in of the characters. We learn so little of Eld, with only a couple of chapters from his perspective, and Buc's hardened attitudes and actions come across as less and less sympathetic as the story goes along. There is hints that she had some earlier trauma with losing her sister, and the full details of this are revealed in a flashback crammed in towards the end of the book. By the time it's there, it feels ineffective and underwhelming.The worldbuilding also felt a bit lacking - I had no sense of the geography or history of this world. By the time the gods get introduced toward the end, I didn't feel the stakes. This book was a fun adventure in places, but without the solid world and characterizations, it all felt a bit hollow and made it hard for me to stay invested.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Cursing
Moderate: Blood, Death, Gore, Violence, Torture, Sexism, and Misogyny
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