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3.56 AVERAGE
3.56 AVERAGE
4,5 stars but rounding up because it was a great book!
This book's been sitting on my shelf for years! I think I bought it sometime after reading [b:The Troupe|11737656|The Troupe|Robert Jackson Bennett|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1325701906s/11737656.jpg|16686861]. I think I wanted more traveling circus/carnival/troupe and I thought Smiler's fair was that. It's not. (Well, there is a traveling carnival named Smiler's fair but the book is more than about that.) But, without even properly reading the back of it, I later thought it being young adult, mostly due to the cover, so i put off reading it. Now, lately people I follow here read it and liked it so I read reviews and not only was it NOT young adult but people used the word "grimdark". I cannot not say no to grimdark. So I read it. Also, when properly reading the back of the book words like "grimdark" was used, as well as big author name dropping.
While it took time to finish it, I actually spent several days not. reading. a. single. word (which was horrible) due to my brain being way to distracted and also I had several assignments for class to write. Spent two days reading 100 pages last week, then three days buried in schoolwork. 300 pages yesterday and today and I loved every single word. It's dark and grim and gory (and murderous characters), you know I love that shit.
This book's been sitting on my shelf for years! I think I bought it sometime after reading [b:The Troupe|11737656|The Troupe|Robert Jackson Bennett|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1325701906s/11737656.jpg|16686861]. I think I wanted more traveling circus/carnival/troupe and I thought Smiler's fair was that. It's not. (Well, there is a traveling carnival named Smiler's fair but the book is more than about that.) But, without even properly reading the back of it, I later thought it being young adult, mostly due to the cover, so i put off reading it. Now, lately people I follow here read it and liked it so I read reviews and not only was it NOT young adult but people used the word "grimdark". I cannot not say no to grimdark. So I read it. Also, when properly reading the back of the book words like "grimdark" was used, as well as big author name dropping.
While it took time to finish it, I actually spent several days not. reading. a. single. word (which was horrible) due to my brain being way to distracted and also I had several assignments for class to write. Spent two days reading 100 pages last week, then three days buried in schoolwork. 300 pages yesterday and today and I loved every single word. It's dark and grim and gory (and murderous characters), you know I love that shit.
Really impressed. Breaks out of the mold that too many fantasy novels fall into.
Meh. Seemed to be following in the (awesomely) gritty footsteps of GRRM and Joe Abercrombie, but she missed the part where I'm supposed to sympathize with somebody.
Smiler’s Fair is definitely not a book for the faint of heart. Opening with a rather gory and graphic birth scene, the gruesome detail continues without, showing the reader that this world is not an easy one to live in. Whilst ‘Smiler’s Fair’ may sound like a pleasant place, this is but a front for the grim reality. Prostitution, gambling, brawls and duels, all the seedy parts of life gather at the Fair. This is most definitely an adult fantasy novel, and all the more fun for it.
We meet each main character in their own introductory chapter – all start at Smiler’s Fair, and all begin this new page of their lives because of it. There is Marven, a man who loves killing a little too much; Nethmi, a young woman who is about to be married off to a minor lord; Krish, a goatherd who feels his parents are hiding something from him; Eric, a male prostitute who is tiring of his current lifestyle and wants something more permanent; and Dae Hyo, hellbent on revenge for the slaughter of his people. With such a variety of characters, the reader is bound to find someone they feel for. However, with the characters changing as they went on their own personal journeys, I found my own allegiances changing, and my feelings towards two characters radically reversing. It was well done and completely drew me in, one minute I was hoping for a success and the next I couldn’t believe I’d liked that character at all.
Each of the characters are united by both Smiler’s Fair, and death. Whether it be an outright murder, a revenge killing or a desperate attempt to free themselves, there is something they all have in common. And like some of the authors of current popular fantasy series, Rebecca Levene is unafraid to kill off characters, whether they be minor or major. For example, one character I really liked was fine and dandy one moment, and the next he was gone, just like that. When an author can shock you like that, and leave you feeling genuinely sad or upset, you know they’re doing something right. She also has a talent for creating a wide cast of characters, each with their own personalities and aims, and with their own clear tones of voice.
Some authors have a writing style that just flows off the page, allowing the reader to read quickly without missing a thing. Rebecca Levene is definitely one of those authors. Although the world building was not as rich in detail as some other fantasy series and I never got an all encompassing feel of the world, it was still enough to flesh out the lands and their inhabitants. Whilst the first half is a little slow, taking its time to weave together various storylines and paths, the second half really picks up in terms of action and pace – and the ending opens up for book two very nicely.
A fantastic beginning to a new, highly original fantasy series, and highly recommended for fans of authors such as Joe Abercrombie, Scott Lynch or Robert Jordan. I have a theory about a link between the various different pantheons and characters, and I’d like to see if the next book will confirm it in any way…
I received a copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. Originally posted on my former blog, Rinn Reads.
We meet each main character in their own introductory chapter – all start at Smiler’s Fair, and all begin this new page of their lives because of it. There is Marven, a man who loves killing a little too much; Nethmi, a young woman who is about to be married off to a minor lord; Krish, a goatherd who feels his parents are hiding something from him; Eric, a male prostitute who is tiring of his current lifestyle and wants something more permanent; and Dae Hyo, hellbent on revenge for the slaughter of his people. With such a variety of characters, the reader is bound to find someone they feel for. However, with the characters changing as they went on their own personal journeys, I found my own allegiances changing, and my feelings towards two characters radically reversing. It was well done and completely drew me in, one minute I was hoping for a success and the next I couldn’t believe I’d liked that character at all.
Each of the characters are united by both Smiler’s Fair, and death. Whether it be an outright murder, a revenge killing or a desperate attempt to free themselves, there is something they all have in common. And like some of the authors of current popular fantasy series, Rebecca Levene is unafraid to kill off characters, whether they be minor or major. For example, one character I really liked was fine and dandy one moment, and the next he was gone, just like that. When an author can shock you like that, and leave you feeling genuinely sad or upset, you know they’re doing something right. She also has a talent for creating a wide cast of characters, each with their own personalities and aims, and with their own clear tones of voice.
Some authors have a writing style that just flows off the page, allowing the reader to read quickly without missing a thing. Rebecca Levene is definitely one of those authors. Although the world building was not as rich in detail as some other fantasy series and I never got an all encompassing feel of the world, it was still enough to flesh out the lands and their inhabitants. Whilst the first half is a little slow, taking its time to weave together various storylines and paths, the second half really picks up in terms of action and pace – and the ending opens up for book two very nicely.
A fantastic beginning to a new, highly original fantasy series, and highly recommended for fans of authors such as Joe Abercrombie, Scott Lynch or Robert Jordan. I have a theory about a link between the various different pantheons and characters, and I’d like to see if the next book will confirm it in any way…
I received a copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. Originally posted on my former blog, Rinn Reads.
With the review linked!
I rarely have reviewed books so quickly and here it goes! Let me know your thoughts!
https://solseit.wordpress.com/2019/01/21/smilers-fair-the-hollow-gods-1-by-rebecca-levene-gush-review/
I rarely have reviewed books so quickly and here it goes! Let me know your thoughts!
https://solseit.wordpress.com/2019/01/21/smilers-fair-the-hollow-gods-1-by-rebecca-levene-gush-review/
I picked up this book in part because of the beautiful cover art, and in part because I'd seen it very well reviewed on Fantasy Faction. I have to say, it didn't disappoint. The description 'Game of Thrones meets The Night Circus' could not have been much more accurate. I'd recommend this series to any GoT/Abercrombie/Lawrence fan who was looking for a new author and series - the characters are brilliant, the world and it's cultures are interesting and the WAY IT ENDED I REALLY NEED THE NEXT BOOK.
Levene manages to fit an awful lot of plot into a relatively short (for fantasy, I'm sure the average book is a bit longer) book, and I can't imagine quite where it will lead. How exciting.
Levene manages to fit an awful lot of plot into a relatively short (for fantasy, I'm sure the average book is a bit longer) book, and I can't imagine quite where it will lead. How exciting.
I'm putting a horror tag, because eesh! This had so much gruesome violence, which I wasn't really prepared for. This is full on epic fantasy, heaps of characters, a missing son who might be the chosen one, etc. And I enjoyed it, mostly, but didn't get too caught up in it because I felt like all the characters were on the verge of dying terrible violent deaths. (Horror is not my thing).
I won this book via Goodreads Firstreads.
I enjoyed this book very much. It's an excellent fantasy book and I would recommend it to anyone who likes that genre. I want to read book 2 now! I also think it has an excellent cover!
I enjoyed this book very much. It's an excellent fantasy book and I would recommend it to anyone who likes that genre. I want to read book 2 now! I also think it has an excellent cover!
Honestly, I'm very disappointed. I've had this on my 'to-read' shelf for quite some time, and now that I've finished it (FINALLY finished it, even), I look back and reflect on the entertainment it has given me. And that is summed up with the following paragraph.
Meh.
Okay, okay. I really expected more. My main problem with the book was its characters. The so-called "HOLLOW GODS" series starter produced some hollow POVs. Hollow, and unlikable. Oh, they didn't begin this way--in fact, many (though not all) were progressing nicely up until the halfway point of the novel. But following the 150 page mark only a single character continued in his arc. I suppose it's suitable that Krishanjit was destined to change everything, because he was the only one to actually CHANGE at all after this point.
The end was even more of a disappointment, if anything. I felt some resolution with Krish's story in the book, that and his two companions (although it seems THEY only reach any resolution as they're WITH HIM). As for the other POV characters, the only ones whose story-arcs were resolved were the ones who died. Otherwise it's like the author just assumed we didn't care enough about them by the end. And maybe we shouldn't. I kinda just wanted the book over with at this point, though after 400 pages I would've liked SOME effort put into it. But there wasn't.
I really don't see a reason to read the next one. It seems the kind of thing where the dead will come back to life--most likely to resume being boring and non-vital--and the living will just revolve around Krish until they, too, die. Eventually everything will end and good or evil or no one will triumph. Or maybe she'll just end the book in the middle of a thought. I dunno.
Sigh.
Maybe I'm being too hard on it. But I really, REALLY wish I would've just read something else. But whatever.
Let's call it 2 stars. 2/5. My rating actually went DOWN upon reflecting on this story. Go figure. It might rate bits of a star more, 2.1 or 2.2 or 2.349872 or whatever, but I'm rounding it down.
So, 2. 2/5.
Meh.
Okay, okay. I really expected more. My main problem with the book was its characters. The so-called "HOLLOW GODS" series starter produced some hollow POVs. Hollow, and unlikable. Oh, they didn't begin this way--in fact, many (though not all) were progressing nicely up until the halfway point of the novel. But following the 150 page mark only a single character continued in his arc. I suppose it's suitable that Krishanjit was destined to change everything, because he was the only one to actually CHANGE at all after this point.
The end was even more of a disappointment, if anything. I felt some resolution with Krish's story in the book, that and his two companions (although it seems THEY only reach any resolution as they're WITH HIM). As for the other POV characters, the only ones whose story-arcs were resolved were the ones who died. Otherwise it's like the author just assumed we didn't care enough about them by the end. And maybe we shouldn't. I kinda just wanted the book over with at this point, though after 400 pages I would've liked SOME effort put into it. But there wasn't.
I really don't see a reason to read the next one. It seems the kind of thing where the dead will come back to life--most likely to resume being boring and non-vital--and the living will just revolve around Krish until they, too, die. Eventually everything will end and good or evil or no one will triumph. Or maybe she'll just end the book in the middle of a thought. I dunno.
Sigh.
Maybe I'm being too hard on it. But I really, REALLY wish I would've just read something else. But whatever.
Let's call it 2 stars. 2/5. My rating actually went DOWN upon reflecting on this story. Go figure. It might rate bits of a star more, 2.1 or 2.2 or 2.349872 or whatever, but I'm rounding it down.
So, 2. 2/5.
adventurous
dark
mysterious
sad
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes