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jcooper221's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
inspiring
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
Randomly picked this up from an Audible recommendation and wow, it was good. Nothing super deep here, just a well put-together story and great characters with lots of character growth. It struck all the right chords for what I wanted out of a gunpowder fantasy.
There is the inevitable comparison to Promise of Blood, which for a gunpowder fantasy didn't have nearly enough gunpowder action. Too much meandering, weird plot threads that didn't go anywhere, almost non-existent character growth, and overall kind of flat. The Thousand Names was action-packed from beginning to end, a lot more of the "in the trenches" kind of feel, where PoB was more like sipping tea in a gentleman's parlor. It struggled with too many POVs, while TTN just focused on two, and that was perfect.
I only have minor complaints for TTN. The marching and day-to-day banalities of drilling started to get pretty old and repetitive, but I think Wexler recognized that and sped it up more towards the end. Also,Winter gaining magic powers at the end was a cool twist I did not see coming, but I was disappointed by the result. She gains the power to kill people by touch, but only specific people, and these specific people happen to be so powerful that getting that close is nearly impossible. A little uncool and disappointing, but I'm hoping there's more to it in the next book.
There is the inevitable comparison to Promise of Blood, which for a gunpowder fantasy didn't have nearly enough gunpowder action. Too much meandering, weird plot threads that didn't go anywhere, almost non-existent character growth, and overall kind of flat. The Thousand Names was action-packed from beginning to end, a lot more of the "in the trenches" kind of feel, where PoB was more like sipping tea in a gentleman's parlor. It struggled with too many POVs, while TTN just focused on two, and that was perfect.
I only have minor complaints for TTN. The marching and day-to-day banalities of drilling started to get pretty old and repetitive, but I think Wexler recognized that and sped it up more towards the end. Also,
Content Warnings
Moderate: Sexual content
pvbobrien's review against another edition
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? No
4.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Colonisation, Death, War, Gun violence, Blood, and Violence
Moderate: Racial slurs, Injury/Injury detail, Xenophobia, Alcoholism, Gore, and Medical content
Minor: Sexual content, Suicide attempt, Torture, Fire/Fire injury, Rape, and Sexual violence
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