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katieb94's review
adventurous
challenging
dark
lighthearted
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
jckang's review against another edition
5.0
This alternate Earth urban fantasy has great characters and wonderful writing.
See my full review on Fantasy Faction
http://fantasy-faction.com/2018/edinburgh-seer-by-alisha-klapheke
See my full review on Fantasy Faction
http://fantasy-faction.com/2018/edinburgh-seer-by-alisha-klapheke
victoriaknow's review
I read the prequel Enliven and the first chapter of this book before abandoning the series. I found the writing too clunky and the story failed to engage my attention.
The setting was a very strange mix of old-fashioned and modern. Although it's an interesting idea, it was unfortunately not well executed enough to be convincing. There were some very weird juxtapositions, such as the main character walking past a cage that had previously held victims of capital punishment for witchcraft, while receiving a text message on her mobile phone. I simply did not get how such old-fashioned beliefs could co-exist with modern technology. It seems like an anthropological improbability. I suspect that a more skilled writer who had done INTENSIVE work on the world-building side could perhaps have pulled it off, but in my view, this book did not succeed.
I also found the Americanised language very jarring. The story is supposedly set in Edinburgh, but my suspense of disbelief was immediately killed off at the first use of the word "candy". Other phrases such as a character saying "hold please" upon answering the phone, were also disturbingly non-British, let alone Scottish. This is probably not something that American readers would pick up on, but if the author wishes to write for the larger world - particularly inhabitants of the country she is setting her stories in - I would recommend her to get future books checked by a native of that country before publishing. There were loads of examples in just the first chapter.
When it comes to the writing itself, there were also a lot of weirdly unnatural parts. For example in the first chapter, the main character tries to get a look at the tattoos on her co-worker's hands. Has she never seen his hands before? It didn't make sense that she's only just trying to look. And there's an explanation about never writing anything down, right before the father goes to make some notes. These inconsistencies were annoying and frustrating.
I have to admit that one aspect where this book really and truly succeeds is the amazing cover and the title. Those were what prompted me to give the book a chance. I imagine many people have enjoyed the book since it has a fair amount of positive reviews. But I wasn't one of them.
The setting was a very strange mix of old-fashioned and modern. Although it's an interesting idea, it was unfortunately not well executed enough to be convincing. There were some very weird juxtapositions, such as the main character walking past a cage that had previously held victims of capital punishment for witchcraft, while receiving a text message on her mobile phone. I simply did not get how such old-fashioned beliefs could co-exist with modern technology. It seems like an anthropological improbability. I suspect that a more skilled writer who had done INTENSIVE work on the world-building side could perhaps have pulled it off, but in my view, this book did not succeed.
I also found the Americanised language very jarring. The story is supposedly set in Edinburgh, but my suspense of disbelief was immediately killed off at the first use of the word "candy". Other phrases such as a character saying "hold please" upon answering the phone, were also disturbingly non-British, let alone Scottish. This is probably not something that American readers would pick up on, but if the author wishes to write for the larger world - particularly inhabitants of the country she is setting her stories in - I would recommend her to get future books checked by a native of that country before publishing. There were loads of examples in just the first chapter.
When it comes to the writing itself, there were also a lot of weirdly unnatural parts. For example in the first chapter, the main character tries to get a look at the tattoos on her co-worker's hands. Has she never seen his hands before? It didn't make sense that she's only just trying to look. And there's an explanation about never writing anything down, right before the father goes to make some notes. These inconsistencies were annoying and frustrating.
I have to admit that one aspect where this book really and truly succeeds is the amazing cover and the title. Those were what prompted me to give the book a chance. I imagine many people have enjoyed the book since it has a fair amount of positive reviews. But I wasn't one of them.
trinah's review
5.0
Just realised I hadn’t put a review up for this trilogy, actually listened to these books as an audiobook, loved the narrator’s accents. Was so glad I had the whole trilogy and didn’t have to wait for the next book. Could not stop listening, can definitely recommend.
therealestreya's review
3.0
Strange mix of 1600s and modern technology. The sparce world-building effort didn't really do it for me. They have telephones but can't communicate efficiently most of the time. They use horses and wagons but have satellites? They're a feudal society but have airplanes? It just didn't really work for me.
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