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faeryfire's review
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
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
5.0
ruhi_reads's review
adventurous
dark
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
4.0
camxco's review
adventurous
dark
emotional
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
3.0
kyproff's review
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
aklesiam's review
adventurous
dark
mysterious
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? N/A
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.5
i don’t know if its because i heard the audiobook as opposed to reading my physical copy, but i felt so disjointed from the characters/plot of this book. this is definitely a me problem, but the pace was too slow for me and i was very in and out of the story while listening, which is not usually the case for me with audiobooks. i didn’t deeply connect with any character, but i am going to try and read the next two books in the series and see if i notice a difference.
sarahhbeth_reads's review
adventurous
challenging
dark
mysterious
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
3.0
Buddy read with Zana.
Black Sun starts strong with several intensely violent, bloody, and visceral chapters. Unfortunately, after its extreme beginning, the narrative loses momentum. Which is wild to have to say, if you know the ensuing events.
From a bird's eye view (ha), the plot is interesting. However, the characters through whom we view the unfolding action are jaw-grindingly passive. To paraphrase Zana, things happen to the characters and they react, but they don't have any real agency. This characteristic is consistent throughout the book so, despite the fact that these are major players in a dramatic story, the pacing drags.
Further challenging the story's execution, chapters alternate between narrators in different locations and at different times. Though the world-building is creative and captivating, it is overwhelming to try to navigate such widely varying environments in such short chapters. For me, the time and narration jumps were disorienting and left me less invested in the characters, rather than intrigued.
Overall, I found this book frustrating and disappointing, but reading it with Zana made the experience ten times better.
I do plan to read on in the series, as I hear that Book 2 is better.
Black Sun starts strong with several intensely violent, bloody, and visceral chapters. Unfortunately, after its extreme beginning, the narrative loses momentum. Which is wild to have to say, if you know the ensuing events.
From a bird's eye view (ha), the plot is interesting. However, the characters through whom we view the unfolding action are jaw-grindingly passive. To paraphrase Zana, things happen to the characters and they react, but they don't have any real agency. This characteristic is consistent throughout the book so, despite the fact that these are major players in a dramatic story, the pacing drags.
Further challenging the story's execution, chapters alternate between narrators in different locations and at different times. Though the world-building is creative and captivating, it is overwhelming to try to navigate such widely varying environments in such short chapters. For me, the time and narration jumps were disorienting and left me less invested in the characters, rather than intrigued.
Overall, I found this book frustrating and disappointing, but reading it with Zana made the experience ten times better.
I do plan to read on in the series, as I hear that Book 2 is better.
sashapasha's review
3.0
3.5 stars.
Definitely high quality fantasy, with rich world building and interesting characters, but I did not appreciate the cliffhanger and I’m not certain I care for the characters enough to continue. Will probably put the sequel on my long list.
Definitely high quality fantasy, with rich world building and interesting characters, but I did not appreciate the cliffhanger and I’m not certain I care for the characters enough to continue. Will probably put the sequel on my long list.
yorit1's review
adventurous
dark
emotional
informative
mysterious
sad
tense
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? Yes
4.75