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aceinit's review against another edition
2.0
There are some truly original concepts in this book, and some delightful imagrey in its opening chapters, but these are overshadowed by clunky, awkward writing and a tendency to over-explain and simplify things to the readers.
None of the characters were particularly memorable, or endearing. Eir, who is perhaps the most sympathetic, is mired in so many "not a girl, not yet a woman" and "poor sheltered rich kid longing for love and adventure" cliches that it is hard to think of her as anything other than a collection of walking princess cliches.
The only characters who really drew my attention were Dartun Sur, who is entirely too delusional and megalomaniacal to be truly engaging, and Brynd Lathrea, who received too little page time to fall in love with.
The book's main problem, however, is that the entire plot--and everyone's secret allegiances and plans--are revealed too early in the narrative. As such, there is very little to look forward to, no sense of mystery, and no surprise once we get there. It would have greatly benefitted from not revealing so much so soon, thus giving readers a reason to keep turning the pages.
None of the characters were particularly memorable, or endearing. Eir, who is perhaps the most sympathetic, is mired in so many "not a girl, not yet a woman" and "poor sheltered rich kid longing for love and adventure" cliches that it is hard to think of her as anything other than a collection of walking princess cliches.
The only characters who really drew my attention were Dartun Sur, who is entirely too delusional and megalomaniacal to be truly engaging, and Brynd Lathrea, who received too little page time to fall in love with.
The book's main problem, however, is that the entire plot--and everyone's secret allegiances and plans--are revealed too early in the narrative. As such, there is very little to look forward to, no sense of mystery, and no surprise once we get there. It would have greatly benefitted from not revealing so much so soon, thus giving readers a reason to keep turning the pages.
tani's review
3.0
I bought this at a library booksale for my fiance, all sneaky-like, because I'm semi-committed to not buying myself any new books until I make some substantial progress on my backlog of books that I own but haven't read. I had heard some good things about Mark Charan Newton's writing, and I figured, why not?
The 3 star rating kind of belies the way I actually feel about this book, to be honest. I wish I could give it 3.5 stars, because I liked it more than the usual neutral feelings that I have for 3 star books. It's just the writing. It's so clunky. This is Newton's first novel, and it shows. I was reminded of starting a new urban fantasy series, to be honest. I love urban fantasy, but so often the first book in the series is the worst, and then as the series goes on the writer improves drastically. I think that the same is going to be true of this series. Newton has great ideas, but his writing just isn't great yet. That's the primary reason for my inability to bump this up to 4 stars.
On the bright side, I really enjoyed the story and ideas here! Like, a lot. I loved that Newton chose to feature some of the lesser-seen creatures of fantasy. In this book, you'll see banshees, garudas, draugr, and assorted other fantastical creatures that are a far cry from the usual suspects of other fantasy books. That helped the story feel nice and fresh for me, and I very much appreciated it.
I also enjoyed the setting of this world. The series is titled 'Legends of the Red Sun', and that's because this is an old world. Here, the sun is dying. Death by cold is a real thing, especially with an Ice Age approaching the world. That's another aspect that made this story feel fresh to me.
I would say that the pacing was another strength here. I'm usually not a big fan of the shorter chapters that Newton uses, but he did well with them. While not action-packed, things kept rolling along quite well, and I found myself not wanting to put the book down once I started reading (even more impressive given the writing issues mentioned above).
In short, a promising start to a series for me. I'm looking forward to getting the chance to continue it.
The 3 star rating kind of belies the way I actually feel about this book, to be honest. I wish I could give it 3.5 stars, because I liked it more than the usual neutral feelings that I have for 3 star books. It's just the writing. It's so clunky. This is Newton's first novel, and it shows. I was reminded of starting a new urban fantasy series, to be honest. I love urban fantasy, but so often the first book in the series is the worst, and then as the series goes on the writer improves drastically. I think that the same is going to be true of this series. Newton has great ideas, but his writing just isn't great yet. That's the primary reason for my inability to bump this up to 4 stars.
On the bright side, I really enjoyed the story and ideas here! Like, a lot. I loved that Newton chose to feature some of the lesser-seen creatures of fantasy. In this book, you'll see banshees, garudas, draugr, and assorted other fantastical creatures that are a far cry from the usual suspects of other fantasy books. That helped the story feel nice and fresh for me, and I very much appreciated it.
I also enjoyed the setting of this world. The series is titled 'Legends of the Red Sun', and that's because this is an old world. Here, the sun is dying. Death by cold is a real thing, especially with an Ice Age approaching the world. That's another aspect that made this story feel fresh to me.
I would say that the pacing was another strength here. I'm usually not a big fan of the shorter chapters that Newton uses, but he did well with them. While not action-packed, things kept rolling along quite well, and I found myself not wanting to put the book down once I started reading (even more impressive given the writing issues mentioned above).
In short, a promising start to a series for me. I'm looking forward to getting the chance to continue it.
blodeuedd's review against another edition
2.0
I am gonna do this in the 3 reasons review format because honestly I got nothing to say at all.
1.) Reasons you chose this book
It sounded good. An ice age is coming, the dead are walking, intrigues and an interesting sounding world.
2.) Reasons you liked or disliked this book
I disliked it because I could not connect with anyone, I did not care if they lived or died.
It bored me, it had so much potential but for some reason it never sucked me in. I noticed it already on page 20 but I soldiered on. I am a sucker for punishment and well I had a free evening when I was home alone. So I finished the book, but I do admit to skimming a lot.
There was romance too, now that was really bad. One who had a relationship he hid, one couple who suddenly fell in love, no no no, please. And one guy who lusted after his ex-wife. He could have left the tension but the rest should have been skipped. It was not very well done.
I feel so sad now cos I can't say anything good about it, but when you do not connect it is not easy.
The only reason I did like the book somewhat was that it had potential and that the end was a bit interesting. So I can give it an ok since I did skim on, it was not truly bad thanks to the hidden gems.
3.) Reasons you are recommending this book
Sadly I can't since I was bored by it, but if it sounds interesting then get it from the library and have a go at it.
1.) Reasons you chose this book
It sounded good. An ice age is coming, the dead are walking, intrigues and an interesting sounding world.
2.) Reasons you liked or disliked this book
I disliked it because I could not connect with anyone, I did not care if they lived or died.
It bored me, it had so much potential but for some reason it never sucked me in. I noticed it already on page 20 but I soldiered on. I am a sucker for punishment and well I had a free evening when I was home alone. So I finished the book, but I do admit to skimming a lot.
There was romance too, now that was really bad. One who had a relationship he hid, one couple who suddenly fell in love, no no no, please. And one guy who lusted after his ex-wife. He could have left the tension but the rest should have been skipped. It was not very well done.
I feel so sad now cos I can't say anything good about it, but when you do not connect it is not easy.
The only reason I did like the book somewhat was that it had potential and that the end was a bit interesting. So I can give it an ok since I did skim on, it was not truly bad thanks to the hidden gems.
3.) Reasons you are recommending this book
Sadly I can't since I was bored by it, but if it sounds interesting then get it from the library and have a go at it.
shane_tiernan's review against another edition
2.0
This book seemed all over the place. It seemed to jump from one scene to another and the different plot lines didn't seem to fit together. There seemed to be important parts of the world, like the 2 races that were completely forgotten about, or things that were interesting but never explained like the banshees howling when people died. The characters were also completely forgettable. Not my thing at all.
christinajl_gb's review against another edition
5.0
I really liked this book as it has a very interesting storyline. It includes some very different and non-human characters. I especially like the rumel investigator, Jeryd. The book includes murder/investigation, political intrigue as well as social commentatry. It is mostly set in the city of Villjamur and the author depicts his city vividly. A very imaginative novel in the fantasy genre, I'm looking forward to the next book greatly.
acepiary's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
kirstens_corner's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
hopeful
mysterious
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
gavreads's review against another edition
There are novels that are hyped a long time before they come out. Now this is a dangerous practice because it raises the expectation that said author is going to be the best thing since sliced bread, only for the reader to find out they are just the same as any other sliced bread on the shelves, or worse they taste not better than a value or basic loaf. Now being as tasty as other products on the shelves isn’t a bad thing and being thought of a quality product is no bad thing either. The only trouble about being told that something is tasty is that you can only be sure after you’ve tried it. So now that I’ve had a bite or two of Nights of Villjamur how does Mark Charan Newton taste?
You’ll be happy to hear that Newton has created a quality product and it all comes down to the mix of ingredients he’s chosen to use. Ok, I’ll stop with the metaphor but it make sense when you know that Nights is a mix of fantasy, science fiction, dying earth, mystery, crime, politics, coming of age, and genocide to name a few things he’s brought together in a book that’s under 500 pages.
Being the first part of something is always a hard job. You have to have a tale that lasts for a number books for a start, you also have to create characters that people want to succeed or at least are willing to follow and who have the potential for development. Then you have to give the reader a reason to read the next one. So why should you read Nights of Villjamur?
An ice age is coming to the group islands that has the fortress city of Villjamur at its heart. It’s a place where that’s seen as a sanctuary to the thousands that are camped outsides it gates. It’s a place where cultists use forgotten technology for their own gain and factions have been formed over it’s use or should that be misuse? It’s a place where politics is everything.
When the Emperor commits suicide, his eldest daughter, Rika is brought home to lead the Jamur Empire but if she doesn’t die from an ambush on the road back, the Chancellor and head of the Council has plans to get rid of her and take the throne for himself.
At the same time there is someone is murdering members of the council leading to a senior investigator looking too closely into the Council, a new member of the Court is showing the Emperor’s daughter the darker-side of Villjamur, a cultist who thought he was immortal is starting to show more than one sign of imminent morality, the head of the Army keeps getting ambushed…
As with most stories it’s the twists and turns that make you want to keep reading and the fact the Newton uses more than one character to tell his story makes things vibrant as he moves in modern-movie-style segments from one scene to the next never labouring the point too long.
Only once or twice does he seem to hit a strange note in a scene. He’s made the characters seem so at home with the world around them and their interactions with each other that the reader gets a strong sense of how they think and feel and a couple of times it’s not so smooth as I’d have liked but that’s a minor criticism. It’s a fine balance.
So can’t say it’s perfect and I wouldn’t want to. He’s only two novels into his career (this is his debut with a mainstream publisher) and you can tell that Newton is going to stand out. He’s mindful that he needs to create texture and colour to his characters and give them a reason for moving on the page. He’s also put thought into the environment they inhabit. And he knows the journey he needs to take his characters. All qualities that can only grow with experience and further novels.
It become clear towards the end that, like Newton , the story has more to give. He’s held his cards close to his chest as the game and the challenges have only just begun.
A wonderfully thoughtful read from a strong writer who has the potential to become an even stronger voice in the future. I’m left excited by the doorways that Newton has placed and I’m only sad that it’s going to take so long before I can step through the next one.
You’ll be happy to hear that Newton has created a quality product and it all comes down to the mix of ingredients he’s chosen to use. Ok, I’ll stop with the metaphor but it make sense when you know that Nights is a mix of fantasy, science fiction, dying earth, mystery, crime, politics, coming of age, and genocide to name a few things he’s brought together in a book that’s under 500 pages.
Being the first part of something is always a hard job. You have to have a tale that lasts for a number books for a start, you also have to create characters that people want to succeed or at least are willing to follow and who have the potential for development. Then you have to give the reader a reason to read the next one. So why should you read Nights of Villjamur?
An ice age is coming to the group islands that has the fortress city of Villjamur at its heart. It’s a place where that’s seen as a sanctuary to the thousands that are camped outsides it gates. It’s a place where cultists use forgotten technology for their own gain and factions have been formed over it’s use or should that be misuse? It’s a place where politics is everything.
When the Emperor commits suicide, his eldest daughter, Rika is brought home to lead the Jamur Empire but if she doesn’t die from an ambush on the road back, the Chancellor and head of the Council has plans to get rid of her and take the throne for himself.
At the same time there is someone is murdering members of the council leading to a senior investigator looking too closely into the Council, a new member of the Court is showing the Emperor’s daughter the darker-side of Villjamur, a cultist who thought he was immortal is starting to show more than one sign of imminent morality, the head of the Army keeps getting ambushed…
As with most stories it’s the twists and turns that make you want to keep reading and the fact the Newton uses more than one character to tell his story makes things vibrant as he moves in modern-movie-style segments from one scene to the next never labouring the point too long.
Only once or twice does he seem to hit a strange note in a scene. He’s made the characters seem so at home with the world around them and their interactions with each other that the reader gets a strong sense of how they think and feel and a couple of times it’s not so smooth as I’d have liked but that’s a minor criticism. It’s a fine balance.
So can’t say it’s perfect and I wouldn’t want to. He’s only two novels into his career (this is his debut with a mainstream publisher) and you can tell that Newton is going to stand out. He’s mindful that he needs to create texture and colour to his characters and give them a reason for moving on the page. He’s also put thought into the environment they inhabit. And he knows the journey he needs to take his characters. All qualities that can only grow with experience and further novels.
It become clear towards the end that, like Newton , the story has more to give. He’s held his cards close to his chest as the game and the challenges have only just begun.
A wonderfully thoughtful read from a strong writer who has the potential to become an even stronger voice in the future. I’m left excited by the doorways that Newton has placed and I’m only sad that it’s going to take so long before I can step through the next one.