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A review by wyrmbergsabrina
The City Stained Red by Sam Sykes
5.0
Well that was good, if a little frustrating.
This is a fantasy, a proper big fantasy set in a city that could be one of ours, with creatures of all sorts bouncing alongside each other and humans. And there's a mess of politics and power struggles between different groups. We follow a small mixed group of adventurers as they attempt to get paid for some work, and who end up getting mixed up in all the bloodshed and fighting happening.
This is not a light read, in both senses of the word. At over 600 pages, the book gets heavy in your hands. There's a lot of details and several characters to follow, but it all flows through the twists and turns of the power play and various battles.
The characters themselves are a mixed bag, with shades of grey all over them, making stupid choices for right reasons, at least in their minds. And no one apologises for what they feel or do to the others. They are well drawn.
There's much bloodshed in this book, as you would expect with such a title, and there's a few moments where characters dwell on pointless fighting and hatred.
I really enjoyed it. The only draw back so far is there's a sequel! So I have another big book to look forward to - if I can get my hands on a copy. I borrowed this one from the library.
Read if you like big fat books, sweeping fantasy, politics and scheming, multiple character view points and a fast paced plot that leaves you to catch up. Read it.
This is a fantasy, a proper big fantasy set in a city that could be one of ours, with creatures of all sorts bouncing alongside each other and humans. And there's a mess of politics and power struggles between different groups. We follow a small mixed group of adventurers as they attempt to get paid for some work, and who end up getting mixed up in all the bloodshed and fighting happening.
This is not a light read, in both senses of the word. At over 600 pages, the book gets heavy in your hands. There's a lot of details and several characters to follow, but it all flows through the twists and turns of the power play and various battles.
The characters themselves are a mixed bag, with shades of grey all over them, making stupid choices for right reasons, at least in their minds. And no one apologises for what they feel or do to the others. They are well drawn.
There's much bloodshed in this book, as you would expect with such a title, and there's a few moments where characters dwell on pointless fighting and hatred.
I really enjoyed it. The only draw back so far is there's a sequel! So I have another big book to look forward to - if I can get my hands on a copy. I borrowed this one from the library.
Read if you like big fat books, sweeping fantasy, politics and scheming, multiple character view points and a fast paced plot that leaves you to catch up. Read it.