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A review by hilaryistired
Wucaii by Pembroke Sinclair
4.0
I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
I will say honestly that I wasn’t really sure what to expect from this book. It’s an apocalyptic story, there are dragon/human hybrids, travel around the universe, and a dose of romance, all jammed into a relatively short book. That’s a lot of stuff going on, and a lot of things I wouldn’t have really put together. So when it came through in an email, I had to give it a go, because I needed to see how you handle a story like that.
I don’t know how, but Sinclair somehow pulled all those things together and came up with one hell of a story. It’s put together beautifully, and while there are lots of crazy things happening, it doesn’t come across as a bizarre or crazy story. All of the elements of this story fit together like a puzzle, leaving you wondering how you ever questioned the premise in the first place.
The Good Points of Wucaii:
The writing is absolutely beautiful in this story. It flows so well that it’s easy to forget that you’re actually reading, and you get completely wrapped up in the story.
Wucaii flashes back and forth between what happened in Aelana’s past, and what is happening currently. I’ve seen this done in a lot of books, and it can be a really sticky thing, but Sinclair makes it work. The scenes flow together nicely, and the bits of the stories being revealed match up in such a way that you never feel lost, or as though you’ve been given too much.
The pacing of this story is so well done. It’s not too long, and the energy keeps up throughout the whole story, so you are able to fly through it without wanting to set it down for ‘slow bits’. And the way that the energy builds throughout and towards the climax of the story is addictive.
I loved the magic system in this one. I’ve read a lot of books where magic is connected to the Earth, but I loved how Sinclair went beyond that and had levels of natural magic. It did irk me sometimes that Aelana could basically do what she wanted with magic, though I did understand why that was possible. I won’t say too much more, because it does play a role, but it’s definitely one of my favourite magic systems to date.
There are a lot of themes in this book – compassion vs. self-serving, the inevitability of death, second chances, and so on – and they all come together in such a wonderful way. I can’t comment too much without giving away plot points, but trust me when I say that it’s well done.
The Downsides of Wucaii:
This is a matter of opinion sort of thing, but I would have preferred Aelana to speak better. She spoke in a very modern matter, and since she is 500 years old, I felt it would have made more sense for her to speak a little more old-fashioned.
The love story was a bit weird. It worked, and it definitely gave me a few feels, but it did seem a little hokey and cheesy. If you love romantic stories, this will probably be right up your alley, but it was a bit too much for me.
I regularly forgot and was surprised by the fact that Aelana was an adult. She seemed very young and childish to me much of the time, and I would be thrown off when she would respond to the romance plot points in a very adult manner or when she would drink. Honestly, I forgot that most of them were adults much of the time, with the exception of Bayn.
All in all, I did really enjoy this book. I’ve attempted to read a lot of dragon/human hybrid books before, and this is the first one that I’ve actually enjoyed. It doesn’t feel silly or hokey like so many others do. It’s a fun, easy read that will definitely appeal to all dragon, urban fantasy, or good vs. evil fans.
Now excuse me. I need to go get the mark tattooed on my body before the dragons come to destroy the world.
I will say honestly that I wasn’t really sure what to expect from this book. It’s an apocalyptic story, there are dragon/human hybrids, travel around the universe, and a dose of romance, all jammed into a relatively short book. That’s a lot of stuff going on, and a lot of things I wouldn’t have really put together. So when it came through in an email, I had to give it a go, because I needed to see how you handle a story like that.
I don’t know how, but Sinclair somehow pulled all those things together and came up with one hell of a story. It’s put together beautifully, and while there are lots of crazy things happening, it doesn’t come across as a bizarre or crazy story. All of the elements of this story fit together like a puzzle, leaving you wondering how you ever questioned the premise in the first place.
The Good Points of Wucaii:
The writing is absolutely beautiful in this story. It flows so well that it’s easy to forget that you’re actually reading, and you get completely wrapped up in the story.
Wucaii flashes back and forth between what happened in Aelana’s past, and what is happening currently. I’ve seen this done in a lot of books, and it can be a really sticky thing, but Sinclair makes it work. The scenes flow together nicely, and the bits of the stories being revealed match up in such a way that you never feel lost, or as though you’ve been given too much.
The pacing of this story is so well done. It’s not too long, and the energy keeps up throughout the whole story, so you are able to fly through it without wanting to set it down for ‘slow bits’. And the way that the energy builds throughout and towards the climax of the story is addictive.
I loved the magic system in this one. I’ve read a lot of books where magic is connected to the Earth, but I loved how Sinclair went beyond that and had levels of natural magic. It did irk me sometimes that Aelana could basically do what she wanted with magic, though I did understand why that was possible. I won’t say too much more, because it does play a role, but it’s definitely one of my favourite magic systems to date.
There are a lot of themes in this book – compassion vs. self-serving, the inevitability of death, second chances, and so on – and they all come together in such a wonderful way. I can’t comment too much without giving away plot points, but trust me when I say that it’s well done.
The Downsides of Wucaii:
This is a matter of opinion sort of thing, but I would have preferred Aelana to speak better. She spoke in a very modern matter, and since she is 500 years old, I felt it would have made more sense for her to speak a little more old-fashioned.
The love story was a bit weird. It worked, and it definitely gave me a few feels, but it did seem a little hokey and cheesy. If you love romantic stories, this will probably be right up your alley, but it was a bit too much for me.
I regularly forgot and was surprised by the fact that Aelana was an adult. She seemed very young and childish to me much of the time, and I would be thrown off when she would respond to the romance plot points in a very adult manner or when she would drink. Honestly, I forgot that most of them were adults much of the time, with the exception of Bayn.
All in all, I did really enjoy this book. I’ve attempted to read a lot of dragon/human hybrid books before, and this is the first one that I’ve actually enjoyed. It doesn’t feel silly or hokey like so many others do. It’s a fun, easy read that will definitely appeal to all dragon, urban fantasy, or good vs. evil fans.
Now excuse me. I need to go get the mark tattooed on my body before the dragons come to destroy the world.