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A review by chelsaat
In a Garden Burning Gold by Rory Power
dark
emotional
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.5
The premise of this book is right up my alley - it's an Ancient Greek inspired political fantasy with a cool magic system! I just wish the execution lived up to its promise.
The first issue is the clunky exposition for the first half of this book. Rory Power had a hard task - she created a complicated magic system and a complicated power structure, but the way this was all delivered stopped everything in its tracks. It took me FOREVER to read through all the table setting.
My second qualm was the characters. I should feel sorry for the Argyros siblings - Rhea is forced to kill her new consort every 3 months so the seasons can change (I can’t even imagine) and Lexos is stuck at home trying to please his tyrant of a father. The other two siblings are overlooked and underappreciated. But they never really came alive to me. Maybe because their thoughts were of world-building exposition most of the time.
In the final 10%, the action finally picked up and things started to get interesting. I saw the big twist/betrayal coming but it was still a fun reveal. That said, I don’t really have a huge desire to read the sequel. I guess I should since I put all this effort into learning this world, but I honestly don’t really care what happens to these characters. I wish I did!!
Thanks to NetGalley and Random House for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.
The first issue is the clunky exposition for the first half of this book. Rory Power had a hard task - she created a complicated magic system and a complicated power structure, but the way this was all delivered stopped everything in its tracks. It took me FOREVER to read through all the table setting.
My second qualm was the characters. I should feel sorry for the Argyros siblings - Rhea is forced to kill her new consort every 3 months so the seasons can change (I can’t even imagine) and Lexos is stuck at home trying to please his tyrant of a father. The other two siblings are overlooked and underappreciated. But they never really came alive to me. Maybe because their thoughts were of world-building exposition most of the time.
In the final 10%, the action finally picked up and things started to get interesting. I saw the big twist/betrayal coming but it was still a fun reveal. That said, I don’t really have a huge desire to read the sequel. I guess I should since I put all this effort into learning this world, but I honestly don’t really care what happens to these characters. I wish I did!!
Thanks to NetGalley and Random House for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Murder, Emotional abuse, and Death