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handwaver

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  • 13
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Blood & guts

Overall
3 out of 5 stars
Performance
5 out of 5 stars
Story
4 out of 5 stars

Reviewed: 10-27-24

Interesting story, many different pov - really enjoyed complex interfacing of story lines.
Negatives: Abercrombie gets mired in endless descriptions of graphic blood & guts - head chopping, explosions of gore - I realize sword, axe, mace & arrow hand to hand combat is brutal, but he dwells on it so often & at such length that is becomes gore porn.
Also, while the writing is generally acceptable, I found myself incredulous over how many times the words “grimace, grimaced, & grimacing” came up - literally over 100 - I noticed because the narrator used a British pronunciation e.g. gri-‘mace-ing, which I have seldom heard (even from Brits). Be that as it may, it wasn’t the pronunciation, rather the endless repetition of the word that grated on my ears (& nerves). Yes, many (like multitudes) of the characters are “grim, hard, cold men of the north” kinda bad dudes, but sheesh! Expand your vocabulary a bit!
All in all, a fascinating story, but in dire need of editing.

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Words, words so many angsty words!

Overall
2 out of 5 stars
Performance
5 out of 5 stars
Story
3 out of 5 stars

Reviewed: 12-13-23

First, the good: I thought the narrator was great - she did a fantastic job.
Next the concept - Interesting - Kind of Harry Potter meets Hunger Games - A little (ok, a lot) derivative
The bad - Not in the least an adult focused book - so much teenage angst - endless ruminations in the main character's head - at least half to two thirds of the book is wound up in her endless ruminations about her unlikeability, snarkiness, mistrust, lack of relationships, yada yada ad infinitum. Tons, no, mountains of wordy exposition weighing the listener/reader down - so many words, so little imagery - so much explaining, so little info by actions/interactions.
I felt like I was caught in some high school mean girls bad dream.
If you like GOT, Name of the Wind, et al. give this one a miss - I won't be interested in any more of this series.

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Ray Porter is fantastic

Overall
5 out of 5 stars
Performance
5 out of 5 stars
Story
5 out of 5 stars

Reviewed: 12-30-22

Great series - all of them - such a great mixture of quirkiness humor, seriousness, inventiveness - a joy
to listen to. The narrator captures the zeitgeist of the series perfectly and does a wonderful job.

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Yada yada

Overall
3 out of 5 stars
Performance
4 out of 5 stars
Story
3 out of 5 stars

Reviewed: 11-28-22

Way too much verbal explanation of complexities. Also, the last fourth of the book seemed like one giant denouement. I wouldn’t really recommend this to fans of the first book. It was kind of a let down for me.

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Ho-hum

Overall
4 out of 5 stars
Performance
2 out of 5 stars
Story
3 out of 5 stars

Reviewed: 03-31-22

In 3 words: grandiose, hyperbolic, bombastic
Also did not really care for the narrator very much. Not enough expression and difficult to determine who is speaking because of little vocal variation. Everything he said sounded like he was narrating sort of a Jack Reacher type novel

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Good, coulda been better

Overall
3 out of 5 stars
Performance
5 out of 5 stars
Story
4 out of 5 stars

Reviewed: 09-01-21

Epic, wide ranging, multiple viewpoint space opera they had some amazing concepts & engaging characters.
A lot to like in this continuation of a very intriguing storyline with intricate society and world building.
Lots of action, yet also moments where characters & relationships are fleshed out more fully, a plus for me.
But, (you knew there had to be a but) I think the book could’ve used a fair amount of editing it did not get.
I must admit to being confused (& a little bored), by all of the time flow expositions & the possible future universes & where the “message” that inspired the Olyix’ mission etc.
I listened to this on Audible and maybe it would’ve been a bit more comprehensible if I had had a printed page to refer back to again and again, but then it reached a point where I just didn’t care. I think I could have found several thousand words to axe in more than one section.
Also, the ending segments seemed without an identifiable climax & the denouement was sort of meandering & frankly, a bit tedious.
All in all, I enjoyed the “read”, but, you know how some books make you feel sorry the end is approaching? Not this one…I was ready for the end.

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1 person found this helpful

1/4 of this book needed to be edited out

Overall
3 out of 5 stars
Performance
5 out of 5 stars
Story
3 out of 5 stars

Reviewed: 10-31-20

First, Soneela Nankani did a fantastic job of narration. The shifts in characters from male to female, Daeva, Djinn and Marid were all handled flawlessly The story itself had some great moments, some very interesting intrigue etc. however it was far too “angsty” - waaayy too much internal guilt, moaning, complaining, and whining from several characters. I really could see 25% of this book chopped away by a good editor. Towards the end, after the climax, I thought the dénouement was excessively long. I enjoyed parts of the book, but really I was kind of relieved when it was over

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2 people found this helpful

Unlistenable

Overall
3 out of 5 stars
Performance
1 out of 5 stars
Story
4 out of 5 stars

Reviewed: 05-01-18

I have been reading this on my Kendall for a bit when this title became available on audible. I enjoyed having both any print copy and the audible version. It enables me to listen when I’m in my car at the gym and read when I’m home in bed or whatever. I’m enjoying the book thoroughly, but I absolutely can’t stand the narrator. He’s got a boring singsong voice - it just does not capture any of the intensity or emotion of the dialogue or happenings. It sounds very much like somebody reading a book. The delivery is drab and the cadence is off, the prosody is missing or misplaced. This is a book I will finish reading with my eyes. Having just finished reading Brandon Sanderson‘s earth bring her near rated by Kate Reading and Michael Kramer I was so disappointed. The two of them do a fantastic job I only wish They had narrated this book.

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3 people found this helpful