This story would have needed full novel-length and not novella-length. I didn't mind the fact that we weren't given too many details about the world-bThis story would have needed full novel-length and not novella-length. I didn't mind the fact that we weren't given too many details about the world-building and especially how the magic works. That is OK for me in a novella. But the character development was...less development and more jumping from one point to the next. A character doesn't want to talk about something. Time passes. Now they do. The heroine is not confident in her abilities. Time passes. Now she is. But as a reader, I just didn't have the feeling that any of the things that happened while time passed would have changed the characters that much since they mainly were 'the characters travel along a road with lots of gallows on the sides and sleep in inns'. There is definitely potential in the story, the characters are interesting and if there was a full-length novel about them I would consider reading it but this one fell flat.
Merged review:
This story would have needed full novel-length and not novella-length. I didn't mind the fact that we weren't given too many details about the world-building and especially how the magic works. That is OK for me in a novella. But the character development was...less development and more jumping from one point to the next. A character doesn't want to talk about something. Time passes. Now they do. The heroine is not confident in her abilities. Time passes. Now she is. But as a reader, I just didn't have the feeling that any of the things that happened while time passed would have changed the characters that much since they mainly were 'the characters travel along a road with lots of gallows on the sides and sleep in inns'. There is definitely potential in the story, the characters are interesting and if there was a full-length novel about them I would consider reading it but this one fell flat....more
This was just one of those novellas where far too much was going on, and as a result nothing felt really fleshed out. At times I wondered if this was This was just one of those novellas where far too much was going on, and as a result nothing felt really fleshed out. At times I wondered if this was part of a series, and the novella focused on some side characters from that. Because as it is they all appear a bit bland....more
This is a fun read. A lot of fun even, but nothing more. It tries to touch on some deeper topics (police violence/corruption), but it really only mentThis is a fun read. A lot of fun even, but nothing more. It tries to touch on some deeper topics (police violence/corruption), but it really only mentions them and a few sentences later, they're already forgotten, because the comic relief alcoholic has appeared. I do wish that would be handled better, but it's still a delightful mystery with MCs who have great chemistry....more
This book tries to be too many things at once. On the one hand, it is a fairly typical cozy mystery: A (group of) amateur sleuth(s) in a charming smalThis book tries to be too many things at once. On the one hand, it is a fairly typical cozy mystery: A (group of) amateur sleuth(s) in a charming small town, where everyone seems to know almost everyone (and which, nevertheless, seems to have an impressive club scene). Sure, it's also a fantasy book; the town is an occult town, full of witches, vampires, fae etc. the sleuths themselves are witches, and the murders are also magical. It's also not aimed at quite the same age-group as the average cozy. The sleuths are in their 20s and there are so many Tumblr and TikTok memes. So many. Too many, I would say, but then perhaps I am no longer in the target age demographic for that kind of book.
Anyway, neither the witches nor the 'un-alived' jokes stop the story from feeling very cozy. And neither does the fact that the mein character has a chronic illness. Cozys have occasionally handled heavier topics. Sometimes well, sometimes not (I let someone who understand the topic better judge on which side this book falls).
So you're reading a cozy, and then you get suddenly hit with a ... side-plot? (or random mention? I'm not sure, actually) about for-profit prisons and how bad they are. And the main characters all have a deep distrust of the police. Police violence and institutionalized -isms don't actually get mentioned, though. They just don't like the police, because. They like neither occult police forces nor the apparent (non-magical) ones. Which are separate things. I think? At least occult towns are separate from apparent ones and have universal basic income, which seems to suggest some sort of separate government, but occult towns and apparent towns also seem to exist side-by-side in one country.
Ah, yes. Before I got distracted by the world-building, I wanted to say: there's a time and place for everything and the time and place for a condemnation of for-profit prisons, is perhaps not in a book that also features a cat-eared ghost who can't stop talking.
I might have to accept that Martha Wells and I just don't vibe. I loved Murderbot-the-character but could never really get into the books, which I blaI might have to accept that Martha Wells and I just don't vibe. I loved Murderbot-the-character but could never really get into the books, which I blamed on me not being a big sci-fi fan. Now I really loved Kai but still had a hard time getting through the book. On paper, it's exactly what I should love. Fantasy with fun characters and an intriguing worldbuilding. But ... I just didn't....more
DNF I read the first story and it simply wasn't my cup of tea. Partly that's probably because it's not really an "a mage solves crime" book, as I had aDNF I read the first story and it simply wasn't my cup of tea. Partly that's probably because it's not really an "a mage solves crime" book, as I had assumed from the blurb, but an "a superhero hunts down villains" one, including all the secret identity sheenigans that are the reason I don't enjoy superhero/vigilante stories. And partly? The world building in general just didn't click with me....more
This was a quick fun read that perhaps tried a bit too hard at times. Some running gags get dragged to death (there's a drunk coachman who frequently This was a quick fun read that perhaps tried a bit too hard at times. Some running gags get dragged to death (there's a drunk coachman who frequently offers his own ludicrous ideas about the case. Bus name? Holmes). And the final-reveal-library-scene (or in this case dining room scene I think) started about 2/3 in and then went on and on (and got derailed again and again by various things) until I wanted to shout JUST TELL ME WHODUNIT ALREADY. But overall, a steampunk old fashioned murder mystery is a delightful idea and despite the fantastical elements, the mystery is a fair one. If the author ever decides to write another book about Isabeau (and Evie) I will definitely read it....more
DNF This was recommended as "Three Musketeers with fantasy" so of course I had to try it. And at first it worked. Three friends are bantering with eachDNF This was recommended as "Three Musketeers with fantasy" so of course I had to try it. And at first it worked. Three friends are bantering with each other and before you know it they are in a fight against seemingly impossible odds. But they make it out and banter some more. Then, before they have taken five more steps they're in the next fight. The odds seem impossible again. But they win again. Only to stumble in another...etc. Now to be fair, sometimes they are not fighting... when the main character has flashbacks to his tragic past (his wife was brutally murdered...how original a motivation for the male main character of a novel)...and about a third into the book the characters actually split up, so there's not even witty banter anymore, just the MC fighting 738956 heavily armed people at once and winning and then having another flashback to his tragic past....more
I came here to read about a murderous fallen angel and his bookish dragon husband solve crime, and the book mostly delivered. I would have preferred aI came here to read about a murderous fallen angel and his bookish dragon husband solve crime, and the book mostly delivered. I would have preferred a slightly more classical crime with sleuthing and questioning suspects (instead of a story where it's more a qustion of "How do we get to the person that is guilty?"), but I realize that this is not a series of typical classical mysteries. So I just enjoy Asmodeus being murdery....more
I find recommendations that come with the caveat "You really have to force yourself through the first X chapters, but
I thought this was a love-story.
I find recommendations that come with the caveat "You really have to force yourself through the first X chapters, but then it gets really good" highly annoying because...why would I when I can just pick up a book which is enjoyable from the very beginning?
That being said...the first 40 or so pages of this book are highly confusing, and if I hadn't read this as part of a buddy read, I'd probably have given up (or at least put it aside for a considerable length of time). There are multiple narratives going on, they are in first, second and third person, they talk about things that are centuries and continents apart, but with the exceptions of some italics, there's nothing that sets the different stories apart on the page. Yeah. It's as bad as it sounds. But with time you get used to it, and it's also toned down. It's then mainly the story of Keema and Jin, who try to save the world and (mostly at the beginning of the chapters) you get the story of how that story is told to someone else. That's not a terribly unusual framing device for a (fantasy) story, and considering the main story starts off by showing you a horrible ruler and two people who set out to defeat him, you might be fooled into thinking that this is a standard fantasy story with a highly pretentious framing device.
It is not.
Just when you think, you have figured out what's going to happen next, the story takes a turn that makes you go what?. And then you think "Ah, OK, now I see where this is going.", and you're wrong again. And you will keep being wrong until the end. That's also where the very pretentious framing device pays off (and while this would be a very different book without it, I also have to say it is very much being clever for the sake of being clever...but it really is clever)....more
A lot has been said about the fact, that the author talked about never having read the Odyssey. And I also think that the way she said it was rather sA lot has been said about the fact, that the author talked about never having read the Odyssey. And I also think that the way she said it was rather stupid. But Lies We Sing to the Sea isn't an Odyssey retelling. It's set on Ithaca, several hundred years after the events of the Odyssey and tbh, that might have worked. I can imagine that an author could have managed a decent book with that premise, without having read the (whole) Odyssey.
Not this one, though.
It's an omnishambles of idiotic YA-tropes I had hoped we left back in the 00s. Mathias (the Greek Prince. Yes. We have a Greek Prince called Mathias) is supervising Leto's execution (she gets better) and she keeps thinking about how hot he is. Greek Prince Mathias had actually sworn to put an end to the executions when, five years before this book started, his sister was one of the sacrifices, but then preferred to spend the time brooding with an intensity that probably Edward Cullen would tell him to chill. Melantho and Leto want to break the curse, and for that they need to get close to Greek Prince Mathias. So Leto gets close to him. And then Melantho is jealous. Because it's not like, they need that for their plan to succeed. Oh, wait. They do. Just like the need Greek Prince Mathias to not recognize Leto as the girl whose hanging he watched. But still, Leto is very disappointed that she didn't make more of an impression on him.
As almost any short story collection this was a mixed bag. Mostly, I enjoyed those that actually played with Slavic myths or history/were set in RussiAs almost any short story collection this was a mixed bag. Mostly, I enjoyed those that actually played with Slavic myths or history/were set in Russia more than than the more generic ones (or those that played with mythology from other places) but then I am more interested in Slavic myths than other world mythology. And it's what the title made me expect. Not that all "really" Russian stories were brillliant (I still don't quite know what to make of Zombie Lenin) and e.g. Hector meets the King was inspired by you'll-never-guess and quite brilliant. Thoroughly depressing but quite brilliant. (In fact almost all of the stories were thoroughly depressing). ...more
This was cute and a little too long. The plot and character-development would have easily fitted into a novella, but it got padded out with talk aboutThis was cute and a little too long. The plot and character-development would have easily fitted into a novella, but it got padded out with talk about ...construction, accounting and whatnot. Still, most of the construction talk happened in the first half and once you got past that it got very cozy. Like wrapping yourself in a blanket and drinking a fancy latte....more
This was simply extremely dull, Ivan the Terrible didn't add really anything to the story and could easily have been replaced by the bad ruler of someThis was simply extremely dull, Ivan the Terrible didn't add really anything to the story and could easily have been replaced by the bad ruler of some fantasy kingdom. Oh, and apparently turning Baba Yaga from an ugly old woman into a hot young one is feminist now....more
Look, I need escapism as much as the next person who's living through *gestures vaguely*, but I have my limits. I was willing to buy the story of MiyaLook, I need escapism as much as the next person who's living through *gestures vaguely*, but I have my limits. I was willing to buy the story of Miyara, a princess, who randomly and without any planning decides to run away from home with nothing but the clothes on her back. I was willing to accept that she is almost immediately offered a job. Because after that it got quite cute. Miyara works in a tea-shop, makes friends and tries to solve minor problems. I would have loved a book that is just some low-stakes magical tea-shop shenanigans. It would have been delightful escapism. But that's not what this book was about. No, it needed to be high-stakes. And for that, Miyara has one conversation that makes her realise her privilege and then she immediately goes off and fights gentrification and internalised racism.
Yeah. Escapism is great but I am too cynical for this....more
This book had a good start but then tried too many things at once. At first, I found the story really intriguing and while not all the jokes landed, IThis book had a good start but then tried too many things at once. At first, I found the story really intriguing and while not all the jokes landed, I did find many very funny. Zagreb as setting was also intriguing, especially because I had the impression that the author had made an effort to make sure that it really feels like Zagreb and not simply JustAnotherCity.
But then the story went on and the humor got grating. The jokes got repetitive and in sometimes just felt completely out of place. Like when one of the POV-characters just witnessed the bad guys committing atrocities and then worries if his hair is still in order.
Another thing that didn't quite work were the very different tones in the different POVs. One plotline had two adult characters and another centered around a couple of children. And while the adults got a proper adult fantasy with death and torture the kids were in a YA or even MG story with some ridiculous caricatures of teachers.
It's sad because I think the story had potential, and, as I said, I loved Zagreb as setting but the more I read the more indifferent I felt towards the book....more
This book starts slowly. Very slowly. Because each POV-character gets a quite lengthy introduction/backstory. I don't mind books with many POVs, but eThis book starts slowly. Very slowly. Because each POV-character gets a quite lengthy introduction/backstory. I don't mind books with many POVs, but even I get exhausted when I spend over 100 pages on what feels like a prologue (because the introductory chapters are mostly set during the same time and centre around a major event). I was very relieved when the characters finally met and the plot started properly. And how it started.
Wow.
Because it's essentially a "A bunch of misfits are doing a heist" plot, but it's not about stealing something valuable but about...killing the gods. I had no idea how much I wanted a plot like that. It's glorious. (Especially because the gods are just a beautiful, horrible, dysfunctional family that is so much fun to watch/read about and that you really really want to get what's coming to them.
Sadly, with such a long "prologue" and quite a lot of chapters set in the domain of the gods there's not as much time for the interaction between the characters as I would have liked. I still feel like I have no idea how some characters feel about each other because I barely saw them interacting. And really memorable were just the interactions between Zos (who is a very privileged dude) and Era (who has a problem with privilege in general but very specifically with the one Zos has) and how they slowly came to appreciate each other.
I'm still giving this quite a high rating because come on...a heist Against All Gods . That's just cool. And because I'm giving it some benefit-of-the-first-in-a-series-doubt. Of course, you'll need to set things up and spend some time on introducing the characters (but...that much? Really?). And what it's setting up just promises to be very very cool. Thanks to Gollanz for providing me with a review copy....more
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