Reviews

There was so much to love in this fantasy, and during the first bit I thought it would be a new favorite. But the plot and pacing was weird. I liked the slow burn beginning, but it felt like the big fantasy battle came so fast, and rushed (as was the sudden romance, squished into the last few pages??). And despite all the world building, there was a lot that was still unanswered and confusing. I know that there are more books in the series, but I wish *some* more exposition was in this first one. And maybe a map?

generous1star's review against another edition

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adventurous mysterious slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

2.0

sacredhearthbookreviews's review against another edition

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4.0

This was out of the realm of my normal reads and I'm really glad I took a chance on this series. There's mushrooms, a world being taken over by plants, biotech, magic and pirates. I loved this Queer fantasy story and am grateful for SagaSaysCrew opening me up to books I wouldn't have otherwise read.

Yat is a reformed-thief-turned-cop who is at odds with the department because she's queer. After being demoted and unalived, she's brought back to life and has unexplained powers and the ability to manipulate life force. She falls in with a pirate crew and works to harness her powers for good all while being haunted by the memories of her lover who disappeared. She's also hearing strange voices. She wants to make the world a better place and must help fight to stop the evil that's looming over her city.

I loved the main characters, especially Yat and her cat. The world building was so intriguing with loads of wild magic.

If this sounds like something you'd be into, definitely pick it up as the second book in the series comes out on August 6th. I've been gifted an ARC of book 2 and can't wait to read and share my review of it with y'all.

kaa's review against another edition

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No rating for now - this book had some fabulous ideas and occasionally excellent writing, but suffered from poor editing on every level, making it confusing and frustrating to read. I read that the author was working on this book for a decade, and I can absolutely see that - the world and characters and story are clearly vividly alive in his head, but the book veers between offering the reader too much information or not enough.

sheabuckley's review against another edition

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adventurous medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

2.75

I’m going to be honestly I did not really get what was going on a lot of the time while listening to this book. I don’t know if I just had a hard time getting into it and was distracted while listening? I did appreciate

the “good cop” turned pirate narrative, I was nervous at first that she was going to stay a cop…

bookaneer's review against another edition

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2.0

I forgot to write a review! And of course I have forgotten everything by now.

I was pretty excited at first since I found out about this novel as well as the fact that the author included some elements from his experience living in Southeast Asia.

Bottom line : Cool botany magic/tech, confusing narrative and plot. YMMV.

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