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A review by savage_book_review
House of Sky and Breath: Part 1 of 2 by Sarah J. Maas
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
The best and worst thing about this audio version is the relationship development between Bryce and Hunt. The narration makes it feel so much more 'real' than reading the physical book, and the pace of the audio really helps make things feel natural. Once again, Colleen Delaney as the narrator does a great job and really enhances the cast's performances. The downside is the UST. It's torturous! But really well played... so I guess it's not really a bad thing at all.
In the same way I don't really get the Chaol haters, I'm still a bit lost as to why people are so down on Tharion. No, he's not the greatest character SJM has ever come up with, but equally I don't think he's any worse than any of the other guys in this series. The performer manages to bring his attitude off the page and make the cheeky banter with Bryce good to listen to, and yet also carries the serious stuff pretty well.
The biggest issue is the story itself. IMO, reading the first half of Sky and Breath is like playing 3D chess - characters all over the place, moves and countermoves and plays coming out of left-field and you can only really follow everything if you're a grand master. As with HOEAB, the graphic audio does help streamline things somewhat, but there's still an awful lot going on, without that much actually happening.
Still looking forward to part 2 though!
In the same way I don't really get the Chaol haters, I'm still a bit lost as to why people are so down on Tharion. No, he's not the greatest character SJM has ever come up with, but equally I don't think he's any worse than any of the other guys in this series. The performer manages to bring his attitude off the page and make the cheeky banter with Bryce good to listen to, and yet also carries the serious stuff pretty well.
The biggest issue is the story itself. IMO, reading the first half of Sky and Breath is like playing 3D chess - characters all over the place, moves and countermoves and plays coming out of left-field and you can only really follow everything if you're a grand master. As with HOEAB, the graphic audio does help streamline things somewhat, but there's still an awful lot going on, without that much actually happening.
Still looking forward to part 2 though!