Amanda Bohn

Amanda BohnA little slow to start. Complex and thorough world building. Multi character pov. I took me a while to catch on to which stories were running concurrently and which were set at another time or place. There are several things at stake for the characters and the tension builds quite nicely at the end.

Amanda BohnThis book has strong themes of violence. All the characters go through some very extreme trials. The character development is strong.

Amanda BohnThe author takes on some pretty major themes and ideas. She makes great waves at tackling things like slavery, caste systems, misogyny, inter and intrapersonal upheaval and trauma while also touching on sentience of "inanimate" objects. And she does not shy away from truly gruesome acts. Would much prefer if this story did not include a romantic interest between a 20 year old adult and 13 year old child.

Amanda BohnI have a healthy fear of water and this book does a great job adding to it! The book follows multiple storylines that are all associated with the sea in some way. Each chapter could touch on any or all of those storylines. It can sometimes be easy to lose track of who's storyline you're currently in, but this does add more layers to the tension between the characters and their problems/conflicts. The author has a way of making things quite gruesome. There are a few moments where you are just rooting for something good to happen, but the author chooses to spiral down a darker and more horrid path. Some of the characters' choices are frustrating. However, the author has done a great job making those choices believable for the characters and their situations. A great read, but a little slow. It took me longer to finish this one than it usually takes me to finish a similar book.

Amanda BohnThis book follows more characters making it feel like an ensemble cast as opposed to the first novel that had a real drive for one character. The story was well fleshed out and the author gives us a lot more lore and perspective regarding the magic system. Sad, tense and dark. A great story overall.

Amanda BohnThis book had more reveals in it than I anticipated. A very unique magic system with roots that seem to come from a strong religious background. This story is also darker than I expected, putting the characters in surprisingly terrifying situations. A very emotional read that could come off as flippant in the first read through.

Amanda BohnI didn't love this one like the others in the series. I feel like there were too many things that needed more explanation, and I just didn't love where the author took most of the characters.

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Amanda BohnI love this series. I feel like it's a great story and I love elevating voices of women and bipoc folx. The story wrapped up well, overall. I wish there had been more connection on the page for the characters. Either within themselves or between one another. The author has does a phenomenal job with that in the previous books. I just thought this one didn't quite live up to how powerful the other 3 were. Still a satisfying ending. Still cried at least twice.

Amanda BohnThe magic system in this series really blossoms in this book. There is a very cool take on dragons that I haven't seen before, and it feels like there is a lot of room in thos world to continue to explore. The nonstop adversity that hit the characters is a little difficult to get through because they are so loveable. It sometimes feels like Supernatural with all the trials they go through, though. High adventure. High sadness.

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Amanda BohnThe magic system in this series has been simple and elegant. I think this gives the author the room to develop the inter and intrapersonal relationships to a depth that would otherwise be lost in understanding a more complex system. These characters are of such a class that they are in what seems like constant strife. The author does a great job giving the reader just enough joy and peace in their lives to still have hope them.

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