I probably could have pushed through, but just based on some of the reviews and my current feelings I can already tell Im not going to care for some of the relationship and plot developments.
Most of my positives have a negative side. So lets begin:
I want to first praise his writing. Though the dialogue was odd (he always put I said BEFORE whatever the line was, which I dont think Ive ever seen in a book before) most of the descriptions were really well done, particularly in fight scenes. So let's first get into the fight scenes because there was...alot of them.
For the positive, as I said, the way he described his magic and how it performed was really interesting:
"The Fire spell I stored flushed through me like a fever,:
"A Frost spell shivered loose."
"Its illumination was wildly disproportionate; shadows tripped over each other as they receded into corners and cracks."
A lot of lines like this really made the scenes interesting to read, and boy did they need to be because there was just too mamy. If you like fighting for the sake of fighting then this is good for you, but I did not enjoy it. I've learned and grown to think that most scenes should have a reason behind them. To set up something, or explain. But here was just too much action that it comes across more as fluff. In my opinion ever fight scene should build character, set up a plot, or reveal/explain more about the powers. I didnt feel like most of his scenes did this.
Speaking of powers and set up, lets move on to the world building and magic. The best positive I can come up with is it's interesting. The author clearly has alot of ideas and incorporated alot of mythology of magic. The author unapologetically is vague in how the world works. Theres no hand holding, it speaks to us like the way this world works is obvious. I dont think I disliked this, but I was so aware that this is a dangerous way to write that I think it just distracted me.
I did like the idea of translocated places. Most of the buildings in this New Atlantis came from real places teleported by magic. But that in itself is weird and New Atlantis in general is odd and vague.
Although the author clearly has some creativity and talent behind his world, it still felt a little amateurish with no direction as he just threw in any interesting magic he came across during his time of consuming stories throughout his life.
Theres the tarot, the probability and future seers, dark magic, untamed magic, undead, golems, were-creatures, resurrection. Everything is thrown together without showing rules or a system for the magic, it is very messy. (Keep in mind this is just what I consumed in the first half)
Im going to have to segue into the characters by first bringing up my distaste for "only the main character can fight" trope. For instance there is a scene where a spectre or ghost I guess is following them, Rune, our main character, throws a shield. (It doesnt really describe what the shield is but it some how traps the spectre) Their companion throws telekinesis, and Rune thinks "Oh telekinesis is versatile but useless against a spectre." Because of course it is, b/c the magic isnt being used by the Main Character, this stuff got very tiring.
So lets continue to move on to the characters, what I think most people ended up liking. I think Rune is cool, his name is neat and not the worst protagonist. Like I said the fact that he is the main competent fighter can get cliche and irritating. It kind of gets worst as he has this habit of showing flashes of his "aspect" and just acts cocky as fuck like he's unstoppable. Him and Brand are very intense with each other, the dialogue has a nice way of showing how comfortable they are with each other, but some time its too blunt and immature. Speaking of which, the characters are supposed to be, I think 35, but they dont act like it. Similarly there is a character they essentially adopt who is 17, who acts like a 17 year old at first, until he grows too familiar with Rune and Brand and then he starts acting like an 8 year old. Not good stuff.
An example toward the end of my reading which started to tip me over the edge of getting over this book is a scene where a bunch of mages save Rune. They put up a large fire wall to stop the undead, but for some reason left Brand on the other side. (Even though he was right next to Rune) Rune has ENOUGH TIME to pick a fight with the lady, assume his aspect form, the strongest its ever been, and push her aside, grab brand and the and then the lady just jumps back up to continue the wall, it is resumed and all the undead hit it and die. So I just had to roll my eyes and ask, what was the point of this, why was this lady mage so determined not to help Brand? This is just an example of forced tension and fights to impress us, or to show how strong the MC is. I didnt like it.
A page or two later Brand gives Rune shit bc he got out of breath
when running from monsters. Yet he didnt make it any farther? Stop picking on
each other just to be quirky and bitchy.
I couldn't believe by the time I got the the 50% mark I was only
halfway done. It seemed like they already went through alot and that the story
should be wrapping up. This book drags, its why I hate the necessary fights
that add nothing, and dumb moments like the zombie fire line. The chapters really are too long, its ruins the flow of the story and exaggerates its length.
Sometimes when you like a book enough small things dont bother
you. Thats when i knew I needed to put it down.
For instance, they end a chapter talking about the legend that
liches are so powerful that they ruin nations. But they are so rare that most people think they are a myth, and what nations are they talking about? This
book is in OUR world, so wouldnt we know the nation that they destroyed.
Its unfortunate I didnt end up liking this. Gay protagonist, Sun themed powers, magic. But there was just too many issue.
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