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grassangelYes, the fact that it’s the first book in a series is important. Otherwise, if you read through and finish it like I did without knowing that fact, you may feel inclined to be annoyed at the book for having too much back story, character building and world building and not enough plot.
Because that is what a good six sevenths of this book is, world and character building. Okay, the AU colonial America setting (with magic!) is shiny and definitely interesting and the characters aren’t half cool either but I wouldn’t have been fretting over whether plot was going to show up in the next couple of pages if the ‘book one’ had been plastered a bit more over the book. (It only appears on the spine and the title page, not on the cover or blurb.)
If it weren’t for the fact the writing was very comfortable to read (and feels like home) and that the magic system was very interesting, I may have chucked the book once I had gotten halfway through. Which would’ve been only a couple of hours after I picked it up, because reading it was very fun and the pages flew past. (Although some of the flying was in anticipation of plot…)
And so, I’ve done my whinging about there wasn’t enough plot and the pacing wasn’t what I was expecting and I can talk a bit more about what it’s about. So, possible spoilers ahead, especially for those who want to read this.
It is about Eff, who is a twin to Lan and the thirteenth child of her family and is supposed to bring DOOM to those around her. In contrast, Lan is the fourteenth and a double seventh son, which makes him very special indeed (but he isn’t a main character and is more of a secondary one).
I er… have to say, the double seven thing trips me up a bit because I’m not sure if it’s because he’s the seventh son of a seventh son or because he’s the fourteenth, which is also two sevens. Everyone also seems to forget that Eff is a seventh daughter and this is only touched upon very briefly and even that is of not much consequence. Which, if you really wanted to read into it, is either a commentary on the value of females in their society or how much Lan’s status overshadows hers.
ANYWAY. The book starts when she is five and she’s eighteen at the end of it. So yes, a lot of the book is Eff growing up. Fortunately a few tropes are avoided, although I did cast a beady eye on two possible ships, one of which was entirely sunk (which I was glad of) and the second hinted at towards the end and seems it will be more obvious the next time around. (But hurray! I didn’t end up shipping Lan and Eff, which is entirely a good thing.)
As most of the book is about Eff growing up though… there isn’t much I can say without boring you. There IS plenty of world building, especially with concerns to the magic, which is handily facilitated by the fact Eff’s father is a teacher of magic at the frontier college and that their school system has a magical component.
There’s also the actual world building which, because I know almost nothing about American colonial history, was actually this side of fun. Although I might have been able to provide a better mental picture than lots and lots of dust and wood buildings if I knew a bit more about colonial America. Eh, the steam dragons and other fauna were fun and that’s the more important part.
I think.
That shouldcover it. No, seriously, most of the book is world building and if I did go any further, it'd be boring and way too spoilery.
It was a fun read, except keep in mind it’s the first book in a series and the pacing won’t disappoint you too much.
Because that is what a good six sevenths of this book is, world and character building. Okay, the AU colonial America setting (with magic!) is shiny and definitely interesting and the characters aren’t half cool either but I wouldn’t have been fretting over whether plot was going to show up in the next couple of pages if the ‘book one’ had been plastered a bit more over the book. (It only appears on the spine and the title page, not on the cover or blurb.)
If it weren’t for the fact the writing was very comfortable to read (and feels like home) and that the magic system was very interesting, I may have chucked the book once I had gotten halfway through. Which would’ve been only a couple of hours after I picked it up, because reading it was very fun and the pages flew past. (Although some of the flying was in anticipation of plot…)
And so, I’ve done my whinging about there wasn’t enough plot and the pacing wasn’t what I was expecting and I can talk a bit more about what it’s about. So, possible spoilers ahead, especially for those who want to read this.
It is about Eff, who is a twin to Lan and the thirteenth child of her family and is supposed to bring DOOM to those around her. In contrast, Lan is the fourteenth and a double seventh son, which makes him very special indeed (but he isn’t a main character and is more of a secondary one).
I er… have to say, the double seven thing trips me up a bit because I’m not sure if it’s because he’s the seventh son of a seventh son or because he’s the fourteenth, which is also two sevens. Everyone also seems to forget that Eff is a seventh daughter and this is only touched upon very briefly and even that is of not much consequence. Which, if you really wanted to read into it, is either a commentary on the value of females in their society or how much Lan’s status overshadows hers.
ANYWAY. The book starts when she is five and she’s eighteen at the end of it. So yes, a lot of the book is Eff growing up. Fortunately a few tropes are avoided, although I did cast a beady eye on two possible ships, one of which was entirely sunk (which I was glad of) and the second hinted at towards the end and seems it will be more obvious the next time around. (But hurray! I didn’t end up shipping Lan and Eff, which is entirely a good thing.)
As most of the book is about Eff growing up though… there isn’t much I can say without boring you. There IS plenty of world building, especially with concerns to the magic, which is handily facilitated by the fact Eff’s father is a teacher of magic at the frontier college and that their school system has a magical component.
There’s also the actual world building which, because I know almost nothing about American colonial history, was actually this side of fun. Although I might have been able to provide a better mental picture than lots and lots of dust and wood buildings if I knew a bit more about colonial America. Eh, the steam dragons and other fauna were fun and that’s the more important part.
I think.
That shouldcover it. No, seriously, most of the book is world building and if I did go any further, it'd be boring and way too spoilery.
It was a fun read, except keep in mind it’s the first book in a series and the pacing won’t disappoint you too much.
