A really fun and interesting book!
It’s been a while since I read such a fun, balanced and well written story like this. This book that made me feel like I was reading a wonderful mash-up between Final Fantasy games, Darker Than Black and something entirely new, different and unknown. And, as you can imagine, that mixture blew up my mind.
The story is complex and has many different angles, almost as many as characters are there. But it's all so well interwoven that you don't end up with a bunch of pieces that don't match, but precisely the opposite. The author builds up the story grabbing each little thread and putting it precisely where it should be to fit perfectly into the general plot. And, at the beginning, you kinda feel "misplaced”, because you don't really understand too much of the world they live in or the things they take for granted. Yet, it all contributes to the suspense and to the surprise and to the amazement you'll feel when you actually see it all fit and become one hell of a story.
The way in which the story is told strongly reminded me of the Game of Thrones series. Just like George R. R. Martin does there, the author shows us one character per chapter, focusing the attention on one and then hopping to another, in a very skillfully accomplished game of perspectives and impressions that really caught my attention.
The characters are absolutely amazing. Here you'll find a whole universe of amazing, admirable people that you end up loving. Taziri is one of the main characters and she quickly became one of my favorites. She's a woman who flies airships for a living and who, at the same time, keeps a family that she loves. But she's not only that. She's a genius electrical engineer and she's smart and cool, when she has to be. She has a peculiar sense of humor that I liked and you see several proofs of her courage and wit throughout the book.
Of course, she's not the only one. Ghanima, Kenan, Kella, Qhora and Lorenzo, all of them are great. Smart and funny, or serious and deep, kinda-newbie-at-everything but loyal to the death, elegant and strong, clever and brave... You can find it all in them.
But, by far, the best among them all is Syfax Zidane. I simply loved him. From the time he appeared and until the epilogue, my heart beat faster for this wonderful guy who was not only the smartest of all his institution but also the most stubborn, devoted and brave of them all. He's such a great mixture of wittiness, courage, determination, compassion, intelligence and coolness that I melted for him and, as I read more and more, I simply kept reaching the liquid state helplessly and hoping he'd escape safe and sound from the huge mess he was in.
If I had to criticize something, it would be only the slight lack of union between the main characters. They all end up working together, for better or worse, and, in a way, they all kinda care for each other. But I missed that sense of companionship and friendship you find in RPGs and, particularly, in Final Fantasy. Maybe if the main characters had been a "party" of sorts, the book would be far more predictable and wouldn't be as interesting as it is now. But, since I'm fond of happy endings and eternal friendships, I would have liked it if, for example, Taziri and Syfax would have connected and became friends and partners more explicitly than they actually do in the book. But this is entirely subjective and by no means weakens the story.
Overall, a really good book!
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback.
Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.
Product Details