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The War of Broken Mirrors #1
Forging Divinity
Forging Divinity is an epic fantasy with a strong emphasis on intelligent characters, political schemes, and well-developed magic systems. If you enjoy reading about characters that try to use their abilities cleverly to solve problems, you'll probably enjoy the book. If you prefer stories where magic remains more mystical and vague, it probably wouldn't be to your tastes.
Here's a quick blurb:
Some say that in the city of Orlyn, godhood is on sale to the highest bidder. Thousands flock to the city each year, hoping for a chance at immortality.
Lydia Hastings is a knowledge sorcerer, capable of extracting information from anything she touches. When she travels to Orlyn to validate the claims of the local faith, she discovers a conspiracy that could lead to a war between the world's three greatest powers. At the focal point is a prisoner who bears a striking resemblance to the long-missing leader of the pantheon she worships.
Rescuing the prisoner would require risking her carefully cultivated cover - but his execution could mean the end of everything Lydia holds dear.
Here's a quick blurb:
Some say that in the city of Orlyn, godhood is on sale to the highest bidder. Thousands flock to the city each year, hoping for a chance at immortality.
Lydia Hastings is a knowledge sorcerer, capable of extracting information from anything she touches. When she travels to Orlyn to validate the claims of the local faith, she discovers a conspiracy that could lead to a war between the world's three greatest powers. At the focal point is a prisoner who bears a striking resemblance to the long-missing leader of the pantheon she worships.
Rescuing the prisoner would require risking her carefully cultivated cover - but his execution could mean the end of everything Lydia holds dear.
295 pages, Paperback
First published February 12, 2015
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 294 reviews
August 2, 2019
This enjoyable fantasy tale was a good blend of action, intrigue, fun characters, and cool magic! The tone and general feel of the story reminded me a little of Brandon Sanderson's books.
The premise and story were both pretty interesting. Rumour has it that Godhood itself is for sale in the city of Orlyn and for that reason thousands flock there each year to try and win the favour of the local divinity. Lydia Hastings, a knowledge sorcerer, has been embedded in the Orlyn court for a few years on a mission to learn what she can about these fantastical claims and the intent of the new Gods who have take control of the city and the region. She has to risk breaking that cover when a man who bears a striking resemblance to the long-missing leader of the pantheon she worships is captured and imprisoned. That man, the mysterious swordsman Taelien, ends up being a focal point for a conspiracy that could lead to a war between the world's three greatest powers!
The story was quite enjoyable. All the action took place in the city of Orlan and the focus was on action, intrigue, a tad of mystery, and some fun magic related happenings. It was all quite engaging and enjoyable. The story was told from the POV of three different characters. The first was Lydia. She was a sorceress specializing in knowledge sorcery. Which ended up being a pretty fun and interesting talent as it meant she was capable of extracting knowledge from anything she touched! The second POV character was Taelien. He was a young swordsman who had come to Orlyn to learn answers about his own past. He was significant because he had in his possession a famous magical sword that belonged to the missing Tae’os Pantheon leader Aendaryn. This third POV character was Jonan Kestrian. He was a spy working with the agents of this fantasy world's third major power, Selyr. He was also a sorcerer in his own right with some cool light magic that let him cast illusions spells and who even had the ability to use his power to turn himself invisible!
I quite liked the fantasy world Rowe created. The magic was complicated but not too complicated that it became confusing. It was also pretty cool! The world was also quite intriguing. The action took place in the city of Orlyn but we got characters from other regions and other faiths who gave us a glimpse into what the other significant local regions in this world were like and how the happenings in Orlyn were likely to have an impact on them which I felt gave the world a decent amount of depth. There was also the Gods to consider as the situation was a little different regarding all three of the major religions we learned about. Some of the Gods were absent but others were not! There was also a couple of non-human races on the go which added a fun wild card element to the story. We never explored the other races all that much in this first instalment even though the Rethri, human but for having weird eyes and an unusual link to magic that gave them increased life spans, featured heavily in the background of the major happenings.
The War of Broken Mirrors series is connected to Rowe's Arcane Ascension (of which I've read the first two books so far) but as far as I can tell they are set in different regions of the same world or possibly different realms and I could not spot any crossover. The magic was different but also felt a bit similar. I guess it was a little similar to how the books in Sanderson's Cosmere Universe are linked.
All in all I had a lot of fun with this one and look forward to reading the next book in the series to see what is next for Lydia, Jonan, and Taelien!
Rating: 4 stars. I'm rating this higher than both the Arcane Ascension books because I feel like the slightly less convoluted magic system and the lower focus on levelling up in power was actually a big benefit to the pacing of the story!
Audio Note: The always outstanding Nick Podehl was at the helm again for an Andrew Rowe book and that is likely a massive reason why this series is such fun when listening in audio. Podehl always manages to bring a story to life. I felt he gave one of his better performances here as there were very few of his more annoying accents on show.
The premise and story were both pretty interesting. Rumour has it that Godhood itself is for sale in the city of Orlyn and for that reason thousands flock there each year to try and win the favour of the local divinity. Lydia Hastings, a knowledge sorcerer, has been embedded in the Orlyn court for a few years on a mission to learn what she can about these fantastical claims and the intent of the new Gods who have take control of the city and the region. She has to risk breaking that cover when a man who bears a striking resemblance to the long-missing leader of the pantheon she worships is captured and imprisoned. That man, the mysterious swordsman Taelien, ends up being a focal point for a conspiracy that could lead to a war between the world's three greatest powers!
The story was quite enjoyable. All the action took place in the city of Orlan and the focus was on action, intrigue, a tad of mystery, and some fun magic related happenings. It was all quite engaging and enjoyable. The story was told from the POV of three different characters. The first was Lydia. She was a sorceress specializing in knowledge sorcery. Which ended up being a pretty fun and interesting talent as it meant she was capable of extracting knowledge from anything she touched! The second POV character was Taelien. He was a young swordsman who had come to Orlyn to learn answers about his own past. He was significant because he had in his possession a famous magical sword that belonged to the missing Tae’os Pantheon leader Aendaryn. This third POV character was Jonan Kestrian. He was a spy working with the agents of this fantasy world's third major power, Selyr. He was also a sorcerer in his own right with some cool light magic that let him cast illusions spells and who even had the ability to use his power to turn himself invisible!
I quite liked the fantasy world Rowe created. The magic was complicated but not too complicated that it became confusing. It was also pretty cool! The world was also quite intriguing. The action took place in the city of Orlyn but we got characters from other regions and other faiths who gave us a glimpse into what the other significant local regions in this world were like and how the happenings in Orlyn were likely to have an impact on them which I felt gave the world a decent amount of depth. There was also the Gods to consider as the situation was a little different regarding all three of the major religions we learned about. Some of the Gods were absent but others were not! There was also a couple of non-human races on the go which added a fun wild card element to the story. We never explored the other races all that much in this first instalment even though the Rethri, human but for having weird eyes and an unusual link to magic that gave them increased life spans, featured heavily in the background of the major happenings.
The War of Broken Mirrors series is connected to Rowe's Arcane Ascension (of which I've read the first two books so far) but as far as I can tell they are set in different regions of the same world or possibly different realms and I could not spot any crossover. The magic was different but also felt a bit similar. I guess it was a little similar to how the books in Sanderson's Cosmere Universe are linked.
All in all I had a lot of fun with this one and look forward to reading the next book in the series to see what is next for Lydia, Jonan, and Taelien!
Rating: 4 stars. I'm rating this higher than both the Arcane Ascension books because I feel like the slightly less convoluted magic system and the lower focus on levelling up in power was actually a big benefit to the pacing of the story!
Audio Note: The always outstanding Nick Podehl was at the helm again for an Andrew Rowe book and that is likely a massive reason why this series is such fun when listening in audio. Podehl always manages to bring a story to life. I felt he gave one of his better performances here as there were very few of his more annoying accents on show.
April 11, 2018
I was pretty keen to read this after having read the newest book by this author, Sufficiently Advanced Magic, as I loved that one so much. I was hopeful that even though this was a debut it would still offer some good reading experiences, and I did enjoy it on the whole, despite there being some issues.
This is the story of three characters: Lydia, Jonan and Taelien. They are all on their own plot-lines, and each of them has their own motivation for being in the city of Orlyn, but their stories meet fairly near to the start of this book and then they go on working in tandem.
Lydia is a Sorcerer who wants to avert a war. She's very powerful and many others look up to her and admire and use the spells she creates. For me, she was the most interesting of the three characters, but she also felt a little bland at times and I didn't feel a true connection to her plot whilst reading.
Taelien is a young man who has taken the name of his legendary blade as his own. He is able to wield it somewhat, although he is working on unlocking its magical potential, and he is seeking someone to tell him more about his heritage. He was taken in by adoptive parents when he was young and they told him about the blade, but he's not learned much more than what they could tell and he's journeyed to try to uncover more. Unfortunately for him his journey so far has ended him in a cell and that's where he is when the story starts and he meets Lydia.
Jonan is a little more mysterious at first. He is able to cast sorcery much like Lydia but he seems to be working for the enemy and she's not sure how far he can be trusted. He has a mission to find out about some kidnapped people, and he has ideas that someone high up may be involved, but he's not 100% sure just yet and so he ropes Lydia and Taelien in on his plans. He also has the mirror magic which the series name refers to.
The plot of this one felt a little bit muddled at times to me. It was interesting at the start, the middle became a little predictable and confused about the direction, and then the ending things came back together again. I feel like it was also, partially, a pacing issue as it felt like there was a bit of a slow build and then a faster middle section and a pretty dramatic ending. Maybe if things had built a little more solidly it would have been a stronger book.
The magic of this world is a bit of a weird one. There is Dominion and Core magic and people can have one or both or neither. There are also living Gods and Sorcerers/Sorceresses who roam the Kingdom. It's definitely true that there were good moments of magic-wielding, but I feel as though again this was a little messy and wasn't fully explained or clear so there were times that I just accepted it and moved on. (Side note: there were a LOT of repetitive phrases to do with the magi and this became PRETTY tedious by the end of the book!)
Overall, I felt like the characters, world and magic could all have benefitted from more development and less rushing to the action. I also feel like there are some scenes which felt super repetitive, and there was a lot of over-explanation for some of the scenes where we got told something once and then later on got told it again... I ended up settling on 3*s for this as it was well-read on audio, and I was entertained, but I think you can certainly tell it's a debut and I think Sufficiently Advanced Magic is a huge step up from this one :)
This is the story of three characters: Lydia, Jonan and Taelien. They are all on their own plot-lines, and each of them has their own motivation for being in the city of Orlyn, but their stories meet fairly near to the start of this book and then they go on working in tandem.
Lydia is a Sorcerer who wants to avert a war. She's very powerful and many others look up to her and admire and use the spells she creates. For me, she was the most interesting of the three characters, but she also felt a little bland at times and I didn't feel a true connection to her plot whilst reading.
Taelien is a young man who has taken the name of his legendary blade as his own. He is able to wield it somewhat, although he is working on unlocking its magical potential, and he is seeking someone to tell him more about his heritage. He was taken in by adoptive parents when he was young and they told him about the blade, but he's not learned much more than what they could tell and he's journeyed to try to uncover more. Unfortunately for him his journey so far has ended him in a cell and that's where he is when the story starts and he meets Lydia.
Jonan is a little more mysterious at first. He is able to cast sorcery much like Lydia but he seems to be working for the enemy and she's not sure how far he can be trusted. He has a mission to find out about some kidnapped people, and he has ideas that someone high up may be involved, but he's not 100% sure just yet and so he ropes Lydia and Taelien in on his plans. He also has the mirror magic which the series name refers to.
The plot of this one felt a little bit muddled at times to me. It was interesting at the start, the middle became a little predictable and confused about the direction, and then the ending things came back together again. I feel like it was also, partially, a pacing issue as it felt like there was a bit of a slow build and then a faster middle section and a pretty dramatic ending. Maybe if things had built a little more solidly it would have been a stronger book.
The magic of this world is a bit of a weird one. There is Dominion and Core magic and people can have one or both or neither. There are also living Gods and Sorcerers/Sorceresses who roam the Kingdom. It's definitely true that there were good moments of magic-wielding, but I feel as though again this was a little messy and wasn't fully explained or clear so there were times that I just accepted it and moved on. (Side note: there were a LOT of repetitive phrases to do with the magi and this became PRETTY tedious by the end of the book!)
Overall, I felt like the characters, world and magic could all have benefitted from more development and less rushing to the action. I also feel like there are some scenes which felt super repetitive, and there was a lot of over-explanation for some of the scenes where we got told something once and then later on got told it again... I ended up settling on 3*s for this as it was well-read on audio, and I was entertained, but I think you can certainly tell it's a debut and I think Sufficiently Advanced Magic is a huge step up from this one :)
Shelved as 'never-finished'
April 18, 2018As much as I hate to, this is going to be a DNF for me. I just couldn't get into the story. It's been over a week since I even picked the book up, and I have no desire to. That is very unusual for me. I just couldn't keep looking at it sitting there on my GR feed waiting for an update. This is only the second book I have ever DNF'd, so this was not an easy decision. On to the next book!
October 14, 2021
This sprightly fantasy has a lot of things going for it. Adventure, of course, but its most telling aspect reminds me the most of D&D. Specifically the Domains aspect of wizardry, only fleshed out, given a very active physical role, and turned into a whole Trickster vs. a god (or at least his followers with their own Domain specialties) kind of adventure.
Was I unhappy with the way it turned out? No, not at all. I do like D&D and while this ISN'T a D&D adventure, it has a lot of things in common with it. This is perfectly fair since I originally got into Andrew Rowe's other writing through his LitRPG that really focused on tweaking skills and leveling up, so to speak, and rounding it out with fun characterizations.
Now, while I won't say this is the end-all of fantasy, it is quite enjoyable and I have no complaints.
Was I unhappy with the way it turned out? No, not at all. I do like D&D and while this ISN'T a D&D adventure, it has a lot of things in common with it. This is perfectly fair since I originally got into Andrew Rowe's other writing through his LitRPG that really focused on tweaking skills and leveling up, so to speak, and rounding it out with fun characterizations.
Now, while I won't say this is the end-all of fantasy, it is quite enjoyable and I have no complaints.
July 15, 2015
This was an accidental DNF. How does that happen, you ask? Well, I put it down at the 20% marker and just never got back to it. That pretty much says what you need to know about my feeling for the book. I think the main problem is that with the three "main" characters at that point a) you get in their heads (and I'm increasingly impatient with multiple PoVs) b) they're all blandly interesting (in that they have quirks that appeal but nothing really spectacular) and c) they're all at cross purposes and with conflicting goals. So while I may have been drawn into the story for any one of their sakes, being asked to join all simultaneously was enough extra friction that I just never felt like going back...
May 30, 2023
Pretty fun start to an exciting epic-fantasy series! My first read from Andrew Rowe and probably won't be my last.
Pro's:
♦︎ Likeable, interesting main characters. I actually like all three MCs in this book (Jonan being my fave!)
♦︎ Fun magic system. Does not get tiring or make you "study" to understand how the worldbuilding works.
♦︎ Engaging plot, with a nice conclusion but generates enough interest at the end that I'll likely check out the next book.
Con's:
♦︎ No gay stuff. ☹️
♦︎ To be honest, not even straight stuff. No romance at all even though the characters flirt around. That disappointed me.
Still fun though! If you like fantasy and got KU, I'd recommend checking this on out. 😊
Pro's:
♦︎ Likeable, interesting main characters. I actually like all three MCs in this book (Jonan being my fave!)
♦︎ Fun magic system. Does not get tiring or make you "study" to understand how the worldbuilding works.
♦︎ Engaging plot, with a nice conclusion but generates enough interest at the end that I'll likely check out the next book.
Con's:
♦︎ No gay stuff. ☹️
♦︎ To be honest, not even straight stuff. No romance at all even though the characters flirt around. That disappointed me.
Still fun though! If you like fantasy and got KU, I'd recommend checking this on out. 😊
August 19, 2019
3.0 Stars
After reading and loving the first two books in the Arcane Ascension series, I decided to check out more of Rowe's work. This was his debut novel and unfortunately it paled in comparison to his later series. Certainly, I could see threads of the things I loved so much in his other book. This one was another fun fantasy series with plenty of humour. I also liked the magic system, although it was less developed than the attunements in Sufficiently Advanced Magic. I probably would have liked this book more if I wasn't stuck comparing it so much to his later work. This story just felt a bit muddled and unfocused. I missed the precision of the storytelling in Arcane Ascension. Overall, it was an enjoyable, if a bit unsatisfying, read.
After reading and loving the first two books in the Arcane Ascension series, I decided to check out more of Rowe's work. This was his debut novel and unfortunately it paled in comparison to his later series. Certainly, I could see threads of the things I loved so much in his other book. This one was another fun fantasy series with plenty of humour. I also liked the magic system, although it was less developed than the attunements in Sufficiently Advanced Magic. I probably would have liked this book more if I wasn't stuck comparing it so much to his later work. This story just felt a bit muddled and unfocused. I missed the precision of the storytelling in Arcane Ascension. Overall, it was an enjoyable, if a bit unsatisfying, read.
September 9, 2017
I liked it, I def prefer Significantly Advanced Magic, but I'll pick up the next book in this series - longer review to come.
November 2, 2016
Sometimes it seems as if every possible approach to fantasy has already been done a thousand times. So it’s lovely to find a new author capable of putting an original slant on the genre, whilst also having a lot of fun. In some ways this is a conventional story - young man with powers and a special sword, a monarchy under threat, active gods and goddesses - but it constantly took me by surprise, and combined some glorious punch-the-air moments with laugh-out-loud humour. Even the opening, which seems to be heading in one direction, veers straight off in a different one almost immediately. I love a book which surprises me, so this was a very good start.
Here’s the premise: a young man wanders into town carrying a particularly striking sword, a religious artifact. He immediately becomes the focus for various factions who want to protect him or relieve him of the sword or execute him or embroil him in their own plots. The story follows his attempts to pursue his own agenda (finding someone to tell him about the sword he carries), while avoiding the manipulations of his enemies and his apparent friends.
And this is one of the striking features of the story: it’s truly hard to work out who is on which side, or even how many different sides there are. And, rather amusingly, the characters have the same problem. So they inch tentatively around each other, set tests and traps for each other, and occasionally end up fighting each other.
The three main characters are very nicely drawn. Taelien is the sword-carrying visitor who would give a life-assurance salesman palpitations. Whenever a particularly difficult challenge is presented, with almost zero chance of surviving, never mind winning, Taelien goes into “Hell, yes! Bring it on!” mode. Being the world’s most risk-averse person imaginable myself, this gave me palpitations at first, but by the end of the book, I was going “Hell, yes!” too. Taelien is a great character, especially in combat.
Lydia is the “Let’s think this through” person, a high-ranking sorceress at court, who endlessly rationalises everything. When presented with a new kind of magic that she doesn’t fully understand, she devises ways to find out more about it and adapt it into her own magic. Smart lady.
Jonan falls neatly into the plucky sidekick role, and is also the useful guy whose magical bag of tricks gets the others out of a lot of messes. Although, to be fair, he also gets them into some of those messes. One problem I had with the three of them was their youth. They all seem to be abnormally experienced and mature for their supposed ages, and Lydia in particular was problematic. I found it hard to believe that someone of barely twenty could hold such an important and trusted position at court, especially as she was an outsider.
I have to mention the magic system. I’m sure people will compare it with Brandon Sanderson, and to say it’s detailed and clever and well thought-out really doesn’t do it justice. I didn’t get many of the nuances, because I’m too lazy to make the effort to understand these things, but even so, it always made sense to me. There were a few moments where a particularly tricky situation was resolved with an unexpected magical twist, which nevertheless made logical sense: very, very satisfying.
The other highlight in the excellent world-building was the role of gods and goddesses, who appear to take an active part in the lives of mortals. Or do they? This is another area where it’s impossible to tell exactly what’s going on, and what is real and what isn’t. Then there’s the interesting question of what precisely a god is: if a being has godlike powers, does that make him a god? This question isn’t fully resolved, but I like this much better than having everything spelled out.
The writing style is very wordy, and there were places where I would have liked a little less introspection and analysis from the characters, and a little more trusting the reader to get it. In the early chapters, in particular, where the three main characters are tiptoeing round each other, I could have done with a lot less “If this… but then if that…” from them. However, it’s an easy read, with more than enough action to keep me turning the pages.
The climax is nicely dramatic and very enjoyable, with enough twists and turns and revelations to satisfy the most demanding palate. The wind-down at the end, however, felt a bit rushed, and there were one or two things airbrushed over without much explanation (Vorain’s escape, for instance). However, these things might be explained in the next book. An original and entertaining book. Four stars.
Here’s the premise: a young man wanders into town carrying a particularly striking sword, a religious artifact. He immediately becomes the focus for various factions who want to protect him or relieve him of the sword or execute him or embroil him in their own plots. The story follows his attempts to pursue his own agenda (finding someone to tell him about the sword he carries), while avoiding the manipulations of his enemies and his apparent friends.
And this is one of the striking features of the story: it’s truly hard to work out who is on which side, or even how many different sides there are. And, rather amusingly, the characters have the same problem. So they inch tentatively around each other, set tests and traps for each other, and occasionally end up fighting each other.
The three main characters are very nicely drawn. Taelien is the sword-carrying visitor who would give a life-assurance salesman palpitations. Whenever a particularly difficult challenge is presented, with almost zero chance of surviving, never mind winning, Taelien goes into “Hell, yes! Bring it on!” mode. Being the world’s most risk-averse person imaginable myself, this gave me palpitations at first, but by the end of the book, I was going “Hell, yes!” too. Taelien is a great character, especially in combat.
Lydia is the “Let’s think this through” person, a high-ranking sorceress at court, who endlessly rationalises everything. When presented with a new kind of magic that she doesn’t fully understand, she devises ways to find out more about it and adapt it into her own magic. Smart lady.
Jonan falls neatly into the plucky sidekick role, and is also the useful guy whose magical bag of tricks gets the others out of a lot of messes. Although, to be fair, he also gets them into some of those messes. One problem I had with the three of them was their youth. They all seem to be abnormally experienced and mature for their supposed ages, and Lydia in particular was problematic. I found it hard to believe that someone of barely twenty could hold such an important and trusted position at court, especially as she was an outsider.
I have to mention the magic system. I’m sure people will compare it with Brandon Sanderson, and to say it’s detailed and clever and well thought-out really doesn’t do it justice. I didn’t get many of the nuances, because I’m too lazy to make the effort to understand these things, but even so, it always made sense to me. There were a few moments where a particularly tricky situation was resolved with an unexpected magical twist, which nevertheless made logical sense: very, very satisfying.
The other highlight in the excellent world-building was the role of gods and goddesses, who appear to take an active part in the lives of mortals. Or do they? This is another area where it’s impossible to tell exactly what’s going on, and what is real and what isn’t. Then there’s the interesting question of what precisely a god is: if a being has godlike powers, does that make him a god? This question isn’t fully resolved, but I like this much better than having everything spelled out.
The writing style is very wordy, and there were places where I would have liked a little less introspection and analysis from the characters, and a little more trusting the reader to get it. In the early chapters, in particular, where the three main characters are tiptoeing round each other, I could have done with a lot less “If this… but then if that…” from them. However, it’s an easy read, with more than enough action to keep me turning the pages.
The climax is nicely dramatic and very enjoyable, with enough twists and turns and revelations to satisfy the most demanding palate. The wind-down at the end, however, felt a bit rushed, and there were one or two things airbrushed over without much explanation (Vorain’s escape, for instance). However, these things might be explained in the next book. An original and entertaining book. Four stars.
December 29, 2019
Notes:
Beginning was fun but the story started to lose my attention and failed to regain it by the end. Lack of tension made pivotal scenes come across as dry & uninteresting. I may just not be a fan of the author's writing style and need a note to myself to take a break from him for a while.
Beginning was fun but the story started to lose my attention and failed to regain it by the end. Lack of tension made pivotal scenes come across as dry & uninteresting. I may just not be a fan of the author's writing style and need a note to myself to take a break from him for a while.
December 29, 2019
Rating 3.0 stars
I am fairly disappointed in this book when you consider that I gave Sufficiently Advanced Magic 5 stars. I was hoping for so much more. I will cut the author a little slack though since he did write this book first and maybe it took him some time to find out what really works. I could definitely tell this book was written by Andrew Rowe though because it had the same writing style. A style that I would call very analytical. Mostly his style encompasses having one character give a lengthy explanation of some topic to another character and then having the other character say "that makes sense". I probably heard that phrase "that makes sense" over a hundred times in this story. That would be a great drinking game actually - to take a shot every time the author wrote "that makes sense" (this is of course a joke because nobody could be that drunk and still be able to read).
So, at this point, someone might ask if the style is exactly the same as Sufficiently Advanced Magic, why did this book not work and the other book work so well? The answer is that in Sufficiently Advanced Magic the main topic that was being explained over and over again was magic. How it worked, why it worked, theories, practice, usage - everything anyone could want to know about the topic.
While this book did have a lot of magic, the majority of the explanations were spent on the political environment. For the most part I do not like politics and I did not care for it in this book. The story really did not make a whole lot of sense either. Even after all the explanations I still did not know or care why things turned out the way they did. I am not going to continue the series but I can't wait for the follow up book to Sufficiently Advanced Magic ( did I forget to mention that I really liked that book?)
I am fairly disappointed in this book when you consider that I gave Sufficiently Advanced Magic 5 stars. I was hoping for so much more. I will cut the author a little slack though since he did write this book first and maybe it took him some time to find out what really works. I could definitely tell this book was written by Andrew Rowe though because it had the same writing style. A style that I would call very analytical. Mostly his style encompasses having one character give a lengthy explanation of some topic to another character and then having the other character say "that makes sense". I probably heard that phrase "that makes sense" over a hundred times in this story. That would be a great drinking game actually - to take a shot every time the author wrote "that makes sense" (this is of course a joke because nobody could be that drunk and still be able to read).
So, at this point, someone might ask if the style is exactly the same as Sufficiently Advanced Magic, why did this book not work and the other book work so well? The answer is that in Sufficiently Advanced Magic the main topic that was being explained over and over again was magic. How it worked, why it worked, theories, practice, usage - everything anyone could want to know about the topic.
While this book did have a lot of magic, the majority of the explanations were spent on the political environment. For the most part I do not like politics and I did not care for it in this book. The story really did not make a whole lot of sense either. Even after all the explanations I still did not know or care why things turned out the way they did. I am not going to continue the series but I can't wait for the follow up book to Sufficiently Advanced Magic ( did I forget to mention that I really liked that book?)
June 1, 2019
* *
2 / 5
I listened to an audiobook copy of Forging Divinity.
I love, love, loved Rowe's Arcane Ascension books. Part of the reason that I loved them was the very unique, analytic, thoughtful writing style that really conveyed the main character's personality. However, listening to Forging Divinity I realise that the style wasn't so much a deliberate choice but just the way that Rowe writes all his characters.
Forging Divinity has three main characters with their own POVs and they all sound exactly the same. If I had to hear the words 'considered' or 'thought' I might have cried. Rowe uses these words more frequently than 'said'. Everything is so very "in the head" of the characters such that virtually every other line is "Lydia considered what Taelian said. This is not good, she thought. "Perhaps we could do something else," she offered." It was very exhausting to listen to, I'm afraid. It worked well in Arcane Ascension to convey the thought process of one character - it works far less well when we rotate between three characters who all sound exactly the same.
The story itself was interesting enough. Taelian carries a magic religious artefact into the city of Orlyn and is immediately arrested. Lydia is a sorcerer infiltrating court and she breaks him out. They run into Jonan who is a spy for some other organisation. The three get into shenangians. Rowe definitely has great ideas. The key premise of Forging Divinity is that godhood can be bought, but no one is quite sure how.
Forging Divinity had a cool premise but the plot was too tangled for me to engage with properly and the writing style became very frustrating to listen to. I think I'll stick with his other series.
Read my reviews on my blog: http://atlasrisingbooks.wordpress.com
2 / 5
I listened to an audiobook copy of Forging Divinity.
I love, love, loved Rowe's Arcane Ascension books. Part of the reason that I loved them was the very unique, analytic, thoughtful writing style that really conveyed the main character's personality. However, listening to Forging Divinity I realise that the style wasn't so much a deliberate choice but just the way that Rowe writes all his characters.
Forging Divinity has three main characters with their own POVs and they all sound exactly the same. If I had to hear the words 'considered' or 'thought' I might have cried. Rowe uses these words more frequently than 'said'. Everything is so very "in the head" of the characters such that virtually every other line is "Lydia considered what Taelian said. This is not good, she thought. "Perhaps we could do something else," she offered." It was very exhausting to listen to, I'm afraid. It worked well in Arcane Ascension to convey the thought process of one character - it works far less well when we rotate between three characters who all sound exactly the same.
The story itself was interesting enough. Taelian carries a magic religious artefact into the city of Orlyn and is immediately arrested. Lydia is a sorcerer infiltrating court and she breaks him out. They run into Jonan who is a spy for some other organisation. The three get into shenangians. Rowe definitely has great ideas. The key premise of Forging Divinity is that godhood can be bought, but no one is quite sure how.
Forging Divinity had a cool premise but the plot was too tangled for me to engage with properly and the writing style became very frustrating to listen to. I think I'll stick with his other series.
Read my reviews on my blog: http://atlasrisingbooks.wordpress.com
August 17, 2019
I really enjoy Andrew Rowe’s writing. I think I actually enjoyed the characters more so in this book than his arcane ascension series. It was a bit short so I felt a bit confused by some things at the end. However, I still really enjoyed it and look forward to reading the next one!
February 21, 2018
This one was fun, but I didn't love it just as much as I did "Sufficiently advanced magic". Why? Sufficiently had a bit of a YA feel to me, and so the easy tone and style worked very well for me - this had more of an epic feel to it, and for that sort of fantasy, it missed a bit of "complexity" in the plot and more suspense to be perfect.
However, very few books are perfect, and this still had me quite well entertained all the way through!
I enjoyed the world, and the magic system, that slowly unfolds (and I am pretty sure at the end of book one we still only ever saw a glimpse of the whole thing!). The story didn't progress too much in the whole books it was more about setting up the world and characters, with action scenes interspersed ro keep it fast and griping. Overall it worked well, but as I said above I'd have liked a bit more "seriousness" in some parts - most of the scenes that could have been really thrilling had some banter or joke that killed the suspense for me - which I personally like in UF or YA, but not in Epic fantasy.
The writing itself was once again smooth and easy to follow, and while I didn't click with all main characters right away, I liked all three of them by the end of book one!
I'll definitely continue the series, and keep a close eye on the author!
However, very few books are perfect, and this still had me quite well entertained all the way through!
I enjoyed the world, and the magic system, that slowly unfolds (and I am pretty sure at the end of book one we still only ever saw a glimpse of the whole thing!). The story didn't progress too much in the whole books it was more about setting up the world and characters, with action scenes interspersed ro keep it fast and griping. Overall it worked well, but as I said above I'd have liked a bit more "seriousness" in some parts - most of the scenes that could have been really thrilling had some banter or joke that killed the suspense for me - which I personally like in UF or YA, but not in Epic fantasy.
The writing itself was once again smooth and easy to follow, and while I didn't click with all main characters right away, I liked all three of them by the end of book one!
I'll definitely continue the series, and keep a close eye on the author!
August 15, 2015
I'm very thankful Mr. Andrew Rowe for sending me a hard copy :)
Recommended to fans of Brandon Sanderson's Mistborn trilogy, and Sarah J Maas' Throne of Glass series.
Such a great, fun, quick, and excellent high epic fantasy read. Just the first chapter got me hooked and gripped enough to finish the entire book in one sitting. The magic system was awesome! It was really interesting and well developed. It all made sense in a very appealing way. The story and plot, and even the humor is well balanced- not too off, not too cliche. This should be in local stores asap- and I'm looking forward to the sequel!
Recommended to fans of Brandon Sanderson's Mistborn trilogy, and Sarah J Maas' Throne of Glass series.
Such a great, fun, quick, and excellent high epic fantasy read. Just the first chapter got me hooked and gripped enough to finish the entire book in one sitting. The magic system was awesome! It was really interesting and well developed. It all made sense in a very appealing way. The story and plot, and even the humor is well balanced- not too off, not too cliche. This should be in local stores asap- and I'm looking forward to the sequel!
January 23, 2017
This book perfectly embodies what I love about fantasy: great world building without beating you down, cool magic system, interesting and 3-D characters, cool fight scenes, intriguing storyline, and a well done ending. There's not much more to say about it, it was crazy enjoyable.
The only gripe I had was that it could definitely have benefitted from a better editor. There were quite a few instances of words being left in when they shouldn't have or just misused words. Other than that, great book!
The only gripe I had was that it could definitely have benefitted from a better editor. There were quite a few instances of words being left in when they shouldn't have or just misused words. Other than that, great book!
May 1, 2019
Seeing as I've read all of Andrew Rowe's other books set in this world I figured it was time to dive into his actual debut. The story kept my interest throughout and the pacing was pretty solid. There was a couple of slow parts but it never made the book feel like a chore to get through. Once again his action scenes are superb to me, the magic is slightly different but overall the same as the other books. It also adds characters that were mentioned in the other books but never given an introduction. I thoroughly enjoyed each of the pov's in this book, my only complaint would be that even though the characters are constantly in fights and life threatening situations, they NEVER actually feel like they're in danger. This makes it harder for me to become attached to their struggles when in the back of my mind I'm 99.9% positive they're going to make it out okay.
Overall I had a good time exploring another part of the world Andrew Rowe has created. I do believe I enjoyed this book more having previously read his other books. If this is your first Andrew Rowe book you might find the world building and magic system pretty heavy. For me it was fine. I would 100% recommend reading his other books before reading his actual debut.
Overall I had a good time exploring another part of the world Andrew Rowe has created. I do believe I enjoyed this book more having previously read his other books. If this is your first Andrew Rowe book you might find the world building and magic system pretty heavy. For me it was fine. I would 100% recommend reading his other books before reading his actual debut.
February 8, 2023
3.5 stars. I almost skipped this book (and the entire War of Broken Mirrors series) because it seems to be the least liked of Rowe's series. I don't understand how. This one was much better than Six Sacred Swords. The humor is better, the plot more intriguing, the characters more interesting, and I think the writing style is closer to what I've liked about the Arcane Ascension series so far. It's a nod to classic fantasy, but maybe gentler.
I'm surprised how much I enjoyed this because I went into it thinking it would be a DNF or low rating, like many other people who've read it. Everyone (including the author) says this series is more serious, that the Weapons and Wielders series is more fast paced and funny, and that Arcane Ascension is the lighthearted romp with similar writing to Weapons and Wielders. I disagree with all of that, but I'm probably wrong since I can't find reviews that agree with me.
In my experience so far, The War of Broken Mirrors is a lot of fun, and it's written in the classic-fantasy style that I love. It's the first series chronologically, so we get some much needed backstory for "Keras", who is the main character in Weapons and Wielders and a side character in Arcane Ascension.
Arcane Ascension is slow-paced, all about the magic system and learning how the world works (and learning about the amazing characters). Basically what you'd expect from a progression fantasy.
Weapons and Wielders is, to be frank, rather boring, and the humor is cringe (to me). Annoying characters, way too many "action" sequences, and barely any forward movement. To be fair, I've only read the first book in this series so far, so maybe it gets better... but I don't think I'll continue on with it to find out.
My plan is to continue with The War of Broken Mirrors and for sure continue Arcane Ascension. I wish I'd waited just a little bit longer to start all of this so that more books would be out. Oh well. I'm having a grand time. These books pulled me out of a massive reading/life slump. I love Andrew Rowe.
I'm surprised how much I enjoyed this because I went into it thinking it would be a DNF or low rating, like many other people who've read it. Everyone (including the author) says this series is more serious, that the Weapons and Wielders series is more fast paced and funny, and that Arcane Ascension is the lighthearted romp with similar writing to Weapons and Wielders. I disagree with all of that, but I'm probably wrong since I can't find reviews that agree with me.
In my experience so far, The War of Broken Mirrors is a lot of fun, and it's written in the classic-fantasy style that I love. It's the first series chronologically, so we get some much needed backstory for "Keras", who is the main character in Weapons and Wielders and a side character in Arcane Ascension.
Arcane Ascension is slow-paced, all about the magic system and learning how the world works (and learning about the amazing characters). Basically what you'd expect from a progression fantasy.
Weapons and Wielders is, to be frank, rather boring, and the humor is cringe (to me). Annoying characters, way too many "action" sequences, and barely any forward movement. To be fair, I've only read the first book in this series so far, so maybe it gets better... but I don't think I'll continue on with it to find out.
My plan is to continue with The War of Broken Mirrors and for sure continue Arcane Ascension. I wish I'd waited just a little bit longer to start all of this so that more books would be out. Oh well. I'm having a grand time. These books pulled me out of a massive reading/life slump. I love Andrew Rowe.
June 2, 2015
I was offered this book in exchange for an honest review. Just... I dunno, FYI or whatever. :D
Anyway, I had a real hard time putting it down! I had thought to start it and get a few pages in here and there in between work and life and so on and so forth, but found myself instead immersed in the story and finding excuses to read instead of doing anything else.
It was descriptive without being overly descriptive, and the magic system was well thought out and made sense. The characters were likable, and I cared what happened to them. Taelien reminds me a lot of another fantasy swordsman who despite having seen some shit in his life is nonetheless very kind, noble, caring about strangers, and almost innocently trusting of people he barely knows (and whom I might have a mild booknerd crush on, lol). Taelien is similarly difficult not to like, and so he was an easy protagonist for me to root for.
Best of all, I think, was the humor that made me giggle out loud, which I really enjoy in a fantasy novel. It was my kind of humor too. Vague note is vague. I totally say shit like that, and having the humor be fairly modern-day but still believable in the universe in which it was presented made the book more enjoyable for me. Anyone can look at my read list and see that I appreciate fantasy that doesn't take itself too seriously, and this is no exception.
My only real criticism here is that it needs just a bit more editing. I'm not the grammar police or anything and couldn't care less about punctuation as long as it's at least mostly correct (it seemed fine), but there were a few missing words or misused words and while they didn't detract from the story at all, they did distract me enough that I had to sort of stop for a moment to re-read a sentence to make sure I understood it right. Breaks my flow a bit. Not a dealbreaker by any means, but something that could be corrected to bring a good flow back to it.
All and all, a good, fun read. I'm excited for more. A great debut! :)
More pls!
Anyway, I had a real hard time putting it down! I had thought to start it and get a few pages in here and there in between work and life and so on and so forth, but found myself instead immersed in the story and finding excuses to read instead of doing anything else.
It was descriptive without being overly descriptive, and the magic system was well thought out and made sense. The characters were likable, and I cared what happened to them. Taelien reminds me a lot of another fantasy swordsman who despite having seen some shit in his life is nonetheless very kind, noble, caring about strangers, and almost innocently trusting of people he barely knows (and whom I might have a mild booknerd crush on, lol). Taelien is similarly difficult not to like, and so he was an easy protagonist for me to root for.
Best of all, I think, was the humor that made me giggle out loud, which I really enjoy in a fantasy novel. It was my kind of humor too. Vague note is vague. I totally say shit like that, and having the humor be fairly modern-day but still believable in the universe in which it was presented made the book more enjoyable for me. Anyone can look at my read list and see that I appreciate fantasy that doesn't take itself too seriously, and this is no exception.
My only real criticism here is that it needs just a bit more editing. I'm not the grammar police or anything and couldn't care less about punctuation as long as it's at least mostly correct (it seemed fine), but there were a few missing words or misused words and while they didn't detract from the story at all, they did distract me enough that I had to sort of stop for a moment to re-read a sentence to make sure I understood it right. Breaks my flow a bit. Not a dealbreaker by any means, but something that could be corrected to bring a good flow back to it.
All and all, a good, fun read. I'm excited for more. A great debut! :)
More pls!
February 25, 2017
I'll admit this one took a while to get into, since the opening chapters were very dialogue-heavy. The book also gives a lot of insight into what is happening in the characters heads, which took a bit of getting used to. However, once the book got going, I found myself really appreciating the detailed thoughts, since the characters are very logical and I love the "rationalist" genre.
After the first few chapters, I was hooked (~30% on my kindle). The magic system is pretty great. I'm a fan of hard magic systems, and there are detailed rules, limitations, and costs to the magic in this book. I really appreciated the diversity of the magic, as well. As much as I love Sanderson's magic systems, sometimes they are fairly limited. Forging Divinity has magic of all types: physical, elemental, healing, knowledge, illusion, etc.
The worldbuilding is also great. Godhood can be sold to the highest bidder? Awesome. Multiple conspiracies, a looming war, original races that are tied into the magic system? Even better.
The characters are good as well, though not as strong as the worldbuilding. Each of the three main characters has access to different magic types, has their own hidden agendas that you slowly learn about, and distinct personalities. One is overly analytical about everything, one is a hotheaded warrior, and one is a secretive spy who relies on illusions instead of direct magics.
Overall, the book was a slow start but a great read. I've bought the second and am looking forward to reading it in the near future. I might have to put the sequel off for a bit, because once I hit the 30% mark of this one I pretty much couldn't put it down (so much for being productive this week).
After the first few chapters, I was hooked (~30% on my kindle). The magic system is pretty great. I'm a fan of hard magic systems, and there are detailed rules, limitations, and costs to the magic in this book. I really appreciated the diversity of the magic, as well. As much as I love Sanderson's magic systems, sometimes they are fairly limited. Forging Divinity has magic of all types: physical, elemental, healing, knowledge, illusion, etc.
The worldbuilding is also great. Godhood can be sold to the highest bidder? Awesome. Multiple conspiracies, a looming war, original races that are tied into the magic system? Even better.
The characters are good as well, though not as strong as the worldbuilding. Each of the three main characters has access to different magic types, has their own hidden agendas that you slowly learn about, and distinct personalities. One is overly analytical about everything, one is a hotheaded warrior, and one is a secretive spy who relies on illusions instead of direct magics.
Overall, the book was a slow start but a great read. I've bought the second and am looking forward to reading it in the near future. I might have to put the sequel off for a bit, because once I hit the 30% mark of this one I pretty much couldn't put it down (so much for being productive this week).
September 25, 2022
A fun, exciting, fresh story with easy-to-relate-to characters, plenty of action, and a unique world. The opening chapters quickly hooked me and I will be continuing this series to completion!
The story begins with a sorcerer named Lydia rescues a young man with a unique power over metal from a prisoner. From there, they make new friends, forge alliances, and find themselves woven in conspiracies with gods and men.
The main character, Taelien, is primarily upbeat and enthusiastic about helping others. He was a little naive at times and was very much a "hero," though I did find him charming enough to care about what happened to him. Lydia, my favourite of the trio, was intelligent, resourceful, cunning, and willing to learn to do the right thing. Her passion for knowledge made her easy to like, and I can't want to see where she goes from here. Her banter with Jonan, the third main character and consummate rival, was a ton of fun. I look forward to seeing where their frenemy relationship goes from here.
The world building is complex and uses many different terms, especially when referring to magic. There is a plethora of telling over showing in this story, though in hindsight it isn't such a bad idea, given how intricate the details are. It also helps in many of the inventive action scenes to show exactly what is happening and when.
All of the prose is clean and easy to follow. There is a wit and charm that made this thoroughly enjoyable and an easy read for anyone looking to binge a fantasy book over a weekend. I'm glad I gave it a chance and can't wait to see what happens next.
The story begins with a sorcerer named Lydia rescues a young man with a unique power over metal from a prisoner. From there, they make new friends, forge alliances, and find themselves woven in conspiracies with gods and men.
The main character, Taelien, is primarily upbeat and enthusiastic about helping others. He was a little naive at times and was very much a "hero," though I did find him charming enough to care about what happened to him. Lydia, my favourite of the trio, was intelligent, resourceful, cunning, and willing to learn to do the right thing. Her passion for knowledge made her easy to like, and I can't want to see where she goes from here. Her banter with Jonan, the third main character and consummate rival, was a ton of fun. I look forward to seeing where their frenemy relationship goes from here.
The world building is complex and uses many different terms, especially when referring to magic. There is a plethora of telling over showing in this story, though in hindsight it isn't such a bad idea, given how intricate the details are. It also helps in many of the inventive action scenes to show exactly what is happening and when.
All of the prose is clean and easy to follow. There is a wit and charm that made this thoroughly enjoyable and an easy read for anyone looking to binge a fantasy book over a weekend. I'm glad I gave it a chance and can't wait to see what happens next.
February 24, 2015
Really enjoyed this book. The world is interesting although kind of familiar (I got a lot of Warbreaker + Mistborn vibe.) The magic system is pretty varied, lots of different types of magic being used in the book and the appendix has a lot more info about the various schools of magic.
IMO the best part of the book were the main characters. Three different POV characters all which have different perspectives of the world - for example you get to see how a character who is "noble" almost to a fault performs a mission with someone who has built their life on deception. Unlike a lot of multi-pov books I didn't really feel like there was a "weak" POV that made me want to skip to the next chapter.
Some things I didn't like:
Characters seem to have a solution to everything with magic sometimes. There is a "cost" to magic but at times to felt like "oh hey there is a guy there with removing tight screws as his dominion magic!, problem solved."
Similar to the above point the invisible magic is used a LOT through the book. The vast majority of problems in the book get solved using it.
I'm sure there were more issues in the book but I tend to gloss over errors when I'm enjoying a story. Overall it was a fun read, especially considering it is a first book. Looking forward to the next one.
IMO the best part of the book were the main characters. Three different POV characters all which have different perspectives of the world - for example you get to see how a character who is "noble" almost to a fault performs a mission with someone who has built their life on deception. Unlike a lot of multi-pov books I didn't really feel like there was a "weak" POV that made me want to skip to the next chapter.
Some things I didn't like:
Characters seem to have a solution to everything with magic sometimes. There is a "cost" to magic but at times to felt like "oh hey there is a guy there with removing tight screws as his dominion magic!, problem solved."
Similar to the above point the invisible magic is used a LOT through the book. The vast majority of problems in the book get solved using it.
I'm sure there were more issues in the book but I tend to gloss over errors when I'm enjoying a story. Overall it was a fun read, especially considering it is a first book. Looking forward to the next one.
May 25, 2015
A surprisingly epic fantasy from someone who's involved with the Obsidian game studio, I was offered this for a review and I was pleasantly surprised.
At its core is a story of a sorceress investigating a small offshoot of believers, but the tale quickly becomes a multi-layered conspiracy tale we don't see a lot of in fantasy. Familiar-looking prisoners, warring power factions, things quickly expand out and devolve into a substantial situation.
The book itself is a fast read and a lot of fun. There's a lot going on, with a great setting and some interesting choices made along the way. The big complaint, for me, is that the old writing precept of "show, don't tell" is one that could have been applied a lot more in this book. For the type of epic this tries to be, a little less on-the-nose descriptions, especially of character motivations, would have taken this fully out of the "self-published" place and into something that might get more attention.
This, however, is still a great read in spite of that caveat. A very enjoyable read that reads a lot smoother than you'd expect for the genre.
At its core is a story of a sorceress investigating a small offshoot of believers, but the tale quickly becomes a multi-layered conspiracy tale we don't see a lot of in fantasy. Familiar-looking prisoners, warring power factions, things quickly expand out and devolve into a substantial situation.
The book itself is a fast read and a lot of fun. There's a lot going on, with a great setting and some interesting choices made along the way. The big complaint, for me, is that the old writing precept of "show, don't tell" is one that could have been applied a lot more in this book. For the type of epic this tries to be, a little less on-the-nose descriptions, especially of character motivations, would have taken this fully out of the "self-published" place and into something that might get more attention.
This, however, is still a great read in spite of that caveat. A very enjoyable read that reads a lot smoother than you'd expect for the genre.
June 2, 2015
It seems to me that Andrew Rowe had a really neat idea for a magic system and decided to write a book with it.
I mention this because this isn't really a story with a magic system, it's a magic system with a story.
The character seems to spend more time discussing their awesome magic and how it works then actually advancing the plot. This would be less of an issue if the book wasn't fairly short.
On top of this the book isn't very well edited, there is a lot of error like words that where left out or that Andrew forgot to delete when making changes.
All in all the story is ok, the magic system is cool, but it just isn't enough to make this book worth a read (in my opinion).
I mention this because this isn't really a story with a magic system, it's a magic system with a story.
The character seems to spend more time discussing their awesome magic and how it works then actually advancing the plot. This would be less of an issue if the book wasn't fairly short.
On top of this the book isn't very well edited, there is a lot of error like words that where left out or that Andrew forgot to delete when making changes.
All in all the story is ok, the magic system is cool, but it just isn't enough to make this book worth a read (in my opinion).
September 5, 2015
I knew the author worked in the videogame business, and it showed from reading this novel. The magic system was ridiculously complex, and I could practically see the talent trees of each respective character. While at times it became a bit of a two-edged sword, overall the experience lent positive force to this book. With interesting characters and glimpse into a vast world, fans of authors like Brandon Sanderson and Brent Weeks will want to keep this one on their radar.
May 7, 2017
An expansive plot
The whole narrative is told like a spy story instead of the usual hero stories, this makes the novel a fresh entrant to the fantasy genre. While the magic is comprehensively elaborated, the action scene is sparse and rather bland. The novel is filled more with banters of wit and expositions than clashes of blades and magic, but it was a pleasant read
The whole narrative is told like a spy story instead of the usual hero stories, this makes the novel a fresh entrant to the fantasy genre. While the magic is comprehensively elaborated, the action scene is sparse and rather bland. The novel is filled more with banters of wit and expositions than clashes of blades and magic, but it was a pleasant read
Read
June 6, 2016I wondered if I should send Imodium because the first half of the book has info dump, dump, dump chapter after chapter. The last quarter of the novel became quite interesting as the action ramped up, and the audiobook narration is very good.
January 5, 2023
Good book, wish I had read them before the other Arcane Ascension books because I feel like I know too much about the end result since they take place before the others which I didn't realize since they're different series names
June 24, 2019
Forging Divinity is a classic example of an independently-published, debut fantasy novel. It had potential but the execution let it down. I think a good editor could help with a lot of the problems I kept noticing in the book. There is a reason it is recommended that authors wanting to go down the independent publishing route should invest in a solid editor. It makes a world of difference, it really does.
Aside from the occasional typos and odd word choices, one of the first things that struck me heavy blocks of exposition. A lot of telling, rather than showing. It's a shame really, because not only did it interrupt the flow of the story but one of my favourite parts of reading fantasy is piecing together all the different clues about the worldbuilding. Being told everything in a way that doesn't feel organic ruins that detective-like experience. The author could have benefited by having more faith in the readers to figure things out on their own.
Despite the heavy-handed exposition, I decided to keep reading, hoping it would get better further along. And it sort of did. I found the plot interesting. Actually, it was one of the best parts of the novel and what made me finish the book. I didn't know what was going to happen next but I think that was partly because bits of the worldbuilding were introduced just when they were convenient for the plot twist. But, as I said, it did keep me reading. Although, now I have a much deeper appreciation for well-crafted foreshadowing because of its notable absence in this book. Leaving little clues along the way makes such a difference and really contributes to the trying-to-figure-it-out aspect of a story.
Now, admittedly I can ignore a lot of flaws in a story if I have fallen for the characters. With Forging Divinity there were some good moments of banter, but overall the characterisation felt ... nebulous. The same character would act in very different ways throughout the book, but it was hard to work out whether or not that was out of character. They would coldly over-analyse the situation on one page and then joke around the next. I simply could not grasp the personalities of the three main characters very well. I feel that better characterisation could also have helped the relationship development between the characters. The relationship development between various characters often felt abrupt, going from strangers to allies to friends very quickly. (There was also this weird love triangle/square thing that was never really committed to, just some strange flirting. I don't even know what was going on there.)
What I absolutely adore, and that I missed in this book, are internal character development arcs. Rowe hinted at them, and maybe the character arcs will be longer-term and span the whole series, but they fell short in this book.
One of the most promising aspects of this book is the magic system. I found the cost of magic aspect of it to be particularly intriguing and I wish that element could have been pushed further in the book. Having some characters that suffer the permanent side-effects of overusing their magic would have been really interesting to read about. While reading one of the appendices, I kept imagining all of these really interesting stories that could take place in this world and with this magic system.
I think one of the obstacles this book faces is from the particular brand of high fantasy it is. When the blurb talks about "intelligent characters, political schemes, and well-developed magic systems" readers immediately expect a well-crafted world and a well-executed story. Comparisons to Brandon Sanderson also come up, particularly in reference to complex magic systems. Mistborn and The Stormlight Archive are very high bars to compare books to, particularly debut novels.
I'm still undecided whether I am going to read more books from this author. Maybe the problems with Forging Divinity will be fixed in Rowe's later novels. I'm still not 100% why I continued reading this book, but maybe there is something to be said for reading a story that has the puppet strings exposed.
Aside from the occasional typos and odd word choices, one of the first things that struck me heavy blocks of exposition. A lot of telling, rather than showing. It's a shame really, because not only did it interrupt the flow of the story but one of my favourite parts of reading fantasy is piecing together all the different clues about the worldbuilding. Being told everything in a way that doesn't feel organic ruins that detective-like experience. The author could have benefited by having more faith in the readers to figure things out on their own.
Despite the heavy-handed exposition, I decided to keep reading, hoping it would get better further along. And it sort of did. I found the plot interesting. Actually, it was one of the best parts of the novel and what made me finish the book. I didn't know what was going to happen next but I think that was partly because bits of the worldbuilding were introduced just when they were convenient for the plot twist. But, as I said, it did keep me reading. Although, now I have a much deeper appreciation for well-crafted foreshadowing because of its notable absence in this book. Leaving little clues along the way makes such a difference and really contributes to the trying-to-figure-it-out aspect of a story.
Now, admittedly I can ignore a lot of flaws in a story if I have fallen for the characters. With Forging Divinity there were some good moments of banter, but overall the characterisation felt ... nebulous. The same character would act in very different ways throughout the book, but it was hard to work out whether or not that was out of character. They would coldly over-analyse the situation on one page and then joke around the next. I simply could not grasp the personalities of the three main characters very well. I feel that better characterisation could also have helped the relationship development between the characters. The relationship development between various characters often felt abrupt, going from strangers to allies to friends very quickly. (There was also this weird love triangle/square thing that was never really committed to, just some strange flirting. I don't even know what was going on there.)
What I absolutely adore, and that I missed in this book, are internal character development arcs. Rowe hinted at them, and maybe the character arcs will be longer-term and span the whole series, but they fell short in this book.
One of the most promising aspects of this book is the magic system. I found the cost of magic aspect of it to be particularly intriguing and I wish that element could have been pushed further in the book. Having some characters that suffer the permanent side-effects of overusing their magic would have been really interesting to read about. While reading one of the appendices, I kept imagining all of these really interesting stories that could take place in this world and with this magic system.
I think one of the obstacles this book faces is from the particular brand of high fantasy it is. When the blurb talks about "intelligent characters, political schemes, and well-developed magic systems" readers immediately expect a well-crafted world and a well-executed story. Comparisons to Brandon Sanderson also come up, particularly in reference to complex magic systems. Mistborn and The Stormlight Archive are very high bars to compare books to, particularly debut novels.
I'm still undecided whether I am going to read more books from this author. Maybe the problems with Forging Divinity will be fixed in Rowe's later novels. I'm still not 100% why I continued reading this book, but maybe there is something to be said for reading a story that has the puppet strings exposed.
March 27, 2017
3,5
La divinità è in vendita nella città di Orlyn: a quanto pare, con un po' di sforzo, tutti possono aspirare a diventare dei e dee, come promesso dal benevolo Edon, Signore dell'Ascensione e fondatore di un nuovo culto religioso. Peccato che nel mondo creato da Andrew Rowe non tutto è come sembra e i veri dei si tengono ben lontani dagli esseri umani.
Per essere il primo volume di una trilogia (o almeno, credo che siano tre), “Forging Divinity” è un libro decisamente interessante, pieno di azione ma che si prende necessariamente un po' di spazio per iniziare a delineare il complicato sistema magico messo in piedi dall'autore: sono diverse le fonti – o per meglio dire, i Domini – da cui è possibile trarre potere (luce, ombra, acqua, fuoco, metallo, conoscenza, vita, morte,...), ciascuno con le sue specifiche caratteristiche e, soprattutto, con il suo impatto sul corpo di chi lo sta usando. Già, perché per Rowe, la magia non è mai illimitata, ma c'è sempre un prezzo da pagare che inevitabilmente finisce per andare a colpire in maniera più o meno grave il corpo umano. Accanto a questo sistema magico, di cui qui si iniziano a delineare i fondamenti, c'è un variegato panorama religioso: la “teocrazia” che sta prendendo piede a Orlyn; Velthryn, in cui si venerano ancora i sette dei del pantheon di Tae'os; Selyr, dove la gente deve fare i conti con una banda di pazzi semidei, figli del loro dio principale, Vaelien. Non mancano nemmeno gli intrighi di natura politica e le lotte di potere che tengono sempre sul filo del rasoio le relazioni tra i vari regni.
Su questo sfondo variegato, si muovono i nostri tre personaggi principali: Lydia Scryer, strega di corte a Orlyn che però nasconde un segreto che, se dovesse venire scoperto, potrebbe letteralmente costargli la testa; Jonan Kestrim, in apparenza un semplice scriba affiliato all'Ordine di Vaelien esperto nel dominio della vista, mandato in missione per scoprire la verità sull'identità di Edon e sui suoi presunti poteri divini; e Taelien, giovane guerriero arrivato a Orlyn per scoprirne di più sui suoi veri genitori e sulla sua eredità, una mitica spada che scopriremo essere l'emblema sacro del culto Tae'os, tanto più che lui stesso sembra assomigliare al dio Aendaryn – cosa che finirà per metterlo nei guai fin dalla prima pagina. I tre finiranno per formare un'improbabile alleanza, per cercare di trovare delle risposte, anche se, alla fine del libro, ci troviamo davanti nuove domande e nuovi misteri che probabilmente verranno presi in considerazione nei prossimi volumi (peraltro, da fangirl impenitente quale sono, ho già pronta la mia ship Lydia/Taelien).
In certi momenti, le riflessioni fatte su certe pratiche magiche, e in particolare sugli esperimenti portati avanti da Edon per ritrovare e poi aumentare il suo potere, non sono sempre state molto chiare: vedremo se il tutto diventerà più comprensibile nei seguiti.
Ultima annotazione: Andrew Rowe è anche un creatore di videogiochi, cosa che, a mio modesto parere, si nota abbastanza nelle scene di combattimento, che in certi momenti diventano un po' poco credibili.
La divinità è in vendita nella città di Orlyn: a quanto pare, con un po' di sforzo, tutti possono aspirare a diventare dei e dee, come promesso dal benevolo Edon, Signore dell'Ascensione e fondatore di un nuovo culto religioso. Peccato che nel mondo creato da Andrew Rowe non tutto è come sembra e i veri dei si tengono ben lontani dagli esseri umani.
Per essere il primo volume di una trilogia (o almeno, credo che siano tre), “Forging Divinity” è un libro decisamente interessante, pieno di azione ma che si prende necessariamente un po' di spazio per iniziare a delineare il complicato sistema magico messo in piedi dall'autore: sono diverse le fonti – o per meglio dire, i Domini – da cui è possibile trarre potere (luce, ombra, acqua, fuoco, metallo, conoscenza, vita, morte,...), ciascuno con le sue specifiche caratteristiche e, soprattutto, con il suo impatto sul corpo di chi lo sta usando. Già, perché per Rowe, la magia non è mai illimitata, ma c'è sempre un prezzo da pagare che inevitabilmente finisce per andare a colpire in maniera più o meno grave il corpo umano. Accanto a questo sistema magico, di cui qui si iniziano a delineare i fondamenti, c'è un variegato panorama religioso: la “teocrazia” che sta prendendo piede a Orlyn; Velthryn, in cui si venerano ancora i sette dei del pantheon di Tae'os; Selyr, dove la gente deve fare i conti con una banda di pazzi semidei, figli del loro dio principale, Vaelien. Non mancano nemmeno gli intrighi di natura politica e le lotte di potere che tengono sempre sul filo del rasoio le relazioni tra i vari regni.
Su questo sfondo variegato, si muovono i nostri tre personaggi principali: Lydia Scryer, strega di corte a Orlyn che però nasconde un segreto che, se dovesse venire scoperto, potrebbe letteralmente costargli la testa; Jonan Kestrim, in apparenza un semplice scriba affiliato all'Ordine di Vaelien esperto nel dominio della vista, mandato in missione per scoprire la verità sull'identità di Edon e sui suoi presunti poteri divini; e Taelien, giovane guerriero arrivato a Orlyn per scoprirne di più sui suoi veri genitori e sulla sua eredità, una mitica spada che scopriremo essere l'emblema sacro del culto Tae'os, tanto più che lui stesso sembra assomigliare al dio Aendaryn – cosa che finirà per metterlo nei guai fin dalla prima pagina. I tre finiranno per formare un'improbabile alleanza, per cercare di trovare delle risposte, anche se, alla fine del libro, ci troviamo davanti nuove domande e nuovi misteri che probabilmente verranno presi in considerazione nei prossimi volumi (peraltro, da fangirl impenitente quale sono, ho già pronta la mia ship Lydia/Taelien).
In certi momenti, le riflessioni fatte su certe pratiche magiche, e in particolare sugli esperimenti portati avanti da Edon per ritrovare e poi aumentare il suo potere, non sono sempre state molto chiare: vedremo se il tutto diventerà più comprensibile nei seguiti.
Ultima annotazione: Andrew Rowe è anche un creatore di videogiochi, cosa che, a mio modesto parere, si nota abbastanza nelle scene di combattimento, che in certi momenti diventano un po' poco credibili.
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