I absolutely loved the trilogy (as in, its one of my top 10 series of all time) but i can definitely see why it wasn't your cup of tea. Hopefully your next read is one you like more!
I pressed pause on this book and stepped away because it wasn’t grabbing me. I am hoping to return to this book next week after I get some Beefy books out of the way first. Great review as always Jimmy.
This book grabbed me from the first page and did not let go until the last. Book 2 was a miss for me, but book 3 brought it home. As a book 1, it is among my favorites.
@@thefantasynuttwork I still don't know what makes a book click for one person and fails to do that for another. For instance, Robin Hobb's Assassin's Apprentice is well loved by many. I have tried twice and can't get it going. Anyway, happy reading!
As for Kaden's enlightement thing I disagree, it's not your usual "Oh you must be enlightened to serve a higher purpose" Vaniate was needed for Kaden to step through the gates without actually disappearing into unknown place or even getting killed (My thought was he could actually meet Faceless God in some kind of void and never return) So he could "fast travel" to various parts of the kingdom for various purposes like diplomacy or making a run from assassins if need be I'm sorry if some names don't cover up with English version of the book Not everything was translated the same in Polish one I read. Also I'm sorry if something doesn't cover up with the story. I read that book like 3 years ago
Hey Jimmy can you recommend an intro level type book into sci-fi /fantasy? I am a sci-fi person ie Kris Longknife series by M Shepherd, but haven’t much experience with Fantasy and when I look into it there is so much that it can be overwhelming. Thanks for any assistance you can provide. Enjoy your videos but I must admit at times I have no clue what you are talking about.
I have this series on my tbr and you are the 2nd booktuber I watched who didn't review this favorably. I'll probably still read the series but maybe put it off for a few months.
Too bad you didn’t fully enjoy it. I really liked it & can’t wait to continue. Maybe the next one will grab you. But I understand that there is so many books & so little time.
I completed this series of books and enjoyed them. Adare gets more chapter time in the books to come. Some of the motivations come into play later in the books, especially politics. I think its meant to be a cruel world. Do I think the story loses focus, no. Thumbs up to Ernest Brehm, couldn't agree more. Even Brian Staveley first book gets some love. Never met anyone who likes all the books I like, not even from my family.
Hi. IMO the book follows a standard anime like storyline following the 3 heirs, giving each one a different skill to deal with the big bad that the story is building up to. It could use a bit more creativity but it is not all bad. I finished the first 2 books and they both managed to get me curious enough to want to see what happens next.
Just finished reading this book moments ago and it's extremely validating to hear someone notice and elaborate on this work's glaring problems. To have a lead character have 4-5 chapters outve 49 and still try to present a lot of development behind her feels contradictory and really takes a lot of points away from the book for me (I'm close to outright calling it unacceptable for me). This could just be me but I think the heavy terminology and setting was pretty jarring for probably the first third of the book, granted I didnt know about the codex/god names in the back of the book until I completely finished it. It's also worth mentioning that the twists just weren't anything special and were pretty predictable which, in turn left us frustrated when we see these characters following false trails for way too long. edit: I have to go back and mention how early staveley kills off a side character with potential and how it left a bad taste in my mouth. It really feels like his ability to write decent female characters with purposes is lacking :/
I would say give book 2 a chance. I too wasn't overly impressed with the first book as It felt to me like pretty a pretty standard fantasy book with an incredibly slow burn with not a lot of pay off at the end. Seeing as I'd already purchased book 2 on audible I decided to continue for which I'm glad I did as it's one of my favorite series now. Book 2 for me flipped the script of what I was expecting and the series only gets better from then on. (Skullsworn is incredible). To anyone I recommend the series to I always tell them to get past the first book. It's worth it.
Not gonna lie I was excited to read this but then I found out what the basic premise was and it doesn't sound that interesting to me right now tbh, not bad but underwhelming. Tbf I'm currently reading R Scott Bakker so a lot of Fantasy seems underwhelming to me right now lol, I'm exaggerating but you get my point. I'll still try it but not anytime soon.
I'm still halfway through it (I wanted to focus on finishing my First Law reread). So this sounds disappointing even though where I'm at, the book still holds my interest.
I'm pretty careful with the ones I read at the same time. For instance with Malazan I liked light non fantasy reads like Stephen King to break it up. I don't always read multiple books at the same time tho
Just started this book this week. It's been on my shelf for about 2 years. I'm 70 pages in and I don't know if I want to finish. The story is not bad, but the writing is to showy for me. An example is in the first Adare chapter when there are multiple paragraphs describing clothes and why the tailor made them that way when you sort of already get the idea from the way it was described. I'm 50/50. I think I'll give it until page 100. Not the worst I've read, but for three pretty large books, I don't know if I have the time to invest in them these days. I think if I had never read Joe Abercrombie or Patrick Rothfuss, I'd probably enjoy this more. Those two have ruined a lot of fantasy for me.
Very good book series. It needs more pages and more in dept detail to be perfect. Lacks information and feels like it was a rushed written book. However I enjoyed it and do not regret reading it. I WILL continue the series. I am on book 3 at the moment. Definitely need too get through book 1 to enjoy this series. Book 2 and 3 so far are very well written. and again i need more writing pages and details on events. But the time I have spent on them I have enjoyed. Ty dude for your all work keep up the videos.
You've become the Robin Hood of booktube, with bullseye after bullseye! I agree with every take here, and you articulated things in a much clearer way than I could have. The good news is that bk 2 hits the ground running away from the academy and monastery, and Adare is given an interesting plot and what seems like equal number of POVs as the others. Plus with the trade paperbacks we have, bk 2 is just 600 pgs and bk 3 is 650, so not so much longer than bk 1 in the end. Also be sure to check out the short story set during this book at the end of the audiobook or on tor's website The Last Abbot of Ashk'lan, since that scene rivals the prologue for me in being the best scene I've read from Staveley.
Oh appreciate that and the call out of the short story I forgot I had that for free on audible! I do think the third books font is a bit smaller resulting in some more words. I definitely don't regret reading this one, it's fun to try out new (to me) authors. Cheers Ben!
Thanks Jimmy... Publication order is indeed king... I have Skullsworn in my bookshelf. So I'm committed to the first trilogy... Somewhere in the future. Good review, I'll know to curb my enthusiasm and expectations for this. Cheers
I haven't read this one but I relate to the frustration of not connecting with a new series so well. Even if a book has positives the disconnect can really drag it down. Hope the next thing you pick up turns out better, whether it's continuing with this series or something else!
Oh cool, more argumentative fantasy channel with interesting content! You have my sub! Question: Could you possibly review Ember Blade (by Wooding not the Emberblade you already reviewed). I am really curious what would you say! And also have you ever read anything from my favorite author China Mieville? You might really like it! Cheers!
@@thefantasynuttwork Mieville is more dense, clever storyteller with postgraduate ideas about language, society with very British mindset, he has no fighting background as you but very much reads that way and looks like it 😀 Wooding is much more vanilla and gentle, something like you described Staveley but it’s not his first book so imagine step up from that. He experimented with his fantasy world in a way it feels familiar, nostalgic but also modern.
I DNF'd the series after the first book for a lot of the same reasons you mentioned. It felt very generic to me and I didn't want to spend anymore time on this series when there are others that could be more to my taste.
Great, thoughtful review! I actually really enjoyed The Emperor's Blades. However, I had some of the same issues as you. I felt like some of the scenarios and character reactions were a bit far fetched, and I wish we got more of Adare.
Great video, shame you haven’t enjoyed it as much but I can definitely see why you haven’t. I’m close to finishing it and I’m really enjoying it, definitely a slow burn
i imagine that after reading so much Hobb, Martin, Erikson and Bakker, the bar is gonna be raised pretty high (that's why i'm saving Hobb for more desperate times). did you read any Mieville? i'm very interested in his work, i have a feeling he could be right up there
I also thought that this book (and the overall series) was underwhelming with some positives. I enjoyed the book/series and thought that it had pretty interesting concepts. The use of Zen-inspired warrior monks was a big plus for me. However, the interesting concepts were not really explored and the characters had a serious case of "irrational shortsighted stupidity" which was infuriating and kept me from linking any of the main cast. Book 1 was definitely the best of the trilogy IMO
@@thefantasynuttwork I personally wouldn't put it at the top of my TBR. I read this trilogy years before I read Malazan and had other heavy weight series under my belt, so I can't imagine picking this series up after finishing these other series. I don't want to influence anyone, but I felt that Staveley didn't stick the landing (for me) with the last book. Again, so many cool ideas that just were not fully explored and characters behaving erratically without much reason, were definitely a let down for me.
YO facts and I thought they were training him to become a zen monk so he could become a better and more fair ruler, but nope it's for opening Kentas lololol deffinetly agree that the first one was best as well
I've read this trilogy and It was very underwhelming. A few cool ideas strung me along but the author never went anywhere interesting with characters or plot.
Great review, Jimmy. We all read a dud every once in a while. I actually stumbled upon a copy of this book at a used book store once and decided to pass on it. Looks like I may have made the right choice!
If you decide to not continue with the trilogy, I would suggest at least checking out Skullsworn, a stand-alone set in the same world. You don't need to have read the previous books as it is a self-contained, tight and fast paced story. His best book in my opinion.
This book is the infamous "first instalment of series info-dump". The later books have way more stuff happening in them and the plot actually moves forward. One thing that this author absolutely excels at is worldbuilding. The cultures, history of the world and all the institutions are just so damn interesting. However, he falls flat at almost everything else. I think i gave the last book a reluctant 4 stars. Some parts where just downright stupid or pointless; and others where really gripping and intense. The definition of a mixed bag. Also, the absolutely biggest flaw of this series is that Brian Staveley employs what i would call Chekhov's Aircraft Carrier. He constantly points to very intriguing plot points but then later on completely forgets about them. And at the end of the book you just sit there, scratching your head and asking yourself "But what about X, wasn't that supposed to be a big deal? What happened?". From what i have heard the first book of his new trilogy is much better and since i have read this trilogy i might as well give it a go when it's completed. But after reading these books i am in no hurry.
I really loved this trilogy, but the first half or so of the first book was a bit of a slog. Less so in respect to bad writing, more so just the fact that it seemed like everyone was so horrible to everyone else. Dark and gritty, almost trying too hard at it. But overall, I really liked the series. Mysteries, worldbuilding, terribly faulty characters who push the plot by failing constantly... it was pretty sweet if you can get through the first bit.
Damn, that sucks you didn't fully enjoy man :( I had such an great time with this series last year, but I'm like the moodiest of mood readers lol and I think I read it at the perfect time when I was in the exactly right mood for it so I just had fun with series all the way through XD Even If you decide not to finish the main trilogy, I do still recommend the "Skullsworn" novel, which is the standalone novel set in the same universe. Since it's told in first person POV the writing style feels a lot different and you don't need to have read the main trilogy to enjoy it. Plus it primarily focuses on assassin :3
Yeah totally agree lots of fumbles but enough interesting worldbuilding that I’ll check out book 2. But I need authors to stop using sexual assault to try to illicit visceral responses…like it wasn’t handled well at all…just no.
The biggest criticism I have of Staveley is that it sometimes feels that he's trying to be too clever and then gets lost trying to hack his way out of the forest he built... that being said, with no irony, The Emperor's Blades is one of the best first books I've read in the fantasy genre... but then, as the aphorism goes, opinions are like arseholes :) ... It's funny though, because as much as I love this book, it is REALLY easy to see faults ... but what I find is that the contrasting positives far outweigh the negatives, for [brief] example: - The political world and intrigue are garbage but the action sequences and concomitant tension are awesome - Too many of his characters are paper tigers/ completely insubstantial but his best characters are transcendent - The mythological backstory is [almost] incoherent and doesn't actually help the story, but the actual world building is great I could go on... and on ... and on... :) Books 2+3 are much the same ... but what saves it for me every time is the prose and, again, that's a real love or hate scenario. I do get your reviw though, but I would strongly recommend you read Skull Sworn, it is far more approachable and it isn't contingent on having read The Unhewn Throne.
Appreciate your comment and that you were willing to explain your reasons! A lot of people seem to love his work, it makes me feel left out I didn't enjoy it. However one day I'll check out Skullsworn and give it another chance for sure. Thanks for the well thought out comment.
Thanks for video, Jimmy. This is a pretty divisive series and having read the entire trilogy I can say Staveley created a fun world, but we didn't touch any of the interesting things because we had to follow these 3 siblings and they are frustrating- wasted potential seems to be the tune of the entire trilogy, not just the opener for me. Skullsworn and newest one are much better. Rich Anderson did the covers- they always catch my eye, he is amazing. :)
Spoilers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . I liked this book alot. it does frustrate me when the characters don't make sense or do the complete opposite when they should know better. I haven't continued since the fight on top of the tower with the brother and sister. that whole thing made me so mad.
Had pretty much the same thoughts on this and I also pointed out I would have wanted more of Adere.. Ha ha ha the irony. Adere in books 2 and 3 cemented herself as the worst character I've ever read. In all honesty books 2 & 3 get worse (especially 2) and I'd advice you to spend your reading time elsewhere but I'd love to hear your thoughts if you read book 2 and comment on the "more Adere would be better" wish!
The story is pretty interesting, but the characterizations aren't. Tactical genius supersoldier forgets his training every other second. Monk with a supposed iron grip on his feelings... you get the gist. Still finished the trilogy though because the story is good enough. Skullsworn (book #4 and a prequel standalone) is the best one in the series imo. The Empire's Ruin is also still much, much better than the trilogy and a good setup for the new trilogy. So basically I'm saying, skip the first trilogy if you can't get through it, but give the rest a go.
You'll get a lot more Adare in book two... And that's not a good thing... If you didn't like book one, I highly doubt you'll like book two or three. The plot is constantly being pushed by poor character choices.
yo and the books keep getting worse its wild, turns into torture porn in the second book, and the third book completely wrecks the archetypes of the main characters. it was so sad cuz the potential for the trilogy is so high. the stand alone is dope tho, he is good at making things that are cool.
Looking back at my goodreads ratings. I gave book one 3 stars and the following two books 2 stars. I read this series when I first started getting into fantasy and was a lot more lenient. So yeah.... Gonna give his new book a try. I don't have much hype around it considering how I felt about the original trilogy but it is getting rave reviews. Gonna see it for myself.
Kaden is the heir, not Valyn. It's Kettrel not Kestrel What happened at the court isn't the main focus of the story Sorry you review is a bit messy and I think it does a disservice to anyone would pass on this book because of your review
Wow I feel like this review just came at the perfect time. I'm about 1/4 of the way through and the plot seems like it's going nowhere. Plus there's already been a lot of violence against women (right from the prologue) and the female characters seem one-dimensional. I agree the prologue was good and there are lots of really interesting ideas, but I think it's time to put it down in favour of a better book!
Thanks for watching friends, hope the next one is a bit more positive!
thanks for your content man, please never start neglecting reviews like other booktubers have done! I'm loving this channel
Appreciate it!
I definitely didn’t know it was his debut work so I’ll readjust my expectations when I start up again.
Yeah, tough since there are many debuts that I found much better than this one
I absolutely loved the trilogy (as in, its one of my top 10 series of all time) but i can definitely see why it wasn't your cup of tea. Hopefully your next read is one you like more!
I appreciate it and am also glad you loved it!!!
I pressed pause on this book and stepped away because it wasn’t grabbing me. I am hoping to return to this book next week after I get some Beefy books out of the way first. Great review as always Jimmy.
This book grabbed me from the first page and did not let go until the last. Book 2 was a miss for me, but book 3 brought it home. As a book 1, it is among my favorites.
I'm so glad you enjoyed it!
@@thefantasynuttwork I still don't know what makes a book click for one person and fails to do that for another. For instance, Robin Hobb's Assassin's Apprentice is well loved by many. I have tried twice and can't get it going. Anyway, happy reading!
@@Michael_L_Morrison ah that's one of my favorites, it's likely just appreciation for different aspects of literature
As for Kaden's enlightement thing
I disagree, it's not your usual "Oh you must be enlightened to serve a higher purpose"
Vaniate was needed for Kaden to step through the gates without actually disappearing into unknown place or even getting killed (My thought was he could actually meet Faceless God in some kind of void and never return)
So he could "fast travel" to various parts of the kingdom for various purposes like diplomacy or making a run from assassins if need be
I'm sorry if some names don't cover up with English version of the book
Not everything was translated the same in Polish one I read.
Also I'm sorry if something doesn't cover up with the story. I read that book like 3 years ago
Hey Jimmy can you recommend an intro level type book into sci-fi /fantasy? I am a sci-fi person ie Kris Longknife series by M Shepherd, but haven’t much experience with Fantasy and when I look into it there is so much that it can be overwhelming. Thanks for any assistance you can provide. Enjoy your videos but I must admit at times I have no clue what you are talking about.
A good intro would be maybe John Gwynne faithful and the fallen or possibly something by Brandon Sanderson 👍
I completely agreed with everything you said. I too wanted to love the first book a d continue it....but I won't
it's looking less likely I'll continue
I have this series on my tbr and you are the 2nd booktuber I watched who didn't review this favorably. I'll probably still read the series but maybe put it off for a few months.
There's definitely a lot more people who enjoy rather than not so you could have a better experience!
Could you make a top 10 favorite series of all time?
Possibly in the future, I think so!
Too bad you didn’t fully enjoy it. I really liked it & can’t wait to continue. Maybe the next one will grab you. But I understand that there is so many books & so little time.
They can't all be hits, unfortunately 😞
I completed this series of books and enjoyed them. Adare gets more chapter time in the books to come. Some of the motivations come into play later in the books, especially politics.
I think its meant to be a cruel world. Do I think the story loses focus, no.
Thumbs up to Ernest Brehm, couldn't agree more. Even Brian Staveley first book gets some love. Never met anyone who likes all the books I like, not even from my family.
Hi. IMO the book follows a standard anime like storyline following the 3 heirs, giving each one a different skill to deal with the big bad that the story is building up to.
It could use a bit more creativity but it is not all bad.
I finished the first 2 books and they both managed to get me curious enough to want to see what happens next.
The anime comparison is very apt
Just finished reading this book moments ago and it's extremely validating to hear someone notice and elaborate on this work's glaring problems. To have a lead character have 4-5 chapters outve 49 and still try to present a lot of development behind her feels contradictory and really takes a lot of points away from the book for me (I'm close to outright calling it unacceptable for me). This could just be me but I think the heavy terminology and setting was pretty jarring for probably the first third of the book, granted I didnt know about the codex/god names in the back of the book until I completely finished it. It's also worth mentioning that the twists just weren't anything special and were pretty predictable which, in turn left us frustrated when we see these characters following false trails for way too long.
edit: I have to go back and mention how early staveley kills off a side character with potential and how it left a bad taste in my mouth. It really feels like his ability to write decent female characters with purposes is lacking :/
Yeah I wasn’t vey impressed
Lol his most acclaimed books both have female leads
The first book is slow but think of it like the first lord of the rings book. Maybe give the rest of the series a go. It gets more and more revelatory
I would say give book 2 a chance. I too wasn't overly impressed with the first book as It felt to me like pretty a pretty standard fantasy book with an incredibly slow burn with not a lot of pay off at the end. Seeing as I'd already purchased book 2 on audible I decided to continue for which I'm glad I did as it's one of my favorite series now. Book 2 for me flipped the script of what I was expecting and the series only gets better from then on. (Skullsworn is incredible). To anyone I recommend the series to I always tell them to get past the first book. It's worth it.
Yeah unfortunately with my long tbr it's really tough for me to give authors another shot when it lands similar to how this one did. Maybe one day!
Not gonna lie I was excited to read this but then I found out what the basic premise was and it doesn't sound that interesting to me right now tbh, not bad but underwhelming.
Tbf I'm currently reading R Scott Bakker so a lot of Fantasy seems underwhelming to me right now lol, I'm exaggerating but you get my point.
I'll still try it but not anytime soon.
Bakker is amazing
@@thefantasynuttwork Aspect-Emperor is AMAZING so far. That and I'm also a lot more picky about the Fantasy I read now.
I'm still halfway through it (I wanted to focus on finishing my First Law reread). So this sounds disappointing even though where I'm at, the book still holds my interest.
It could definitely resonate with you so don't give up, I'm more than likely just wrong tbh haha
If it didn't vibe with you, it didn't vibe.
Do you find it difficult reading multiple books at the same time? I couldn’t imagine jumping between separate worlds and characters.
I'm pretty careful with the ones I read at the same time. For instance with Malazan I liked light non fantasy reads like Stephen King to break it up. I don't always read multiple books at the same time tho
Just finished book 1 and i loved it.
Glad to hear it!
Just started this book this week. It's been on my shelf for about 2 years. I'm 70 pages in and I don't know if I want to finish. The story is not bad, but the writing is to showy for me. An example is in the first Adare chapter when there are multiple paragraphs describing clothes and why the tailor made them that way when you sort of already get the idea from the way it was described. I'm 50/50. I think I'll give it until page 100. Not the worst I've read, but for three pretty large books, I don't know if I have the time to invest in them these days. I think if I had never read Joe Abercrombie or Patrick Rothfuss, I'd probably enjoy this more. Those two have ruined a lot of fantasy for me.
Yeah this one was a miss for me, many many holes
Telling, not showing is what I meant to say up there
Very good book series. It needs more pages and more in dept detail to be perfect. Lacks information and feels like it was a rushed written book.
However I enjoyed it and do not regret reading it. I WILL continue the series. I am on book 3 at the moment. Definitely need too get through book 1 to enjoy this series. Book 2 and 3 so far are very well written. and again i need more writing pages and details on events. But the time I have spent on them I have enjoyed.
Ty dude for your all work keep up the videos.
Appreciate you checking it out!
You've become the Robin Hood of booktube, with bullseye after bullseye! I agree with every take here, and you articulated things in a much clearer way than I could have.
The good news is that bk 2 hits the ground running away from the academy and monastery, and Adare is given an interesting plot and what seems like equal number of POVs as the others. Plus with the trade paperbacks we have, bk 2 is just 600 pgs and bk 3 is 650, so not so much longer than bk 1 in the end.
Also be sure to check out the short story set during this book at the end of the audiobook or on tor's website The Last Abbot of Ashk'lan, since that scene rivals the prologue for me in being the best scene I've read from Staveley.
Oh appreciate that and the call out of the short story I forgot I had that for free on audible! I do think the third books font is a bit smaller resulting in some more words. I definitely don't regret reading this one, it's fun to try out new (to me) authors. Cheers Ben!
Hi 👋 thank you for ur honest review!! Happy reading to you! 🎥🎬🧜🏻♂️
Thank you!
I thought you read all the books, would have really helped your review out a ton.
I didn’t enjoy this one enough to continue
Thanks Jimmy... Publication order is indeed king... I have Skullsworn in my bookshelf.
So I'm committed to the first trilogy... Somewhere in the future.
Good review, I'll know to curb my enthusiasm and expectations for this.
Cheers
Thanks 👍
I haven't read this one but I relate to the frustration of not connecting with a new series so well. Even if a book has positives the disconnect can really drag it down. Hope the next thing you pick up turns out better, whether it's continuing with this series or something else!
Appreciate it!
Oh cool, more argumentative fantasy channel with interesting content! You have my sub! Question: Could you possibly review Ember Blade (by Wooding not the Emberblade you already reviewed). I am really curious what would you say!
And also have you ever read anything from my favorite author China Mieville? You might really like it!
Cheers!
Those are two I'd like to read eventually 😃
@@thefantasynuttwork Mieville is more dense, clever storyteller with postgraduate ideas about language, society with very British mindset, he has no fighting background as you but very much reads that way and looks like it 😀
Wooding is much more vanilla and gentle, something like you described Staveley but it’s not his first book so imagine step up from that. He experimented with his fantasy world in a way it feels familiar, nostalgic but also modern.
I DNF'd the series after the first book for a lot of the same reasons you mentioned. It felt very generic to me and I didn't want to spend anymore time on this series when there are others that could be more to my taste.
I agree
Great, thoughtful review! I actually really enjoyed The Emperor's Blades. However, I had some of the same issues as you. I felt like some of the scenarios and character reactions were a bit far fetched, and I wish we got more of Adare.
Are you or did you continue?
Great video, shame you haven’t enjoyed it as much but I can definitely see why you haven’t. I’m close to finishing it and I’m really enjoying it, definitely a slow burn
Thank you! I'm so glad you're enjoying it though 😀
Ugh. I've had this trilogy on my book shelf for close to 2 years now. It will likely sit a little longer. Great review as usual Jimmy!
Thanks!
i imagine that after reading so much Hobb, Martin, Erikson and Bakker, the bar is gonna be raised pretty high (that's why i'm saving Hobb for more desperate times). did you read any Mieville? i'm very interested in his work, i have a feeling he could be right up there
Not yet but I'm very interested
@@thefantasynuttwork i think i'll be reading something of his soon and i'll make sure to hype him up in the comments if i like it :D
I also thought that this book (and the overall series) was underwhelming with some positives. I enjoyed the book/series and thought that it had pretty interesting concepts. The use of Zen-inspired warrior monks was a big plus for me. However, the interesting concepts were not really explored and the characters had a serious case of "irrational shortsighted stupidity" which was infuriating and kept me from linking any of the main cast. Book 1 was definitely the best of the trilogy IMO
Sounds like maybe I should pass on continuing
@@thefantasynuttwork I personally wouldn't put it at the top of my TBR. I read this trilogy years before I read Malazan and had other heavy weight series under my belt, so I can't imagine picking this series up after finishing these other series.
I don't want to influence anyone, but I felt that Staveley didn't stick the landing (for me) with the last book. Again, so many cool ideas that just were not fully explored and characters behaving erratically without much reason, were definitely a let down for me.
YO facts and I thought they were training him to become a zen monk so he could become a better and more fair ruler, but nope it's for opening Kentas lololol
deffinetly agree that the first one was best as well
Oh, man, this book is so damn good. I can't imagine not liking it lmfao
Haha I wish I had! Everyone has different tastes though, hoping his sequel series is more of a hit with me
Oh, for sure. I just liked it so much that I'd be bummed if I didn't lol
@@Jerf0nTheClerf I totally get it! Did you read book two and three as well?
Nope. Just finished book 1 last night. Decided to look it up on TH-cam and saw your video.
@@Jerf0nTheClerf let me know how you like the sequels!!
I've read this trilogy and It was very underwhelming. A few cool ideas strung me along but the author never went anywhere interesting with characters or plot.
So unfortunate, maybe his newer stuff will work for me
Awesome review man ! I think I might skip this one, on paper it sounds like something I'd like but all the issues you had are all red flags for me
Yeah, it's a bit of a mixed bag
I probably have a hundred books I haven't read yet. I think I can pass on this one. Thanks for winnowing it down for me.
A rare moment where I subtract from TBRs haha
Great review, Jimmy. We all read a dud every once in a while. I actually stumbled upon a copy of this book at a used book store once and decided to pass on it. Looks like I may have made the right choice!
Thanks! You'll be seeing whole trilogy at second edition books soon 🤪
If you decide to not continue with the trilogy, I would suggest at least checking out Skullsworn, a stand-alone set in the same world. You don't need to have read the previous books as it is a self-contained, tight and fast paced story. His best book in my opinion.
I very well might do that, thank you!
I’m surprised you gave it 3 stars, sounds more like a 2 stars to me
2.5, I round up on GR
This book is the infamous "first instalment of series info-dump". The later books have way more stuff happening in them and the plot actually moves forward.
One thing that this author absolutely excels at is worldbuilding. The cultures, history of the world and all the institutions are just so damn interesting. However, he falls flat at almost everything else. I think i gave the last book a reluctant 4 stars. Some parts where just downright stupid or pointless; and others where really gripping and intense. The definition of a mixed bag.
Also, the absolutely biggest flaw of this series is that Brian Staveley employs what i would call Chekhov's Aircraft Carrier. He constantly points to very intriguing plot points but then later on completely forgets about them. And at the end of the book you just sit there, scratching your head and asking yourself "But what about X, wasn't that supposed to be a big deal? What happened?".
From what i have heard the first book of his new trilogy is much better and since i have read this trilogy i might as well give it a go when it's completed. But after reading these books i am in no hurry.
Totally fair analysis
I really loved this trilogy, but the first half or so of the first book was a bit of a slog. Less so in respect to bad writing, more so just the fact that it seemed like everyone was so horrible to everyone else. Dark and gritty, almost trying too hard at it. But overall, I really liked the series. Mysteries, worldbuilding, terribly faulty characters who push the plot by failing constantly... it was pretty sweet if you can get through the first bit.
That’s great!
Damn, that sucks you didn't fully enjoy man :( I had such an great time with this series last year, but I'm like the moodiest of mood readers lol and I think I read it at the perfect time when I was in the exactly right mood for it so I just had fun with series all the way through XD
Even If you decide not to finish the main trilogy, I do still recommend the "Skullsworn" novel, which is the standalone novel set in the same universe. Since it's told in first person POV the writing style feels a lot different and you don't need to have read the main trilogy to enjoy it. Plus it primarily focuses on assassin :3
I think I may try the standalone!
stand alone slapped fucked up assassin cabals is probably my favourite trope and gODDAMN he nails it with the skullsworn
Yeah totally agree lots of fumbles but enough interesting worldbuilding that I’ll check out book 2. But I need authors to stop using sexual assault to try to illicit visceral responses…like it wasn’t handled well at all…just no.
Agreed
The biggest criticism I have of Staveley is that it sometimes feels that he's trying to be too clever and then gets lost trying to hack his way out of the forest he built... that being said, with no irony, The Emperor's Blades is one of the best first books I've read in the fantasy genre... but then, as the aphorism goes, opinions are like arseholes :) ...
It's funny though, because as much as I love this book, it is REALLY easy to see faults ... but what I find is that the contrasting positives far outweigh the negatives, for [brief] example:
- The political world and intrigue are garbage but the action sequences and concomitant tension are awesome
- Too many of his characters are paper tigers/ completely insubstantial but his best characters are transcendent
- The mythological backstory is [almost] incoherent and doesn't actually help the story, but the actual world building is great
I could go on... and on ... and on... :)
Books 2+3 are much the same ... but what saves it for me every time is the prose and, again, that's a real love or hate scenario.
I do get your reviw though, but I would strongly recommend you read Skull Sworn, it is far more approachable and it isn't contingent on having read The Unhewn Throne.
Appreciate your comment and that you were willing to explain your reasons! A lot of people seem to love his work, it makes me feel left out I didn't enjoy it. However one day I'll check out Skullsworn and give it another chance for sure. Thanks for the well thought out comment.
Thanks for video, Jimmy. This is a pretty divisive series and having read the entire trilogy I can say Staveley created a fun world, but we didn't touch any of the interesting things because we had to follow these 3 siblings and they are frustrating- wasted potential seems to be the tune of the entire trilogy, not just the opener for me. Skullsworn and newest one are much better. Rich Anderson did the covers- they always catch my eye, he is amazing. :)
The covers are tremendous
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I liked this book alot. it does frustrate me when the characters don't make sense or do the complete opposite when they should know better.
I haven't continued since the fight on top of the tower with the brother and sister. that whole thing made me so mad.
I wanted to like this but so many issues with things like that kept frustrating me a lot
Had pretty much the same thoughts on this and I also pointed out I would have wanted more of Adere.. Ha ha ha the irony. Adere in books 2 and 3 cemented herself as the worst character I've ever read. In all honesty books 2 & 3 get worse (especially 2) and I'd advice you to spend your reading time elsewhere but I'd love to hear your thoughts if you read book 2 and comment on the "more Adere would be better" wish!
Hahah, well I don't think I'll be continuing
The story is pretty interesting, but the characterizations aren't. Tactical genius supersoldier forgets his training every other second. Monk with a supposed iron grip on his feelings... you get the gist.
Still finished the trilogy though because the story is good enough.
Skullsworn (book #4 and a prequel standalone) is the best one in the series imo. The Empire's Ruin is also still much, much better than the trilogy and a good setup for the new trilogy. So basically I'm saying, skip the first trilogy if you can't get through it, but give the rest a go.
Yeah I'm at the point where I'll skip it
2/3 of the way through myself and I've enjoyed it.. We will see how it ends. Also Kettral =/= Kestral.
Glad you're enjoying, thanks for the correction. It reminded me of a plane I used to fly in EVE online so that's why I got it messed up haha
@@thefantasynuttwork Eve online intimidates me. Hope whatever you read next is more enjoyable for you.
You'll get a lot more Adare in book two... And that's not a good thing... If you didn't like book one, I highly doubt you'll like book two or three. The plot is constantly being pushed by poor character choices.
Yeah it looks as of now I won't be continuing
yo and the books keep getting worse its wild, turns into torture porn in the second book, and the third book completely wrecks the archetypes of the main characters.
it was so sad cuz the potential for the trilogy is so high. the stand alone is dope tho, he is good at making things that are cool.
I'm damn near tempted to just skip the standalone and start that new trilogy
Looking back at my goodreads ratings. I gave book one 3 stars and the following two books 2 stars. I read this series when I first started getting into fantasy and was a lot more lenient. So yeah....
Gonna give his new book a try. I don't have much hype around it considering how I felt about the original trilogy but it is getting rave reviews. Gonna see it for myself.
I may skip to the new stuff 😂
Well that sucks
And book 2 has 600 pages and book 3 with 650 in the Tor editions like the book 1 you have
Yeah, the font seems to shrink in that last book
@@thefantasynuttwork didn't know that, it might be 900 pages if it had the book one font then.
@@fluffypenguins yeah it's pretty small, but either way I think I'm out on this one 😂
Unfortunate this debut didn’t work for you as much as it did for me. I will just say the next two are much better than this one. Hope you continue!
Appreciate it Mark, wish I had loved it 😭
I hated this book so much, which stinks because it began so promisingly!
That prologue was fire tho hahah
Yikes! After hearing this plus reading the comments, I'll pass. 😬😬
I don't think it would be one you'd love hahah
More time to read Abraham, Hobb and Parker and King. 🥳🥳
Thank God I won't have to read this 😆
I saved you 😂
Kaden is the heir, not Valyn.
It's Kettrel not Kestrel
What happened at the court isn't the main focus of the story
Sorry you review is a bit messy and I think it does a disservice to anyone would pass on this book because of your review
All 👍
5 chapters was enough, kent kissing terrible
Agreed lol
Wow I feel like this review just came at the perfect time. I'm about 1/4 of the way through and the plot seems like it's going nowhere. Plus there's already been a lot of violence against women (right from the prologue) and the female characters seem one-dimensional. I agree the prologue was good and there are lots of really interesting ideas, but I think it's time to put it down in favour of a better book!
I support this