en-US Sun, 11 Feb 2024 03:55:36 -0800 60 144 41 /images/layout/goodreads_logo_144.jpg Review6253802354 Sun, 11 Feb 2024 03:55:36 -0800 /review/show/6253802354 Lorefnon gave 5 stars to The Artificer's Knot (Paperback) by Eric Lewis
bookshelves: fiction-casual
I thoroughly enjoyed the Artificer's knot. It is a nice casual read, not particularly dark, with a good mix of suspense and spywork. It will appeal to a wide spectrum of readers- esp. those who enjoy detective fiction or progression fantasies despite the story being quite different from the canonical works in these genres.

The plotline is not overtly complex and the fast paced narration with just enough twists and turns keeps the reader hooked till the very end.

The characters are quite likeable. Ran is daring, innovative and intelligent and poised to play a pivotal role in the industrial revolution of this mythical world. The positive portrayal of oil as a saviour for the society was somewhat strange, but a few subtle cues towards the end hint that a cleaner future maybe in the horizon.

The concept of the Artificer's knot was quite intriguing too and sent me down on a mini research project on the internet looking for various knot types and their characteristics.

I'll definitely look forward to future books in this series, and author's other works too.

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review. ]]> Review5932612125 Wed, 25 Oct 2023 12:17:09 -0700 /review/show/5932612125 Lorefnon gave 5 stars to Into the Labyrinth (Mage Errant, #1) by John Bierce
bookshelves: fiction-surreal
This is a brilliant series (read all - amazing level of detail, immensely likable characters, a vast sprawling multiverse and a healthy dose of humor threaded into the storyline.

The initial part of this series - the early Harry Potter lookalike vibes (and especially the bad cover drawings) do not do a great job of selling it, but as the complex storyline & the world evolves it becomes impossible to not fall in love with the characters.

The affinity-oriented magic system which is described in immense amount of detail opens up a lot of creative applications. Initially one might think that people with certain affinities have distinct unfair advantages, and that is indeed true to some extent. However, as the story progresses myriad creative applications that mages have come up keep surprising you again and again.

The immersive storyline is an amazing blend of out of the world accidents, unreal accomplishments driven by immense rigor, alliances folding and unfolding over epic wars and characters spread across the full spectrum of morality. ]]> Review5897578503 Mon, 09 Oct 2023 10:38:41 -0700 /review/show/5897578503 Lorefnon gave 4 stars to A Sellsword's Hope (The Seven Virtues #7) by Jacob Peppers
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