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Resonant Saga #1
Beggar's Rebellion
The Councilate controls everything except the truth. I have nothing save my discovery—but with this shall I destroy an empire.
Tai Kulga lost the rebellion and his best friend on the same day, stripping him of his will to live even as a strange power flooded his bones. When the friend returns as a spirit guide, it feels like a second chance—but his friend is not who he was, and the Councilate is not done oppressing his people. When trouble with lawkeepers lands Tai’s surviving friends in a prison camp, he must go underground to find the last of the rebels and convince them to break his friends free.
Along the way he meets Ellumia Aygla, runaway Councilate daughter posing as an accountant to escape her family and the avarice of the capital. Curious about the link between spirit guides and magic, her insights earn her a place among the rebels, and along with Tai’s power help turn the tide against the colonialists.
But as the rebels begin to repeat the Councilate’s mistakes, Tai and Ellumia must confront their own pasts and prejudices, before the brewing war turns them into the monsters they fight.
Tai Kulga lost the rebellion and his best friend on the same day, stripping him of his will to live even as a strange power flooded his bones. When the friend returns as a spirit guide, it feels like a second chance—but his friend is not who he was, and the Councilate is not done oppressing his people. When trouble with lawkeepers lands Tai’s surviving friends in a prison camp, he must go underground to find the last of the rebels and convince them to break his friends free.
Along the way he meets Ellumia Aygla, runaway Councilate daughter posing as an accountant to escape her family and the avarice of the capital. Curious about the link between spirit guides and magic, her insights earn her a place among the rebels, and along with Tai’s power help turn the tide against the colonialists.
But as the rebels begin to repeat the Councilate’s mistakes, Tai and Ellumia must confront their own pasts and prejudices, before the brewing war turns them into the monsters they fight.
368 pages, Kindle Edition
First published January 1, 2019
147 people are currently reading
676 people want to read
About the author
Levi Jacobs
19 books63 followersLevi Jacobs was born in North Dakota and grew up in Japan and Uganda, so he was bound to have a speculative take on modern life. Currently marketing his epic fantasy series The Resonant Saga and at work on three more, he runs a small fruit company to pay the bills.
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October 28, 2019The first book to reach the finals of 2019's Self-Published Fantasy Blog-Off!
#SPFBO
One of ten finalists chosen from 300 entries.
More details here:
https://mark---lawrence.blogspot.com/...
#SPFBO
One of ten finalists chosen from 300 entries.
More details here:
https://mark---lawrence.blogspot.com/...
December 20, 2019
* This is a finalist in the #SPFBO 2019 so I read it as a judge *
I have to say, I really enjoyed reading this one and it definitely kept me excited throughout. I did have some quibbles with certain things (more like pet peeves) but overall it was a very enjoyable read and it reminded me a lot of the Mistborn series for the set up, magic and style.
This book is the story of two people, we have Tai who is a young street urchin who has lived his life in charge of some other street kids. Tai is a caring friend and family member, and he has a power stronger than many others as he can call on it without the help of 'yura'.
We also follow Ella (Ellumia) who is a lighthair and therefore she's from wealthier stock and used to be in the Councilate dominion. She is trying to flee the Councilate's ways and find something better, and yet she's trapped into various areas of work and contracts and she's not initially sure what she can do to assist.
Both of these characters felt like they were easy to get invested in, and that they had a good plot. However, I did find it annoying when their two stories overlapped and the author felt the need to re-write the same lines of text to show it from both points of view (something that happened a few times and which felt unnecessary to me).
The magic of this word comes from within, everyone has something magic, but how effective it is depends on their type (e.g. Wafter/Brawler etc) and their supply of yura (magical balls which when eaten help people to call on their magic). Yura is currency in this part of the world and the Councilate are trying to encroach on the territory to dominate the trade of yura and the people there. Quickly this leads to strife, turmoil and rebellion...
I think the pacing of this book is a little slow at times, but there are also some scenes where loads it happening and that can be a little overwhelming. I think with a little refinement it could have been a smoother read, but it was a lot of fun throughout :)
On the whole, besides my small niggles with the repeated sections, I found this a lot of fun and the author wasn't afraid to be daring with their choices of the plot twists. I am intrigued about the magic and the direction of the plot as the ending leaves more to come, and I would give this a 3.5/5*s which is 7/10 for #SPFBO purposes.
I have to say, I really enjoyed reading this one and it definitely kept me excited throughout. I did have some quibbles with certain things (more like pet peeves) but overall it was a very enjoyable read and it reminded me a lot of the Mistborn series for the set up, magic and style.
This book is the story of two people, we have Tai who is a young street urchin who has lived his life in charge of some other street kids. Tai is a caring friend and family member, and he has a power stronger than many others as he can call on it without the help of 'yura'.
We also follow Ella (Ellumia) who is a lighthair and therefore she's from wealthier stock and used to be in the Councilate dominion. She is trying to flee the Councilate's ways and find something better, and yet she's trapped into various areas of work and contracts and she's not initially sure what she can do to assist.
Both of these characters felt like they were easy to get invested in, and that they had a good plot. However, I did find it annoying when their two stories overlapped and the author felt the need to re-write the same lines of text to show it from both points of view (something that happened a few times and which felt unnecessary to me).
The magic of this word comes from within, everyone has something magic, but how effective it is depends on their type (e.g. Wafter/Brawler etc) and their supply of yura (magical balls which when eaten help people to call on their magic). Yura is currency in this part of the world and the Councilate are trying to encroach on the territory to dominate the trade of yura and the people there. Quickly this leads to strife, turmoil and rebellion...
I think the pacing of this book is a little slow at times, but there are also some scenes where loads it happening and that can be a little overwhelming. I think with a little refinement it could have been a smoother read, but it was a lot of fun throughout :)
On the whole, besides my small niggles with the repeated sections, I found this a lot of fun and the author wasn't afraid to be daring with their choices of the plot twists. I am intrigued about the magic and the direction of the plot as the ending leaves more to come, and I would give this a 3.5/5*s which is 7/10 for #SPFBO purposes.
December 15, 2019
Beggar's Rebellion is a riveting epic fantasy story with excellent main characters - male and female.
In a lot of ways, this is like Mistborn with hidden abilities coming to the fore upon consuming certain substances etc but the story is complex in a different fashion. Where Mistborn explores the hero's journey, Beggar's Rebellion is one of the most nuanced takes on colonialism that I have read in fantasy. What does it mean when a country colonizes another? How does one make a revolution successful? What does it mean when you try to defeat your oppressor using the same means as what they use to suppress you?
In addition, themes around feminism are also explored quite well. Ella is definitely one of the most well-rounded, capable and plucky heroines that I have read in a long time.
If there is one nitpick I have, it is that the battles tend to blur into one another after a while. In fact, I the character sequences are so good that I prefer them to the action oriented ones.
Overall, Beggar's Rebellion is a must read.
In a lot of ways, this is like Mistborn with hidden abilities coming to the fore upon consuming certain substances etc but the story is complex in a different fashion. Where Mistborn explores the hero's journey, Beggar's Rebellion is one of the most nuanced takes on colonialism that I have read in fantasy. What does it mean when a country colonizes another? How does one make a revolution successful? What does it mean when you try to defeat your oppressor using the same means as what they use to suppress you?
In addition, themes around feminism are also explored quite well. Ella is definitely one of the most well-rounded, capable and plucky heroines that I have read in a long time.
If there is one nitpick I have, it is that the battles tend to blur into one another after a while. In fact, I the character sequences are so good that I prefer them to the action oriented ones.
Overall, Beggar's Rebellion is a must read.
March 13, 2020
Full review is here on my blog!~
This is the story of Tai and Ella. Tai is more or less a street urchin, selling a magical moss called yura in order to help himself and a few kids under his protection survive in a land oppressed by a people known as the Councilate. Tai tries his best to profit from the Councilate’s need for yura by selling it illegally. This ends up with him in trouble with the authorities, and after a short stint in a mine, ends up joining the a group of rebels set on bringing down the Councilate. Ella is a citizen of the Councilate, on the run from her family, trying to survive as an unlicensed accountant. This also gets her in trouble and in digging herself out of it, finds herself meeting Tai and the rebels.
I have heard this story compared to Sanderson’s work a lot in my interactions about it, and that is definitely a fair assessment. It feels like Stormlight meets Mistborn, in a way. The most obvious similarity is that of the magic system, which in this case are called Resonances. People in this world have magical powers, which they can use depending on the foods they eat. Tai’s people, one of the several nationalities of people collectively known as ‘darkhairs’ have access to these powers somewhat naturally and fuel it with heartier foods like root vegetables, while the people of the Councilate, ‘lighthairs’ such as Ella, mostly have to ingest the yura moss to briefly gain their powers. Each set of powers has a name. Tai, who can manipulate the wind, is called a wafter, and Ella, who can slow down time, is called a timeslip.
This was a well written story, which flowed quite well, and read pretty quickly. I sat down to start it one night and before I knew it, I was a quarter of the way through it. Though a few others have complained that it needed a little more copy editing, I have to say that I didn’t encounter too many problems. The version that I read (prime reading) wasn’t chock full of errors or suchlike. Perhaps one or two, but I didn’t notice them so much at all. Each chapter has a snippet of info from various in-world books to give little insights into the world, and I found some of them quite interesting on their own.
As for characters, I quite liked Tai and Ella, and I cared what happened to them. The POV switches pretty often between the two of them, and I found that this was never bothersome, and never left me in a place where the tension at the end of the chapter before switching to the other POV was too high. There are times when the timeline shifts back after a POV change, but usually only when both Ella and Tai are together in the same place, so it’s not very disorienting.
The magic system made sense, for the most part, though it left me with a few questions as it expanded, likely to be answered in later books in the series. Magic usage had consequences, which I quite enjoy in stories. Tai, for example, gets ‘the bends’ when his runs out. It’s not quite as intricate as some of the harder magic systems I’ve read, but it made sense and was entertaining.
My biggest problem with this one was the fake swears that were prevalent enough to be irritating. These characters swear quite a bit, and while much of it is in-world religious cursing (which make sense to me, because that is part of worldbuilding), every now and then, these characters use words that they very clearly wish were the f-bomb. It gives the book a PG13 vibe, being full of characters obviously dropping f-bombs, but without using the big bad f-bomb itself (it’s fuck, for the record). This book has an especially irritating case of the fake swears. It will often use a stand-in for the word shit when the actual word shit pops up a time or two anyway. There were a few times when ‘scat,’ (yes, a synonym for shit, please gods can we just not?) is used in place of the word fuck. I don’t understand why. Fake swears and I very rarely get along, because in many cases it feels like authors are making up new words to try and tiptoe around using ‘strong’ language. In a book where characters are stabbed, sliced, tortured, sexually harassed, and more or less forced into a drug overdose… this makes zero sense to me.
Authors, if your characters are foul-mouthed, just make them fucking foul-mouthed and stop pussyfooting around. Please. If you don’t want cursing in your book, you’re better off just avoiding it altogether instead of trying to create a new language for four or five words that already fucking exist. Thank you for coming to my TED talk.
So, with that aside, it was quite a good read, that ended satisfactorily but still left me wanting more. I would have had another entire point worth of fun with it, honestly, if it wasn’t for my having to stop every now and then to roll my eyes. If you aren’t bothered by fake swears, or are bothered by real ones (grats on getting this far, if so ^_^) – then the last few paragraphs are moot. Read this book, like… yesterday.
If you’re a fan of hard magic systems and plenty of action involving them, or protagonists who can fly and slow down time, then there is a pretty good chance that you’ll dig Beggar’s Rebellion. I, for one, plan to read more into the series, because I am itching to know what happens.
Yes, even if I have to fucking swear about swearing some more.
This is the story of Tai and Ella. Tai is more or less a street urchin, selling a magical moss called yura in order to help himself and a few kids under his protection survive in a land oppressed by a people known as the Councilate. Tai tries his best to profit from the Councilate’s need for yura by selling it illegally. This ends up with him in trouble with the authorities, and after a short stint in a mine, ends up joining the a group of rebels set on bringing down the Councilate. Ella is a citizen of the Councilate, on the run from her family, trying to survive as an unlicensed accountant. This also gets her in trouble and in digging herself out of it, finds herself meeting Tai and the rebels.
I have heard this story compared to Sanderson’s work a lot in my interactions about it, and that is definitely a fair assessment. It feels like Stormlight meets Mistborn, in a way. The most obvious similarity is that of the magic system, which in this case are called Resonances. People in this world have magical powers, which they can use depending on the foods they eat. Tai’s people, one of the several nationalities of people collectively known as ‘darkhairs’ have access to these powers somewhat naturally and fuel it with heartier foods like root vegetables, while the people of the Councilate, ‘lighthairs’ such as Ella, mostly have to ingest the yura moss to briefly gain their powers. Each set of powers has a name. Tai, who can manipulate the wind, is called a wafter, and Ella, who can slow down time, is called a timeslip.
This was a well written story, which flowed quite well, and read pretty quickly. I sat down to start it one night and before I knew it, I was a quarter of the way through it. Though a few others have complained that it needed a little more copy editing, I have to say that I didn’t encounter too many problems. The version that I read (prime reading) wasn’t chock full of errors or suchlike. Perhaps one or two, but I didn’t notice them so much at all. Each chapter has a snippet of info from various in-world books to give little insights into the world, and I found some of them quite interesting on their own.
As for characters, I quite liked Tai and Ella, and I cared what happened to them. The POV switches pretty often between the two of them, and I found that this was never bothersome, and never left me in a place where the tension at the end of the chapter before switching to the other POV was too high. There are times when the timeline shifts back after a POV change, but usually only when both Ella and Tai are together in the same place, so it’s not very disorienting.
The magic system made sense, for the most part, though it left me with a few questions as it expanded, likely to be answered in later books in the series. Magic usage had consequences, which I quite enjoy in stories. Tai, for example, gets ‘the bends’ when his runs out. It’s not quite as intricate as some of the harder magic systems I’ve read, but it made sense and was entertaining.
My biggest problem with this one was the fake swears that were prevalent enough to be irritating. These characters swear quite a bit, and while much of it is in-world religious cursing (which make sense to me, because that is part of worldbuilding), every now and then, these characters use words that they very clearly wish were the f-bomb. It gives the book a PG13 vibe, being full of characters obviously dropping f-bombs, but without using the big bad f-bomb itself (it’s fuck, for the record). This book has an especially irritating case of the fake swears. It will often use a stand-in for the word shit when the actual word shit pops up a time or two anyway. There were a few times when ‘scat,’ (yes, a synonym for shit, please gods can we just not?) is used in place of the word fuck. I don’t understand why. Fake swears and I very rarely get along, because in many cases it feels like authors are making up new words to try and tiptoe around using ‘strong’ language. In a book where characters are stabbed, sliced, tortured, sexually harassed, and more or less forced into a drug overdose… this makes zero sense to me.
Authors, if your characters are foul-mouthed, just make them fucking foul-mouthed and stop pussyfooting around. Please. If you don’t want cursing in your book, you’re better off just avoiding it altogether instead of trying to create a new language for four or five words that already fucking exist. Thank you for coming to my TED talk.
So, with that aside, it was quite a good read, that ended satisfactorily but still left me wanting more. I would have had another entire point worth of fun with it, honestly, if it wasn’t for my having to stop every now and then to roll my eyes. If you aren’t bothered by fake swears, or are bothered by real ones (grats on getting this far, if so ^_^) – then the last few paragraphs are moot. Read this book, like… yesterday.
If you’re a fan of hard magic systems and plenty of action involving them, or protagonists who can fly and slow down time, then there is a pretty good chance that you’ll dig Beggar’s Rebellion. I, for one, plan to read more into the series, because I am itching to know what happens.
Yes, even if I have to fucking swear about swearing some more.
December 22, 2019
When we are introduced to the first main character, Ella, she had been living on a boat and working as an off-the-books accountant (known as a Calculor in this world) for some time. Living and working on a boat had been working out great for her since she is trying to conceal her identity, and she has no legal license to be a Calculor. She could face charges if caught. Her clients are short term since they get on and off the boat within a few weeks and generally don’t have contact with her again. Magic is a persistent presence in this world, it’s not some rarity with only a few select people having magic. It’s divided into different groups and categories making it feel very reminiscent of a Sanderson novel. Ella is a “timeslip” and has the ability to slow time – and with that power she can inflict lots of damage before people can stop her. In order to use these powers, she needs access to a cave moss known as yura which is fairly expensive. Things go wrong on the boat (as they must to propel the story), and she ends up “working” for a man named Ordil and ends up more of a slave. She knew going into it he was a sleazy person but did not anticipate just how sleazy he really was, and ends up in a very difficult situation.
The other POV is a young man named Tai who lives on the streets. He’s a misfit type with a rare category of magic that can get out of his control quickly, he can unintentionally kill people around him if he doesn’t keep himself in check, so he chooses never to use it. By day he and the kids are black market yura sellers. Their goal is to earn enough money to relocate to another city to begin new lies. Of course, that’s not at all what happens and he finds himself wrapped up in a potential rebellion – as the title of the book suggests. Things definitely started to be more interesting after the rebel group finds him and tries to recruit him.
I felt that the world-building was the book’s biggest strength. My preferences lean towards books with a categorical magic system like Sanderson’s series, and this book definitely is reminiscent of that. There are Timeslips that can slow time, Brawlers who are good at fighting and have increased strength, Mindseyes that can read minds, Wafters who can fly etc etc. From early on in the book you’re introduced to different cultures and cities that all have their own unique characteristics. At times I found this to be done with a little too much exposition, but that’s more of a writing nitpick than a world-building flaw. Many people have what’s known as a “Voice” in their head which is sort of like the soul of an ancestor that lives in people’s minds. Both of the main characters have one and they provide fascinating foils to the personalities of the main characters. They tend to get into arguments with their Voices and it makes it feel like there are four main characters rather than two.
For me, personally, the weakest part of the book was the actual prose itself. There were many instances where commas were missing, in the wrong place, missing quotation marks, unclear phrasing, or awkward sentence structure. It wasn’t terrible, I don’t mean to imply this was “unreadable” but the writing wasn’t a highlight for me. As a personal preference, I tend to get annoyed with in-world curse words … and there are a LOT of fake curse words in this one. My tolerance of fake cursing varies by what kind it is, I don’t tend to mind using in-world Gods as a curse, or nonsensical words that have no meaning in English … but I get really annoyed by curse words that are one-to-one replacement words, or words that have meaning in English. “Scatter you, scatter this, motherscatterer, mecking, meckstain, fishmeck, elkmeck” were a little too much for me. What confused me a little bit is that a small number of real curse words made it in, but their usage didn’t make sense. One of the lines in the book was, “Don’t be an asswater”. Had the line been something like, “This taste like asswater”, it would have worked for me, but don’t be an asswater? Anyway.
This one had a bit of a slower start and could have been a little smoother as far as the pace was concerned. There were parts that dragged and parts that felt a bit rushed, but nothing so much that I wanted to put it down. That said, since the prose was more on the straightforward side I did get through this one quickly despite some slower sections.
One thing that can drag down my enjoyment of a book is when one POV gets more page time than another. It can cause a weird ebb and flow where one story gets more time than another and it feels lopsided. The two MC’s were split more or less equally which allowed me to get equally invested in their arcs. I also felt like I got to know Ella well enough before the characters switch for the first time which is very helpful for me. If POV’s switch too early and I don’t feel like I’ve got a good grasp on who the first character is, things can get off to a rocky start.
The two characters definitely had their own motivations, voices, and personalities so the character section is going to get decent marks. The two are sort of similar because they are both on the younger side, both a touch impulsive, and both a bit naive about certain things. However, that’s really where the similarities stop. The two come from very different worlds and it’s shaped them into very different people. I was equally invested in both of their arcs so I wasn’t waiting for my “favorite” character to come back while I slogged through the chapters of a character I didn’t like. I did find that Tai could annoy me a bit, the decisions he makes aren’t always the best ones which can be agitating, but I found his storyline was interesting enough where I still liked his chapters. I wasn’t a huge fan of the villains in this book, Ordil in particular just seemed to be bad because he was bad without much explanation- those people exist, but in books I tend to prefer a more well-rounded villain.
All things considered, I enjoyed the read but I think that perhaps others would enjoy it even more than myself. I have odd ticks that won’t apply to many readers (like the fake cursing) and I absolutely think this book has appeal to people who like Sanderson-esque writing style, characters, and world-building.
Ratings
Plot: 10/15
Characters: 12/15
World-Building: 13.5/15
Writing: 10.5/15
Pacing: 9/15
Originality: 11/15
Personal Enjoyment: 6/10
Final Score: 72/100 or 7.2/10 for SPFBO
March 25, 2020
Two people from different sides of the track meet and find love, er…nope, just kidding. Actually, they get involved with a rebellion and turn a city on its heels; there’s death, mayhem, super-power type magics, and a lot of stuff getting burned.
We follow two characters-
Ella. She is currently like the H&R block of the Sea, doing taxes and bookkeeping for seafarers, so they can be about their business as soon they come ashore.Saving her money to go to an elite school, she’s been hiding her identity while living aboard. She’s not licensed as a calculator (this world bookkeepers) and gets herself in a spot of trouble when her secret is outed and her savings stolen. Ella is smart, thinks on her feet and has plans to change the world. She’s very idealistic, righteous and quite naïve.
Her special ability/magic (called Resonances) is time-slipping, she can slow down time, one thing I liked about this was the way it was written when she slipped was that it did feel like we actually were sped up and they were at a stop.
Tai- lives on the street using his smarts to survive with a few kids he calls family. When Tai gets into it with one of the local peacekeeper types, it causes a backlash of trouble endangering his “kids” and forcing him to look for refuge down in the mines.
Tai wants the world to change but probably wouldn’t have rocked the boat except his kids were endangered. His special ability/magic is that he is a Wafter- he can run fast and jump really high.He also has the advantage of not needing the Yura to use this ability (more on that below).Like Ella he is also idealistic, righteous, and naïve at times for a street kid.
The magic- called Resonances was pretty cool. Kind of superhero type powers. There are six abilities that can be accessed through the Uai (the inner power that fuels the magic) and it seems like quite a few people are able to use their Uai with the help of Yura (a type of moss). This has made Yura a top commodity for trade and black-marketing. In the capital where it’s all the rage- a little ball is worth quite a lot of money.
There is an added twist that some people don’t need to use the Yura, they have “pleased their ancestors” and have reached the next level of their ability (this has progression fantasy magic feel since they are already quite strong and they gain access to stronger abilities as they “level-up”).
Pleasing the Ancestor- The ancestors are like ghosts or demons that feed off your Uai. The Yura helps by muting them for a brief time allowing a person to access their abilities.
Both Ella and Tai have Ancestors-
Tai’s is the ghost of his friend Hake, whose sister is one of the kids he looks after. Ella’s is LeTwi a respected scholar.
Because they’re like having two extra main characters they help a bit with the exposition and filling little details of the world, but I also got annoyed with them occasionally with the repetitive arguing.
The story and the pacing-
I was impressed with the amount of detail that was packed in to this book- it was definitely the strong point of the story and the pace was surprisingly fast for an epic fantasy that features this much world and magic building.
But there were also places I felt it was too fast because some of the important events seem to happen lickety-split (the search for the kids for example) and in others it felt a little draggy just because I wasn’t as interested. Most of the instances that felt fast were where I wanted to slow down and explore the repercussions.
I did appreciate not having to sit around doing nonsensical things waiting for a realistic amount of time to pass to build the rebel army etc.
Pet peeve alert- I am sure everyone knows by now how much I hate an overlapping pov retelling of a scene, especially one that adds absolutely nothing to the story . I dock a lot of points for these clunky feeling add-ons and I need a good reason for them to be there to not do that. I want to learn something new from them, not just a rehash of what happened so we can see the other pov’s reactions. That kind of thing should and can be shown the first time around. (IMO)
Other notes-
-Liked the events to do with The High Arbiter.
-Enjoyed all the courtroom trial with Ella and Ordil, the back and forth with the case and quick pacing made it fun to see the proceedings even though I felt the whole thing was a little on the easy side.
- There was a bit of confusion for me about the magic and its uniqueness to certain people- especially since Ella was worried about people seeing her talking to her inner voice but then later, everyone has magic so I assume they all have a voice as well?This was cleared up by one of the other judges (Lukasz) and was me not putting two and two together about the winter fruits and the regions and the effects on the magic.
My score- 7/10
Go here to find out more about SPFBO contest and to find links to all the participating bloggers/authors and reviews.
https://mark---lawrence.blogspot.com/...
Go here for the finalist standings.
https://mark---lawrence.blogspot.com/...
And here for more team reviews from #RockStarlit and our score.
https://starlitbook.com/2020/03/20/sp...
September 9, 2019
Even though I generally dislike epic fantasy, I enjoyed Beggar’s Rebellion. It blends smaller scale events with epic ones and the result is satisfying. The story revolves around characters reclaiming their freedom in the land conquered by the rich who harvest its treasure - magic-inducing moss known as yura.
Yura enhances preternatural skills that include reading minds (mindseyes), flying (wafters), slowing down reality (timeslips), enhanced physical strength (brawlers), and more. Yura gives temporal access to magic, but some people can access their full powers by overcoming their inner voices (almost everyone has an inner voice in this world, usually of someone from their past).
Story’s protagonists come from different backgrounds. Ella escaped her abusive home and fights her way out of the trouble by using her brain rather than brute force. Gifted with interesting, but limited, magical abilities (slowing down the time) her scenes focus on smaller-scale events. Armed with her calculor (accountant) knowledge she tries to ruin people by exposing their ledgers and shady financial operations and not through direct physical confrontation.
Then there’s Tai - an orphan of the war who learned to take care of himself on the streets. Able to access magic without the inducing drug, he hides his powers and sells black-market herbs to survive. He also helps other orphans and genuinely cares for his “street” family. With time and in consequence of plot development he gains almost god-like powers and some people start to perceive him as a Messiah-figure. His arc is violent and epic.
Because I prefer smaller-scale fantasy, I loved Ella’s chapters and found Tai’s ones tiring. Also, his behavior borders on moronic and I dislike morons, even those with good intentions and the heart in the right place. It seems Tai is predestined to become the main figure of the series and it worries me because I don’t relate to him.
Aside from some typos and two or three awkward sentences, the editing is solid and writing good.
Overall, Jacobs is a writer with a knack for characterization and the ability to introduce a complex world without assaulting readers with info-dumps. I’ve already started the second book of the series and I expect many readers will do the same just to know what the hell is the ninespears society. Plus, I hope the author will give us some hints on where to get the moss.
Yura enhances preternatural skills that include reading minds (mindseyes), flying (wafters), slowing down reality (timeslips), enhanced physical strength (brawlers), and more. Yura gives temporal access to magic, but some people can access their full powers by overcoming their inner voices (almost everyone has an inner voice in this world, usually of someone from their past).
Story’s protagonists come from different backgrounds. Ella escaped her abusive home and fights her way out of the trouble by using her brain rather than brute force. Gifted with interesting, but limited, magical abilities (slowing down the time) her scenes focus on smaller-scale events. Armed with her calculor (accountant) knowledge she tries to ruin people by exposing their ledgers and shady financial operations and not through direct physical confrontation.
Then there’s Tai - an orphan of the war who learned to take care of himself on the streets. Able to access magic without the inducing drug, he hides his powers and sells black-market herbs to survive. He also helps other orphans and genuinely cares for his “street” family. With time and in consequence of plot development he gains almost god-like powers and some people start to perceive him as a Messiah-figure. His arc is violent and epic.
Because I prefer smaller-scale fantasy, I loved Ella’s chapters and found Tai’s ones tiring. Also, his behavior borders on moronic and I dislike morons, even those with good intentions and the heart in the right place. It seems Tai is predestined to become the main figure of the series and it worries me because I don’t relate to him.
Aside from some typos and two or three awkward sentences, the editing is solid and writing good.
Overall, Jacobs is a writer with a knack for characterization and the ability to introduce a complex world without assaulting readers with info-dumps. I’ve already started the second book of the series and I expect many readers will do the same just to know what the hell is the ninespears society. Plus, I hope the author will give us some hints on where to get the moss.
May 15, 2021
Solid debut.
November 16, 2019
(I feel as though this is somewhere in the 2.5-3.0 range, but if I learned anything from Year 2 numeracy, anything over a 5 gets rounded up)!
This is a book with plenty of good things going for it. There was a brisk pace maintained throughout, and the author struck a good balance between heavy-winded world building and action set pieces. At no point did I find this book difficult to get through.
There were also certain plot choices that I wouldn't usually expect to see in a fantasy book that I found compelling. A particular highlight for me was the courtroom drama that took place. I was thoroughly engaged by the back and forth between the two parties as they tried to outmanoeuvre one another.
And finally, the two main protagonists are both strong characters. Each would've been strong enough, in my opinion, to carry the book alone, and whilst their infrequent meetings throughout were a little contrived at times, this is not enough to negate them in any way. They tried, and more importantly, they failed in several spectacular ways, which is always good to see in relation to character growth.
Unfortunately, I didn't get the same reaction or assurance from the supporting cast. Every male character, with the exception of Tai, is either a bit bland or, to put it politely, a bit of a dick. The men revolving around Ella's story line were all too shallow in their motivations and lacked any nuance, and though the men of the rebellion are better, I wouldn't be able to recall much in terms of backstory about any of them. They were just there to keep the rebellion ticking over.
There were also plot lines that I felt did not serve the overall story particularly well. The relationships with the inner voices did not grab me in any meaningful way. I also found the plot line revolving around the three street kids a little meandering. Again, they were simply there to act as a motivational device for Tai, rather than fully-fledged characters in their own right.
This is the first named finalist in the Self-Published Fantasy Fantasy Blog Off 2019 (SPFBO), a competition that I am going to try and commit more energy to than I have in the past. I would suggest that this is a secure entry that should do quite well.
This is a book with plenty of good things going for it. There was a brisk pace maintained throughout, and the author struck a good balance between heavy-winded world building and action set pieces. At no point did I find this book difficult to get through.
There were also certain plot choices that I wouldn't usually expect to see in a fantasy book that I found compelling. A particular highlight for me was the courtroom drama that took place. I was thoroughly engaged by the back and forth between the two parties as they tried to outmanoeuvre one another.
And finally, the two main protagonists are both strong characters. Each would've been strong enough, in my opinion, to carry the book alone, and whilst their infrequent meetings throughout were a little contrived at times, this is not enough to negate them in any way. They tried, and more importantly, they failed in several spectacular ways, which is always good to see in relation to character growth.
Unfortunately, I didn't get the same reaction or assurance from the supporting cast. Every male character, with the exception of Tai, is either a bit bland or, to put it politely, a bit of a dick. The men revolving around Ella's story line were all too shallow in their motivations and lacked any nuance, and though the men of the rebellion are better, I wouldn't be able to recall much in terms of backstory about any of them. They were just there to keep the rebellion ticking over.
There were also plot lines that I felt did not serve the overall story particularly well. The relationships with the inner voices did not grab me in any meaningful way. I also found the plot line revolving around the three street kids a little meandering. Again, they were simply there to act as a motivational device for Tai, rather than fully-fledged characters in their own right.
This is the first named finalist in the Self-Published Fantasy Fantasy Blog Off 2019 (SPFBO), a competition that I am going to try and commit more energy to than I have in the past. I would suggest that this is a secure entry that should do quite well.
May 21, 2020
Excellent read, fast paced well worth reading.
September 6, 2019
Beggar’s Rebellion by Levi Jacobs is an incredible epic fantasy with ideas that are unique. They might even be considered off the wall in ways, but they hang together amazingly well. Whether it’s the magic, the concepts and topics Jacobs is touching on, or the authentic and relatable characters, this novel shines in so many ways.
First off, the magic in this novel stands out above all the rest. It might remind you of Brent Weeks or Brandon Sanderson, in terms of allowing magic users to do some very action-packed things. One of most unique elements of the magic, however, was the way it was fueled. Individuals essentially need to eat certain foods to allow them to unlock the ability to do magic, but their bodies digest that food just like normal food, so one must keep those sorts of food a regular part of their diet in order to consistently do magic. Of course, using magic also uses up the nutrients from the food that allow them to do magic. It’s a multifaceted system that also has elements of progression in it. To say I was enthralled by the magic system wouldn’t be an overstatement. The complexity is akin to something you might see in the Stormlight Archive or in Will Wight’s Cradle series. The novel isn’t only a magic system with a story attached, however. There is a plot here that, as it unfolds, pulls us into a world where a conquered people must contend with the evils of colonialism. Jacobs provides some unique perspective here in that although there is plenty of action, fights, and violence, characters actually struggle with the concept of redemptive violence. The question of whether they are any better than those they are fighting to push out is brought up and the characters wrestle with that question without using easy or pat answers to get back to the action. I greatly appreciated this take which is incredibly rare in fantasy. Jacobs manages to do it here without ever straying into the nihilism that can sometimes accompany such questions. It would not be inaccurate to say that the book struggles with the question of whether having the correct ideas makes violence a redemptive act. The two main characters, Tai and Ella are interesting and authentically crafted. They feel like the type of people we might meet around town. Each of them also has a lot of growth that they go through, and I was engaged almost from the first page with each of them. They also function as foils for one another, since each come from quite different backgrounds. Tai can, at times, be an endearing noble hero which will likely frustrate some, whereas Ella is more crafty and subtle in her actions. There is also some fascinating world building beyond the magic system that we get glimpses of in this novel, and I’m hopeful we’ll see more of that in subsequent books.
My biggest complaint about Beggar’s Rebellion is that it needs better copy editing. At times there are missing indefinite articles, singular/plural mismatch between pronouns or verbs, and some typos here and there. It’s unfortunate, because it mars what is otherwise a brilliantly crafted story.
Fans of epic fantasy and complex magic systems will find a lot to love in Beggar’s Rebellion, as will those who enjoy relatable and likeable characters. It’s that mix of the epic plot and the smaller-scale character points that makes the novel stand out. I’m looking forward to moving on to the sequel in the near future!
8/10
4/5 stars.
5 – I loved this, couldn’t put it down, move it to the top of your TBR pile
4 – I really enjoyed this, add it to the TBR pile
3 – It was ok, depending on your preferences it may be worth your time
2 – I didn’t like this book, it has significant flaws and I can’t recommend it
1 – I loathe this book with a most loathsome loathing
First off, the magic in this novel stands out above all the rest. It might remind you of Brent Weeks or Brandon Sanderson, in terms of allowing magic users to do some very action-packed things. One of most unique elements of the magic, however, was the way it was fueled. Individuals essentially need to eat certain foods to allow them to unlock the ability to do magic, but their bodies digest that food just like normal food, so one must keep those sorts of food a regular part of their diet in order to consistently do magic. Of course, using magic also uses up the nutrients from the food that allow them to do magic. It’s a multifaceted system that also has elements of progression in it. To say I was enthralled by the magic system wouldn’t be an overstatement. The complexity is akin to something you might see in the Stormlight Archive or in Will Wight’s Cradle series. The novel isn’t only a magic system with a story attached, however. There is a plot here that, as it unfolds, pulls us into a world where a conquered people must contend with the evils of colonialism. Jacobs provides some unique perspective here in that although there is plenty of action, fights, and violence, characters actually struggle with the concept of redemptive violence. The question of whether they are any better than those they are fighting to push out is brought up and the characters wrestle with that question without using easy or pat answers to get back to the action. I greatly appreciated this take which is incredibly rare in fantasy. Jacobs manages to do it here without ever straying into the nihilism that can sometimes accompany such questions. It would not be inaccurate to say that the book struggles with the question of whether having the correct ideas makes violence a redemptive act. The two main characters, Tai and Ella are interesting and authentically crafted. They feel like the type of people we might meet around town. Each of them also has a lot of growth that they go through, and I was engaged almost from the first page with each of them. They also function as foils for one another, since each come from quite different backgrounds. Tai can, at times, be an endearing noble hero which will likely frustrate some, whereas Ella is more crafty and subtle in her actions. There is also some fascinating world building beyond the magic system that we get glimpses of in this novel, and I’m hopeful we’ll see more of that in subsequent books.
My biggest complaint about Beggar’s Rebellion is that it needs better copy editing. At times there are missing indefinite articles, singular/plural mismatch between pronouns or verbs, and some typos here and there. It’s unfortunate, because it mars what is otherwise a brilliantly crafted story.
Fans of epic fantasy and complex magic systems will find a lot to love in Beggar’s Rebellion, as will those who enjoy relatable and likeable characters. It’s that mix of the epic plot and the smaller-scale character points that makes the novel stand out. I’m looking forward to moving on to the sequel in the near future!
8/10
4/5 stars.
5 – I loved this, couldn’t put it down, move it to the top of your TBR pile
4 – I really enjoyed this, add it to the TBR pile
3 – It was ok, depending on your preferences it may be worth your time
2 – I didn’t like this book, it has significant flaws and I can’t recommend it
1 – I loathe this book with a most loathsome loathing
December 11, 2019
A great read!
I love the world in this book, I could smell the woodsmoke and see the buildings of Ayugen in my mind's eye. I also really enjoyed all the different magical abilities (resonances) and the details of how they worked and the different side effects of each. Tai and Ella are two solid MCs with great motivations and interesting backgrounds (though I found Ella a tad more fun to read), and I really enjoyed the themes of politics and governance that are weaved through the book.
I love the world in this book, I could smell the woodsmoke and see the buildings of Ayugen in my mind's eye. I also really enjoyed all the different magical abilities (resonances) and the details of how they worked and the different side effects of each. Tai and Ella are two solid MCs with great motivations and interesting backgrounds (though I found Ella a tad more fun to read), and I really enjoyed the themes of politics and governance that are weaved through the book.
October 14, 2019
Beggar's Rebellion is so close to be an absolutely brilliant book that it's almost frustrating. It's a modern epic fantasy, along the lines of Brandon Sanderson, Brian Staveley, or Django Wexler. New Yersh is an imperial nation, invading and suppressing neighbouring smaller countries.
As the title suggests, Beggar's Rebellion tells the story of a rebellion brewing in the occupied city of Ayugen. There are two main characters. Ellumia has fled New Yersh and now makes her living posing as a calculor (a licensed accountant) on a riverboat. When she is exposed, she loses her living, her savings, and is trapped in indentured labour. Tai, meanwhile, is a former rebel, part of a previous rebellion in the city which was crushed by the colonial power. Now he lives as a beggar, looking after younger orphans. Both of them become involved in the growing rebellion.
There is magic, battles, plots and treachery, and engaging characters in this book. The magic is heavily influenced by Brandon Sanderson's magic system from the Mistborn series, although it does have its own unique aspects.
I did find that too many of the problems the characters encountered were overcome too easily, often by someone else turning up fortuitously and providing the solution, but that didn't bother me too much, because the story was entertaining. Occasionally the order of scenes was somewhat confusing as the story leapt back in time to tell the same event that we had experienced from one character's point of view from the other character's point of view. Telling the same scene from one point of view and then another can work, if we see it differently from those different characters' perspectives and we learn something different, but unfortunately here we didn't. The scenes were pretty much identical from both points of view.
Neither of these things were what really frustrated me, though, and I would quite happily have lived with them. The real frustration I felt was that the book desperately, desperately needed to be edited properly and copyedited. I do realise that there are limits to budgets on self-published books, and an author has to decide carefully where to invest their money. But this needed another edit somehow. It wasn't just the frequent typos, there were real consistency problems. For example, a character whose name changed from paragraph to paragraph (presumably renamed between drafts, but not updated properly). Two characters walking along with a third, then on the next page spotting that same third character in the distance doing something else entirely. And so on. Several times I actually put the book down in frustration at the errors, and I genuinely don't know if I'll keep going with the series as a result.
And that's a shame, because this really is so close to be a fantastic book. It just needs to be properly fixed by a professional editor.
If you're not the kind of reader who will be bothered by this kind of error, I strongly recommend the book. If you are, you might want to wait to see if the author gets it revised.
As the title suggests, Beggar's Rebellion tells the story of a rebellion brewing in the occupied city of Ayugen. There are two main characters. Ellumia has fled New Yersh and now makes her living posing as a calculor (a licensed accountant) on a riverboat. When she is exposed, she loses her living, her savings, and is trapped in indentured labour. Tai, meanwhile, is a former rebel, part of a previous rebellion in the city which was crushed by the colonial power. Now he lives as a beggar, looking after younger orphans. Both of them become involved in the growing rebellion.
There is magic, battles, plots and treachery, and engaging characters in this book. The magic is heavily influenced by Brandon Sanderson's magic system from the Mistborn series, although it does have its own unique aspects.
I did find that too many of the problems the characters encountered were overcome too easily, often by someone else turning up fortuitously and providing the solution, but that didn't bother me too much, because the story was entertaining. Occasionally the order of scenes was somewhat confusing as the story leapt back in time to tell the same event that we had experienced from one character's point of view from the other character's point of view. Telling the same scene from one point of view and then another can work, if we see it differently from those different characters' perspectives and we learn something different, but unfortunately here we didn't. The scenes were pretty much identical from both points of view.
Neither of these things were what really frustrated me, though, and I would quite happily have lived with them. The real frustration I felt was that the book desperately, desperately needed to be edited properly and copyedited. I do realise that there are limits to budgets on self-published books, and an author has to decide carefully where to invest their money. But this needed another edit somehow. It wasn't just the frequent typos, there were real consistency problems. For example, a character whose name changed from paragraph to paragraph (presumably renamed between drafts, but not updated properly). Two characters walking along with a third, then on the next page spotting that same third character in the distance doing something else entirely. And so on. Several times I actually put the book down in frustration at the errors, and I genuinely don't know if I'll keep going with the series as a result.
And that's a shame, because this really is so close to be a fantastic book. It just needs to be properly fixed by a professional editor.
If you're not the kind of reader who will be bothered by this kind of error, I strongly recommend the book. If you are, you might want to wait to see if the author gets it revised.
January 8, 2020
Nice flowing plot with likeable characters in a world with a cool magic system. There are two POV protagonists ( Tai and Ella) whose path collide together when both are desperate for help. Levi Jacobs writes a tightly plotted story of two young people caught up in a repressive system if one is not born into money and class.
February 18, 2020
2.5 of 5 stars (SPFBO rating: 5.5/10)
Although I enjoyed the main plot of Beggar’s Rebellion, liked Tai very much as a protagonist, and admired the unique magic system, several problems significantly undermined my overall experience with this book. First and foremost, I couldn’t help thinking I was reading a first draft of what could have, if properly developed, been a truly great book. Unfortunately, there were numerous continuity errors, including inconsistencies, redundancies, changing character names, allusions to events that didn’t occur (as far as I could recall), characters appearing and disappearing from locations at random or according to author convenience, etc. The timeframe of the book was also confusing; Tai’s storyline appears to take place over several weeks or months, whereas we’re explicitly told Ella’s storyline occurs over a few weeks at most, yet the pair meet multiple times in that period and experience events in parallel. The book was also poorly edited, with numerous typos and misspellings. Thus, overall, the publication was very sloppy and needed several more rounds of editing to catch and correct these errors.
Another concern was the author's handling of the colonialism theme. I applaud the author for tackling these issues and using his fantasy setting to explore the capitalist exploitation of native resources, but at the same time I thought there was a troubling lean toward the white savior trope, where Ella, as a member of the “lighthair” colonials, learns from the wise “mudhairs” and decides to help them. At best, there’s a lack of imagination in making the conquerors a pale skinned race while all the subjugated peoples are people of color. On the other hand, one of the things I liked about the book was the juxtaposition between the different cultures and their differing religious beliefs, from the fascistic, profit-worshiping Councilate that have conquered most of the world to the ancestor-worshipping Achuri, and everyone in between. If the author can do a better job developing the narrative structure of other books set in this world, I would certainly be keen to explore it further.
Although I enjoyed the main plot of Beggar’s Rebellion, liked Tai very much as a protagonist, and admired the unique magic system, several problems significantly undermined my overall experience with this book. First and foremost, I couldn’t help thinking I was reading a first draft of what could have, if properly developed, been a truly great book. Unfortunately, there were numerous continuity errors, including inconsistencies, redundancies, changing character names, allusions to events that didn’t occur (as far as I could recall), characters appearing and disappearing from locations at random or according to author convenience, etc. The timeframe of the book was also confusing; Tai’s storyline appears to take place over several weeks or months, whereas we’re explicitly told Ella’s storyline occurs over a few weeks at most, yet the pair meet multiple times in that period and experience events in parallel. The book was also poorly edited, with numerous typos and misspellings. Thus, overall, the publication was very sloppy and needed several more rounds of editing to catch and correct these errors.
Another concern was the author's handling of the colonialism theme. I applaud the author for tackling these issues and using his fantasy setting to explore the capitalist exploitation of native resources, but at the same time I thought there was a troubling lean toward the white savior trope, where Ella, as a member of the “lighthair” colonials, learns from the wise “mudhairs” and decides to help them. At best, there’s a lack of imagination in making the conquerors a pale skinned race while all the subjugated peoples are people of color. On the other hand, one of the things I liked about the book was the juxtaposition between the different cultures and their differing religious beliefs, from the fascistic, profit-worshiping Councilate that have conquered most of the world to the ancestor-worshipping Achuri, and everyone in between. If the author can do a better job developing the narrative structure of other books set in this world, I would certainly be keen to explore it further.
January 26, 2020
I am so glad I discovered this series- Levi Jacobs is a fantastic author. Brilliant characters and a fantastic magic system, this book kept me up reading far later than I should have. Reminded me a lot of Sanderson at his best. I'll be picking up book 2 straight away!
April 1, 2020
I picked up Beggar's Rebellion after it made it to the SPFBO finals. Like the other finalists, all the reviewers spoke highly of it, and having a cover that caught my eye, I decided to give it a shot first out of the books.
The book starts off strong. It follows a woman named Ella, an unlicensed calculor (this world's version of an accountant) aboard a ship making its way up and down the Ein River, a major thoroughfare connecting several large cities. On the boat, she tends to the books for wealthy men, fending off advances while trying to raise enough money to study and legitimize herself. After getting her money stolen and being accused of acting illegally, she signs onto an unfair contract with a shady businessman to avoid legal trouble, stranding her in the city of Ayugen, last stop on the river and one of the many cities under control of the powerful Counsulate.
It's there that she meets Tai, a street thug who deals in yura, a substance that draws out powers in people, called Resonants. He has a power of his own, but his goes beyond the need for Yura, and is also powerful enough that he fears to use it. When he runs afoul of a former street tough turned guard, he escapes by volunteering for the Yura mines, placing him squarely in a rebellion to free the city from the Counsulate.
The narrative jumps between the two of them, Ella using her guile and her ability to slow time to break free and make her way up Ayugen society, attempting to use the law to bring down the man who entrapped her, and Tai becoming a leader in the rebellion, leading attacks against the Counsulate. The narrative moves quickly, sometimes a little too quickly, keeping the action up as both advance through their own storylines, eventually culminating in a thrilling meetup at a Counsulate prison.
The best part about the book is the worldbuilding. I found the universe that was build to be interesting and the way it was presented very easy to follow, which I feel a lot of fantasy writers struggle with. There is enough nuance and details sprinkled throughout to give it depth, and a lot of moving pieces that show that a lot of thought has been put into it. A good world can carry a fantasy story a long way, and I felt it did so here.
I was less enthused with the pacing and narrative. The story as a whole was decent, but a lot of things seem like they happen a little too quickly, especially following a good setup with the initial chapters with Ella. Between the two, I found Ella to be a more compelling character, though there were head-scratching moments with both of them. In particular, it felt like there were too many moments where situations happened because one or the other acted like a complete idiot. It was almost like large swaths of what happened in the story was dependent on the main characters' intelligence, which was mostly frustrating as a reader.
On the other end of things, it felt like there were parts that came a little too easily. For example, early in the book, Ella attempts to do something called yura loading, which is essentially an overdose to allow her to use her resonance without the yura. Leading up to it, there seems to be no indication of danger, no real fear in her, she tries it, it works, and she can strike up her resonance at will. Easy! It's only later that the danger is established, and even then, as Tai himself debates the morality of yuraloading versus the risk, it seems mostly brushed aside.
I feel like the book could have used a further editing pass. Not just for proofing (there are typos, but that happens), but for content. There's a good story in there, but I think it could have been great with a bit extra care. I think it's worth a read, and I do find myself interested in what happens down the road with Tai and Ella. I just hope that future entries are cleaned up for a more enjoyable reading experience.
The book starts off strong. It follows a woman named Ella, an unlicensed calculor (this world's version of an accountant) aboard a ship making its way up and down the Ein River, a major thoroughfare connecting several large cities. On the boat, she tends to the books for wealthy men, fending off advances while trying to raise enough money to study and legitimize herself. After getting her money stolen and being accused of acting illegally, she signs onto an unfair contract with a shady businessman to avoid legal trouble, stranding her in the city of Ayugen, last stop on the river and one of the many cities under control of the powerful Counsulate.
It's there that she meets Tai, a street thug who deals in yura, a substance that draws out powers in people, called Resonants. He has a power of his own, but his goes beyond the need for Yura, and is also powerful enough that he fears to use it. When he runs afoul of a former street tough turned guard, he escapes by volunteering for the Yura mines, placing him squarely in a rebellion to free the city from the Counsulate.
The narrative jumps between the two of them, Ella using her guile and her ability to slow time to break free and make her way up Ayugen society, attempting to use the law to bring down the man who entrapped her, and Tai becoming a leader in the rebellion, leading attacks against the Counsulate. The narrative moves quickly, sometimes a little too quickly, keeping the action up as both advance through their own storylines, eventually culminating in a thrilling meetup at a Counsulate prison.
The best part about the book is the worldbuilding. I found the universe that was build to be interesting and the way it was presented very easy to follow, which I feel a lot of fantasy writers struggle with. There is enough nuance and details sprinkled throughout to give it depth, and a lot of moving pieces that show that a lot of thought has been put into it. A good world can carry a fantasy story a long way, and I felt it did so here.
I was less enthused with the pacing and narrative. The story as a whole was decent, but a lot of things seem like they happen a little too quickly, especially following a good setup with the initial chapters with Ella. Between the two, I found Ella to be a more compelling character, though there were head-scratching moments with both of them. In particular, it felt like there were too many moments where situations happened because one or the other acted like a complete idiot. It was almost like large swaths of what happened in the story was dependent on the main characters' intelligence, which was mostly frustrating as a reader.
On the other end of things, it felt like there were parts that came a little too easily. For example, early in the book, Ella attempts to do something called yura loading, which is essentially an overdose to allow her to use her resonance without the yura. Leading up to it, there seems to be no indication of danger, no real fear in her, she tries it, it works, and she can strike up her resonance at will. Easy! It's only later that the danger is established, and even then, as Tai himself debates the morality of yuraloading versus the risk, it seems mostly brushed aside.
I feel like the book could have used a further editing pass. Not just for proofing (there are typos, but that happens), but for content. There's a good story in there, but I think it could have been great with a bit extra care. I think it's worth a read, and I do find myself interested in what happens down the road with Tai and Ella. I just hope that future entries are cleaned up for a more enjoyable reading experience.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
March 21, 2020
There were some good ideas here, but they weren't executed well. Let's talk about the two main issues.
First, the limits of the magic are often directly contradictory. A couple examples: When Tai does his first yura robbery, he flies right over some guards (and listens in on their conversation). A few paragraphs later as a sentry is passing by, he stills his resonance so he won't be sensed. In one chapter, Tai is pushing a boat with his resonance. In the next, he's struggling to lift a cup. Sometimes he flies a short distance and gets the bends. Other times he can carry four adults forever no problem. Sometimes he has to avoid being seen. Other times he just flies where he needs to no problem. At the end he powers up and conveniently has enough power to repel an entire army before running out. I'd wager if I read the next book he would randomly have less or more power.
And that's just Tai. That doesn't touch on Ella (how is she flipping through books without tearing pages out?) or any of the others. Like, she knows these mindseyes exist and that there would be some in the arbitration profession, yet she goes on consorting with Tai and a high arbiter?
But the inconsistencies with the magic aren't the biggest problem. That falls to the plot/pacing. What is plot? It is setting up and delivering promises. What is pacing? It's progressing on the promises. Early on in the book, Lumo tells Tai that he can keep overcoming spirits/voices and gain more power. A promise is made that Tai will overcome and gain more power. Literally zero progress is made on this promise until the very end of the book. It brings it up multiple times with no progress made. Each time, Tai just says, "I should probably banish you and get more power heheh. That would probably help the entire rebellion wouldn't it? Can't do that till the end because plot though, so I'll just stop thinking about it." There's also the promise of the rebellion's success/failure, and you know that that promise is contingent on Tai leveling up. So it feels like two big plot threads are tied up, making the book feel like it's going nowhere.
In addition, the editing was not good. I realize it's a self-pub, but maybe hire someone to give it a single pass? There was one section (when he finds the kids again) that it flip flopped between calling the one kid Ping and Pang six times in a row. Lots of unindented paragraphs. Misattached quotations marks. Random idiomatic speech (e.g., using "man" only once). One time a character used "ye" and "you" as subjects in a single sentence. One time it placed Beal in the room then on the next page it said he was still lying on a rooftop somewhere.
I did like the idea of overcoming demons to get a new power level, but this was not a great execution of it.
First, the limits of the magic are often directly contradictory. A couple examples: When Tai does his first yura robbery, he flies right over some guards (and listens in on their conversation). A few paragraphs later as a sentry is passing by, he stills his resonance so he won't be sensed. In one chapter, Tai is pushing a boat with his resonance. In the next, he's struggling to lift a cup. Sometimes he flies a short distance and gets the bends. Other times he can carry four adults forever no problem. Sometimes he has to avoid being seen. Other times he just flies where he needs to no problem. At the end he powers up and conveniently has enough power to repel an entire army before running out. I'd wager if I read the next book he would randomly have less or more power.
And that's just Tai. That doesn't touch on Ella (how is she flipping through books without tearing pages out?) or any of the others. Like, she knows these mindseyes exist and that there would be some in the arbitration profession, yet she goes on consorting with Tai and a high arbiter?
But the inconsistencies with the magic aren't the biggest problem. That falls to the plot/pacing. What is plot? It is setting up and delivering promises. What is pacing? It's progressing on the promises. Early on in the book, Lumo tells Tai that he can keep overcoming spirits/voices and gain more power. A promise is made that Tai will overcome and gain more power. Literally zero progress is made on this promise until the very end of the book. It brings it up multiple times with no progress made. Each time, Tai just says, "I should probably banish you and get more power heheh. That would probably help the entire rebellion wouldn't it? Can't do that till the end because plot though, so I'll just stop thinking about it." There's also the promise of the rebellion's success/failure, and you know that that promise is contingent on Tai leveling up. So it feels like two big plot threads are tied up, making the book feel like it's going nowhere.
In addition, the editing was not good. I realize it's a self-pub, but maybe hire someone to give it a single pass? There was one section (when he finds the kids again) that it flip flopped between calling the one kid Ping and Pang six times in a row. Lots of unindented paragraphs. Misattached quotations marks. Random idiomatic speech (e.g., using "man" only once). One time a character used "ye" and "you" as subjects in a single sentence. One time it placed Beal in the room then on the next page it said he was still lying on a rooftop somewhere.
I did like the idea of overcoming demons to get a new power level, but this was not a great execution of it.
March 4, 2020
Oh how I loved this book!
It is so skillfully written as to be a lesson in 'How to Write Book 1 of a Series'. I say that primarily because of the clever way that world building, the central premise and the key characters are introduced without there being any sense (at all) of exposition. Recently I've got tired of "info dumps" in the opening chapters. Levi Jacobs leaves you asking questions all the time, answers dribble through and that serves to add to the excitement. For instance, the brilliant central premise of "resonances" had me re-reading key paragraphs because I thought I'd missed something. When I realised I hadn't, the joy of learning about what they meant was one of the most enjoyable parts. But, then the premise expands and expands as the story evolves. It is so clever!
Another sign of the author's skill - how to develop your characters (both minor and major). All his characters are real, easy to relate to, utterly engaging. You care for them protagonists that every danger has you sharing their tension. (Once again, I've read several books lately where I couldn't care less about the characters, when that happens, you lose interest in the story.) It's got me asking why this is, what has made these characters work so well? My answer? Because we're never told anything, we see/hear it as the reader. The information comes as much of a shock to the character as it does to you. You are experiencing everything through their eyes. Such a difficult thing to achieve so consistently AND with more than one PoV.
Beggar's Rebellion is a trilogy. I shall be buying the other books. And soon. I cannot wait to find out what happens next to Tai and Ella!
My message to you? Get this book!!!!!
It is so skillfully written as to be a lesson in 'How to Write Book 1 of a Series'. I say that primarily because of the clever way that world building, the central premise and the key characters are introduced without there being any sense (at all) of exposition. Recently I've got tired of "info dumps" in the opening chapters. Levi Jacobs leaves you asking questions all the time, answers dribble through and that serves to add to the excitement. For instance, the brilliant central premise of "resonances" had me re-reading key paragraphs because I thought I'd missed something. When I realised I hadn't, the joy of learning about what they meant was one of the most enjoyable parts. But, then the premise expands and expands as the story evolves. It is so clever!
Another sign of the author's skill - how to develop your characters (both minor and major). All his characters are real, easy to relate to, utterly engaging. You care for them protagonists that every danger has you sharing their tension. (Once again, I've read several books lately where I couldn't care less about the characters, when that happens, you lose interest in the story.) It's got me asking why this is, what has made these characters work so well? My answer? Because we're never told anything, we see/hear it as the reader. The information comes as much of a shock to the character as it does to you. You are experiencing everything through their eyes. Such a difficult thing to achieve so consistently AND with more than one PoV.
Beggar's Rebellion is a trilogy. I shall be buying the other books. And soon. I cannot wait to find out what happens next to Tai and Ella!
My message to you? Get this book!!!!!
March 6, 2020
Difficult to rate
The good first. This had interesting characters, magic and premise. Could be really entertaining at times.
The negatives include inconsistencies within the story, missing words and/or lousy formatting, and less character development than I prefer.
I wasn't so enamored that I would buy the next in the series, but had this been professionally edited and proofread, I might have continued.
The good first. This had interesting characters, magic and premise. Could be really entertaining at times.
The negatives include inconsistencies within the story, missing words and/or lousy formatting, and less character development than I prefer.
I wasn't so enamored that I would buy the next in the series, but had this been professionally edited and proofread, I might have continued.
May 6, 2020
I read Beggar's Rebellion as it was a finalist in the Fifth Self Publishing Fantasy Blog Off - organised by Mark Lawrence, and I was a contributing judge for the Fantasy-Hive Blog team.
There were lots of imaginative touches and intriguing world building in Jacob's work, though I found some flaws in the plotting that broke my immersion in the book and kept me from giving it a higher score.
You can see more about what I and the rest of the team thought of it here.
https://fantasy-hive.co.uk/2020/04/be...
There were lots of imaginative touches and intriguing world building in Jacob's work, though I found some flaws in the plotting that broke my immersion in the book and kept me from giving it a higher score.
You can see more about what I and the rest of the team thought of it here.
https://fantasy-hive.co.uk/2020/04/be...
June 23, 2019
One of the characters has a job that I don't think I've ever read a character having, that in of its self was interesting though the job wasn't the most fascinating. Then the magic system was fairly unique, though there are parts of it that I'm still confused about, but not enough to detract from the story or the magic. There seems to be some nice complexity to the governments and people. As this is about a rebellion it mentions some interesting thoughts about what they're trying to accomplish, how to do so, and how to be different than the conquering force. Overall greatly enjoyed this book.
April 12, 2019
Well, I WROTE this, so... I'm probably not qualified to be leaving this review. Or over-qualified? I will just say this: Beggar's Rebellion is the book that taught me how to write (even though it was the third I'd written)--the book where it finally started to click. After some serious revisions and serious headaches. I think it's great now. It definitely didn't start that way.
But what do I know? More interested to read what you think.
But what do I know? More interested to read what you think.
June 26, 2019
I really enjoyed this. A pretty unique world and a rapid storytelling style made for an engrossing read. Looking forward to the next one.
March 30, 2020
I heard about Beggar's Rebellion as it became a finalist in this year's SPFBO (5th SPFBO) and I am glad I did. I read the 2nd and 3rd books after Beggar's Rebellion as this book gave the hints of even better tales to come. Those hints were well proved as I just finished the 3rd book and want to get my hands on the 4th.
Beggar's Rebellion tells us the tale of a street urchin, Tai and a well educated lady, Ella in a world where there is a dominant nation which subjugates other nations and slowly assimilates them, opressing the people of the other nations. Tai is from Achuri, which is the last of the conquests of Worldsmouth, where Ella comes from. Interestin events bring these two characters in the same plot line. Until here, it may seem similar to various different books, which is not a bad thing in itself. However, the thing that distincts this book from the other fantasy books is the voices at the people's heads, which may sound strange at first but this has a relation to the magic system that Mr. Jacobs created. I will not explain it in order not to give spoilers but this is revealed slowly as you read the book. The thing I really like about this aspect (other than its effects on the magic system) is that it provided a very fertile ground for Mr. Jacobs to get into very good discussions without diverting away from the story line. Some of those discussions were really deep and getting even more interesting as the book and in act the series progressed.
The character development was very good. I liked Tai from the start and Ella as I got to know her better. There are very interesting side characters as well. Mr. Jacobs managed to convey different personalities for each character and this can be felt as the story is told from different POVs.
The magic system is really interesting too and it gets more interesting in the 2nd and 3rd books, each book revealing different aspects of the magic system. People accessing different powers as they eat yura, which is a moss like substance, with an earthy taste, not much different than magic mushrooms I guess, the only difference being that yura gives the person real powers and not imaginary ones like magic mushrooms. The variety of those powers are limited and some of them are seen more commonly than the others, such as brawlers who have extra strength when they eat yura are more common as opposed to timeslips who can act very fast, who are very rare. These powers are weaved very well into the plot and there is no deus ex machina, which is a good thing. There is a limit to the power and some consequences.
I liked the book a lot which made me purchase the following books in the series and good thing I did because each next book in the series is even better than the first one. So I hope Mr. Jacobs keeps writing in addition to his main occupation (which I believe is growing fruit in Dakota).
Beggar's Rebellion tells us the tale of a street urchin, Tai and a well educated lady, Ella in a world where there is a dominant nation which subjugates other nations and slowly assimilates them, opressing the people of the other nations. Tai is from Achuri, which is the last of the conquests of Worldsmouth, where Ella comes from. Interestin events bring these two characters in the same plot line. Until here, it may seem similar to various different books, which is not a bad thing in itself. However, the thing that distincts this book from the other fantasy books is the voices at the people's heads, which may sound strange at first but this has a relation to the magic system that Mr. Jacobs created. I will not explain it in order not to give spoilers but this is revealed slowly as you read the book. The thing I really like about this aspect (other than its effects on the magic system) is that it provided a very fertile ground for Mr. Jacobs to get into very good discussions without diverting away from the story line. Some of those discussions were really deep and getting even more interesting as the book and in act the series progressed.
The character development was very good. I liked Tai from the start and Ella as I got to know her better. There are very interesting side characters as well. Mr. Jacobs managed to convey different personalities for each character and this can be felt as the story is told from different POVs.
The magic system is really interesting too and it gets more interesting in the 2nd and 3rd books, each book revealing different aspects of the magic system. People accessing different powers as they eat yura, which is a moss like substance, with an earthy taste, not much different than magic mushrooms I guess, the only difference being that yura gives the person real powers and not imaginary ones like magic mushrooms. The variety of those powers are limited and some of them are seen more commonly than the others, such as brawlers who have extra strength when they eat yura are more common as opposed to timeslips who can act very fast, who are very rare. These powers are weaved very well into the plot and there is no deus ex machina, which is a good thing. There is a limit to the power and some consequences.
I liked the book a lot which made me purchase the following books in the series and good thing I did because each next book in the series is even better than the first one. So I hope Mr. Jacobs keeps writing in addition to his main occupation (which I believe is growing fruit in Dakota).
August 11, 2020
2.5
Unfortunately, the idea was nice but I think it needed a little bit more work.
Things I liked:
●The concept of the story was nice. I like the idea of people having a voice to guide them but that also hold some secrets and powers.
●The writing was easy and simple despite the made-up slang. The slang was mostly use instead of cursing.
●Some of the themes of the story were very nice. Like the fact that our MC Tai wants to free his people of the Councilate operation but how to do this without becoming an oppressor themselves.
●Ella was a strong and intelligent character and I do want to see where her character will go.
Things I didn't like:
●Although overall the writing was good the story was a little slow more than 100 pages in and I still wasn't sure where the story was going and what the main plot will be.
●The story I felt was dialogue-heavy. I think the author tried to create natural feeling dialogues but that resulted in characters talking about stuff that we don't care and then repeating themselves over and over again. Speaking of which there is a lot of repetitions. Chapters many times started the same way with "He/She woke", Tau when 3 times to the healer to heal someone that was hurt and just drop them there and they were fine after that.
●Tai is an army on his own and borderline a Gary Sue. We constantly see him going against an army and he is always the was saving either innocent or his mate single-handed.
●The book makes a big deal about overcoming your voice and at this point, no one really knows how to do that and yet it turned out to be as simple as overdosing on some drug. Ok yes, some people die by doing this but still. You have characters that take the drug go off-screen and 2 minutes later they come back all-powerful and having overcome their voice. I wish the process was more complicated.
●Most of the characters are flat and not well developed.
●
Overall it was a nice read but I think it was missing a little bit of an omf (if that makes sense) and also maybe some more editing to avoid repetitions and cut down on the dialogues.
Unfortunately, the idea was nice but I think it needed a little bit more work.
Things I liked:
●The concept of the story was nice. I like the idea of people having a voice to guide them but that also hold some secrets and powers.
●The writing was easy and simple despite the made-up slang. The slang was mostly use instead of cursing.
●Some of the themes of the story were very nice. Like the fact that our MC Tai wants to free his people of the Councilate operation but how to do this without becoming an oppressor themselves.
●Ella was a strong and intelligent character and I do want to see where her character will go.
Things I didn't like:
●Although overall the writing was good the story was a little slow more than 100 pages in and I still wasn't sure where the story was going and what the main plot will be.
●The story I felt was dialogue-heavy. I think the author tried to create natural feeling dialogues but that resulted in characters talking about stuff that we don't care and then repeating themselves over and over again. Speaking of which there is a lot of repetitions. Chapters many times started the same way with "He/She woke", Tau when 3 times to the healer to heal someone that was hurt and just drop them there and they were fine after that.
●Tai is an army on his own and borderline a Gary Sue. We constantly see him going against an army and he is always the was saving either innocent or his mate single-handed.
●The book makes a big deal about overcoming your voice and at this point, no one really knows how to do that and yet it turned out to be as simple as overdosing on some drug. Ok yes, some people die by doing this but still. You have characters that take the drug go off-screen and 2 minutes later they come back all-powerful and having overcome their voice. I wish the process was more complicated.
●Most of the characters are flat and not well developed.
●
Overall it was a nice read but I think it was missing a little bit of an omf (if that makes sense) and also maybe some more editing to avoid repetitions and cut down on the dialogues.
February 14, 2020
Preface: I received a free copy of this novel in exchange for an honest review.
Actual rating: 4.5 stars
Explicit content: Torture, slavery, violence
Recommended for: Fans of the Mistborn series or other similar fantasy worlds
This was an enjoyable read! I thoroughly enjoyed my time with this book, to the point where reading it almost felt like I had to stake out time specifically to engage with it, vs reading while doing other things like I normally do. The world felt rich and engaging. The characters were all very likable. The conflict was interesting enough. Overall, it's just a very solid debut into a new fantasy series.
It reminds me a lot of Mistborn in some ways - the magic system is similar (in that the heroes ingest an item to use their powers, and there are several different sets of abilities, though there's no one character who has them all), and you really get the feeling of there being so much more to this world that isn't currently being explored. That might be my biggest "gripe" - this world is so interesting, and we only get small pieces of the lore in this novel! The little excerpts at the beginning of each chapter hint toward so much interesting stuff - lore about the moon, waystones, prophecies, etc - but it never comes up in the actual plot. Characters talk about the Prophet here and there, but I still have no idea what s/he actually did or who they fought. I want to know more!!
I'm super intrigued by the voices/spirit guides several characters have. Different characters seem to believe they're different things. Are they really the spirits of the dead? Are they demons? Are they some aspect of the person's own self? It's such an awesome idea, and I'm so curious to see where it goes.
Overall, this story was really engaging and enjoyable. I'd highly recommend it for fans of Mistborn or other fantasy readers who like that sort of world (minus all the ash and looming death and all that stuff, haha).
Actual rating: 4.5 stars
Explicit content: Torture, slavery, violence
Recommended for: Fans of the Mistborn series or other similar fantasy worlds
This was an enjoyable read! I thoroughly enjoyed my time with this book, to the point where reading it almost felt like I had to stake out time specifically to engage with it, vs reading while doing other things like I normally do. The world felt rich and engaging. The characters were all very likable. The conflict was interesting enough. Overall, it's just a very solid debut into a new fantasy series.
It reminds me a lot of Mistborn in some ways - the magic system is similar (in that the heroes ingest an item to use their powers, and there are several different sets of abilities, though there's no one character who has them all), and you really get the feeling of there being so much more to this world that isn't currently being explored. That might be my biggest "gripe" - this world is so interesting, and we only get small pieces of the lore in this novel! The little excerpts at the beginning of each chapter hint toward so much interesting stuff - lore about the moon, waystones, prophecies, etc - but it never comes up in the actual plot. Characters talk about the Prophet here and there, but I still have no idea what s/he actually did or who they fought. I want to know more!!
I'm super intrigued by the voices/spirit guides several characters have. Different characters seem to believe they're different things. Are they really the spirits of the dead? Are they demons? Are they some aspect of the person's own self? It's such an awesome idea, and I'm so curious to see where it goes.
Overall, this story was really engaging and enjoyable. I'd highly recommend it for fans of Mistborn or other fantasy readers who like that sort of world (minus all the ash and looming death and all that stuff, haha).
February 18, 2020
3.5/5 stars
This caught my eye when I saw it running the SPFBO circuit (well, it still is. Best of luck to the author!) All in all, I enjoyed it.
The main characters, Tai and Ellumia, were well done. Ella was my favorite, if I had to choose. Her character arc was interesting... she presented herself as someone she wasn't, gets caught, gallivants about trying to figure out what to do, and lands in the good graces of one of the most powerful people on the Council (the ruling body of this world). Her magic is unique. She's a timeslip, with the ability to slow time yet move about as normal, thus giving her a huge advantage in many different circumstances.
Tai is a wafter, and can use wind to fly (and do other cool things, too). Basically, this books is a mash-up of several different genres, but I'd probably label it superhero/epic fantasy.
The world-building was good, but I felt it could have used some pruning. The one thing that annoyed the *&%$ out of me was how often the characters cursed using weird substitutes like "meck". Yet there were many different variations, and they were used so often it had me gritting my teeth in annoyance. There were also curse words that were normal vernacular for our own world, so it wasn't consistent. I also had questions about the magic system - questions aren't bad, necessarily. The inner voices the "superheros" hear plays some part into the magic they use, but it's unclear how far-reaching this is. I'd imagine this will be expanded upon in future books.
The plot itself is a bit on the nose. Nothing really surprised me, but it moves along at a clipped pace and doesn't lag. The writing is consistent, and well-edited (despite the annoying cursing).
So, I did enjoy this. I'd recommend if for those who like fast-paced plots, endearing characters, not too much romance, and dual-POV's where one doesn't outshine the other. Oh, and superheroes! :-)
This caught my eye when I saw it running the SPFBO circuit (well, it still is. Best of luck to the author!) All in all, I enjoyed it.
The main characters, Tai and Ellumia, were well done. Ella was my favorite, if I had to choose. Her character arc was interesting... she presented herself as someone she wasn't, gets caught, gallivants about trying to figure out what to do, and lands in the good graces of one of the most powerful people on the Council (the ruling body of this world). Her magic is unique. She's a timeslip, with the ability to slow time yet move about as normal, thus giving her a huge advantage in many different circumstances.
Tai is a wafter, and can use wind to fly (and do other cool things, too). Basically, this books is a mash-up of several different genres, but I'd probably label it superhero/epic fantasy.
The world-building was good, but I felt it could have used some pruning. The one thing that annoyed the *&%$ out of me was how often the characters cursed using weird substitutes like "meck". Yet there were many different variations, and they were used so often it had me gritting my teeth in annoyance. There were also curse words that were normal vernacular for our own world, so it wasn't consistent. I also had questions about the magic system - questions aren't bad, necessarily. The inner voices the "superheros" hear plays some part into the magic they use, but it's unclear how far-reaching this is. I'd imagine this will be expanded upon in future books.
The plot itself is a bit on the nose. Nothing really surprised me, but it moves along at a clipped pace and doesn't lag. The writing is consistent, and well-edited (despite the annoying cursing).
So, I did enjoy this. I'd recommend if for those who like fast-paced plots, endearing characters, not too much romance, and dual-POV's where one doesn't outshine the other. Oh, and superheroes! :-)
July 29, 2019
This is the second book I’ve picked up from my group in the SPFBO5 competition, and I thoroughly enjoyed it. The judges definitely have their work cut out for them.
Because I’m a character reader, I’m always more interested in them than the world building. This book was no exception. First we have Tai, a former fighter for the rebellion turned street thug, kinda. He’s a good guy trying to do best for those he loves. He’s focused on his responsibilities to the kids under his care and it drives his decisions. His path is very clear, and it’s always nice to be presented with an undisputable good guy to root for. He has got some fun magic, pretty much boiling down to flying, and there are some fun details to the magic system.
Then we have Ella, a woman who escaped her abusive home and is pretty much under disguise. She was also a great character, good in her motives, best of intentions type, and one you rooted for even more than Tai. What I loved about her was she took care of herself. No one came to rescue her. She had to fight her way out of all her unfortunate situations, and I loved her resolve. She’s also got some cool magic. Basically she can slow time for everything around her except for herself. It made for some fun scenes.
Which brings me to the battles. With adding “brawlers”, a type of magic that enhanced physical strengths, and with the flying and slowing of time, the fight scenes were definitely enjoyable, if not a tad hard to follow a few times. And because I love me some fun magic, this did not disappoint.
As for the world, it was nicely developed. Those looking for world building should not be disappointed. Those, like me, that could take it or leave it shouldn’t be bogged down by it. I wasn’t. It read fast, and aside from some typos, the prose flowed smoothly.
Overall, a very enjoyable read!
Because I’m a character reader, I’m always more interested in them than the world building. This book was no exception. First we have Tai, a former fighter for the rebellion turned street thug, kinda. He’s a good guy trying to do best for those he loves. He’s focused on his responsibilities to the kids under his care and it drives his decisions. His path is very clear, and it’s always nice to be presented with an undisputable good guy to root for. He has got some fun magic, pretty much boiling down to flying, and there are some fun details to the magic system.
Then we have Ella, a woman who escaped her abusive home and is pretty much under disguise. She was also a great character, good in her motives, best of intentions type, and one you rooted for even more than Tai. What I loved about her was she took care of herself. No one came to rescue her. She had to fight her way out of all her unfortunate situations, and I loved her resolve. She’s also got some cool magic. Basically she can slow time for everything around her except for herself. It made for some fun scenes.
Which brings me to the battles. With adding “brawlers”, a type of magic that enhanced physical strengths, and with the flying and slowing of time, the fight scenes were definitely enjoyable, if not a tad hard to follow a few times. And because I love me some fun magic, this did not disappoint.
As for the world, it was nicely developed. Those looking for world building should not be disappointed. Those, like me, that could take it or leave it shouldn’t be bogged down by it. I wasn’t. It read fast, and aside from some typos, the prose flowed smoothly.
Overall, a very enjoyable read!
July 20, 2020
mmm I'm a little disappointed.
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