Reviews and Comments

Will ich schon länger lesen, seit ich es bei Otherland gesehen habe. Die Bibliothek hatte es dann plötzlich, aber nur den 2. Teil. Es funktioniert aber trotzdem.

I think I've started too many books at once so putting this on the back burner until later this month.

Wollte ich schon seit Ewigkeiten lesen. Endlich ist es soweit!

Sehr beeindruckend #2025reads

Nice little noir-style story set in an intriguing, complex urban fantasy world. The scope of the story and the richness of the setting would have merited a bit more length. I'm looking forward to the other stories set in this world (my book club will read "Master of Djinn" later this year).

Captivating #2025reads

Locker geschrieben, hat mich sehr angesprochen. #2025reads

Packend und bewegend. Zeigt eindrücklich, dass ein Genozid nicht so einfach vorbei und dann alles gut ist. #2025reads

I loved it. I enjoyed the general setting - a quiet seaside town in a fantasy world - a lot. The characters are great, too. They have their outlooks and motivations and their little quirks and it's all presented in a well-paced manner that doesn't feel forced. I loved how this is also a book about books and bookshops. The excerpts of the books from this world were fantastic and were woven well into the overall story. That story was also really nice and captivating. I adored the cozyness and how accepting everyone was. An early highlight of the year for me! The audiobook is narrated by the author who does a great job with it.

The first book in the duology, "What the River Knows" had its flaws but was captivating and entertaining overall. It ended on a cliffhanger and so I was waiting quite impatiently for the sequel and read it almost as soon as it became available at my library. Unfortunately, it disappointed. It is quite a page turner as it lives off the many twists in the story. But those twists sometimes come off as rather constructed for the sake of the plot and are sometimes downright absurd. The latter does have some entertainment value of its own, I admit, but is not why I picked up the book. Some of the aspects I liked about the first book (e.g. the excavation, Inez's exploration) aren't present in the second. And on top of that, Whit, the other main protagonist, comes off as a horrible person everyone should stay away from.

Noch bis 13. März in der ARD-Audiothek: www.ardaudiothek.de/sendung/paula-irmschler-alles-immer-wegen-damals/13698687/

Mir gefällt es bisher sehr gut.

The big draw of this book (to me, anyway) is the world-building which is rather unique. The story is based on a Chinese folktale but unlike other fantasy books rooted in Chinese falktales and mythology this one is set in the heavens, i.e. various immortal realms, and among Immortals. At times that made it hard for me to imagine how travelling between the realms really worked and the action set piece towards the end a bit confusing but other than that, I found it intriguing. The main characters are well-rounded and believable and I liked Xingyin's path in the Celestial Kingdom and the slower pace of that part. The writing style and the pacing are also a bit different from other fantasy books. I liked the realistic and bitter-sweet ending. Though it's part 1 of a duology it's a self-contained story. If you're into world-building, it's worth checking out.

I really liked the setting even though it's a little ridiculous. But as a sci-fi take on a fairytale world it works really well. There's even an evil queen and a sort of enchanting "magic" which in this world isn't magic. Even though I saw the big reveal coming from very early on in the book it was still very captivating. It ends with a cliffhanger. There are some elements where I'm not sure if they'll be addressed well over the course of the series. I definetely want to read the next one, though.

The second book club book of the year. Intriguing beginning.

Well, that sure escalated quickly... #2025reads