2.5 stars so I’m rounding up here.

Let’s dive into this because I have some thoughts. I’m a huge fan of fantasy world building, made up worlds, maps, crazy magic etc. This book had it all but somehow it was just … nope.

Firstly, I’m okay with a story using terminology that is made up to bolster the story. Lands, titles, types of magic and all that good stuff. Because within the first couple of chapters it’s explained and gently reminded of its definitions throughout the story since it can get confusing. This book throws everything at you and just expects you to understand everything. Not everything needs a name. Literally every River, bridge, rock, statue, land within lands within lands that are mentioned ONCE have a name and title. People who are not pertinent to the story are described down to the color of their buttons. And then we’re swirled into the next throwaway character and their hairdo. This book sorely needed a glossary. The map is not helpful and I wasn’t about to reference it every chapter to follow a bend in a river.

This brings me to my next point; land and world building. Just because you describe the scenery to an excruciating bland detail doesn’t create a world if the reader doesn’t follow. This book could have easily been 300ish pages. Describing boats and crevices in shores and more boats and more landmarks in the type of detail that is somehow over described yet doesn’t paint a picture of the world. I had no idea what even this place looked like besides there’s a sand place, a place with glens and a place with stinky armpit smelling ports. I love immersive story telling and descriptors but this wasn’t it. I’m sorry!

The backbone of this story, the main meat and cheese wasn’t focused on and it truly made me sad. The idea was there, new and fresh and ripe for the taking. Instead I got descriptions of how hot the sand was about 40 times. I wanted battles and character development because the rag tag saviors were there. But again, it was skipped over. It took me forever to read this because the majority of the book is boring as hell. However there is some exquisite writing hidden among the massive paragraphs about moss
and rocks or whatever…

Sadly, I think this is the authors style of writing and it doesn’t suit me and I won’t be continuing on with the series. I’m pretty bummed because I wanted to truly love this but lots of words does not equal world building. ( )

i’m going to give victoria aveyard the benefit of the doubt that red queen was just a cliche first book series with a chosen one mary sue main character and she can write better things. please be able to write better than red queen.

update: “So when a mysterious immortal and deadly assassin appear on Corayne's doorstep telling her she is the last member of a dying bloodline, and the only one who can save the world, Corayne seizes the chance to have her own adventure.”

victoria no please don’t do this to me i can’t take it anymore-

The writing was good. And I enjoyed while I read. But I wasn’t driven to continue reading. I wasn’t invested. It took forever to finish because I kept turning to other books I was more interested in. Definitely see why others love it, but just wasn’t for me. ( )

To break a world, all you need is blood and blade. The right blood and blade, that is. They will open the way to other realms -- and close it, as well.

Honestly, this book was like pulling teeth for me. There was not inherently wrong with it - the writing was solid, there was a decent plot throughout - but I had to force myself to keep reading. It may simply be a case of wrong reader for the book. No biggie. ( )

I'm not liking the map. Paperback edition's map is not that clear and some texts are just too hard to read. Other than that, the story is not that bad. ( )