I'm not usually a fan of fantasy involving guns, and neither of overly military focused ones. I saw the cover of However Many Must Die though, and I sI'm not usually a fan of fantasy involving guns, and neither of overly military focused ones. I saw the cover of However Many Must Die though, and I simply knew I needed to read it.
Luckily enough I got an ARC, and ploughed through it in just two days!
The cover already tells you this is a dark, gritty and challenging read, so expect this when you go in.
This wasn’t much fun anymore. Of course, no one ever said that it was supposed to be fun – though the hawkers and posters back home heavily implied it. They used words like glory and honour and superlatives about reaching your full potential, and between the lines you knew they were really telling you that war was exciting.
What really impressed me was how realistic the sheer horror, but also the comradery and the humourous moments are written. All my grandparents went through wars, and we talked a lot about it. This fit their descriptions and stories so very well! Especially how differently soldiers handle varying situations. There's a bit of sapphic romance in here, bit it's definitely not a main focus of the book, just one of the dozens of sides of the main character.
Wild Wish was trying to count the positives of this day, though. Most of them had survived. They’d won the battle. And she’d found a comfortable mound of broken earth to rest on and reflect, while everyone else was busy. But there were dead men as far as she could see. Or at least bits of them.
This last one hit home for example as my grandpa kept telling the story of being the one sleeping on a hard boulder and the others making fun of him at first, until it rained really hard that night and their beds turned into ice cold mud baths. There's plenty of such little things throughout the story that just gave it so much more depth.
I freaking bloody loved the team of Blood Scouts being women, and how there definitely are undertones of the struggle to be taken seriously as a women in the world, but this squad is an elite one on their own, and so they get to shine, with no men around telling them they can't do something. The whole topic of misogyny and proving themselves when given the change due to plain necessity was well handled, and neither overtook the story, nor was handled too lightly.
Having POVs on both sides of the war allowed even more depth to the world and managed to show cultural differences. There's definitely a good and a bad side here, so you know who to root for, but even the POV villain was relatable enough to care about her.
The world itself was also fascinating, with all sorts of creatures, monsters, different sentient species, magic, some sort of technology and plenty of regions to explore. It all feels smooth and like you can walk right into this world.
Why only four stars? I had to backtrack quite a bit, especially in the first half of the book. I can't say why exactly, but I simply started to drift off every so often and had no idea what happened in the last bit I read. I do think this is partly due to, as I said in the beginning, it not really being my usual cup of tea, and just needing to get a feel for the characters first. This definitely hampered my enjoyment a bit, if not overly much, especially as I got myself firmly planted inside the story for the second half....more
The setting feels mostly like an medievalish city, but every now and then there's a little bit of modern thinThis was weird - but in an addictive way!
The setting feels mostly like an medievalish city, but every now and then there's a little bit of modern things like guns or photographs. I kept forgetting those as most of the story was knives, guts and politics, but the reminders never actually annoyed me, but rather made it feel yet a little bit more unique.
The main character is... Different... He has a talent to go about unseen. He's an ex soldier, and he kills for a living. He does have a conscience though, and only kills scum. He definitely suffers from mental health problems, but somehow manages to just keep going. At times he sounds a bit slow. Not stupid, no, just in his own world. I absolutely enjoyed his company! I can't remember any similar lead character in any book, and I loved how unique and different he was! There's more to him than that, but that would be spoilery...
All the characters here are some sort of shady or outcasts. Be it killer for hire, gang boss, whore, murderer, or even the man who just makes bodies disappear. There still are those with morals, and those without. They aren't all bad, they are a product of the grim world they live in. Then there's bad guys working for something good, and it's a constant readjustment in your mind about who you root for. And I love that!
The story is twisty and about politics, but easy to follow nevertheless. It was a quick read that I just couldn't put down! For such a short book there's quite a cast, and a lot of backgrounds, but it all fit in smoothly and never felt info dumpy or "too much".
This is a grim and bloody one. Plenty of guts and sinew all around. I got "Jack the Ripper" vibes at times. Do not read that if you don't like gore or being in the head of definite antiheroes, at least part of the story.
If you like grey characters, and seeing the slow change in people, then this is brilliant!...more
I really like Ben, so this was a story almost written for me... Ben just can't stand injustice, and goes on a nice little killing spree - and I was botI really like Ben, so this was a story almost written for me... Ben just can't stand injustice, and goes on a nice little killing spree - and I was both entertained, shocked, put through all sorts of emotions and happy to spend more time with him!...more
This is a weird, and therefore really interesting mix of what feels like steampunk and fantasy! There are mechanics who build all kinds of machines, inThis is a weird, and therefore really interesting mix of what feels like steampunk and fantasy! There are mechanics who build all kinds of machines, including rifles, and there are mages who believe the whole world is an illusion they can shape (that is how they do magic). Both guilds believe the other one is just doing "tricks" and not actually really able of doing what they claim. Then there are the poor commoners, who are worthless to either of the powerful guilds.
The story is about the youngest ever mage and master mechanic, who should hate each other, but fate throws them a curve ball, so they need to stick together for a while. The friction between the guilds and therefore the main characters was really interesting to follow! I quite liked them both.
This story felt YA to me, and I'd recommend it for ages 13+ or adult readers who want something light and entertaining. I found the developing love story (mostly only thoughts, so not too much of the plot) a bit boring and would have liked it better if it stayed a platonic friendship.
This is only the starting point for a bigger series, so we'll see the two main characters again in later books. I for one had a lot of fun, and think I will continue with the series someday!...more
This little story was truly an amazing read! Often short stories feel a bit lacking to me, as you don't have a lot of page time for worldbuilding - anThis little story was truly an amazing read! Often short stories feel a bit lacking to me, as you don't have a lot of page time for worldbuilding - and I really need some setting to truly get grounded into a story. This one somehow managed to get a lot across, without ever feeling boring or like an infodump. It has a really good little twist and the perfect ending.
Oh and did I mention there are dragons? There are dragons!
I hit this as a free ARC from the author, in exchange for a honest review - and I am glad to recommend it!...more
This one started of quite fun! I really enjoyed the beginning, even if the prose needs some getting used to. It is a really weird mix of all sorts of This one started of quite fun! I really enjoyed the beginning, even if the prose needs some getting used to. It is a really weird mix of all sorts of things (fantasy, western, magic, scifi, drones, dragons, mystrals, ...) that somehow managed to work for me!
Why only two stars then? The end was an utter and total let down. All the book built up to finding and fighting that one dragon! And that battle just underwhelmed me completely. It also managed to up the weird to a point where I could only roll my eyes. Some characters who were important before are just discarded with a side sentence... This ending really killed the whole book for me....more
I can't believe that's the end... I'm gonna miss Lawrence and Temeraire!
I did really enjoy the story, but the end did feel a bit rushed. At first it fI can't believe that's the end... I'm gonna miss Lawrence and Temeraire!
I did really enjoy the story, but the end did feel a bit rushed. At first it felt like the was so much left open, and then just like a flick of the fingers it's all over and there's some "what happened after". I wish there'd been some more depth to the last pages as it is the final book in the series.
Also this one has the first written out sex scene. I did like the series for NOT having romance or sex. (besides some implied scenes). And it had me wondering... As he is a bit "fast" and then apologising for being like a schoolboy (and making up for it with his hands... ) - where might he have gained his experiences, as he wouldn't endanger a ladies reputation, hates it when a rich guy tried to seduce a farm girl, and he is against the use of whores... *hm* I really could have passed on that thoughts. ;)
All in all still a really entertaining read, and while not all I hoped for in the finale it was definitely fun to read!...more
This was one of the better ones of the series! Something actually completely unexpected happens and shakes up the trodden path a bit! We get to see eveThis was one of the better ones of the series! Something actually completely unexpected happens and shakes up the trodden path a bit! We get to see even more new cultures, and it feels a bit deeper again than just flying all over Australia... I can't believe it was the second to last, I miss them all already, even though I still have book 9 left......more
Another one with not much plot progression. I still love the series for its worldbuilding and characters, and have already started the next one. :) As Another one with not much plot progression. I still love the series for its worldbuilding and characters, and have already started the next one. :) As this is the 7th in the series, I can't say much more, without repeating myself.......more
As you might notice, I quickly got addicted to this series! Just finished book 5 - and especially enjoyed this one! Not 80% of travel again, but real As you might notice, I quickly got addicted to this series! Just finished book 5 - and especially enjoyed this one! Not 80% of travel again, but real progress for both of our main characters and crews - if the progress might not be for the good, it is another thing completely... It really was a step up again from the last two books, and I bought book 6-9 right away too now....more
Another one that doesn't have a lot of plot progression - but a new dragon, lots of sea serpents, favorite characters and a new country to explore - tAnother one that doesn't have a lot of plot progression - but a new dragon, lots of sea serpents, favorite characters and a new country to explore - this time Australia! I devoured it within a matter of days again, and was very well entertained once more! I really love Lawrence and Temeraire by now, and don't even want to think about having read them all soon... If you liked the other books so far, you definitely want to continue on. :)...more
This one was once again a fast, entertaining, thrilling and action packed ride!
There are some recurring characters, as we start off with Vlora and OleThis one was once again a fast, entertaining, thrilling and action packed ride!
There are some recurring characters, as we start off with Vlora and Olem we feel right at home. We also get some all new characters, as it takes place years after the Powder Mage series. And they once again were amazing! Ben Styke who we met in one of the novellas is a main character - and I absolutely love him! Others are good, bad and in between - just like I want my characters to be.
There are as expected sume unexpected twists. Some minor, some having the chin drop to the ground ones too.
This time we spend in Fatrasta, so we see more of the different cultures and power struggles there. I loved getting to explore even more of the world!
The ending left me hungering for more - so I'll happily read the next instalment the moment it is out. :)
All in all I really enjoyed it. It was on par with "promise of blood" for me, but I did love the second and third books in the Powder Mage trilogy a bit more. MAybe with this series they also will progress for me too - loving each new book just a tad before than the one before!...more
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