Member Review
Review by
Evelyne M, Reviewer
I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily. Thank you NetGalley.
The First of their Kind is a really solid book.
What I liked:
- The characters felt very much real and alive. Unlike many other books, the characters weren't 100% good or evil; no mustache-twirling villains or selfless heroes ready to save all the little guys. Everyone was a mixture of selflessness and selfishness; the Light Mage is a jerk, the assassin is driven by love, the torture expert is bubbly, the escort/spy is loyal, and the tiger-princess is weak. All the characters were motivated by their own goals, their motivations were easy to understand and made sense in relation to who they were.
- Ashe was a very relatable protagonist. Although I wish she would have wallowed in self-hate less, her internal monologue was rich and complex, and I found myself amazed at how human she felt. She was full of contradictions and insecurities, but also hope and love. The decisions she made and the actions she took were all aligned with her internal turmoil, which was very well done.
- King Byron was a good villain. He was not evil for the sake of being evil (which is boring); he was afraid and paranoid. These feelings fueled his intolerant policies about magic, the Great Hunt, and his spiraling down during the book. Through the book, he became more and more unhinged, unstable, isolated, and paranoid. And I thoroughly enjoyed reading this. King Byron is a formidable antagonist because he is both powerful and unpredictable.
- The world seemed rich in history, religion, and culture. I am looking forward to exploring more of it.
What I did not like:
- I don't think I needed 5 POVs. Ashe's and Eleanora's were essential because they are the main storylines for the trilogy (I am assuming), King Byron's was a nice addition because I like villains, but I found that Theo's point of view did not add anything to the story. And Myren's was even less necessary, happening only once.
- I felt like the love/romance portion of the book was its weakest point. I get that Ashe was always attracted to Theo, but he went from not trusting her to being in love with her without transition. I thought their feelings could have developed more gradually and spent less time in the "He obviously hates me, even though he gives me all the signs of being infatuated with me" phase.
- Eleanora's deprogramming and unlearning of her hate towards magic was too rapid. She spent the entirety of her life being taught that magic needed to be hated and eradicated, but she let go of her prejudice in less than a week by talking to a stranger. I found that hard to believe.
What I am neutral about:
- The plot was simple. Not necessarily a bad thing (especially when it is well executed), but nothing surprised me. It felt like a video game: you have your quest, gather allies, train your group, beat the minions, and then the boss, before being allowed into the next level of the game. Book #2 is going to be the next level, and book #3 is going to include the final boss. However, for this story I think it worked; it was character-driven, not plot-driven. Or maybe I enjoyed the characters more than I enjoyed the plot.
Overall, I find this was a very good book and I am looking forward to reading the next installment in the trilogy!
The First of their Kind is a really solid book.
What I liked:
- The characters felt very much real and alive. Unlike many other books, the characters weren't 100% good or evil; no mustache-twirling villains or selfless heroes ready to save all the little guys. Everyone was a mixture of selflessness and selfishness; the Light Mage is a jerk, the assassin is driven by love, the torture expert is bubbly, the escort/spy is loyal, and the tiger-princess is weak. All the characters were motivated by their own goals, their motivations were easy to understand and made sense in relation to who they were.
- Ashe was a very relatable protagonist. Although I wish she would have wallowed in self-hate less, her internal monologue was rich and complex, and I found myself amazed at how human she felt. She was full of contradictions and insecurities, but also hope and love. The decisions she made and the actions she took were all aligned with her internal turmoil, which was very well done.
- King Byron was a good villain. He was not evil for the sake of being evil (which is boring); he was afraid and paranoid. These feelings fueled his intolerant policies about magic, the Great Hunt, and his spiraling down during the book. Through the book, he became more and more unhinged, unstable, isolated, and paranoid. And I thoroughly enjoyed reading this. King Byron is a formidable antagonist because he is both powerful and unpredictable.
- The world seemed rich in history, religion, and culture. I am looking forward to exploring more of it.
What I did not like:
- I don't think I needed 5 POVs. Ashe's and Eleanora's were essential because they are the main storylines for the trilogy (I am assuming), King Byron's was a nice addition because I like villains, but I found that Theo's point of view did not add anything to the story. And Myren's was even less necessary, happening only once.
- I felt like the love/romance portion of the book was its weakest point. I get that Ashe was always attracted to Theo, but he went from not trusting her to being in love with her without transition. I thought their feelings could have developed more gradually and spent less time in the "He obviously hates me, even though he gives me all the signs of being infatuated with me" phase.
- Eleanora's deprogramming and unlearning of her hate towards magic was too rapid. She spent the entirety of her life being taught that magic needed to be hated and eradicated, but she let go of her prejudice in less than a week by talking to a stranger. I found that hard to believe.
What I am neutral about:
- The plot was simple. Not necessarily a bad thing (especially when it is well executed), but nothing surprised me. It felt like a video game: you have your quest, gather allies, train your group, beat the minions, and then the boss, before being allowed into the next level of the game. Book #2 is going to be the next level, and book #3 is going to include the final boss. However, for this story I think it worked; it was character-driven, not plot-driven. Or maybe I enjoyed the characters more than I enjoyed the plot.
Overall, I find this was a very good book and I am looking forward to reading the next installment in the trilogy!
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