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A review by pagesplotsandpints
Voice of War by Zack Argyle
3.5
Read Completed 11/8/24 | 3.5 stars, but I'll round up because of the ending
I found this book recommended on a TikTok video for fans of Brandon Sanderson and it definitely fits that vibe! It's like Mistborn meets Stormlight Archives, and of course with its own original flair.
I was happy to be interested in the book right off the bat, curious about the magic system and the rules of this world. Throughout the book, I really could have done with more world-building. Maybe this is meant to be more accessible to those who don't want a ton of heavy world-building, so if you've tried a Sanderson book and were overwhelmed by it, this could be a good choice! Personally, I feel like I didn't get to know enough about the Threadlight and how it works. I figured out the basics as the book went along and I appreciated that we didn't have some boring dialogue spoon-feeding it to us, but I really wanted to know more about the amber and obsidian, as well as some of the history and tradition of the magic system. I just really wanted more of a deep dive to really pull me in!
I did like the characters, and there is a decent sized cast here but it wasn't overwhelming. There are a few different POVs and one doesn't really come in until maybe mid-way through the book, and I really would have liked to see his POV a little earlier on so we could see that he was important. The characters were good, but again, I really could have used a little more depth -- some more backstory, some more personality. I just wanted a little more from everything in this book.
The ending was very interesting and really ramped things up! Up until then, I wasn't really planning on reading the second book because I just wasn't quite invested enough. That ending has me curious though, and I'm tempted to continue on to see how things escalate. This took me much longer than usual to get though even though it's not terribly long, so I'm not sure I'll jump in right away. We'll see if this pulls me back in.
I found this book recommended on a TikTok video for fans of Brandon Sanderson and it definitely fits that vibe! It's like Mistborn meets Stormlight Archives, and of course with its own original flair.
I was happy to be interested in the book right off the bat, curious about the magic system and the rules of this world. Throughout the book, I really could have done with more world-building. Maybe this is meant to be more accessible to those who don't want a ton of heavy world-building, so if you've tried a Sanderson book and were overwhelmed by it, this could be a good choice! Personally, I feel like I didn't get to know enough about the Threadlight and how it works. I figured out the basics as the book went along and I appreciated that we didn't have some boring dialogue spoon-feeding it to us, but I really wanted to know more about the amber and obsidian, as well as some of the history and tradition of the magic system. I just really wanted more of a deep dive to really pull me in!
I did like the characters, and there is a decent sized cast here but it wasn't overwhelming. There are a few different POVs and one doesn't really come in until maybe mid-way through the book, and I really would have liked to see his POV a little earlier on so we could see that he was important. The characters were good, but again, I really could have used a little more depth -- some more backstory, some more personality. I just wanted a little more from everything in this book.
The ending was very interesting and really ramped things up! Up until then, I wasn't really planning on reading the second book because I just wasn't quite invested enough. That ending has me curious though, and I'm tempted to continue on to see how things escalate. This took me much longer than usual to get though even though it's not terribly long, so I'm not sure I'll jump in right away. We'll see if this pulls me back in.