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A review by onthesamepage
The Malevolent Seven by Sebastien de Castell
adventurous
funny
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
ARC provided by the publisher through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
I honestly struggled a lot with this, and nobody is more surprised than me that it's still getting 3 stars, considering how close I was to a DNF at about 50% in. But something managed to spark my interest at that point, and even though I can't say that lasted very long, I guess I was entertained enough to finish it after all.
The synopsis gives you a good indication of the tone of the entire book. It's written in first person POV, but in a way that feels directed at the reader. I've come to the conclusion that I don't tend to enjoy this writing style, but this is very much personal preference and doesn't say anything about the quality of the writing itself, which was fine. I can't say that the synopsis is misleading, but I wasn't expecting certain parts of this to be dragged out as much as they were. As a result, most of the actual plot and action happens in the last 25%, and the entire book feels more like a setup for a series than a story that can stand on its own.
Our main character is Cade Ombra, and lest you be confused about what kind of person he is, he makes sure to remind you 438975398467 times that he's a bad guy, terrible, really, truly, the worst, the human equivalent of a trash bag. This book really goes for the "there are no good guys" angle, which I do enjoy on occasion, but I have to wonder why authors always head to specific themes to let us know someone is horrible. Out of the seven characters that end up forming this group of elite warriors, three of them were forced into prostitution before the start of the story (2 of them were underage, and 2 were also women). If there's one thing I wish (male) fantasy authors would stop including, it's this.
I did like the way magic works in this world, which is basically by pulling a different world's reality briefly into the current one to make use of their laws of nature. There were a couple of interesting plot twists, which is really the only reason I kept going. I don't know if this is meant to be a series or not, but if it is, I don't think it's one I'll be continuing.
I honestly struggled a lot with this, and nobody is more surprised than me that it's still getting 3 stars, considering how close I was to a DNF at about 50% in. But something managed to spark my interest at that point, and even though I can't say that lasted very long, I guess I was entertained enough to finish it after all.
The synopsis gives you a good indication of the tone of the entire book. It's written in first person POV, but in a way that feels directed at the reader. I've come to the conclusion that I don't tend to enjoy this writing style, but this is very much personal preference and doesn't say anything about the quality of the writing itself, which was fine. I can't say that the synopsis is misleading, but I wasn't expecting certain parts of this to be dragged out as much as they were. As a result, most of the actual plot and action happens in the last 25%, and the entire book feels more like a setup for a series than a story that can stand on its own.
Our main character is Cade Ombra, and lest you be confused about what kind of person he is, he makes sure to remind you 438975398467 times that he's a bad guy, terrible, really, truly, the worst, the human equivalent of a trash bag. This book really goes for the "there are no good guys" angle, which I do enjoy on occasion, but I have to wonder why authors always head to specific themes to let us know someone is horrible. Out of the seven characters that end up forming this group of elite warriors, three of them were forced into prostitution before the start of the story (2 of them were underage, and 2 were also women). If there's one thing I wish (male) fantasy authors would stop including, it's this.
I did like the way magic works in this world, which is basically by pulling a different world's reality briefly into the current one to make use of their laws of nature. There were a couple of interesting plot twists, which is really the only reason I kept going. I don't know if this is meant to be a series or not, but if it is, I don't think it's one I'll be continuing.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Animal cruelty