Prelim Review: Wasn't sure what I was to expect going into the book. I picked this up on a whim because I liked the cover....and its orbit so that's always a plus in my book.

With a definite asian influence, The Drowning City, was fast-paced, intriguing and just a little bit creepifying. I don't care how you dress it up, when the main character wishes a victim's eyes had not just turned to melting gray-goo it makes you shudder.

Full review to be posted at Poisoned Rationality ( )

Ágætis YA bók. Söguþráðurinn nokkuð hreinn og beinn en plottið þétt og fín spenna. ( )

We gave this one about 60 pages. The writing wasn't bad at all, but the characters didn't seem to have any personality. I really like some of the names and the plot seemed interesting, but I just found myself not caring what happened (and my wife agreed).

NEXT! ( )

This is the debut novel by author Amanda Downum and also the first in a fantasy trilogy. It does however work as a standalone with a satisfying conclusion to the story. Perhaps the strongest aspect of this book and what really makes it stand out from the crowd is the lush, tropical south-east asian inspired setting. The world building is excellent - the city of Symir growing restless under the yoke of a foreign empire - as well as the larger world and the political rivalries between empires and kingdoms are well realized. So is the role of magic in the world which relies heavily on the use of charms, gems and the binding of spirits and ghosts - it is both unusual and memorable The flora and fauna and geography of Symir and its surrounding jungles and swamps are all vividly described and add to the dense, cloying, riotous atmosphere of the story. All of it adds up to give the world great depth in which the story can unfold.

The characters too are memorable. The main protagonist is a young necromancer and spy, Isylt Iskuldur who has been sent to Symir with arms and money to see if she can stir the brewing discontent in to open revolt in the hopes of disrupting Symir's crucial trade in gemstones (which are important components in the working of magic), thereby distracting the Emperor of the Assari Empire away from plans of Imperial expansion in the north. However Symir's rebels are themselves divided in to factions, some of whom see any foreigners, even those who come bearing gifts, as a threat to be eliminated. To make matters more complicated, elements of the Imperial government also seem to be working to cross purposes and Isylt has to navigate the murky waters of internecine conflict while the lines between who is ally and enemy get increasingly blurred.

My description may make the whole thing sound like an incredibly convoluted thrill-a-minute ride but in fact the story unfolds in a stately manner. The author takes her time in introducing characters and letting plots and subplots unfold. If there is a criticism to be made it is that at time Isylt seems somewhat passive (not in her actions but in her decision-making) and her motivations not always entirely clear. At different times it is other characters who are much more the author of events and Isylt seems to be content to go along with things which one might expect she would balk from given her mission. The secondary characters are also interesting and well-realized - in some cases perhaps more well realized than Isylt.

Despite this criticism, all in all this was a satisfying and entertaining read. The world-building once again stands out and as soon as I was finished I picked up the sequel, not because the story was left unfinished (as mentioned earlier the story comes to a satisfying conclusion) but because the world and the characters were so intriguing that I wanted to spend more time with them. ( )

I am cleaning up my currently reading list. I haven't touched this book in ages. That is probably a good indicator that I didn't like it to much.

I will say this:

1) The book has good world building.

2) Well thought out magic system.

But:

1) Also uninteresting characters.

2) A story that just doesn't grip you.

I give this book 3 stars. On the good reads scale I would still like this book, I think it's a bit of a wacky scale. ( )