Okay, this is a big package. First, world. Stunning, mysterious, and intriguing as all hell. It feels very grounded in reality, pleasantly surprisingly. Very soft magic so far, but with just enough rules to make it feel hard and sturdy.

The complaints I’ve seen are usually about the MC, or sometimes the pacing, and I don’t really agree but I can understand it.

As for the MC, I’ve seen people complain about the main character’s lack of, well, character, but honestly they seem pretty character-ey to me. It’s actually pretty similar to how I handle emotions, burying them under the surface but they’re still subtly there. Or atleast, that’s the impression that I have. Like, for example,

Spoiler

it doesn’t show her breaking down over her dad per say, but I can clearly tell she cares and loves him a lot. Same with the town, you can tell it’s depressing, but she doesn’t shut down over it and just keeps going in order to keep up with the next challenge that awaits her

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For non spoiler version, she feels emotions but doesn’t let them distract her or shut/break her down and gets up to fight another day against the next challenge that awaits her (I’d say to a borderline unhealthy amount). She doesn’t have the time or leverage to let her emotions out either, and usually by the time she does have room, the threat is already long gone, and there are other things you can do, so why bother? Or at least, that’s how I’d think.

Next, pacing/plot. I’ll be honest, I don’t know much about this, but the complaints I’ve seen said the events and plot is all over the place. Subjectively I’d say it adds to the chaotic feeling of the beginning, but that might just be a cop out excuse because I’m not a good enough critic to properly give my point.

It’s fast paced, and in the beginning large events keep happening out of MC’s control, but the way she fights to use whatever little control she has, and the little victories she earns for herself, keeps it from feeling like everything is crashing down for no reason and the MC’s actions don’t matter. Honestly I love the fast pacing, and it really matches the setting and events that are taking place, making you really feel like it’s happening.

I can mix this in with the world building and say, thank god no beggining info dumps, because there is a lot of info to dump, that’s for sure, but it’s integrated naturally and satisfyingly into the story and really makes you feel like you’re discovering this world.

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