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A review by meadhbh
Lord of the Empty Isles by Jules Arbeaux
3.5
Five years ago, Remy's brother was murdered. Remy had watched him die under a withering, unable to do anything about it, and has carried that bitterness with him ever since. Now, finally, he's in a place to take his revenge and cast his own withering. But when he does so he, he discovers something horrifying - he is fatebound to his brother's killer.
The only way to slow down the curse is to get close to the man he's spent the last five years hating. But all is not as it seems, and Remy finds himself doubting everything he's held onto so tightly for so long. But the only way he knows of to stop a withering, is to kill the witherer...
I love an interesting, unusual, and well thought out magic system, and Lord of the Empty Isles most definitely has that. The idea of being bound by an invisible line to the people in your life, one that can only be seen by a weaver, and can only be manipulated by a witherer, is fascinating and unique.
I also found the plot and world building compelling. Remy's journeys across the various planets were fascinating, and we learned more about the world he lived in as he did. The pace was excellent, and I was really drawn in to the story.
My main criticism is the characters. I can't fully put my finger on why, but they all felt a bit too similar. I think that while their differences were told, it didn't feel like they were shown. The character voices all felt a bit samey. However, the book was still overall very enjoyable.
I was provided a free copy of this book by NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
The only way to slow down the curse is to get close to the man he's spent the last five years hating. But all is not as it seems, and Remy finds himself doubting everything he's held onto so tightly for so long. But the only way he knows of to stop a withering, is to kill the witherer...
I love an interesting, unusual, and well thought out magic system, and Lord of the Empty Isles most definitely has that. The idea of being bound by an invisible line to the people in your life, one that can only be seen by a weaver, and can only be manipulated by a witherer, is fascinating and unique.
I also found the plot and world building compelling. Remy's journeys across the various planets were fascinating, and we learned more about the world he lived in as he did. The pace was excellent, and I was really drawn in to the story.
My main criticism is the characters. I can't fully put my finger on why, but they all felt a bit too similar. I think that while their differences were told, it didn't feel like they were shown. The character voices all felt a bit samey. However, the book was still overall very enjoyable.
I was provided a free copy of this book by NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.