1.5 / 5
I was disappointed in this book. At times, it had approached mediocrity, and may have worked as a quick escape read, but it fell short of this mark.
It takes place in a fantasy world that we are told little about, other then the fact that there are two guilds. These two guilds, the Mages and the Mechanics hate each other. These two noble houses, alike in dignity, are constantly at odds with each other. No problem, I can dig that. The author seems to lay it on a bit thick however.
My problem is with the stories inability to suspend my disbelief. The Mages and Mechanics end up in contact with each other, but have no idea of the capabilities of their opponents. Even basic abilities. They definitely fail the Sun Tzu test of knowing your opponent, and it is to the point of absurdity. It is almost as if when ever a Mage was confronted with a mechanical device, or a Mechanic witnesses a spell, they closed their eyes, plugged their ears, and sang out ‘La La La, I am not listening.’ with all the skill a 10 year old can put into it.
The plot seems weak, and I could just not develop interest in it. The action sequences we entertaining, and one of the better parts of the story. At these times, I felt this book could have had 3 stars.
The love story. It is a literary truth that you can not have 2 opposing factions with out a pair of star-crossed lovers. This story has them, and this would have been fine, if not for the fact the the characters were very two dimensional. I could not develop a relationship with these characters, so I did not care if they had a relationship either.
This book was first released as an Audible title, and I would not recommend anyone using a credit on it. I received my copy as an ebook from Netgalley in exchange for a review, and I can say I am glad I did not purchase it. I have had a friend recommend The Lost Fleet to me by Jack Campbell, and I may read it. He may be better at Military SciFi then Fantasy, but I will be entering into it with trepidation.
