It's a pity. I think this had real potential. The world is interesting, and the characters could have been engaging. I just think it lacked depth. I feel I could almost have been invested, but the events were told as if moving chess pieces on a board, setting things up to get through the storyline, instead of immersing you in it and making you care. And I really think it was close. It was nearly great. ( )

This is the kind of book where I can see the issues—slightly slow, wobbly start; the pacing in the mid-section could do with tightening—but I also don't care that much about them very much. Reading The Unspoken Name felt like a ride in a rollercoaster where you're winched along very gradually and slowly and you think eh, this is maybe not going to be that—and then ohhhhhhh shiiiiiit you're flipped over the edge of a very long drop and then the next thing you register is the end of the ride and your hair's a mess and you're grinning.

This metaphor has gotten away from me.

Anyway, what I'm trying to say is: if you dig queer coming-of-age-stories, an Emperor's Hand-esque figure working out their own self-worth, creepy Ancient Gods and their weird-ass death cults, Fun With Tropes, and young women rejecting a world that wants to treat them as disposable, give this a whirl! I hope you will enjoy it as much as I did. ( )

The positives on this book is that there's great storytelling, new world and interesting ways to travel. The downside is I feel that the story jumped around entirely too much and fast-forwarded way too quickly. I feel the last 30 pages was a slide into home plate on its face. When I read the last few chapters I was very disappointed at how quickly everything unraveled ( )

Really good. Draws you in. ( )

Honestly I’m seriously frustrated with this one. I want to power through anyways but ultimately had to be it on my DNF. I got a 1/3 of the way through the book with one point of view… now at nearly at the 1/2 mark there is a suddenly more point of view changes that starting characters. -_- The world is massive and there is so much detail that we just aren’t getting. Terms are thrown around and used liberally…. But are never explained. It’s like reading a book that hasn’t been translated thoroughly enough. I would have had no idea this was basically orcs vs elves, with a side of humans, if I hadn’t gone and looked it up or already partially knew from the synopsis. Magic and travel and the world hopping isn’t explained. Characters are brought in and are automatically treated as import without any build up or explanations of who they are or what there role or status is. It’s just glazed over and I find that distracting. Not to mention the blatant manipulation by the big bad, and how he treated everyone, that I knew I didn’t have it in me to make to you the end of the book. The overall plot is adult…. The character driven plot id middle school at best. The whole telling is just dry and sad. It completely tanked my interest and at 54% I’m stopping going further because I don’t have it in me to listen to another 8 1/2 hrs. ( )