Final Rating:
Date of Completion: 23/12/2021
Cover:
A lovely design with firm ties to the previous one in this series. Whilst it does not give away much about the story, the character illustration taking up most of the cover cleverly hints at the character-driven storyline.
Writing:
Intisar Khanani’s writing is vivid and easy to follow, but it lacks the enchanting and tranquil quality I loved in the preceding book. Then again, I understand that it is hard to tackle a topic as serious as human trafficking in an enchanting manner.
People do not destroy others for no reason at all
Storyline:
In the style of most fantasy books, the storyline begins with an introduction to the world, quest and main characters. The problem is that a long time is spent establishing this foundation, and I could not help but lose interest in the slow start.
Even as things seemed to pick up with the presence of crime lords and court intrigue, the storyline suffered from a lack of urgency and tension. This was not helped by how difficult the overarching quest seemed. With only a few initial leads and the main character doing very little to advance the quest herself, I fell further into a state of boredom and indifference. Even the final twists and reveals lacked impact as I simply wanted to finish the book.
Main character:
Rae is a character that is painfully realistic and complex. She is bold, clever, and a force to be reckoned with. Yet, her country upbringing and clubfoot spark a lot of bitterness and insecurities as she transitions to the royal court. I loved that Intisar did not shy away from depicting Rae’s disability and thought that she explored this well. My only issue with Rae’s character is that she slaps another character in response to what he says. I am a firm believer in using words to fight words and not physical violence. Fortunately, Intisar went on to explore this act in a manner I liked for the most part.
Secondary characters:
All the secondary characters in this story fade to the background in light of the strong focus on Rae and her journey. None made a lasting impression on me, and I struggled to remember most of them. I did, however, enjoy having some of the characters from the previous book in this story, although I felt that their subplots are partly responsible for the slow pace of the storyline.
Romance:
The subtle romance that runs beneath the surface of the story develops slowly and realistically. These initial sparks were easy to spot but tragically fizzled out to leave glowing embers.
Life is always better after you’ve eaten a biscuit.
In the end, the slow-paced storyline of ‘The theft of Sunlight‘ failed to keep me invested and engaged. While I liked the writing and the characters, these were still painfully average as nothing really stood out to me.
Do you agree or disagree with anything mentioned above? Let us know in the comments below.
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[…] Similar read: The Theft of Sunlight by Intisar Khanani […]
[…] In the end, there are several things I liked and disliked in ‘Bloodmarked’. The captivating world and themes? I liked. The drawn-out storyline? I disliked. The romance? I disliked, then liked. Even so, I did enjoy this story and thought it was a good read. Those who liked this should also check out The Theft of Sunlight by Intisar Khanani. […]
[…] Overall, my enjoyment of this story likely comes from how much I loved the previous instalments of this series. I am, however, starting to feel like I am outgrowing this series as this story seemed too simple and predictable. A similar book I would recommend is The Theft of Sunlight by Intisar Khanani. […]