Tell me if you've heard of prince of nothing otherwise you have to check it out. It's very grimdark, and especially the later books get very lovecraftian. I think you'll like it.
I’m so glad you got to Malice. To me they only get better and better. His follow up series is terrific as well. It’s definitely ok to take things already done and just do them really well. I love his books
John Gwynne is amazing at building for 90% of the book, then the massive release of everything going to shit and things go wrong in the last 10%. It’s a great feeling. However, I feel the sequel are weaker in characters, mainly because they don’t change over the course of the series. Bleda is still quiet and contemplative, Riv is still hotheaded and rash, and Drem is still, well, Drem. The combat and plot are still superb, but the characters are much less developed imo
FINALLY!!! John Gwynne is one of my favorite Authors. He is an automatic buy. He also does a lot of reenacting and weapon collecting. He is very involved with understanding the weapons and strategies he chooses to use.
We judge the pacing of all other media, but when it comes to fantasy books it seems us readers are expected to just deal with 10, 20, 100 pages that could have been cut because we've been taught that epic fantasy is supposed to challenge the reader. I think this status quo is actively harming the genre and I'm always really excited to hear of a book that's clearly been edited down for good pacing.
Honestly i don't think it's because they think it's challenging, i think it's just they don't want to get rid of these things they feel are unique to their Stories, even if they don't add anything.
@@gavasiarobinssson5108 It's not about different styles, this is about fantasy books tending to be unnecessarily long when it could have been cut down to a much lower page count.
@@gavasiarobinssson5108: You can think of it as an act of self gratification on the part of the author. Droning on and on and on and on and on and o--- Think of the editor as a surgeon cutting necrotic flesh to prevent sepsis setting into the patient. So to does the editor expertly slice extraneous passages from the text to let the greater whole survive. At the end of Elantris, Brandon Sanderson talks about cutting a rando that was introduced too late into the book that would have muddied the whole if it were to be kept. The others talk about having an editor that wasn't as merciless as he/she should have been, or a publisher that required a higher word count than the author could fulfill without it feeling like an utter slog. So, it's not about style. It's doing the job. ... And no one wants to see the author masturbating on the page.
Yeah I like the new "This is like:" section. Sets up comparisons and contrast discussion. Bet you that you'll love the slower paced beginning of malice on a re-read. Beginnings often struggle with pacing.
I just started this, and I'm really struggling with the beginning, so it was good to see this review today and get some renewed optimism that it will be worth it.
I don’t understand peoples distaste with tropes. All books have some tropes. It doesn’t bother me at all. I like fantasy tropes, it’s one of the reasons I read fantasy. Chosen ones, good vs evil, and all that delicious stuff is part of what I love about fantasy. Malice blew me away. It’s so well done and the tension was unreal. This is a masterpiece, in my opinion.
I read Malice a while ago, enjoyed it, and didn’t really pick up the sequels because the audiobook didn’t have any at the time. Now I have read Valor and am on Ruin. They do such a good job at delivering the promises of the first book so far. The characters feel more alive than ever to me and the action is still as stellar as ever.
I held my breath until you said you liked it. It’s my favorite completed fantasy series that I’ve read. Malice is seriously focused on character development and some world building on the front end, but the rest of the series is action. I can’t wait to see what you think of Valour - it’s chock full of action, maneuvering and STRATEGERY!
Thanks. I'm gonna put this on my TBR. Sounds great. Also I really want to say I appreciate all the effort you put into your videos. Also prose is a non-countable noun.
Got this a while back and had trouble getting through the first part, ended up completely forgetting about it but since I've now been told the second half gets better I'll give it another shot.
Fantastic review, I can definitely notice an improvement in your execution of them! I've had my eye on this series for a while now, I guess you've convinced me to bump it up in my TBR queue.
I really like the "if you like X, you'd probably enjoy this" section. Could you maybe do a whole video focusing on the most popular/famous fantasy series and recommend ones with a similar "vibe" to them? Thanks for all your hard work, your reviews are definitely among my most-trusted on UA-cam. So many reviews on here are just spoiler-filled book talks and give little to no explanation of whether or not I should pick up the book.
Yeah, I'm glad that a big booktuber is shining some light on this series. It's absolutely awesome and has a follow up trilogy around 130 years into the future which is as good as this series. I hope the fandom of the Faithful and the Fallen and John Gwynne will grow as a result
Great review! You are in for a ride when you continue the Faithful and The Fallen - it ranks among some of my favourite fantasy series and glad to hear you enjoyed this.
I am glad you liked the book. Although it has some tropes, it kind of felt refreshing to me. The sequels are even a little bit better imo, only the first half of the third book can get a little tenacious, but the second half is outstanding with probably one of the best one on one swordfights ever written. You can look forward to that.
Really enjoyed the last portion that you added in about the "if you like this, then you will like this". It really helps me decide whether or not I should bump it up higher on my reading list. So thank you for that!
The quality of your videos is ever increasing and I love the effort you put into each video. Keep up the good work man! And that intro was funny as hell😂
So glad you loved this. It's one of my favourite series. I loved how John Gwynne played with the prophecy trope and how we grew with all the characters. I still think he has the coolest author photo of all time with his axe and his big dogs. I recently read The Gutter Prayer by Gareth Hanrahan and really recommend as a high fantasy that plays with god tropes but in ways I haven't seen before. I don't know if you've read it but highly recommend if you haven't.
Just read that series a few months ago. Thoroughly enjoyed it. Kinda weird I just ordered the 1st book of his next series and here you are talking about malice. I heard it described as Wheel of Time lite. Not 100% sure of that....but was a very good read. And I also read the 1st 2 books of the Poppy War because of you. Thanks!! Really well done series.
You really ‘nailed’ verbalizing my thoughts on this book. For example… didn’t love the beginning and prose wasn’t the highlight… yet the book just is excellent in its own right. Subbed.
I loved this book! I found the genre tropes very comforting in a way. Unfortunately, I felt the second in the series had too many events happen because the plot needed them to happen and it really turned me off.
I liked this entire series almost as much as I like the Stormlight Archive, and I LOVE the Stormlight Archive. The series really starts slow and builds and gets betters as the books go on. If you like sword fighting, fun world building with mysteries that are explained as you go, and animals you will love this book. The relationships people have with their animals in this series is better written than most relationships between people in other books.
Well I know which book I'm picking up after Elantris & finishing my Witcher books :D - I read all 6 (or 7) of the Stormlight Archive books in two months or so, so sad to wait for the next ones... God that series is just so addictive!
Definitely like the recommendations segment at the end, keep em coming! Also, really enjoy the prevalence ratings, helps me understand what I'm getting into if I pick up the book
I breezed through the first two books and started reading the third, I put it down and haven't finished it yet, I had enjoyed it but, I moved and put the books in a storage unit. I recently got the books back out and plan on finishing the series. I wasn't sure if I'd like the story at first because of the tropes but, I've enjoyed it so far.
Yay! So glad you got around to this one! Personal opinion make it thru all first 4 books! Book 4 makes the seires! I koved each book but after the masterful wrap up in Wrath it was elevated to my favorites all time! John write some of the most intense battles!
loved the review. it's obvious the amount of work you put into organizing your thoughts. i didn't really vibe with the lighting but i don't really mind that type of stuff and i see others have enjoyed it so keep it up i guess
He's grown so much in two years. I have difficulties now watching his earlier videos, he wasn't mature enough, nor well-read enough, then, to be taken really seriously. But he's constantly evolving, and since he's gone full time, with way more time to read, the channel has improved consequently. Will be there to follow his upcoming evolution.
You stopped mah hart in the beginning seconds haha! Just finished this series and Sir Gwynne is an instant favorite for me. It is tropey for sure, but he does it so well. The books keep getting better and better too. They've made me cry, laugh, and roar in excited praise. Can't wait for more reviews from the Banished Lands!
(Mini spoiler about a secondary character becoming a main character in the fourth chapter of book 2, not really that surprising but still) I read these books so long ago, but all I remember is... Maquin best boi. One of the few characters in fantasy that made me cry (besides Robin Hobb's characters). And I've heard that the sequel series is even better. Also a thing that I noted, in this series almost every chapter has dramaticesque endings, I remember going 'oooooooo shit' so many times.
I picked up Malice during a sale at my local book store because I loved the cover but I haven't started it yet because of what a Thic Boi (TM) it is, looks like I need to get going.
I’m so glad you’re reading this!! I read it along with Mike from Mike’s Book Reviews, and it was 🔥🔥🔥 sooo good. The series as a whole was one of my favorite reads of the year!
If you read all of his first series, The Faithful and the Fallen, you should definitely read the follow up series. It's a trilogy and it's amazing. The follow up series is called Of Blood and Bone.
Really happy you reviewed this book. My boyfriend really wanted to buy me the book but I was intimitaded by its size. (I've commited too much time reading books that go nowhere) I can honestly say I'll be picking this one up when I get the chance.
You managed to slip in Oldboy in this video??? Bravo/10. I saw that you were reading this on Instagram around the same time I started it. Glad to see you enjoyed it about as much as I did. A lore video would be great because like you said, some of the beginning was a little confusing
I honestly feel like I’ve never read a fantasy with giants but have seen them so often in games and movies so excited to dig into this book I’ve had on my shelves for...a year... A lot of action scenes feel repetitive in how they can be laid out and copy pasted from other books so this sounds refreshing. Gimme all the PROPHECIES gimme ALL THE BAD PROPHECIES. Horror fantasy sounds incredible and I can envision the visuals being brutal and raw.
Perfect timing! I just started the series and am slogging through the first 1/3 of Malice with the setup. Its tolerable, and hearing you say the rest of the book is a worthy payoff makes it even better!
this is the only book review I've seen I actually enjoyed. I'm glad to have found your channel! I saw your tier ranking fantasies and was glad to see someone with similar tastes after years here not finding anyone. I'm gonna have to get Malice.
Great review !! Cannot wait till you get into the series !!! It seems like he really listened to criticisms that the first book received, the overall quality rose dramatically for the second book. Im confident that you'll be binging the rest of the series !!!
I'm completely surprised you didn't mention animals/beasts. I've read all 7 books, the 1st 4 twice. I think you'll really like where he goes from here.
Read the whole series long ago, one of the best coming of age stories and cleanly written. It asks hard questions yet does not go all expanse beyond the individual.
I actually don't hate the chosen one trope! As long as the character is done well and I connect with them then I'm basically like BRING IT ONNNNN. I'm very glad I adopted this series from a friend when she unhauled it cos now I have them all to devour, heheheh. I think the setup at the start is what turned me off the audiobook initially! Heheh, 11:15 = goose noise.
I’m just about done malice, like you said it started off slow, and at first I wasn’t really feeling it but man layer by layer it keeps getting better, the faithful and the fallen if it keeps this quality might be my favourite series I’ve read this year, and I read the whole Dresden files this year
To those who read both Codex Alera and Faithful and the Fallen, are they similar in the manner that you can skip the first book, and come back after reading the better second when you care about the characters more?
I started the book today and the first thing I've felt is that lack of internal processing by the characters. up to this point I didn't even realize how much I've been relying on that in books and it feels a bit weird having it lacking to the extent it is in Malice
Glad you liked Malice. It's one of my favourite series! His latest series is also pretty great. I know that Gwynne does viking reenactments in his spare time, so I do wonder if his own experiences help him to write such great fight scenes. He's super active on social media e.g twitter, goodreads, IG too
I keep meaning to get to this one cause so many of my friends love it and hearing you say that its tropey but not in a bad way makes me more inclined to get to it, just been burnt out on some of the classic fantasy angles lately
There is a lot of development of those tropes you mentioned, Gwynne continues to keep it different. The Good vs Evil trope sees a lot more exploration in the follow-up series, too.
I really enjoy your videos so in-depth and I can relate to similar tastes, however I was curious on your (Greene) thoughts on Shadow & Bone since apparently now it’s become a popular Netflix series.
I absolutely LOVED this series. I watched a review for it from another Booktuber and I was so happy to have gotten the series as a whole. Sure there was some parts that irked me but over all I really did love the entire thing. I do need to make it a point to check out the other series he wrote...
I've read the first 2 so far and have really enjoyed them both. There's part of the way he's handling one trope he uses that I am really enjoying. (Without getting into spoilers) I don't think I've read anything that does the same thing and it has made me think about what could happen in other books if the same subversion was used.... All the vagueness! Haha
I absolutely loved Malice!! I am just reading Wrath, the fourth one and they are all so amazing! What I always think about when I finish one, is like wow, 700+ pages and NO fluff, how does he do that???
i bought this book over 6 months ago, i dropped it during the first half because the pacing was too slow for me. with how much you're promoting the second half you've convinced me to finish it.
The entire series is really good. I loved them all. It's really epic and the plot is fun, it's basically a Viking/Irish fantasy world. With the magic language being Gaelic again (see also Eragon and half of fantasy).
I enjoyed the series probably going to read it again this winter I totally just stumbled on it randomly picked it out at the bookstore. I also enjoy the age of myth series it might be closer to a teenage fantasy but still enjoy it.
Daniel, the good vs evil themes get interesting in the rest of the series. It's always a little easy to see, but there are some very interesting elements especially relating to a certain Nathair.
Can someone help me choose between reading Riyria Revelations or Powder Mage next? I'm going to read both eventually, but they both seem so good that I'm having trouble choosing which one to start first.
I'm pretty new to reading fantasy. I always thought that fantasy was stuck copying Tolkien. I've been watching your channel for a couple weeks and it has convinced me to give fantasy a try. I'm starting with The Wheel of Time book 1. I have a question though, one of the books I've had on my list for a while is Spine of the Dragon by Kevin J. Anderson. It doesn't seem anyone on BookTube has reviewed it... is he not well regarded?
I'll put this one on my tbr. Just finished powder mage trilogy about to start the second trilogy gods of powder and blood ty for all the reviews I finally started reading other author's besides my like 6 or seven main author's
I’m reaaaaally trying here. I binged through the Bloodsworn books and could not put them down. They’re in my top three sagas/series now without a doubt. I listened to the audiobooks and I found the narrator (for the most part) to really capture the tone of the story. Some of his characters were a bit jarring to listen to, but overall, he sold it. But Malice. Idk, I just can’t seem to get into it. Im pretty early on but I feel like nothing has happened in the first ten chapters, none of the characters are jumping out and grabbing me. Maybe it’s the narrator, or maybe it’s that this feels much more YA compared to the Bloodsworn Saga. But I want to keep pushing because people really seem to love these books, and also I know John Gwynne is a stellar character, world, and story builder. Help me get into this book, y’all. I feel like I’m right on the cusp of enjoying it but I’m just not there yet.
I read the entire series in April/May and feel confident in saying Malice is probably the least best of them. The series is that good.
You made me buy another book. Damn it
Eyyyy Mike good to see you. When you reading Malazan?
@@ReallyGoodandKind he's starting on January 2021. He has a video on his channel about it so people can get to read along him.
@@ReallyGoodandKind Channel read along begins January 1st.
Tell me if you've heard of prince of nothing otherwise you have to check it out. It's very grimdark, and especially the later books get very lovecraftian. I think you'll like it.
"Pretty tropey high fantasy." Say no more I'm sold.
*Daniel gives a positive review to another fantasy book*
My amazon cart : Don't you dare, don't you fu****g dare.
Me : *Add to cart*
*Wallet screams in anguish*
worth it.
Your Amazon cart (In CJ's Voice): Ah Shit! Here we go again!
7.55 on Kindle..... Yup, good enough for me
@@a_blitz more like my bookshelves... speaking of which I need another... again
I’m so glad you got to Malice. To me they only get better and better. His follow up series is terrific as well. It’s definitely ok to take things already done and just do them really well. I love his books
Totally agree. It builds and builds and then gut punches. Author cruelty is definitely right
John Gwynne is amazing at building for 90% of the book, then the massive release of everything going to shit and things go wrong in the last 10%. It’s a great feeling. However, I feel the sequel are weaker in characters, mainly because they don’t change over the course of the series. Bleda is still quiet and contemplative, Riv is still hotheaded and rash, and Drem is still, well, Drem. The combat and plot are still superb, but the characters are much less developed imo
The lighting looks really good in this video!
Really appreciate the lighting! It's looking so crisp
FINALLY!!! John Gwynne is one of my favorite Authors. He is an automatic buy. He also does a lot of reenacting and weapon collecting. He is very involved with understanding the weapons and strategies he chooses to use.
We judge the pacing of all other media, but when it comes to fantasy books it seems us readers are expected to just deal with 10, 20, 100 pages that could have been cut because we've been taught that epic fantasy is supposed to challenge the reader. I think this status quo is actively harming the genre and I'm always really excited to hear of a book that's clearly been edited down for good pacing.
I'm glad people are vocal about this.
@@GrapplingBook Why? Cant there be different styles?
Honestly i don't think it's because they think it's challenging, i think it's just they don't want to get rid of these things they feel are unique to their Stories, even if they don't add anything.
@@gavasiarobinssson5108 It's not about different styles, this is about fantasy books tending to be unnecessarily long when it could have been cut down to a much lower page count.
@@gavasiarobinssson5108:
You can think of it as an act of self gratification on the part of the author. Droning on and on and on and on and on and o---
Think of the editor as a surgeon cutting necrotic flesh to prevent sepsis setting into the patient. So to does the editor expertly slice extraneous passages from the text to let the greater whole survive.
At the end of Elantris, Brandon Sanderson talks about cutting a rando that was introduced too late into the book that would have muddied the whole if it were to be kept.
The others talk about having an editor that wasn't as merciless as he/she should have been, or a publisher that required a higher word count than the author could fulfill without it feeling like an utter slog.
So, it's not about style. It's doing the job.
...
And no one wants to see the author masturbating on the page.
He picked up that book and I only wanted Daniel to spank it. I miss his DGPDBAB series
I would argue it's actually more of a PDGDBAB series... because I'm that guy right now.
@@davidpo5517 Lol I was about to do the Same because I am that guy too.
Yeah I want Daniel to spank books... too
@@reading_faerie mhm! Seems like someone must be fantasizing not just spanking of books 😁😂 (fun intend)
My novel The Forgetting Moon gets compared to Malice almost more than any other book.
I've enjoyed the first 2 books of that series. Waiting on book 3.
Hopefully, next moth I´ll get the sequel.
hey, brian. we need the next book, yesterday
@@MrShaiya96 i turned it into my publisher back in January. then Covid19 hit and slowed everything in publishing waaaaaay down
@@B.LEE.DbrianleedurfeeREVIEWS nice, haven't read yet, but it's always a good thing to know how it's going
Yeah I like the new "This is like:" section. Sets up comparisons and contrast discussion.
Bet you that you'll love the slower paced beginning of malice on a re-read. Beginnings often struggle with pacing.
I genuinely did not know about the whole lighting for good/bad books thing, now I'll be looking for it in future videos.
Glad I'm not the only one
I just started this, and I'm really struggling with the beginning, so it was good to see this review today and get some renewed optimism that it will be worth it.
I don’t understand peoples distaste with tropes. All books have some tropes. It doesn’t bother me at all. I like fantasy tropes, it’s one of the reasons I read fantasy. Chosen ones, good vs evil, and all that delicious stuff is part of what I love about fantasy. Malice blew me away. It’s so well done and the tension was unreal. This is a masterpiece, in my opinion.
I read Malice a while ago, enjoyed it, and didn’t really pick up the sequels because the audiobook didn’t have any at the time. Now I have read Valor and am on Ruin. They do such a good job at delivering the promises of the first book so far. The characters feel more alive than ever to me and the action is still as stellar as ever.
I held my breath until you said you liked it. It’s my favorite completed fantasy series that I’ve read. Malice is seriously focused on character development and some world building on the front end, but the rest of the series is action. I can’t wait to see what you think of Valour - it’s chock full of action, maneuvering and STRATEGERY!
Thanks. I'm gonna put this on my TBR. Sounds great. Also I really want to say I appreciate all the effort you put into your videos.
Also prose is a non-countable noun.
That intro was funny.
Got this a while back and had trouble getting through the first part, ended up completely forgetting about it but since I've now been told the second half gets better I'll give it another shot.
Fantastic review, I can definitely notice an improvement in your execution of them! I've had my eye on this series for a while now, I guess you've convinced me to bump it up in my TBR queue.
0:00 you had us fooled there for a second XD
I really like the "if you like X, you'd probably enjoy this" section. Could you maybe do a whole video focusing on the most popular/famous fantasy series and recommend ones with a similar "vibe" to them?
Thanks for all your hard work, your reviews are definitely among my most-trusted on UA-cam. So many reviews on here are just spoiler-filled book talks and give little to no explanation of whether or not I should pick up the book.
Yeah, I'm glad that a big booktuber is shining some light on this series. It's absolutely awesome and has a follow up trilogy around 130 years into the future which is as good as this series. I hope the fandom of the Faithful and the Fallen and John Gwynne will grow as a result
Great review! You are in for a ride when you continue the Faithful and The Fallen - it ranks among some of my favourite fantasy series and glad to hear you enjoyed this.
I am glad you liked the book. Although it has some tropes, it kind of felt refreshing to me.
The sequels are even a little bit better imo, only the first half of the third book can get a little tenacious, but the second half is outstanding with probably one of the best one on one swordfights ever written. You can look forward to that.
Really enjoyed the last portion that you added in about the "if you like this, then you will like this". It really helps me decide whether or not I should bump it up higher on my reading list. So thank you for that!
The quality of your videos is ever increasing and I love the effort you put into each video. Keep up the good work man! And that intro was funny as hell😂
So glad you loved this. It's one of my favourite series. I loved how John Gwynne played with the prophecy trope and how we grew with all the characters. I still think he has the coolest author photo of all time with his axe and his big dogs.
I recently read The Gutter Prayer by Gareth Hanrahan and really recommend as a high fantasy that plays with god tropes but in ways I haven't seen before. I don't know if you've read it but highly recommend if you haven't.
Just read that series a few months ago. Thoroughly enjoyed it. Kinda weird I just ordered the 1st book of his next series and here you are talking about malice. I heard it described as Wheel of Time lite. Not 100% sure of that....but was a very good read. And I also read the 1st 2 books of the Poppy War because of you. Thanks!! Really well done series.
I like the segment at the end. Can tell what vibe the book will give you. I bought this one recently, looking forward to starting it
You really ‘nailed’ verbalizing my thoughts on this book. For example… didn’t love the beginning and prose wasn’t the highlight… yet the book just is excellent in its own right. Subbed.
I loved this book! I found the genre tropes very comforting in a way. Unfortunately, I felt the second in the series had too many events happen because the plot needed them to happen and it really turned me off.
One of my all time favorite series. It only gets better and the battles are amazing throughout.
Same, I love this series. I, also, enjoyed the next series that takes place in the same world.
Its a knock off of asoiaf
@@MrMustache-yn4zm 1, didn't ask, 2, don't care.
Its not even hiding how much it copies, its honestly embarrasing@@GallowglassVT
@@MrMustache-yn4zm did you miss my reply?
Daniel: MALICE!
Me playing BotW: where?
Love the »if you like [x] ...« segment. You are allowed to keep it.
I liked this entire series almost as much as I like the Stormlight Archive, and I LOVE the Stormlight Archive. The series really starts slow and builds and gets betters as the books go on. If you like sword fighting, fun world building with mysteries that are explained as you go, and animals you will love this book. The relationships people have with their animals in this series is better written than most relationships between people in other books.
Well I know which book I'm picking up after Elantris & finishing my Witcher books :D
- I read all 6 (or 7) of the Stormlight Archive books in two months or so, so sad to wait for the next ones... God that series is just so addictive!
Love the segment at the end where you compare it to other books. I think that's great and will help me a ton personally making decisions
Definitely like the recommendations segment at the end, keep em coming! Also, really enjoy the prevalence ratings, helps me understand what I'm getting into if I pick up the book
I breezed through the first two books and started reading the third, I put it down and haven't finished it yet, I had enjoyed it but, I moved and put the books in a storage unit. I recently got the books back out and plan on finishing the series. I wasn't sure if I'd like the story at first because of the tropes but, I've enjoyed it so far.
really like the segment comparing books to other books - helps put the review in context!!
Yay! So glad you got around to this one! Personal opinion make it thru all first 4 books! Book 4 makes the seires! I koved each book but after the masterful wrap up in Wrath it was elevated to my favorites all time! John write some of the most intense battles!
loved the review. it's obvious the amount of work you put into organizing your thoughts. i didn't really vibe with the lighting but i don't really mind that type of stuff and i see others have enjoyed it so keep it up i guess
He's grown so much in two years.
I have difficulties now watching his earlier videos, he wasn't mature enough, nor well-read enough, then, to be taken really seriously.
But he's constantly evolving, and since he's gone full time, with way more time to read, the channel has improved consequently.
Will be there to follow his upcoming evolution.
You stopped mah hart in the beginning seconds haha! Just finished this series and Sir Gwynne is an instant favorite for me. It is tropey for sure, but he does it so well. The books keep getting better and better too. They've made me cry, laugh, and roar in excited praise. Can't wait for more reviews from the Banished Lands!
(Mini spoiler about a secondary character becoming a main character in the fourth chapter of book 2, not really that surprising but still)
I read these books so long ago, but all I remember is... Maquin best boi. One of the few characters in fantasy that made me cry (besides Robin Hobb's characters). And I've heard that the sequel series is even better.
Also a thing that I noted, in this series almost every chapter has dramaticesque endings, I remember going 'oooooooo shit' so many times.
Came here to say this. Maquin is a character that will stick with you for a few years. Goddamn
I picked up Malice during a sale at my local book store because I loved the cover but I haven't started it yet because of what a Thic Boi (TM) it is, looks like I need to get going.
I’m so glad you’re reading this!! I read it along with Mike from Mike’s Book Reviews, and it was 🔥🔥🔥 sooo good. The series as a whole was one of my favorite reads of the year!
And yes, it only gets better from here
Loved this series. Definitely gets better as you move on. Basic premise, but done so well.
"There's some author cruelty to the readers.."
I'm in!
The Masochist in all of us jumps for joy
If you read all of his first series, The Faithful and the Fallen, you should definitely read the follow up series. It's a trilogy and it's amazing. The follow up series is called Of Blood and Bone.
Really happy you reviewed this book. My boyfriend really wanted to buy me the book but I was intimitaded by its size. (I've commited too much time reading books that go nowhere) I can honestly say I'll be picking this one up when I get the chance.
You managed to slip in Oldboy in this video??? Bravo/10. I saw that you were reading this on Instagram around the same time I started it. Glad to see you enjoyed it about as much as I did. A lore video would be great because like you said, some of the beginning was a little confusing
I honestly feel like I’ve never read a fantasy with giants but have seen them so often in games and movies so excited to dig into this book I’ve had on my shelves for...a year... A lot of action scenes feel repetitive in how they can be laid out and copy pasted from other books so this sounds refreshing. Gimme all the PROPHECIES gimme ALL THE BAD PROPHECIES. Horror fantasy sounds incredible and I can envision the visuals being brutal and raw.
Perfect timing! I just started the series and am slogging through the first 1/3 of Malice with the setup. Its tolerable, and hearing you say the rest of the book is a worthy payoff makes it even better!
You just made me want to read this even more! I’ve been eyeing it for a while, but haven’t picked it up. I think I might have to prioritize this.
this is the only book review I've seen I actually enjoyed. I'm glad to have found your channel! I saw your tier ranking fantasies and was glad to see someone with similar tastes after years here not finding anyone. I'm gonna have to get Malice.
I’ve been curious about this series for a couple years, gonna add it to my TBR! If I ever finish WoT.... and then Mistborn...
Oh just you wait. This series gets so much better!
I hope so. It's now on my TBR. Except for the slower start it sounds like I'll enjoy it very much. :)
Loved First Law so much and I enjoyed Riyria. I'm thinking of picking this up or Jade City, or WOT. Hmmm... Decisions, decisions..
Daniel: "More giants in fantasy please!"
Me, an intellectual: *THE LEGEND NEVER DIES*
It's an old one sir, but it checks out.
Great review !! Cannot wait till you get into the series !!! It seems like he really listened to criticisms that the first book received, the overall quality rose dramatically for the second book. Im confident that you'll be binging the rest of the series !!!
I really enjoyed Malice, I think one of the biggest things for me was how wholesome it felt for a gritty adult fantasy, it was very refreshing!!
I'm completely surprised you didn't mention animals/beasts.
I've read all 7 books, the 1st 4 twice.
I think you'll really like where he goes from here.
Read the whole series long ago, one of the best coming of age stories and cleanly written. It asks hard questions yet does not go all expanse beyond the individual.
I actually don't hate the chosen one trope! As long as the character is done well and I connect with them then I'm basically like BRING IT ONNNNN. I'm very glad I adopted this series from a friend when she unhauled it cos now I have them all to devour, heheheh. I think the setup at the start is what turned me off the audiobook initially!
Heheh, 11:15 = goose noise.
I’m just about done malice, like you said it started off slow, and at first I wasn’t really feeling it but man layer by layer it keeps getting better, the faithful and the fallen if it keeps this quality might be my favourite series I’ve read this year, and I read the whole Dresden files this year
To those who read both Codex Alera and Faithful and the Fallen, are they similar in the manner that you can skip the first book, and come back after reading the better second when you care about the characters more?
I started the book today and the first thing I've felt is that lack of internal processing by the characters. up to this point I didn't even realize how much I've been relying on that in books and it feels a bit weird having it lacking to the extent it is in Malice
Glad you liked Malice. It's one of my favourite series! His latest series is also pretty great.
I know that Gwynne does viking reenactments in his spare time, so I do wonder if his own experiences help him to write such great fight scenes. He's super active on social media e.g twitter, goodreads, IG too
Your visual quality just keeps getting better and better
I keep meaning to get to this one cause so many of my friends love it and hearing you say that its tropey but not in a bad way makes me more inclined to get to it, just been burnt out on some of the classic fantasy angles lately
Corbans perspective gives me huge Fitz (assassins apprentice) vibes. Love this review and love this book.
I’m thrilled you review this it’s such an awesome book and deserves all its praise and other people need to read it and enjoy its gloryiness
There is a lot of development of those tropes you mentioned, Gwynne continues to keep it different. The Good vs Evil trope sees a lot more exploration in the follow-up series, too.
the new lens is killing it - love the blurred background
Really love the last segment of “if you like this, then you’ll like this”!
I really enjoy your videos so in-depth and I can relate to similar tastes, however I was curious on your (Greene) thoughts on Shadow & Bone since apparently now it’s become a popular Netflix series.
I absolutely LOVED this series. I watched a review for it from another Booktuber and I was so happy to have gotten the series as a whole. Sure there was some parts that irked me but over all I really did love the entire thing. I do need to make it a point to check out the other series he wrote...
I've read the first 2 so far and have really enjoyed them both. There's part of the way he's handling one trope he uses that I am really enjoying. (Without getting into spoilers) I don't think I've read anything that does the same thing and it has made me think about what could happen in other books if the same subversion was used....
All the vagueness! Haha
One of my favourite series. Trust me, the series get much much better
I absolutely loved Malice!! I am just reading Wrath, the fourth one and they are all so amazing! What I always think about when I finish one, is like wow, 700+ pages and NO fluff, how does he do that???
i bought this book over 6 months ago, i dropped it during the first half because the pacing was too slow for me. with how much you're promoting the second half you've convinced me to finish it.
The entire series is really good. I loved them all. It's really epic and the plot is fun, it's basically a Viking/Irish fantasy world. With the magic language being Gaelic again (see also Eragon and half of fantasy).
Very excited for you to continue the series. It only gets better. Characters: 9.5/10 And author cruelty... you have no idea.
Yes! Glad you’re reading this series. It’s one of the most underrated in the genre, I’d say
The series just gets better and better with each book.
I enjoyed the series probably going to read it again this winter I totally just stumbled on it randomly picked it out at the bookstore. I also enjoy the age of myth series it might be closer to a teenage fantasy but still enjoy it.
You should read Circe by Madeline miller! Retelling of Greek mythology with an astounding characterization! Doesn’t ressemble typical fantasy
Oh boy here I go adding to my TBR again
This series is one of my favorites. I can't wait for you to finish and review them as a whole.
reading the second book right now and i rly like this series already.
I have the audio book, but only got about three hours into it. You have persuaded me to get back to it. After my reread of oath bringer.
Daniel, the good vs evil themes get interesting in the rest of the series. It's always a little easy to see, but there are some very interesting elements especially relating to a certain Nathair.
Can someone help me choose between reading Riyria Revelations or Powder Mage next? I'm going to read both eventually, but they both seem so good that I'm having trouble choosing which one to start first.
This just made me put this guy on my TBR lists, sounds like something I will definitely enjoy.
I'm pretty new to reading fantasy. I always thought that fantasy was stuck copying Tolkien. I've been watching your channel for a couple weeks and it has convinced me to give fantasy a try. I'm starting with The Wheel of Time book 1.
I have a question though, one of the books I've had on my list for a while is Spine of the Dragon by Kevin J. Anderson. It doesn't seem anyone on BookTube has reviewed it... is he not well regarded?
I'll put this one on my tbr. Just finished powder mage trilogy about to start the second trilogy gods of powder and blood ty for all the reviews I finally started reading other author's besides my like 6 or seven main author's
Oh boy if you enjoyed malice the story gets better and the characters are amazing
"Old wolf" fans out there?
Maquin is probably my ideal man.
Fav character. Love seeing his name above a chapter
Maquin is the shit.
Mark Ravetto Maquin is who Chuck Norris wants to be when he grows up.
@@GallowglassVT lol YES
I’m reaaaaally trying here. I binged through the Bloodsworn books and could not put them down. They’re in my top three sagas/series now without a doubt. I listened to the audiobooks and I found the narrator (for the most part) to really capture the tone of the story. Some of his characters were a bit jarring to listen to, but overall, he sold it. But Malice.
Idk, I just can’t seem to get into it. Im pretty early on but I feel like nothing has happened in the first ten chapters, none of the characters are jumping out and grabbing me. Maybe it’s the narrator, or maybe it’s that this feels much more YA compared to the Bloodsworn Saga. But I want to keep pushing because people really seem to love these books, and also I know John Gwynne is a stellar character, world, and story builder. Help me get into this book, y’all. I feel like I’m right on the cusp of enjoying it but I’m just not there yet.