This is a rewritten review, because I didn't like the old one.
In short, I liked this author's "Babel" and I have a moment with the authors when, after their book, I read their first novel here as well. In the end, I liked it.
In the world of this book, there is a country divided into twelve provinces, next to it there is an island in the shape of a bow and there live Mugen who hate the country and want to take their territories to themselves. There are also shamans who can communicate with the gods, but they pay for it with their mental health.
The world of this book is quite ordinary for YA, but it is well explained and does not raise huge questions.
The plot here tells about Rin, who, in order not to get married, takes exams and goes to the military academy to study, but after a few years the Third Poppy War begins.
I liked the fact that the plot does not stand still. Just remembering that most of the first parts of the book trilogy are an introduction to a world where there is a groundwork for a sequel at the end, then here it is only the first act, the rest is a story about how the heroine tries to understand her powers and defend her country. It's done strenuously, fascinatingly and interestingly. And there is a very cruel moment here, which many people may not like, but it will explain Rin's motivation for her awful deed well.
The characters are remembered here. They have a good design and they felt alive to me. But these are not the characters over whose deaths you will cry. And this is not a work where the main character is a positive character. There are only two characters that I can call positive: Kitay and Ziya.
I also like that the author gives motives to the actions of the characters, and also if the main character acted badly, then the author will not justify him, but will tell what his recklessness led to (to put it mildly), and will say that he was wrong.
The author's writing style was bad at the beginning of her career. It is very dry and straight, which is why I got used to it only in the middle of the book. But the action scenes weren't bad. And the violent scenes hurt me a little, although I can't say that they were described in detail.
In total, I liked the book and I will continue to read this trilogy. And please don't say any part is worse or better. I want to see for myself.
And I would be interested in your opinion about this book.
by mystery5009