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Someone on DW linked to the Kickstarter to get these books re-released a few months ago and I decided to support it, and now the books are finally here! I read them about a week ago in just three days because they're very compelling. (And then made notes to post about them but almost forgot.)
I love the "magic" system. Shapeshifters, but the smaller the animal the more of them you turn into, and in addition to animal forms depending on how strong you are you have a Lord form and a chimaera form. And in all forms you can fly, which is great.
There's also a pretty strict social order, with courtesi and Lords and Kings and the Power and Majesty, which is a fertile ground for power struggles and beautiful loyalty/fealty kink and angst, very nice.
And every night they fight a battle against the sky. Which, since most people awaken their powers when they enter puberty, means that the entire court is full of former basically child soldiers who have never known anything other than war; consequentially all of them are pretty messed up, understandable but ouch. Velody got her powers (back) as an adult, so from the beginning she has an entirely different perspective on everything. They are messed up in various interesting ways though.
The plot is okay, interesting and well done mostly but occasionally too, hm, chaotic for my taste, but the strength of this trilogy is definitely in the world and the characters.
( Now with spoilers )
I love the "magic" system. Shapeshifters, but the smaller the animal the more of them you turn into, and in addition to animal forms depending on how strong you are you have a Lord form and a chimaera form. And in all forms you can fly, which is great.
There's also a pretty strict social order, with courtesi and Lords and Kings and the Power and Majesty, which is a fertile ground for power struggles and beautiful loyalty/fealty kink and angst, very nice.
And every night they fight a battle against the sky. Which, since most people awaken their powers when they enter puberty, means that the entire court is full of former basically child soldiers who have never known anything other than war; consequentially all of them are pretty messed up, understandable but ouch. Velody got her powers (back) as an adult, so from the beginning she has an entirely different perspective on everything. They are messed up in various interesting ways though.
The plot is okay, interesting and well done mostly but occasionally too, hm, chaotic for my taste, but the strength of this trilogy is definitely in the world and the characters.
( Now with spoilers )
