a very very interesting book. i really enjoyed the vibes of it very traditional fantasy. what i found most fascinating was the cast of characters who all had their own motivations in the story, sometimes worked together sometimes against each other. that and the wonderful worldbuilding made the story feel alive in my mind.

I wanted to like this book, I really did, but the format of the novel made it difficult. The main characters occasionally have flashbacks that aren’t indicated in any way, except that suddenly the timeline changes and it’s more or less clear from context that the character is remembering a previous event. The story is told from the points of view of various characters, originally on two, but then new characters are introduced suddenly throughout the story. Multiple plot lines are introduced that are not resolved - not in the way of a novel leaving room for a sequel, but in the way of a serial. In this vein, the novel simply ends, in a way that is becoming increasingly common. There are so many things going in that it’s hard to track the plot and the relationships between the characters. The use of common terms in new contexts - such as “disputation” being used to mean a formal exam in of a person’s abilities (in magic, here) - adds to the difficulty in following the plot.

Despite these issues, many of which could be solved with a decent editor, this is an interesting story, but it stops so abruptly that it leaves a feeling of incompleteness. The author has created a rich and varied world with engaging characters, which draws the reader in despite the issues that make it difficult to read. Hopefully, any sequel will complete the many hanging plot lines, and will be better edited for readability.

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advance copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Review: This was really quite good as we follow Cole and Summer throughout their inevitable collision. Freya and Arlen make for a great supporting cast that may have their own story to tell. These meandering paths are integral within the build and coalesce with impunity, although they are not entirely free from punishment. Just a bit confusing at first as the characters seemingly wander around without focus.

And why is Cole so good with limited coverage? Movement, plain and simple. He is constantly casting about for reason while chasing some hottie thief across the rooftops while plunging to his death from great heights. What is not to love? Summer is also deeply involved in avoiding detection and plotting an escape from Torrick while infusing her personality into it.

It was almost like I had to go through pages of backstory and history as pennance for the characters I wanted to follow. Most readers will not give a fuk about the Kings of this and that, the Honeybird lovers song or princess whatevers familial history, yet it builds a great foundation for a continued series.

Rating: 4.6/5

What an enchanting book this was!

🏰 World building
🏰 Multiple POV
🏰 Quest

The magic and mystery flows throughout the book. It left me with some cliffhangers that I really need explained in the second book of this series (I’m curious when that will be because I need more).

I appreciate the quest, along with its side quests. There was an element of surprise in this book because it kept me guessing as to what would happen next.

This is another story that loses its fun due to the writing. It seems the writer is more interested in showing their off their vocabulary than writing a story. The language needs to be less formal and more relaxed.

An ancient mystery. A sorceress in hiding. And the wizards who hunt her.

Daughter of a minor house and fledgling mage, Summer Fontenay yearns for a life beyond her cloistered world. But when her dying master entrusts her with a mysterious parchment, she must use all that she has learned to survive. For there are those in the imperial court who would kill to obtain it and the secrets that it holds.

Suspected of murder and pursued by the emperor’s wizards, Summer must deliver the parchment to the distant city of Torrick. But the city is a place of both splendour and peril, its labyrinthine canals and alleyways a mirror of the ever-shifting factions and loyalties that Summer must navigate in order to reach her goal and restore her name.

The first in a series of novels, CITY OF RAIN is epic fantasy at its finest, set in a world of honour and treachery, swords and sorcery, plots, counterplots and the deadliest of intrigues; where the Great Houses jostle for power beneath the Nephrite Throne and where the parchment’s secrets threaten to change the very course of the empire itself.

This was a decent fantasy debut, that despite being a little too YA for my tastes, did in fact hold my attention and keep me interested enough to want to continue with this story and the series. Will be keeping an eye out for the next installment:)

Literally, all of my annotations on this except one (and I'm not kidding) are me pleading for Cole to live...

City of Rain is an epic fantasy set in a world of wizards and temples and magic. There are a lot of political fantasy elements as well, which isn't usually my thing, but they were balanced well with the other fantasy aspects.
The story follows four POVs, starting with Summer - a young mage who comes across the murder of an older wizard and is entrusted with carrying a dangerous parchment to another wizard. However, she is framed for murder and pursued by Fenya (another student and lady of a house) and Arlen (basically a detective). The final POV is Cole, who is also a mage and student but who falls in with the wrong crowd through a series of unfortunate events. There's plenty of betrayal, a lot of political scheming, and a handful of action scenes. My only complaint is that it was a bit slow at times, especially when certain POVs tended to end on cliffhangers and others felt so incredibly long. However, the ending was very fast-paced at about the 85% mark and there were exciting parts throughout.
There were so many characters, so I'll stick to the I POV characters. Of the POV characters, Fenya was probably my least favorite just because I found her a bit boring until the end. However, her moral grayness and potential character arcs are intriguing. I also didn't love Arlen that much, but I think if we get more of his backstory in future books, I'll like him more. Summer was pretty cool, and I liked her as a main character, although I do wish she had a bit more initiative besides staying in the same town for, like, four months. Cole was my favorite (because he was a scholar, maybe), and I thought he had an interesting backstory plus a good deal of action throughout the book, and I'm excited to see him reach his destiny. As far as villains go, I did find Vasqo a bit disappointing just because he wasn't really relevant after the first chapter.
City of Rain is the first novel in a new epic fantasy series filled with realistic characters, plenty of turmoil, and the beginnings of an exciting adventure (and maybe found family?).
Thanks to Netgally and the publisher for the free e-ARC!

3.5/

I recommend everyone to read this book. So good. I loved this story so much!! This book is a 4 star read for me.

Bravo William Lejeune for a wonderful story, that would leave you breathless with descriptive Prose & a detailed and immersive world, that feels like you are experiencing it first hand.

I was drawn in from the very first few pages by a mystery parchment and the descriptions that lie within it, that dragged me further into a puzzle wrapped in an enigma.

Then we are off to the races as the as the story steps up tempo with Summer, as a main protagonist trying to fullfill her master's wishes and escape danger.

What a wonderful world, what well fleshed out characters, that you can identify with & are so real they are almost tangible.

Honestly, its a magical tale that leaves so much to discover, so many mysteries to uncover and a great addition to Fantasyf...

I highly recommend