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chronicallybookish 's review for:
A Prayer for Vengeance
by Leanne Schwartz
adventurous
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
4.25 stars
Rep: plus-sized FMC and an autistic MMC
This was a fun, fast-paced fantasy with wonderful representation and a truly unique premise.
Gia has spent 1000 years locked in stone when autistic temple ward Milo accidentally frees her with his prayer. Gia is hungry for revenge, and Milo is faced with the realization that everything he has ever believed may just be a hoax—it turns out the miracle Milo’s spent his life venerating is actually a curse that Gia will stop at nothing to break.
I flew through this story. I read it in less than 2 days and I never wanted to put it down. I loved what world building there was. It was so interesting and unlike anything I’ve read. I did have questions about the politics of the world at large, outside of their small country, as well as more information about the beasts and monsters, but for the most part I was immersed in the world. The pacing was a little fast in a couple of sections, but for 90% of the book it was the perfect pace for me.
The only place where I was left a little wanting was in the character department. I just found myself wanting…more. More development, more emotional depth. I really liked the characters, but I was never able to fully connect with them. I felt especially disconnected from their emotions. There was so much potential for emotional turmoil, in Milo questioning everything he believed, in Gia being thrown into a world 1000 years separated from everything she’s ever known, and of course in the romance, but I felt like the book never delved past the surface level of exploring the emotional implications of these aspects.
That said, this was over all a really enjoyable read and a strong debut. I loved seeing an autistic character—and even explicitly, the word autism—in a second world fantasy. I loved the way Milo’s autism was portrayed and the way that he was written. It was clearly #ownvoices representation. Leanne Schwartz is an author to watch. I cannot wait to get my hands on anything else she writes in the future.
CW (provided by author): violence, blood, minor gore, abuse of power by a religious authority figure, one interrupted instance of sexual pressure by an authority figure against another adult, minor ableist bullying, pressuring of an autistic to mask, some internalized ableism, brief mentions of fatphobia
Rep: plus-sized FMC and an autistic MMC
This was a fun, fast-paced fantasy with wonderful representation and a truly unique premise.
Gia has spent 1000 years locked in stone when autistic temple ward Milo accidentally frees her with his prayer. Gia is hungry for revenge, and Milo is faced with the realization that everything he has ever believed may just be a hoax—it turns out the miracle Milo’s spent his life venerating is actually a curse that Gia will stop at nothing to break.
I flew through this story. I read it in less than 2 days and I never wanted to put it down. I loved what world building there was. It was so interesting and unlike anything I’ve read. I did have questions about the politics of the world at large, outside of their small country, as well as more information about the beasts and monsters, but for the most part I was immersed in the world. The pacing was a little fast in a couple of sections, but for 90% of the book it was the perfect pace for me.
The only place where I was left a little wanting was in the character department. I just found myself wanting…more. More development, more emotional depth. I really liked the characters, but I was never able to fully connect with them. I felt especially disconnected from their emotions. There was so much potential for emotional turmoil, in Milo questioning everything he believed, in Gia being thrown into a world 1000 years separated from everything she’s ever known, and of course in the romance, but I felt like the book never delved past the surface level of exploring the emotional implications of these aspects.
That said, this was over all a really enjoyable read and a strong debut. I loved seeing an autistic character—and even explicitly, the word autism—in a second world fantasy. I loved the way Milo’s autism was portrayed and the way that he was written. It was clearly #ownvoices representation. Leanne Schwartz is an author to watch. I cannot wait to get my hands on anything else she writes in the future.
CW (provided by author): violence, blood, minor gore, abuse of power by a religious authority figure, one interrupted instance of sexual pressure by an authority figure against another adult, minor ableist bullying, pressuring of an autistic to mask, some internalized ableism, brief mentions of fatphobia