The Bruising of Qilwa

A very rich world. I would've loved for the book to be longer to get a bigger scope of things, other countries and cultures and more of the history and religion, but it's a shorter book and I have to accept that. I don't think shorter books are for me; or at least I end up holding them to a higher standing than I do full-length novels because they need to accomplish a lot in a short amount of time. I had a good time with this one, but there were a few things I left wanting.

I like Firuz as a main character. Very much oldest child syndrome, continually working and doing everything to provide for their family even at the cost of their own health and their own relationships with said family. I wish we had gotten to see more of their mother but I think her absence was intentional storytelling of her place in their life and their brother's life. I adored the relationship they had with their brother an apprentice. Some nice found family vibes.

Plague storylines are always fascinating to me, and I did like the twist here. It didn't shock me, not because it didn't make sense, but because we didn't get a lot of time to build up to it.

Overall, I wish I could've gotten more of just about everything from this book, but I don't regret reading it.

C.A.P.E Rating:Characters - 4/5
Atmosphere - 4/5
Plot - 4/5
Enjoyment - 3/5