Posted by There can only be one, and what to do in a tie? It wasn’t an easy decision to make but it had to be done.
So, below we’re going to go over our thoughts on these two books and then pick our finalist.
A SUMMARY OF RED AND TOOTH IN CLAW
KRISTEN: This book was very short, coming in at just about 150 pages… but wow, does it pack a story into those pages. I was on the edge of my seat for a lot of this story, as once the party reaches the outpost, the story kickstarts and never lets up. There were several things that outright shocked me about this book, but I won’t spoil them for you. Just know that I was rather pleasantly surprised by one or two of the turns this story took. The story gets pretty gritty, dark and at times actually rather scary. Don’t underestimate this book because it’s short, because Ryan Howse made use of every page it has to tell a gripping and really intriguing story of two men from different cultures thrust together into an unlikely adventure. I had 8.5/10 stars of a good time with Red in Tooth and Claw, and if you like dark and gritty wilderness adventures, you’ll probably dig it too.
ESME: This struck me as different right away. The prose was very raw, very stylistic and had a voice that was distinctly its own. It’s also very rare for me to encounter fantasy in the pre-history world. The world itself is wild and untamed, unforgiving and relentless. It created a whirlwind in just 150 pages of intense storytelling adventure. I loved the characters and they are some that will stick with me for some time to come. I highly recommend this book to anyone who likes the man vs. wilderness theme and some gripping characters.
A SUMMARY OF WE MEN OF ASH AND SHADOW
KRISTEN: This was an easy book to get into, and I liked Vanguard as a character. It wasn’t hard to cheer for him, because while he does bad things, he does have morals, and he tends to stick to them. He lives in a brothel, and protects everyone who lives there when he can. Things like that. I never really warmed up to Tarryn too much, but Vanguard pretty much runs the show in this book, so that was no big deal. There were minor characters I also liked, like some of the prostitutes that live in the brothel where Vanguard stays. The last hour of this book was a rollercoaster in a lot of ways. Lots of stuff went on that I was like ‘…wow. woooooow.’ and that doesn’t happen to me too often. I thought it was just long enough, without too many filler bits. I really enjoyed We Men of Ash and Shadow. Anyone who likes dark fantasy should definitely pick this one up! 8.5/10 stars!
ESME: I enjoyed everything about this, from the prose, to the characters, to the world. The prose was engaging, atmospheric, and captivating while being concise and not over-bloating the story. This is not a long book and there’s so much that goes on in a very short amount of time. I found the characters to be three dimensional, nuanced, and on the ‘grey’ side which I think will appeal to a lot of readers. The city itself is just fantastic, the world building was top notch and breathed life into the city. This is a darker, grittier story but it doesn’t become grotesque and over the top, which I feel helps it have a broader appeal to those who want dark but not shocking. This is absolutely a book I’ll recommend to anyone who likes twisted tales in a dangerous city.
OK.
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HERE WE GO.
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We had to pick someone…
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We had a literal tie.
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IN THE END WE WENT WITH:
WE MEN OF ASH AND SHADOW BY HL TINSLEY
Many hearty congratulations to the author, and our commiserations to Ryan. Red in Tooth and Claw is a very worthy book we hope people pick up and enjoy!
CONGRATS HL TINSLEY, YOURE ON YOUR WAY TO THE FINALS!
