Sono andata a rilento ma ha ingranato dopo un po' questo primo volume. Molte ripetizioni di concetti già spiegati in lotm alle volte ma ci può stare, Lumian e Aurore sono stati un bel duo da seguire. La fine per la miseria però, perché Cuttlefish, perché 😭
It was surprisingly good, after all the negative things I've heard. I'm happy it was actually quite good. I do miss Klein and the Tarot club, but I love that now that we don't know the characters at the beginning u can guess and make a lot theories with the knowledge of LotM (also not all charcaters are new). And I also can not wait to see Tarot Ckub from an outsiders perspective. I must say I liked Kleins personality more since I could relate with him more, but it's also interesting to note that Lumian often seems to be the opposite of Klein. it helps a lot , that Lumians character is not as bad as he first appears and the longer u read the more he kinde grows on u, i hope he gets the same depth as Klein. At the beginning it was hard to emerge myself into Lumian because of the difference in charcaters between him and me or Klein and the way he doesn't have long internal monologs and everything. It was also very slow and i did not like how he acted at the beginning. I also think that his backstory was kind of weird and his uniqueness suddenly appeared but im sure that gets explained later on in the next Volums. Despite the slow start the moment he becomes a beyonder things start to become interesting. Although I had many theories of what was going on in the end i could not even guess the plot twist it was that surprising . I do think it's worth the read. I've heard Amon appears in Volume 2 and despite all the PTSD that guy gave me in LotM. I can't wait to meet him again in TCoI.
This first volume of Circle of Inevitability is a slow burn. The pace can be a bit challenging especially if you're used to the faster-paced plot of Lord of Mysteries. It's a chore to read. I definitely found myself missing Klein and his adventures.
The setting of the story is also a bit constrained taking place within one small, seemingly boring town. However, the narrative picks up toward the end. It's in the final chapters that we get a glimpse of what's to come and the introduction of familiar characters from the Lord of Mysteries universe is a rewarding moment for fans. It’s a great payoff that makes the slow build worth it.
OK, so I started reading the second book of the Lord of Mysteries series. It feels more... experimental. In terms of plot, it's kind of the same, though. Same fish out of water (pardon the pun) starting from Sequence 9 and raising in level, same idea of trying to figure things out, same unexplained quirk that no one else has, even a Tarot Club further on. So, if you expected a continuation of book 1, maybe later?
Circle of Inevitability starts really slow. Something remotely interesting only happens 15% of this first volume in. But then a lot of mind twisting events go on, ending with an epic twist that I don't want to spoil.
For me, this is already a sort of challenge, so I will probably finish this book as I did the first, but to be honest I am a bit disappointed. I wanted to know what happened with the characters I knew, not start "a new game" with a different character hoping that maybe I will understand in a few thousand pages how the events in the first book reached any conclusion. Also, the main character doesn't work for me. An orphan saved by a "big sister", a self proclaimed prank master. And if I may pile on that, the story is ridiculous, as it happens in a small village, but with so many high level actors.
The writing ifeels more experimental: more stakes, more negative outcomes, more emotional evolution, but not that much. The main character doesn't come off as a psychopath as in the first book, but he still veers in that direction when it comes to unbearable pain or personal loss. I personally like the grand god level magic parts, things that would turn a normal person into a quivering mess without any spiritual or mystical influence, but to have characters that just shrug things off and get on with their quest feels like watching someone else playing a video game.
Bottom line: some improvements, some disappointments. I will continue to read the rest, see how it goes.
...idk Lumian didn't really leave me with a good impression because just what is this - "At the very least, exercising is beneficial, and it’s quite a feast for the eyes…"?? isn't she your grande soeur why are you thinking about her like this!? 😭🙂 ...maybe I'm overthinking, but I wouldn't have continued reading if not for the hopes of seeing Klein and the Tarot members. Anyway in this volume, Aurore seemed to be the only interesting character and she's also 'dead' and imo the plot twist didn't really feel that much of a twist.