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Ash is currently reading

Pale Lights

by ErraticErrata

bookshelves: favorites, fantasy, currently-reading

Reading for the 3rd time

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Ash said: " Pale Lights is a wonderful, ongoing series that is fundamentally a character-driven story.

Within the first book, the story alternates between the perspectives of two very different characters who are very interesting foils for one another. Their stre Pale Lights is a wonderful, ongoing series that is fundamentally a character-driven story.

Within the first book, the story alternates between the perspectives of two very different characters who are very interesting foils for one another. Their strengths, backgrounds, morals, and perspectives are completely different, yet they both feel like completely functional and 3-dimensional characters who exist completely independent from one another.

That is not just an honor reserved for the main characters - one of this story's greatest strengths is that supporting characters all have their own backstories and motivations, leading to them acting and feeling like real people rather than props or accessories to the main characters. (This is also tied to one of the weaknesses of the series - there are about 30 characters dropped all at once in chapter 3. However, fanart made on a chapter-by-chapter basis goes a long way to helping readers keep track.)

This brings me to my next point: character development. Each character has very interesting flaws which are slowly explored and resolved over the course of the book. Obviously, not everything is resolved by the end of Book 1. However, they've both come a long way and go even further in Book 2. Never does the character development feel forced or out of character, but rather adds to the picture of who they are. I am consistently blown away by how real the characters, their flaws, and their responses to them feel over the course of the entire series. The flaws aren't resolved instantly, either. It is a slow creep towards being better for the protagonists, with believable milestones and hesitation and moments where they choose the right thing to do where they might not have before.

The character development also ties in beautifully to the plot, with each element driving the other as they both progress. The plot never fails to hook my interest and the climaxes at the end of Book 2 were absolutely magnificent. Survival, cleverness, the unearthing of secrets and plots, politics, mini-heists, character relationships, and action have all been featured throughout the first two books, along with calm moments for the characters. It's truly astonishing how well it's been plotted out.

The dialogue is wonderful. It never feels forced, and the banter is always excellent. Hearing the characters go back-and-forth with each other is always something to look forward to and never fails to make me smile.

The worldbuilding is another very compelling part of the series. The basics are very easy to understand right from the beginning, with the more complicated pieces being revealed slowly as the characters learn. It is extremely well thought out and I look forward to learning even more about it. It's a very interesting system that lets the characters do some very cool, believable things while still being constrained by interesting, believable limits.

The prose is fantastic (there are errors with spelling and grammar, but nothing that detracts from the reading experience). The author has 3.5 million words of experience with his previous work, A Practical Guide to Evil, and it shows in the quality of this series straight from chapter 1.

I highly, highly recommend reading this series, and I look forward to continuing to do so myself as more chapters release. ...more "

May 12, 2026 07:45PM · see review

Ash’s Quotes

“That hat looks ridiculous.”
“Fortunately, I can change hats,” Wayne said, “while you, sir, are stuck with that face.”
― Brandon Sanderson, The Alloy of Law

304 likes

“Please, my darling Inej, treasure of my heart, won’t you do me the honor of acquiring me a new hat?”
― Leigh Bardugo, Six of Crows

2503 likes

“I’ll be honest, Chancellor – revenge is the motivation for over half the decrees I’ve made.”
– Dread Empress Sanguinia II, best known for outlawing cats and being taller than her”
― ErraticErrata, So You Want to Be a Villain?

tags: cats, chancellor, chapter-17, dread-emperor-empress, fantasy, humor, motivational, praesi, revenge, sanguinia-ii

9 likes

“What Foundling does isn’t thinking outside the box so much as stealing the box and hitting her opponents with it until they stop moving.”
– Extract from “A Commentary on the Uncivil Wars”, by Juniper of the Red Moon Clan”
― ErraticErrata, So You Want to Be a Villain?

tags: chapter-27, fantasy, humor, juniper, orc, outside-the-box, strategy, war

22 likes

“Wayne's a little attached to that hat," Waxillium said. "He thinks it's lucky."
Wayne: "It is lucky. I ain't never died while wearing that hat."
Marasi frowned. "I ... I'm not sure I know how to respond."
Wax: "That's a common reaction to Wayne.”
― Brandon Sanderson, The Alloy of Law

tags: conversations, death, hat, humor, luck

182 likes

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