(SOME) REVIEWS ARE IN!

Happy release day everyone! To celebrate (and thankfully we can celebrate this, up to a point), we're taking a look at the reception to The Worth of Scars from those who received an advance copy. Huge thanks to all those who took the time to read and review the book!

It's a long old tome, so it's no surprise that only a handful of those that received the novel have so far reviewed it. For those that have, however, it's been almost universally positive, which is great!

After 8 ratings, goodreads has The Worth of Scars at a cool 4.4 rating out of five (yes, I'm rounding up!), with 4 five star reviews, 3 four star and one three star. While I'm sure some negative reviews are in the post, it's really cool to see that the reception has been so positive so far, and I'm happy with any encouraging reviews, let alone the four five star ones I've had so far!

There are definitely some themes developing in the various reviews, both good and bad (or somewhere in between!). Many of these themes I was expecting or even hoping for, but there are some suprises mixed in there as well.

The characters, character work and character developement seem to be receiving the most praise, something I'm over the moon about. Excellent characterisation is probably what I look for most in any novel, so I suppose it isn't surprising, but it's still nice to hear that that passion for character-focused writing has translated well into my own work.

'The character work was the best part. Intricate, varied, and emotional.'

'I loved reading their [the characters'] individual povs every chapter, every single one of them was so well done.'

'Each character is well narrated and has a distinct personality,'

After the characterisation, the tone of the novel is probably the next most commented on. 'Dark', 'grim', 'tragic' and 'grimdark' are all frequently-used terms - something that isn't exactly surprising, given the magic system and some of my authorial inspirations. What I really appreciated, though, is the praise for the humour dotted throughout the book in an attempt to provide a bit of contrast to the bleakness and gore.

'I experienced a full spectrum of emotions reading this book (a testament to the writing of course!), but what stood out for me was the quick-witted humour.'

'Despite the heavy themes and complex magic, the narrative is perfectly balanced with such a great dry humor, which I believe makes a long complex fantasy book like this one feel less intimidating.'

'Gritty and dark, but the subtle humour added the perfect amount of levity, balancing out the heavy and darker parts of this book.'

Given what I suppose I consider The Worth of Scars' 'USP' to be - the magic system - it's unsurprising that this and the rest of the world building have often been noted, heavily tied in to the darkness of the book as mentioned above.

'The magic system is entirely unique. I won't lie, the intriguing premise of how characters draw power from self-pain is what drew me to the book in the first place, and it did not disappoint!'

'Another strong and intriguing part was the magic system, and I loved learning about the Scarred, how the use of their magic affects them, and how it shapes their personalities. There’s still much to learn about them, and I’m definitely hooked.'

'The magic system is what got my attention first and foremost, with self-mutilation required for its use. I really enjoy a hard magic system with a direct cost to the user, limiting capabilities and also requiring strategy and sacrifice in its use.'

Then we get into what were perhaps the more divisive elements of the book, namely the pacing and structure. I was expecting more complaints over the time it takes the book to get going. But whilst it was commented upon several times, it was either said to be countered by the latter half of the book or not highlighted as a particular issue. Instead, the book's closing stages were more often described as 'overwhelming' or 'jarring' in terms of the shift in pace, though multiple readers described the very end to be a satisfying conclusion. I have to confess I expected the opposite - it's funny how one's expectations as a writer can be subverted in such a way.

The most common complaint seems to be about the number of POV characters and the effect that had on the pacing - this was a complaint I was far more prepared for. What can I say? I struggle to kill my darlings. I can only hope that the efforts setting up all these characters in this first instalment (some of whom, it's true, do become sidelined at times) will bear fruit in later additions to the Scarred Saga. Too long-sighted an approach? Very probably, but the fact that some seem to have appreciated it feels somewhat vindicating.

'This is a slow burn book where the plot doesn’t truly start until 30% in. The start of the book does a lot of heavy lifting in terms of setting up certain characters.'

'I was a bit sceptical at the beginning, unsure why we start with Ziggy's, Nils, and Petars back stories. I was impatient to get to the "start" of the story, the point where all main characters meet up and go on their quest. But oh how wrong I was to be impatient.'

'I have to confess that I'm an impatient reader, and it was a challenge for me at the beginning, but the reward afterwards was absolutely worth it. Looking back, I can see the perfect, solid foundation for these characters.'

Overall, I think The Worth of Scars can be summed up rather better than I could ever manage by one reviewer in particular:

I will say this again; this is a very long, and very dark book filled with action, violence, bloody battles, a somewhat disturbing system of magic, and enough twists and turns in the plot that I was occasionally left reeling.

Yep, that about covers it - thanks Laure!

Thanks so, so much to everyone who read an advance copy of The Worth of Scars. If you loved it, hated it, or if you were apathetic, I truly appreciate everyone who gave the book a chance and then put their opinions on it out there for the world to see (or plan to!).

A few more quotes from reviews that I either enjoyed or appreciated (or both!):

'I can't believe I get to be the first to review this amazing book.'

'I can safely say that this book is (as I like to say) the hidden gem of this year!'

'This book is multiple POVs and each character is well narrated and has a distinct personality, and not all of them are particularly likeable.'

'Reading this on the plane, I quickly became that annoying person who keeps laughing out loud while everyone else is trying to sleep.'

'I particularly enjoyed the female characters, as a woman it’s rare to find women who are this well-written while also being allowed to be delightfully flawed.'

'That last chapter...yeah.'

'This is a start to a series, but book one wraps up extremely satisfyingly.'

'Overall, a very ambitious effort that is a long read and doesn’t hold your hand, but is worth it for characters that jump off the page and a gritty atmosphere.'

'Thank you so much for letting me read this book for free and be assured that I'm grabbing a physical copy as soon as I'm at work next. I'll recommend this to every dark fantasy reader I know. A fantastic debut that simply leaves you yearning for more.'

'I am really hoping that the next instalment will appear sooner rather than later after this brilliant debut.'

Cheers,

Gabe