Cover Image: The Flaw in the Stone

The Flaw in the Stone

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Member Reviews

A revolution looms as High Azoth Dracaen strengthens the power of the Rebel Branch, Cedar and Saule take treacherous steps against fellow alchemists, and the unprecedented mutual conjunction of Ilex and Melia changes the fate of all dimensions. With insurgents gathering, Ilex and Melia’s attempt to open a forbidden breach through time could bring salvation — or total destruction — to the elemental balance of the world.
This is the first book I read from this author. It was definitely different from most the books I read. I didn’t know that there had been another book before this one before I read it. It probably would’ve made things a little less muddling for me. I’m not sure I’ll try any more from this author.
**I voluntarily read and reviewed this book

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*thank you to Netgalley and ECW Press for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review*

3 stars.

First, that cover!! Definitely 2 thumbs up from me. The story, I found it tricky to get into as most epic fantasy books need full concentration so it wasnt an easy read which took a star off it. It was good though. I got lost in it at times and was pleasantly surprised at how much I was enjoying it. I haven't read anything from this author before but I hope she has more books coming in this series.

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The Flaw in the Stone is the second book in the Alchemists' Council series by Cynthea Masson. It had been over a year since I read the first book in the series, but I decided to go ahead and read the second one and go back and refresh if I got lost and couldn't follow along. There was enough backstory in this installment that I never felt the lack of background info, especially since several centuries separate the two narratives.

The thing that drew me to this book and kept me reading was the careful and lush language. It's a really enjoyable read. For me the prose was more engaging than the world building or characterizations, though the magical system and explanations were well done.

I would have originally categorized this as a new adult novel, and it really is, but there is a fair amount of sex (not at all gratuitous; it's intrinsic to the plot). If that's a problem for the reader, it might be best to be forewarned.

I think the book would be somewhat confusing and/or frustrating without having some familiarity to book one (The Alchemists' Council).

All in all, a somewhat complex read, occasionally confusing for me but beautifully written. The prose is the standout star of this novel.

Four stars, I'll be back for book #3.

Disclosure: I received an ARC at no cost from the author/publisher.

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An incredible story set in a world that is both fresh and familiar. The reader will be gripped from the first page and eagerly await the next installment.

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DNF at 25%. The try at being intellectually "wordy" from the first page fell flat. Spotty worldbuilding at best, character development nonexistent. Premise and the synopsis did not jibe with the written word of this novel. I voluntarily reviewed an ARC of this book from Netgalley.

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This book seemed to have potential at the outset. The plot started out intriguing and the use of Alchemy at a level seeming magical was an interesting variant. Unfortunately I found myself losing interest before halfway through. The world development is almost non-existent. Occasionally this can be made to work if the reader is deep within a character's psyche and the outside world is not their primary concern. Here we are jumping place to place from fantastical point in the Council & Flaw dimensions to scenes in the real world. The scenes in the real world are a little easier to grasp, because if you have an idea of what it looks like already, like Santa Fe's arid environment, it makes it easier to form that picture. As I mentioned, world development can be off set by significant character development, but here again I find this book significantly lacking. The characters are rifled through pretty quickly, jumping from perspective to perspective. This not only limits character development, but also makes the story less interesting as the reader doesn't get invested into characters. I feel like the author has a great story in her head, but it needs much more development and detail for readers to truly enjoy being a part of it. The story continued on to the end, but none of it ever seemed much different to me. I think this must be targeted to those who enjoy soap operas to be successful. I could see how some of this may draw upon emotional ties to children for mothers, but it wasn't developed enough for me to have anything invested into it. It seemed to be just one plot twist with new characters after another with yet newer characters, eventually loosely tying back in. The tie back was meaningless to me personally, once again I was not invested to any of the characters. The prose was good, everything was very readable. The creativity of some of it, combined with the fact that it was a ARC copy that I felt some obligation to finish, are probably the only reasons that I did finish it. Normally I'm afraid this would be a DNF for me. I have to give this story 2.5 stars. I think that it very well could do better than that with general public, perhaps over 3 stars, but I doubt it will get above 3.5 from the masses.

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