Tuyo

Really enjoyed reading about the different cultures and relationships between the characters.

Tuyo is filled with good ideas. I loved the worldbuilding and the flesh given to both countries.

However the writing in general feels lacking. It looks like the author is new, and sometimes even feels like a bad translation.

The story is written through Ryo's POV, and I am saddened to say he has not much of a personality. He feels flat. His thoughts are often very repetitive. He can be described as : Honorable, honest and stubborn. IMO, this doesn't rhyme with "interesting".

The other characters are not any better. Aras in particular is generous and honorable, and that's it. Esau, Geras and Suyet are nothing more than sidekicks. I felt that Tuyo in general is very predictable : that is the problem when both societies are so based on honor they would put feodal Japan to shame.

The antagonist was just an ordinary villain. Why is he so mean and cruel ? Because that is how he is. Well.

The magic part is tricky to describe in a book, by its nature. I would say it was ok-ish, but I would have enjoyed a little more substance. The "big fight" felt a bit messy.

Overall an OK read, but I am not sure I will read the next tomes. At the end of Tuyo the author advertised a spinoff about Nikoles : why would I want to read a whole book about a guy I absolutely don't care about ? He was not intriguing nor "story-worthy" to me. Make it about the winter people and their songs, or the Lakasha.