Elysia
I picked up Elysia by C.C.Francis because it seemed to offer an interesting premise. Unfortunately, it failed to deliver on several (for me) important levels. I did finish this book, but it was a struggle.
The descriptions were certainly colourful and the fight scenes full of handwavium magic blasts. Nevertheless, it all came across as a bit of a hodgepodge with little connectivity. I generally felt like I was flipping through a snapshot album rather than immersing myself in a narrative.
…a bit of a hodgepodge…
The biggest challenge for me as a reader was the lack of consistency and continuity. At times, the main characters behave in an almost schizophrenic manner that completely swamps any chance at progressive character development. In many places there are sudden jumps or repeats in the descriptions, action and/or dialogue and it becomes unclear who is speaking which words and what exactly provoked them into saying them in the first place. It feels a bit like ‘The Matrix’ is having an epileptic seizure.
The central narrative employs an omniscient third person past (though it slips into present tense occasionally) PoV. In some scenes, this gets so tangled up with head hopping and side commentary that it is a struggle to work out what is actually happening.
Though the author is certainly creative, imaginative and inventive, I found the world building to be confusing and at times self-contradictory. The central story arc felt like it was only a pretext on which to hang the many disparate descriptions and scenes. I found, the great many ‘convenient revelations’ throughout the story formed an endless chain of Deus ex Machina that took all the tension and excitement out of the action. It was like the whole cast were ‘Mary Sues’ that were just competing to out do each other. There was never any feeling of risk or threat because I knew, as soon as things got difficult some new and unexplained skill, ability or ally would suddenly pop up.
Finally, the magic system itself is (extremely) soft. People can do stuff because they can do it. There is some mention of people needing to study / learn magic and it is suggested that it is linked to ultra-advanced technology. However, the underlying system that drives and powers this magic is left completely unaddressed. This is particularly frustrating when the reader finds out that, despite appearing to have wildly differing principles of physics and mechanics, this world shares a common universe with the planet Earth.
In summary, this book is like a theatrical costume jewelry necklace. All the sparkle and bling earns C.C.Francis 2 out of 5 stars, but otherwise, the lack of any real substance costs it dearly.
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