Gareth Ryder-Hanrahan: The Gutter Prayer

Hi everyone

The Gutter Prayer is the first book in The Black Iron Legacy series by Gareth Ryder-Hanrahan.
I got my copy from Bol.com.

"A group of three young thieves are pulled into a centuries old magical war between ancient beings, mages, and humanity in this wildly original debut epic fantasy.
The city has always been. The city must finally end.
When three thieves—an orphan, a ghoul, and a cursed man—are betrayed by the master of the thieves guild, their quest for revenge uncovers dark truths about their city and exposes a dangerous conspiracy, the seeds of which were sown long before they were born.
Cari is a drifter whose past and future are darker than she can know.
Rat is a Ghoul, whose people haunt the city's underworld.
Spar is a Stone Man, subject to a terrible disease that is slowly petrifying his flesh.
Chance has brought them together, but their friendship could be all that stands in the way of total armageddon."

While I appreciate the ambition behind this book, I’m not entirely convinced I actually liked it. 

There was just too much going on in this book. Ryder-Hanrahan clearly has a ton of great ideas: the creatures, the magic system, the world’s history, ... but it felt like he tried to cram them all into one story. The originality of the creatures and concepts is undeniable, and I loved the creativity behind them. But there’s so much that it becomes overwhelming.
The writing style also wasn’t for me. It was very dense, and I struggled to get through some sections. Combined with rather flat characters and shallow worldbuilding, it made for a reading experience that was not awful, but not really enjoyable either; at least, not for me.

Have you read The Gutter Prayer? Did you connect with it more than I did, or did you feel the same way? I’d love to hear your thoughts!

Happy reading!
Helena