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jfkaess's review against another edition
5.0
Codex Alera book 3. I love this series. The story gains depth and the characters continue to grow as Tavi goes undercover in a legion. Friendships and relationships grow and his network of trusted comrades becomes solid. Well written, well narrated, kept my interest all the way through. As with all of Jim Butcher's books, I first read them several years ago and now I am listening to them as audiobooks. The stories hold up well the second time.
clarks_dad's review
4.0
Good, good, good book. Tavi is growing up, and his mysterious past, and why he has no furies is finally revealed.
Things that are really good:
1. Maximus
2. Maximus
3. Grown-up Ehren
4. Kitai
5. Tavi as a legionnaire captain
oh wait, .5. The Freaking Canim.
Finally Tavi's got some worthy adversaries and while treachery is always afoot in the Kingdom of Alera, this time, there's far more open conflict. Butcher continues to write really well and put his characters through legitimately believable emotional turmoil and growth in a completely fantastic setting filled with awesome imagery and novel twists on epic action.
There's nothing not to like about this book, and the way Butcher puts it together makes you feel rewarded for sticking with the series. Questions about key characters' dubious past lives are revealed and the political intrigue gets far thicker and stickier. A perfect example of how one can write really awesome adventure fiction and still be incredibly intelligent. I can't help but compare this series to the Ender series. And every time I do, I think, Butcher wins. This is what Ender should have been after the first book. Card's geopolitical fantasies are an unrealistic shadow compared to the world of Alera. On to the next one.
Things that are really good:
1. Maximus
2. Maximus
3. Grown-up Ehren
4. Kitai
5. Tavi as a legionnaire captain
oh wait, .5. The Freaking Canim.
Finally Tavi's got some worthy adversaries and while treachery is always afoot in the Kingdom of Alera, this time, there's far more open conflict. Butcher continues to write really well and put his characters through legitimately believable emotional turmoil and growth in a completely fantastic setting filled with awesome imagery and novel twists on epic action.
There's nothing not to like about this book, and the way Butcher puts it together makes you feel rewarded for sticking with the series. Questions about key characters' dubious past lives are revealed and the political intrigue gets far thicker and stickier. A perfect example of how one can write really awesome adventure fiction and still be incredibly intelligent. I can't help but compare this series to the Ender series. And every time I do, I think, Butcher wins. This is what Ender should have been after the first book. Card's geopolitical fantasies are an unrealistic shadow compared to the world of Alera. On to the next one.
surfmonkey01's review against another edition
4.0
Now that's what I'm talking about! It took about a hundred pages to get everyone re-introduced and the plotlines moving again, and then it took off and never stopped! I think I'm well and truly hooked now...
abumblebeee's review against another edition
5.0
4.5
"We are at war."
2 years have passed and we once again follow Tavi, now 19, into uncertain death as Alera Imperia is under attack, this time by one of it's own high Lords.
Jim Butcher really hit his stride in this book, the characters, story, and writing all melded together seamlessly to give an action packed story from start to finish. Definitely the best book in the series so far, most of the characters you've grown to love come back in this story and are faced with even more deadly challenges that they must use their wits to survive.
Tavi is thrust into a Legion, a newly formed military group, he is not prepared for and has none of the training to be a part of. He quickly learns that wars are not always what they seem and realizes that battle are won in the hearts of those fighting in them.
Meanwhile, Amara, Bernard, and Isana are all thrust into this war in their own way and are pushed beyond their limits. All show great depth of character and you get a glimpse more of a glimpse into what drives them and who they are as a person.
This book was action packed from start to finish and definitely comes together as a whole. Jim Butcher cohesively and smoothly brings all of the elements from the first two books together with a new twist and takes the reader on a wild ride all the way through until the end.
We learn a lot more of the backstory of characters in this book and plotlines that were hinted at in the first two books is confirmed.
"We are at war."
2 years have passed and we once again follow Tavi, now 19, into uncertain death as Alera Imperia is under attack, this time by one of it's own high Lords.
Jim Butcher really hit his stride in this book, the characters, story, and writing all melded together seamlessly to give an action packed story from start to finish. Definitely the best book in the series so far, most of the characters you've grown to love come back in this story and are faced with even more deadly challenges that they must use their wits to survive.
Tavi is thrust into a Legion, a newly formed military group, he is not prepared for and has none of the training to be a part of. He quickly learns that wars are not always what they seem and realizes that battle are won in the hearts of those fighting in them.
Meanwhile, Amara, Bernard, and Isana are all thrust into this war in their own way and are pushed beyond their limits. All show great depth of character and you get a glimpse more of a glimpse into what drives them and who they are as a person.
This book was action packed from start to finish and definitely comes together as a whole. Jim Butcher cohesively and smoothly brings all of the elements from the first two books together with a new twist and takes the reader on a wild ride all the way through until the end.
Spoiler
The only thing that could have made this book better, would have been including Doroga. I really missed his simplistic point of view on life throughout this book.We learn a lot more of the backstory of characters in this book and plotlines that were hinted at in the first two books is confirmed.
apryde6226's review
4.0
This is the best of the Codex Alera. The fight at the bridge, against Canim that are 8-10 feet tall, is a great last stand.
cameronkc's review
4.0
I am enjoying this series more as time goes along and i can appreciate Butcher and the world he has created. Through three stories he has crafted a world full of unique people, places and more importantly a vast and complex storyline. Butcher writes individual storylines that are interesting enough to forget what is really happening in the world. Every book has been taking place two years after the last giving his stories and the younger characters time to grow and seemingly find new trouble.
sassyporcupine's review
4.0
Read this one while on vacation in Mexico. The more I read into this series the more I like it. The characters have become even more engaging. The book series is no longer bogged down in meaningless rambling explanations about how their furies work and instead talks about the people and the characters more. I want to know what happens to each of these characters.
lundos's review
4.0
At some point the hero building of Tavi got really good. Second half of the book were very good. Best book in the series.
EDIT: This is almost a 5 star read, and those are very rare for me. Butcher reaches new heights with Tavi's arc here, the fight scenes are great and the entire legion part of the story is compelling, fast paced, and just enough pathos filled. And this is before the Amara/Bernhard love story becomes repetitive.
EDIT: This is almost a 5 star read, and those are very rare for me. Butcher reaches new heights with Tavi's arc here, the fight scenes are great and the entire legion part of the story is compelling, fast paced, and just enough pathos filled. And this is before the Amara/Bernhard love story becomes repetitive.
jaredwsaltz's review
4.0
This is my second time through the series, and I read it for easy reading and comfort food. It holds up well for that, and Tavi is just likeable. Butcher has a ton of fun with the various parts of the world, and I've got a soft spot for Warg/Werewolf style characters like Varg. :)
wesleyboy's review against another edition
5.0
I cannot put this series down. I’m missing appointments, skipping responsibilities, staying up late and waking up early, just to read these books. I can’t remember the last series I devoured like this.