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katyanaish's review
4.0
There was a lot that was great in this book ... a LOT. I loved seeing Jewel and Avandar's relationship evolved, and I loved getting hints of who he is (or was). I loved meeting the Voyani Matriarchs, not just because of their personalities (which were great) bit also because of the feeling, the weight, of history and magic there. Like, these people have forgotten so much of who they are, and wisps of it drift up occasionally, and they are awesome.
I struggled with all the time spent with the Tors and Tyrs, because quite frankly, I hate those guys. I hate all the men of the Dominion, and I just don't have sympathy for any of them, even the ones that are a little conflicted (I'm looking at you, Sendari) or seem like they are good honorable men with other men of power, but their disdain for the rest of the world - and women - are unforgivable (that would be you, Sendari and Alesso... I see your bromance, but it just can't overcome my loathing for you).
And Diora's plot just felt like a whole lot of waiting. And I didn't understand why, honestly. She told Teresa that she couldn't leave yet because there was a woman who she wouldn't leave without, and wouldn't be ready for another week. And ... I have to assume So that, to me, just felt like a manufactured delay to make all the threads of the plot come together on the night of the Festival, and while I get that in terms of story structure, Diora's arch in this book - the endless waiting, and her feeling sad and lonely - was a yawn.
And I missed the den, and Kiriel and Valedan and Meralonne. They've become important characters, and it is hard to have a whole book without them.
Also, is it weird that I ship Kallandras and Jewel? I know that's probably weird - I think it's because they are the two characters I have come to care most about, and so of course I'm like "and now, KISS!" ... but it seems like the author is going more Kallandras / Evayne. Which ... I just can't like Evayne. I get that she's made sacrifices for this great war - horrific ones - but she treats everyone like pawns, where she is the only game player. Her condescension is appalling to me, her lack of compassion is irritating, and I just really really hope Jewel doesn't become her. I feel like this world already has an ice-cold bitch seer. What it needs is a compassionate one, who will TRY to save people, even if it seems futile. One who is driven by her heart. Because otherwise it is just two players at the game, who are ruthless and will sacrifice anyone ... and what are we cheering for? If I want that, you may as well let Sendari/Alesso/Cortano win, because that's exactly who they are.
So yeah. Fuck Evayne. She's a necessary evil, but she can't ever be the heart, the leader, of the good side... because she has long ago kicked her heart to the curb. She's an ally, yes. Never the core.
And Kallandras feels like he's got such a dark core - hidden underneath his pretty blond bard exterior - of self-loathing and death... someone like Jewel could help return light to his life, the same way she did with Duster and Kiriel. I guess I just want that for him.
I struggled with all the time spent with the Tors and Tyrs, because quite frankly, I hate those guys. I hate all the men of the Dominion, and I just don't have sympathy for any of them, even the ones that are a little conflicted (I'm looking at you, Sendari) or seem like they are good honorable men with other men of power, but their disdain for the rest of the world - and women - are unforgivable (that would be you, Sendari and Alesso... I see your bromance, but it just can't overcome my loathing for you).
And Diora's plot just felt like a whole lot of waiting. And I didn't understand why, honestly. She told Teresa that she couldn't leave yet because there was a woman who she wouldn't leave without, and wouldn't be ready for another week. And ... I have to assume
Spoiler
that she was talking about the Sun Sword she stole on Festival Night, but frankly, we'd already established that the Radann were too busy to even attend the Sun Sword - she'd visited, and it was filled with dust, with no lit fires in the braziers - so I disagree that she needed to wait on her hands another week to steal it and go with Teresa.And I missed the den, and Kiriel and Valedan and Meralonne. They've become important characters, and it is hard to have a whole book without them.
Also, is it weird that I ship Kallandras and Jewel? I know that's probably weird - I think it's because they are the two characters I have come to care most about, and so of course I'm like "and now, KISS!" ... but it seems like the author is going more Kallandras / Evayne. Which ... I just can't like Evayne. I get that she's made sacrifices for this great war - horrific ones - but she treats everyone like pawns, where she is the only game player. Her condescension is appalling to me, her lack of compassion is irritating, and I just really really hope Jewel doesn't become her. I feel like this world already has an ice-cold bitch seer. What it needs is a compassionate one, who will TRY to save people, even if it seems futile. One who is driven by her heart. Because otherwise it is just two players at the game, who are ruthless and will sacrifice anyone ... and what are we cheering for? If I want that, you may as well let Sendari/Alesso/Cortano win, because that's exactly who they are.
So yeah. Fuck Evayne. She's a necessary evil, but she can't ever be the heart, the leader, of the good side... because she has long ago kicked her heart to the curb. She's an ally, yes. Never the core.
And Kallandras feels like he's got such a dark core - hidden underneath his pretty blond bard exterior - of self-loathing and death... someone like Jewel could help return light to his life, the same way she did with Duster and Kiriel. I guess I just want that for him.
winterreader40's review
4.0
The story continues following the events that are occurring in the Dominion and in the Empire but now we are also following what is happening with the Voyani, particularly the Arkosans, and how they are a major faction in the upcoming war even if the rest of the world believes that they barely have any magic left and aren't really a threat. The Kialli are very specific about the need to capture the Voyani matriarchs and it makes the Widan start to wonder if there is more than meets the eye with what's left of the Voyani.
It's hard to write anything about the stories at this point as it's book 3 (or 6 depending on the reading order you've chosen) and I don't wish to spoil anything. I still really love all of these characters and the newer Voyani that we either haven't met before or just haven't seen much of are great, but Jewel really gets on my nerves in this book, it's almost like she reverts to a teenager in her reactions to about half the things she encounters in this book and it is annoying.
It's hard to write anything about the stories at this point as it's book 3 (or 6 depending on the reading order you've chosen) and I don't wish to spoil anything. I still really love all of these characters and the newer Voyani that we either haven't met before or just haven't seen much of are great, but Jewel really gets on my nerves in this book, it's almost like she reverts to a teenager in her reactions to about half the things she encounters in this book and it is annoying.
chenoadallen's review against another edition
3.0
Overall, I enjoy this series, but it needs some heavy editing - especially this book - for both length and awkward writing (for example: "At his feet, literally paralyzed by her own fear, was a woman who would perish when her heart stopped beating.") The other books (in all three interconnected series) have kept me hooked with character development - I'm ready to give up the series halfway through each one (when it's extra-slow going), and then some new character enters, or some major character development happens, and I give the next book a chance. That didn't happen in The Shining Court. I'm not sure now why I'm reading the next one, except that I hope things pick back up once I catch up to where House Wars picks pack up (w/r/t internal chronology), since those are most recent and best-written.
laurla's review
"we do not give our secrets away so lightly. knowledge is often a thing that slips between closed fingers. it is more like water than gold; it cannot be held."
"be like the lady's element. water can be struck, but the hand passes through it, and when the two are parted - water and attacker - it is the latter that bears the mark."
"the winds howled in peder's ears, and the howled with fredero's voice."
"he did not lie to himself; he had never lied to himself. it served no useful purpose. but there were some truths that were slow to surface, slow to demand the attention."
"she was driven by a pain that the damned know, and few others."
"you didnt love her in spite of the fact that she was a killer, you loved her because she was one. because she could do the things you were afraid to do without thinking twice. because she could do the things that had to be done without flinching."
"i have never lied; it is not my nature; a lie is beneath me; it is a tool of those whose truths are now powerful enough. i promise what i promise and i honor my oath."
"something in her tightened, some imperfection, some part of her that had been broken by the truth: that perfection, that obedience, never guarantees safety. that good and the reward of being good were for the discipline of children. she had done everything as it was to have been done; had been everything she had been taught to be; more. it had given her everything, only so that she might learn what loss was."
"people arent ugly; fear is. but some fears are very very ugly."
"be like the lady's element. water can be struck, but the hand passes through it, and when the two are parted - water and attacker - it is the latter that bears the mark."
"the winds howled in peder's ears, and the howled with fredero's voice."
"he did not lie to himself; he had never lied to himself. it served no useful purpose. but there were some truths that were slow to surface, slow to demand the attention."
"she was driven by a pain that the damned know, and few others."
"you didnt love her in spite of the fact that she was a killer, you loved her because she was one. because she could do the things you were afraid to do without thinking twice. because she could do the things that had to be done without flinching."
"i have never lied; it is not my nature; a lie is beneath me; it is a tool of those whose truths are now powerful enough. i promise what i promise and i honor my oath."
"something in her tightened, some imperfection, some part of her that had been broken by the truth: that perfection, that obedience, never guarantees safety. that good and the reward of being good were for the discipline of children. she had done everything as it was to have been done; had been everything she had been taught to be; more. it had given her everything, only so that she might learn what loss was."
"people arent ugly; fear is. but some fears are very very ugly."
scoutee's review
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
coolcurrybooks's review
4.0
Michelle West’s Sun Sword series is a six book long epic fantasy series starting with The Broken Crown. The Shining Court is the third book in the series, and you most definitely need to have read the previous books.
The third book returns focus to the Dominion. The focus is on Jewel as she travels south, the Voyani, the Shining Court, the conspirators, and Diora. The cast list that appeared in the beginning of the previous two books has mostly been removed, aside from two pages listing out the Voyani (many of whom are new characters). Perhaps you’re expected to know who everyone is by now? Or perhaps the list of characters got two long for a list.
I found The Shining Court easier to get into than the previous two books, probably because this time I knew who most of these people were right off the bat. Unlike the previous two books, it didn’t start off with a lengthy section from some new and minor character. I missed some of the characters from the Empire, especially Kiriel, but I’m glad the story has returned to Diora.
The Shining Court takes place roughly six months after the end of the first book, when the Festival of the Lady is almost arrived. The demons of the Shining Court have some plan involving the festival masks and they demand that the conspirators name the Dark Lord as a “consort” to the Lady for the duration of the festival. Pretty much all of the human characters suspect that whatever is going on with the masks won’t end well, and the conspirators are realizing that allying themselves with the denizens of Hell may not have been the best PR move.
While the masks may be the overarching plot for this installment, there are plenty of smaller threads. Margret of the Voyani is stepping into the role of Matriarch after her mother’s death. Diora is a prisoner, awaiting an arranged marriage. Kallandras and Teresa are working with the Voyani, as well as to their own ends. Jewel’s travels have led her along a strange path not entirely of this world. I have warmed up to Jewel as a character, but I did find this plot thread of hers slow going. And if Avander ever becomes her love interest I will be mightily angry.
Three books into this massive series, I’m still invested. I particularly love the complicated family ties between Diora, Sendari, and Teresa, but more generally, I love how this is an epic fantasy series with such a wide variety of important female characters. That’s something I’ve talked about in my reviews of the previous books, so I’m not going to go into it any farther here. Besides, if you’re at this point in the series, you should already have noted the strength and quality of Michelle West’s female characters.
Originally posted on The Illustrated Page.
The third book returns focus to the Dominion. The focus is on Jewel as she travels south, the Voyani, the Shining Court, the conspirators, and Diora. The cast list that appeared in the beginning of the previous two books has mostly been removed, aside from two pages listing out the Voyani (many of whom are new characters). Perhaps you’re expected to know who everyone is by now? Or perhaps the list of characters got two long for a list.
I found The Shining Court easier to get into than the previous two books, probably because this time I knew who most of these people were right off the bat. Unlike the previous two books, it didn’t start off with a lengthy section from some new and minor character. I missed some of the characters from the Empire, especially Kiriel, but I’m glad the story has returned to Diora.
The Shining Court takes place roughly six months after the end of the first book, when the Festival of the Lady is almost arrived. The demons of the Shining Court have some plan involving the festival masks and they demand that the conspirators name the Dark Lord as a “consort” to the Lady for the duration of the festival. Pretty much all of the human characters suspect that whatever is going on with the masks won’t end well, and the conspirators are realizing that allying themselves with the denizens of Hell may not have been the best PR move.
While the masks may be the overarching plot for this installment, there are plenty of smaller threads. Margret of the Voyani is stepping into the role of Matriarch after her mother’s death. Diora is a prisoner, awaiting an arranged marriage. Kallandras and Teresa are working with the Voyani, as well as to their own ends. Jewel’s travels have led her along a strange path not entirely of this world. I have warmed up to Jewel as a character, but I did find this plot thread of hers slow going. And if Avander ever becomes her love interest I will be mightily angry.
Three books into this massive series, I’m still invested. I particularly love the complicated family ties between Diora, Sendari, and Teresa, but more generally, I love how this is an epic fantasy series with such a wide variety of important female characters. That’s something I’ve talked about in my reviews of the previous books, so I’m not going to go into it any farther here. Besides, if you’re at this point in the series, you should already have noted the strength and quality of Michelle West’s female characters.
Originally posted on The Illustrated Page.
evakristin's review
3.0
This series has been quite the roller-coaster. The first book I loved, the second I could hardly finish, but I decided to give the series one more chance.
The third book goes far to redeem the second, but still doesn't come close to the quality of the first.
My main annoyance is still Jewel. See my review for The Uncrowned King for my anti Jay rant. Let me just add that now she has also developed the habit of slapping people in the face, usually for nothing more than disagreeing with her. I suppose West hopes this will make Jewel come across as a feisty and plucky female, but actually, hitting people for no good reason makes you an abusive bully in my book, no matter your gender.
I've also mentioned earlier that West overuses the lifting of brows until it gets cartoonish. Her characters also have tendency to... hesitate in their dialogues, supposedly so that what they say will seem more... profound. Problem is, when everyone do this all the time, it comes off as... parodic.
And in spite of all this, I will read the next book in the series. But seldom have I come across a good story told so badly.
The third book goes far to redeem the second, but still doesn't come close to the quality of the first.
My main annoyance is still Jewel. See my review for The Uncrowned King for my anti Jay rant. Let me just add that now she has also developed the habit of slapping people in the face, usually for nothing more than disagreeing with her. I suppose West hopes this will make Jewel come across as a feisty and plucky female, but actually, hitting people for no good reason makes you an abusive bully in my book, no matter your gender.
I've also mentioned earlier that West overuses the lifting of brows until it gets cartoonish. Her characters also have tendency to... hesitate in their dialogues, supposedly so that what they say will seem more... profound. Problem is, when everyone do this all the time, it comes off as... parodic.
And in spite of all this, I will read the next book in the series. But seldom have I come across a good story told so badly.
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