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oddduck's review
adventurous
medium-paced
4.0
This book had way more set up than I remembered. It took literally half the book to introduce the Queste, and another hundred pages to start it. The hard thing is that all of it was necessary for clarity and later payoffs. But for a book called Queste there sure wasn't a whole lot of the Queste, which is something that mildly irritates and disappoints me.
Additionally, the ending wasn't as tied up as previous books. We haven't made it back to the castle yet, and there's several characters who are in the middle of upheaval, notably Beetle. If I'm remembering Syren correctly, there's something about an island, so that might possibly explain this.
Those were my two big gripes with this book, but otherwise it was extremely enjoyable. I think I've been in a bit of a reading slump, since I've been having a hard time keeping my attention on several books I've tried, but I did not have that problem with this book.
It was nice to leave the Castle (beyond the Port, which I lump in with the Castle, since it's so close) and see some more of this world. There was also some really interesting lore that expanded the world. And there continues to be excellent character development. Septimus and Simon were standouts for me this time, but I'm very intrigued by Merrin too. Eager to see how things continue!
Additionally, the ending wasn't as tied up as previous books. We haven't made it back to the castle yet, and there's several characters who are in the middle of upheaval, notably Beetle. If I'm remembering Syren correctly, there's something about an island, so that might possibly explain this.
Those were my two big gripes with this book, but otherwise it was extremely enjoyable. I think I've been in a bit of a reading slump, since I've been having a hard time keeping my attention on several books I've tried, but I did not have that problem with this book.
It was nice to leave the Castle (beyond the Port, which I lump in with the Castle, since it's so close) and see some more of this world. There was also some really interesting lore that expanded the world. And there continues to be excellent character development. Septimus and Simon were standouts for me this time, but I'm very intrigued by Merrin too. Eager to see how things continue!
Content Warnings
Minor: Murder, Violence, and Grief
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