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ivysinconsistentreads's review against another edition
loved the chemistry between the princess and the sorceress, although nikolys i think doesn't deserve a second chance after capturing the heroine's dragon. but this book was made better with the lesbians, hashtag go lesbians
squidfaw's review against another edition
emotional
reflective
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? Yes
5.0
sarahelizab's review against another edition
adventurous
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.25
concertina's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
sad
tense
slow-paced
5.0
elenh_b's review against another edition
adventurous
inspiring
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
lori_up's review against another edition
adventurous
hopeful
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
scarlet_tanager's review against another edition
adventurous
tense
slow-paced
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
4.0
galexandriaw's review against another edition
5.0
I have been trying to figure out what to write for this review, because this book was unlike anything I had ever read. Of course everywhere you look people talk about how phenomenal of a book it is and not to beat a dead horse, but it really is one of the best books I've ever read. Honestly, at this point it is the best book I've ever read.
One word that can describe what makes this book so special: women
It is so refreshing to feel so empowered, uplifted, and attached to the strong female characters in this book. Even minor characters were so well flushed out that I could feel strengths (and weaknesses) in all of them. Don't get it twisted, the male characters are just as well thought out and complex.
Eadaz sparked a fire in my soul like the siden from the orange tree. Her power, poise, and love is something I want to achieve in my own life. Tané showed me that you can grow from unfathomable pain. That it doesn't define you, and that you are more than your past mistakes. Sabran proved that you can be a leader and be scared; that your darkest days can be outshined by your brightest. Loth reminded me that being faithful doesn't have to mean you hide behind naivety. Niclays despite his many flaws, showed me that love has no time limit. Meg, Ros, Susa, Kate, and Chassar were true and loyal friends to the end and I hope one day I can be as strong as them. And in the end, despite my mixed feelings and concerns, Trudye showed me that one voice can change the world, no matter how young or small.
I could go on and on about how these characters have changed my perception of my world and the people in it. This novel showed me what reading can do. I understand a little more now how bibliophiles can see the world in such a poetic way - I hope that I start to as well.
One word that can describe what makes this book so special: women
It is so refreshing to feel so empowered, uplifted, and attached to the strong female characters in this book. Even minor characters were so well flushed out that I could feel strengths (and weaknesses) in all of them. Don't get it twisted, the male characters are just as well thought out and complex.
Eadaz sparked a fire in my soul like the siden from the orange tree. Her power, poise, and love is something I want to achieve in my own life. Tané showed me that you can grow from unfathomable pain. That it doesn't define you, and that you are more than your past mistakes. Sabran proved that you can be a leader and be scared; that your darkest days can be outshined by your brightest. Loth reminded me that being faithful doesn't have to mean you hide behind naivety. Niclays despite his many flaws, showed me that love has no time limit. Meg, Ros, Susa, Kate, and Chassar were true and loyal friends to the end and I hope one day I can be as strong as them. And in the end, despite my mixed feelings and concerns, Trudye showed me that one voice can change the world, no matter how young or small.
I could go on and on about how these characters have changed my perception of my world and the people in it. This novel showed me what reading can do. I understand a little more now how bibliophiles can see the world in such a poetic way - I hope that I start to as well.
miarsb's review against another edition
3.0
There is a lot to love here but the second half is a definite dip in quality that leaves this at three and a half stars for me.
The beginning is mostly split between three POVs across two locations. One of these is a little rough with how many terms are thrown at you for a particular culture and can lead to some skimming as you read through long titles that you have no reference for. These end up solidifying as the story progresses but are still over the top and hard to keep track of.
That leads into the major issue of the book, that the other regions and cultures do not get the same amount of focus. One of the two starting locations does not get nearly the same amount of detail. The problem is then exacerbated as the story progress and more areas are introduced that feel less and less fleshed out.
There is more than enough intrigue and conflict introduced in the first half to keep you interested though. One portion has a layered plot of laws being broken with multiple characters that have taken part and each serve as a weak link that could potentially crush a protagonist's dreams. There is good suspense here in how and when it will all come crashing down. There are also clever links included that connect us to the other major plot across the world. That one is focused on court intrigue and the central threat of the story. Those are interwoven together to provide background on the main character, the interworking of the culture, and the antagonists. We see all of these plot lines expand and deepen in the first half of the book in a very satisfying way. The pace is fairly slow here but feels purposeful and worthwhile.
That changes as we get into the second half of the book. The deliberate pace is mostly dropped in order to further the plot and there are some silly contrivances to ensure characters get where they need to go. Even in the cases where a magical means of transportation doesn't suddenly become available, we just skip past any traveling. These aren't damning by any means but stand in such contrast to the deliberate and detailed pace of the first half that they are glaring.
The pacing issues do not effect the major characters at least, who all get sufficient time and characterization to stand on their own. I loved and hated particular ones in equal measure. There is something to be said about how they all conveniently fit together and end up running across each other from very different starting points but this is a minor gripe and one that probably wouldn't be present at all if this was a series that was allowed more room to breath. I also need to mention the major romance, which is detailed and realistic while maintaining an idyllic air. I truly loved how it evolved.
The plot is what suffers as the story progresses and it feels like this should have been split into multiple volumes. We don't get enough time in the locations of the second half to flesh them out and the antagonists end up fairing the worst. The big bad becomes more of a natural disaster than a character with motivation and is quickly dealt with at the end. The secondary antagonist is given more build up and fits into the world much better but motivations are still murky and a little unsatisfying.
The secondary antagonists does play into some of the best world building in the story. I was pleased by the build up and reveals. A lot of effort was clearly devoted to the setup and progression there, which really pays off. Unfortunately, this does highlight how little we get of other cultures though and again, it feels that this could of be remedied with multiple books. The author clearly shows that they can create intricate and detailed cultures but there isn't enough time to satisfyingly expand on the rest of the world.
There is a truly great story here that I wish had been given multiple books. As it stands, it's a good story that feels like it could have been a masterpiece on par with others in the genera. It's, of course, possible that wouldn't be the case and the principal culture was always supposed to be the center piece. In that case, the scope far exceeded the story. As it stands, the story is in an odd middle ground where it is too long and expansive for a single book and too constrained to reach its full potential. It should have been cut down to better mesh with a more focused story centering on a single region or been given a series to serve the same justice to the rest of the world.
The beginning is mostly split between three POVs across two locations. One of these is a little rough with how many terms are thrown at you for a particular culture and can lead to some skimming as you read through long titles that you have no reference for. These end up solidifying as the story progresses but are still over the top and hard to keep track of.
That leads into the major issue of the book, that the other regions and cultures do not get the same amount of focus. One of the two starting locations does not get nearly the same amount of detail. The problem is then exacerbated as the story progress and more areas are introduced that feel less and less fleshed out.
There is more than enough intrigue and conflict introduced in the first half to keep you interested though. One portion has a layered plot of laws being broken with multiple characters that have taken part and each serve as a weak link that could potentially crush a protagonist's dreams. There is good suspense here in how and when it will all come crashing down. There are also clever links included that connect us to the other major plot across the world. That one is focused on court intrigue and the central threat of the story. Those are interwoven together to provide background on the main character, the interworking of the culture, and the antagonists. We see all of these plot lines expand and deepen in the first half of the book in a very satisfying way. The pace is fairly slow here but feels purposeful and worthwhile.
That changes as we get into the second half of the book. The deliberate pace is mostly dropped in order to further the plot and there are some silly contrivances to ensure characters get where they need to go. Even in the cases where a magical means of transportation doesn't suddenly become available, we just skip past any traveling. These aren't damning by any means but stand in such contrast to the deliberate and detailed pace of the first half that they are glaring.
The pacing issues do not effect the major characters at least, who all get sufficient time and characterization to stand on their own. I loved and hated particular ones in equal measure. There is something to be said about how they all conveniently fit together and end up running across each other from very different starting points but this is a minor gripe and one that probably wouldn't be present at all if this was a series that was allowed more room to breath. I also need to mention the major romance, which is detailed and realistic while maintaining an idyllic air. I truly loved how it evolved.
The plot is what suffers as the story progresses and it feels like this should have been split into multiple volumes. We don't get enough time in the locations of the second half to flesh them out and the antagonists end up fairing the worst. The big bad becomes more of a natural disaster than a character with motivation and is quickly dealt with at the end. The secondary antagonist is given more build up and fits into the world much better but motivations are still murky and a little unsatisfying.
The secondary antagonists does play into some of the best world building in the story. I was pleased by the build up and reveals. A lot of effort was clearly devoted to the setup and progression there, which really pays off. Unfortunately, this does highlight how little we get of other cultures though and again, it feels that this could of be remedied with multiple books. The author clearly shows that they can create intricate and detailed cultures but there isn't enough time to satisfyingly expand on the rest of the world.
There is a truly great story here that I wish had been given multiple books. As it stands, it's a good story that feels like it could have been a masterpiece on par with others in the genera. It's, of course, possible that wouldn't be the case and the principal culture was always supposed to be the center piece. In that case, the scope far exceeded the story. As it stands, the story is in an odd middle ground where it is too long and expansive for a single book and too constrained to reach its full potential. It should have been cut down to better mesh with a more focused story centering on a single region or been given a series to serve the same justice to the rest of the world.
torts's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
funny
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
4.75