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vinjii's review against another edition
4.25
After three months, I am done with the Empire Trilogy and am looking forward to diving further into the Riftwar Cycle. If you're at all interested in Feist's work and the rest of the Riftwar Cycle, start with the Riftwar Saga Trilogy before you read the Empire Trilogy. It'll provide background info, I was lacking while reading it. It's not absolutely necessary but it'll add depth to the world.
I would hate to spoil anyone on this lovely trilogy, which is why I'll keep the plot info to a minimum.
The trilogy is set in a world inspired by Asia. There's not a lot of magic, instead it's all about intrigue and politics.
Mara is possibly the best female fantasy character I've encountered so far. She kicks ass, is intelligent, cunning and the entire tale is one big chess game filled with politics and betrayal. Mara does not use strength and violence to win this game but her wit.
The entire cast of characters is well developed. The villains are intriguing and relatable.
I enjoyed every part of this trilogy, even the romance. In fact this had a romance that warmed my heart and made me happy. (Rare, I'm usually grumpy!)
Recommended to everyone who likes either Feist or Wurts, and who enjoys witty politicians betraying each other.
I would hate to spoil anyone on this lovely trilogy, which is why I'll keep the plot info to a minimum.
The trilogy is set in a world inspired by Asia. There's not a lot of magic, instead it's all about intrigue and politics.
Mara is possibly the best female fantasy character I've encountered so far. She kicks ass, is intelligent, cunning and the entire tale is one big chess game filled with politics and betrayal. Mara does not use strength and violence to win this game but her wit.
The entire cast of characters is well developed. The villains are intriguing and relatable.
I enjoyed every part of this trilogy, even the romance. In fact this had a romance that warmed my heart and made me happy. (Rare, I'm usually grumpy!)
Recommended to everyone who likes either Feist or Wurts, and who enjoys witty politicians betraying each other.
thatcherisaac's review against another edition
2.0
ok. so i finally finished it. i’m free.
i have a lot of thoughts and i’m going to air them here and now while they’re fresh in my mind.
i did enjoy some parts. i liked learning more about the cho-ja and the magicians and the world of kelewan beyond the empire. i liked hokanu as a husband (for the most part). i’m glad the ending was mostly happy etc. etc.
but i have some other thoughts that i’m also going to air.
first. DON’T try to make me feel bad about what happened to her first husband from book one. he deserved it. he wasn’t good or full of potential or whatever. he was an abusive pos and deserved what came to him. that’s it. the end.
second, couldn’t stand that half the conflict at the start of the book is just her pointing mara fingers at the wrong people when even she knows she’s wrong.
the end making her immune to the magicians and somehow chosen by the gods when until now we’ve had no indication that they were actual physical entities capable of doing something like that was WAY too convenient. if gods actually intervene in society tell me about it before now. she didn’t need to be chosen by the gods to do what she did and it just made it seem less impactful.
also did not like arakasi’s relationship with kamlio. one second it wasn’t there and the next he’s completely in love with someone he’s barely met? huh? and her emotions are constantly belittled and made fun of when she’s a traumatised young woman who has barely been given the chance to learn about herself for herself.
making a 10/12 year old get married was super weird and creepy i don’t care what your justification is.
the unravelling of mara and hokanu’s relationship was beyond stupid i’m sorry. INFERTILITY DOES NOT A RELATIONSHIP BREAK! he literally said he had cousins who could take over the mantle! he had heirs! and dude i liked hokanu until this point but he can teach his daughter to sword fight and do boyish things like it’s not that hard! he’s just sexist idc what the book’s justification is. and taking a literal ‘CHILD BRIDE??’ I’M SORRY DID I READ THAT CORRECTLY?
the whole thing was only brought about so feist and wurts had a reason to bring kevin back, who is apparently happy just to get back with the woman who didn’t bother telling him he had a son, ordered him around because he was literally her SLAVE, and sent him away so unceremoniously. their relationship sucks and kevin was so obviously an orientalist archetype to show that the fantasy western setting is less ‘barbaric’ or whatever than the fantasy eastern setting. there could have been a number of other ways for mara to realise her society had big issues it needed to fix other than through him and bringing him back was just rushed. he should have come in earlier imo if he was going to be part of the story at all and not just a reward.
i would have liked a more thorough assurance that the slavery and sexist laws etc. etc. entrenched in tsurani society had been abolished at the end of the novel but all it mentioned were the ‘great laws of freedom’. would also loved some more conclusion for the cho-ja. way too vague and unsatisfying for readers.
basically this book was stronger at the beginning/middle and the epilogue and last chapter or two just got confusing and wayyyy too convenient. i get why the start had to be so dark but as it went on the personal/romantic conflicts sucked and just frustrated me beyond everything else. liked exploring the world and would have appreciated more of that, less moaning and groaning about how hokanu isn’t going to have a son now. orientalist (though NOWHERE near as bad as the last book i’ll give it that much), creepy at times and just frustrating.
it’s certainly been a ride, and i did enjoy exploring more of the world of kelewan in this trilogy. but it was just too much of a mess for me to enjoy properly.
i have a lot of thoughts and i’m going to air them here and now while they’re fresh in my mind.
i did enjoy some parts. i liked learning more about the cho-ja and the magicians and the world of kelewan beyond the empire. i liked hokanu as a husband (for the most part). i’m glad the ending was mostly happy etc. etc.
but i have some other thoughts that i’m also going to air.
first. DON’T try to make me feel bad about what happened to her first husband from book one. he deserved it. he wasn’t good or full of potential or whatever. he was an abusive pos and deserved what came to him. that’s it. the end.
second, couldn’t stand that half the conflict at the start of the book is just her pointing mara fingers at the wrong people when even she knows she’s wrong.
the end making her immune to the magicians and somehow chosen by the gods when until now we’ve had no indication that they were actual physical entities capable of doing something like that was WAY too convenient. if gods actually intervene in society tell me about it before now. she didn’t need to be chosen by the gods to do what she did and it just made it seem less impactful.
also did not like arakasi’s relationship with kamlio. one second it wasn’t there and the next he’s completely in love with someone he’s barely met? huh? and her emotions are constantly belittled and made fun of when she’s a traumatised young woman who has barely been given the chance to learn about herself for herself.
making a 10/12 year old get married was super weird and creepy i don’t care what your justification is.
the unravelling of mara and hokanu’s relationship was beyond stupid i’m sorry. INFERTILITY DOES NOT A RELATIONSHIP BREAK! he literally said he had cousins who could take over the mantle! he had heirs! and dude i liked hokanu until this point but he can teach his daughter to sword fight and do boyish things like it’s not that hard! he’s just sexist idc what the book’s justification is. and taking a literal ‘CHILD BRIDE??’ I’M SORRY DID I READ THAT CORRECTLY?
the whole thing was only brought about so feist and wurts had a reason to bring kevin back, who is apparently happy just to get back with the woman who didn’t bother telling him he had a son, ordered him around because he was literally her SLAVE, and sent him away so unceremoniously. their relationship sucks and kevin was so obviously an orientalist archetype to show that the fantasy western setting is less ‘barbaric’ or whatever than the fantasy eastern setting. there could have been a number of other ways for mara to realise her society had big issues it needed to fix other than through him and bringing him back was just rushed. he should have come in earlier imo if he was going to be part of the story at all and not just a reward.
i would have liked a more thorough assurance that the slavery and sexist laws etc. etc. entrenched in tsurani society had been abolished at the end of the novel but all it mentioned were the ‘great laws of freedom’. would also loved some more conclusion for the cho-ja. way too vague and unsatisfying for readers.
basically this book was stronger at the beginning/middle and the epilogue and last chapter or two just got confusing and wayyyy too convenient. i get why the start had to be so dark but as it went on the personal/romantic conflicts sucked and just frustrated me beyond everything else. liked exploring the world and would have appreciated more of that, less moaning and groaning about how hokanu isn’t going to have a son now. orientalist (though NOWHERE near as bad as the last book i’ll give it that much), creepy at times and just frustrating.
it’s certainly been a ride, and i did enjoy exploring more of the world of kelewan in this trilogy. but it was just too much of a mess for me to enjoy properly.
julieabe89's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
tense
slow-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
4.0
This was a delightful wrap up to Mara's epic. I cannot get enough of the politics and maneuvering that she is a master of. The way this story wrapped up was everything. I can't wait to read the next set of Riftwar books!
literary_han's review against another edition
4.0
A solid 4 star read and an excellent wrap up to this trilogy.
The politics in this are second to none and the huge changes Mara and her cohort wanted to make were very progressive for this world.
I enjoyed this third and final book in The Empire trilogy the most and I am excited to continue my adventures in this universe with my main man Pug!
Hannah xoxo
The politics in this are second to none and the huge changes Mara and her cohort wanted to make were very progressive for this world.
I enjoyed this third and final book in The Empire trilogy the most and I am excited to continue my adventures in this universe with my main man Pug!
Hannah xoxo
meliemelo's review against another edition
4.0
The setting and the way it evolves remain very interesting in this third book, with not so many new characters but that dwells on previously known ones instead... which, for once, I didn't think was such a good thing. What I really liked in the first book was Mara's character, and the way the story lingered on her and how she managed to take charge and solve her problems. In the second and third books however, the men seem to take over (I believe we see more of their various points of views than of Mara's) and we lose that "feminist" side of the story, which is really a shame. Did Mara really need Kevin to "make her a woman" ? (That sentence had me grind my teeths every single time). I'm not saying that she couldn't have done everything without everyone else's help, but was it necessary to dwell so much on it, as if all that Mara brought with her were her "evolved" ideas and some resolutions ?
However we did see a lot of Mara so I'm still pretty happy with this book, it's just that some parts seemed unnecessary in my opinion.
However we did see a lot of Mara so I'm still pretty happy with this book, it's just that some parts seemed unnecessary in my opinion.
angrywombat's review against another edition
3.0
I liked this book, but while some of it was amazing, other bits just felt superfluous.
The characterisation was amazing, as in the rest of the series, and i really felt for many of the characters - I even could understand the motivations of many of the "villains" of the story, and boy did I love to hate them... the problem was that it felt that the villains were almost recycled from previous stories - I suppose the "traditional vs liberal" conflict was hard-wired into the plot.
So while i was swept up by the characters, I felt let down by the plotting. This book felt more hacked together - too many different story threads that didn't really mesh.
[b:Daughter of the Empire|589979|Daughter of the Empire (The Empire Trilogy, #1)|Raymond E. Feist|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1404668411l/589979._SY75_.jpg|2960453] was overall Mara vs Jingu Minnwanabi, with a sub-plot of Mara's marriage to Buntokapi Anasati - all of which was nicely resolved.
[b:Servant of the Empire|13815|Servant of the Empire (The Empire Trilogy, #2)|Raymond E. Feist|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1348059422l/13815._SY75_.jpg|1422630] is about Desio/Tasaio Minnwanabi vs Mara, with a sub-plot of the romance of Mara & Kevin.
But this story has way too much going on. First it is Mara/Arakasi vs The Hamoi Tong, Then we get Mara vs Jiro Anasati, then we have Mara vs the Assembly, then we have a weird romance/crisis of faith for Arakasi, and finally a cross country trip to meet Thuril and Cho-ja.. Most of these are only tenuously linked as well... (and this is shorter that the 2nd book Servant)
The ending was also rather dissatisfying.. "yay we won, everyone becomes happy now!" really rang untrue after the preceding 20,000 odd pages telling us that the Tsurannuani Lords never agree on anything and are selfish to a fault... And it completely ignored the whole Cho-ja situation...
Sigh.. Ending are hard, and few series do it well. This was a damn good effort that I enjoyed, but still left me feeling a little dissatisfied.
The characterisation was amazing, as in the rest of the series, and i really felt for many of the characters - I even could understand the motivations of many of the "villains" of the story, and boy did I love to hate them... the problem was that it felt that the villains were almost recycled from previous stories - I suppose the "traditional vs liberal" conflict was hard-wired into the plot.
So while i was swept up by the characters, I felt let down by the plotting. This book felt more hacked together - too many different story threads that didn't really mesh.
[b:Daughter of the Empire|589979|Daughter of the Empire (The Empire Trilogy, #1)|Raymond E. Feist|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1404668411l/589979._SY75_.jpg|2960453] was overall Mara vs Jingu Minnwanabi, with a sub-plot of Mara's marriage to Buntokapi Anasati - all of which was nicely resolved.
[b:Servant of the Empire|13815|Servant of the Empire (The Empire Trilogy, #2)|Raymond E. Feist|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1348059422l/13815._SY75_.jpg|1422630] is about Desio/Tasaio Minnwanabi vs Mara, with a sub-plot of the romance of Mara & Kevin.
But this story has way too much going on. First it is Mara/Arakasi vs The Hamoi Tong, Then we get Mara vs Jiro Anasati, then we have Mara vs the Assembly, then we have a weird romance/crisis of faith for Arakasi, and finally a cross country trip to meet Thuril and Cho-ja.. Most of these are only tenuously linked as well... (and this is shorter that the 2nd book Servant)
The ending was also rather dissatisfying.. "yay we won, everyone becomes happy now!" really rang untrue after the preceding 20,000 odd pages telling us that the Tsurannuani Lords never agree on anything and are selfish to a fault... And it completely ignored the whole Cho-ja situation...
Sigh.. Ending are hard, and few series do it well. This was a damn good effort that I enjoyed, but still left me feeling a little dissatisfied.
kaitoro_walker13's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
tense
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? No
4.5
shanelh's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
katos's review
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
slow-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
4.5
bethanharcourt's review against another edition
5.0
A brilliant end to the series, loved it!
The only complaint I have with it is the beginning throws you right in at the deep end, but then it gets a little bit slow and quite a lot of time passes, and it was just a little slow going and disjointed. But it soon picked right up, and the journey really helped in the pace. Brilliant new additions to the cast of characters and really connected with some of the others.
The only complaint I have with it is the beginning throws you right in at the deep end, but then it gets a little bit slow and quite a lot of time passes, and it was just a little slow going and disjointed. But it soon picked right up, and the journey really helped in the pace. Brilliant new additions to the cast of characters and really connected with some of the others.