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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.
lizpixie's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
sad
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? Yes
5.0
meabh_bookishmeanderings's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
5.0
youngserfs's review
adventurous
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? No
3.75
dressedupbanana's review against another edition
adventurous
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? It's complicated
3.75
kristamccracken's review against another edition
3.0
A good conclusion to The Empire Trilogy. I enjoyed the continued emotional roller-coaster that is Mara's family and political life. Feist's continued development of the political world in the Empire, the cho-ja, and the Assembly of Magicians was well done. Though I thought more effort could have been put into describing Mara's journey outside of the bounds of the Empire.
Overall, I enjoyed the Empire Trilogy but thought that the books paled in action and character development to the Riftwar books.
Overall, I enjoyed the Empire Trilogy but thought that the books paled in action and character development to the Riftwar books.
spiringempress's review against another edition
4.0
“He likes to humble our foes by making them seem ridiculous. As he said to me the other day, ‘Kill a man, and you cede him honor in the eyes of the gods. Laugh at him and you shame him'.”
This is the final installment in The Empire Trilogy, where Mara faces ultimate loss and must deal with enemies that slowly surround her. All the events start when an assassin murders Mara's son instead of her. Grief-stricken, Mara attempts to go to war with a rival house and long-standing nemesis but finds she is outnumbered by Assembly and hunted by the Black Robes. Paralleling the first book, Mara ventures into the far reaches of civilization to find alliances and befriends those forgotten by the powers in the Empire.
Similar to the first two books, Mistress of the Empire follows the entanglement of the Great Game, where different political rivals vie for power. In the first book, Mara was a girl, who was thrust onto the board when her father and brother died. She quickly mastered the Game and displayed her ability to cunning plan and win honor and glory for the Acoma House. This book illustrates Mara's true master of the Game and her place as the Lady of Acoma. It is marvelous to see the character progression and how the character has evolved.
However, this book and the entire series primarily focuses on political maneuvering and intrigue. It follows the characters as they set up various moves and then follow them through. The story is about Mara, but it's more about how she wins and succeeds at the Great Game. As a result, this book is not as character-heavy as other fantasy titles. With that said, Mistress of the Empire portrays Mara's grief in a realistic and believable manner that establishes her motivation to move forward in the Game. Despite this, it sometimes felt like Mara solely focused on the politics and neglected her issues even when they later became major players. I wish Fiest and Wurts had carried through Mara's strong emotions in the first half of the book to characterize and flesh out her relationship with her remaining children.
The other thing that I adored about this final book was the portrayal of Hokanu. I remember loving him from the start even when he was passed over in favor of Mara's first husband and then her barbarian lover, Kevin. At the conclusion of the second book, I was excited when Mara finally agreed to marry him and Fiest & Wurts did not disappoint, which brings me to a general critique that I have about fantasy novels. Why are the strong and steady relationships disregarded in favor of the ones filled with passion. Sure, Mara had a nice time with Kevin, but he really never did anything to help her politically or even to strategize. Not only did Hokany have a title and power, but he believed in Mara and her abilities, which allowed her to play the Game even better. However, the book is filled with constant wistful thinking of Kevin and it drives me crazy. It also made me pretend the entire ending did not happen, but at least I got something.
This is the final installment in The Empire Trilogy, where Mara faces ultimate loss and must deal with enemies that slowly surround her. All the events start when an assassin murders Mara's son instead of her. Grief-stricken, Mara attempts to go to war with a rival house and long-standing nemesis but finds she is outnumbered by Assembly and hunted by the Black Robes. Paralleling the first book, Mara ventures into the far reaches of civilization to find alliances and befriends those forgotten by the powers in the Empire.
Similar to the first two books, Mistress of the Empire follows the entanglement of the Great Game, where different political rivals vie for power. In the first book, Mara was a girl, who was thrust onto the board when her father and brother died. She quickly mastered the Game and displayed her ability to cunning plan and win honor and glory for the Acoma House. This book illustrates Mara's true master of the Game and her place as the Lady of Acoma. It is marvelous to see the character progression and how the character has evolved.
However, this book and the entire series primarily focuses on political maneuvering and intrigue. It follows the characters as they set up various moves and then follow them through. The story is about Mara, but it's more about how she wins and succeeds at the Great Game. As a result, this book is not as character-heavy as other fantasy titles. With that said, Mistress of the Empire portrays Mara's grief in a realistic and believable manner that establishes her motivation to move forward in the Game. Despite this, it sometimes felt like Mara solely focused on the politics and neglected her issues even when they later became major players. I wish Fiest and Wurts had carried through Mara's strong emotions in the first half of the book to characterize and flesh out her relationship with her remaining children.
The other thing that I adored about this final book was the portrayal of Hokanu. I remember loving him from the start even when he was passed over in favor of Mara's first husband and then her barbarian lover, Kevin. At the conclusion of the second book, I was excited when Mara finally agreed to marry him and Fiest & Wurts did not disappoint, which brings me to a general critique that I have about fantasy novels. Why are the strong and steady relationships disregarded in favor of the ones filled with passion. Sure, Mara had a nice time with Kevin, but he really never did anything to help her politically or even to strategize. Not only did Hokany have a title and power, but he believed in Mara and her abilities, which allowed her to play the Game even better. However, the book is filled with constant wistful thinking of Kevin and it drives me crazy. It also made me pretend the entire ending did not happen, but at least I got something.