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bluestarfish's review
3.0
Grand finale of the series with all the familiar players popping their heads into the action. It's a busy book with lots going on and I don't think it'd make that much sense if you hadn't read the previous ones.
literarygeorge's review against another edition
3.0
Originally reviewed at For Your Literary Pleasure
Because my comments for the last three books in the series are similar I'm cheating and making them have one review - sue me. In all honesty, this series could have been shorter. There were many scenes that dragged on despite having one of the more intricate plots I've read in a Sci-Fi/Fantasy book. My drive to finish the series was pushed by my inability let characters go with no resolution - I NEEDED to know what happened to Lila, Zal and Teazle. I was disappointed Teazle always got the short end of the stick and we never truly explored his dynamic with Zal and Lila. He was my favourite character, especially after Zal had his accident because Zal never quite returned to the quirky guy I adored. The final book was paced faster than any of the others and despite reading ALL of the books over 3 days I still managed to lose track of what was going on. I ended up reading the last chapters of the last book multiple times just to get the plot threads straight... Argh. My overall conclusion is that while I enjoyed the series overall it was a challenge that wasn't always entertaining.
xxx Literary George
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Because my comments for the last three books in the series are similar I'm cheating and making them have one review - sue me. In all honesty, this series could have been shorter. There were many scenes that dragged on despite having one of the more intricate plots I've read in a Sci-Fi/Fantasy book. My drive to finish the series was pushed by my inability let characters go with no resolution - I NEEDED to know what happened to Lila, Zal and Teazle. I was disappointed Teazle always got the short end of the stick and we never truly explored his dynamic with Zal and Lila. He was my favourite character, especially after Zal had his accident because Zal never quite returned to the quirky guy I adored. The final book was paced faster than any of the others and despite reading ALL of the books over 3 days I still managed to lose track of what was going on. I ended up reading the last chapters of the last book multiple times just to get the plot threads straight... Argh. My overall conclusion is that while I enjoyed the series overall it was a challenge that wasn't always entertaining.
xxx Literary George
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mackle13's review against another edition
3.0
3.5
I'm sort of torn on this book.
On one hand, I continue to feel that Lila is a relatable and likable character, and there were real moments of pathos and complexity going on. But, on the other, her constant self recriminations and doubts and everything else seem to bog down the story because despite everything that happens it seems like it's the same notes that get played over and over again. (I never felt bored, per se, but there were a few times where I did think we could move along already.)
And then when things did move along they moved along very quickly, and I sometimes had a hard time following what was going on. Part of this is because there's been a 2 1/2 year gap since I read the last book and I'd forgotten a lot of the details. While Robson does a good job and slipping in little reminders of things that happened, I still felt like I was missing a lot of what I was supposed to know.
And then more things kept getting added to the pile of things to keep straight. New characters and philosophies and revelations, oh my. (And there was some of that whole "it would all make so much more sense if the people who generally knew what was going on would actually explain in instead of playing all coy and mysterious", which I generally hate as a plot device, but I let some of it slide in the whole "well, it's in the nature of things elven and faerie to be mysterious bastards", but, still... )
And then everything sort of happened at once and while I was ultimately satisfied with the conclusion (though I thought the epilogue was a bit hokey), I didn't feel as connected to the characters and the story as I did in the beginning.
So it's like on one hand I'm walking away feeling a bit disappointed by the whole thing but, on the other hand, I kind of actually enjoyed it.
Like I said - torn.
One thing is for certain - I definitely want to read this whole series, back to front, at some point in the future. It'll probably be a few years or so before I get to it, but I do think it'll help me not feel so lost half the damn time and I think that could make the experience infinitely more enjoyable.
I'm sort of torn on this book.
On one hand, I continue to feel that Lila is a relatable and likable character, and there were real moments of pathos and complexity going on. But, on the other, her constant self recriminations and doubts and everything else seem to bog down the story because despite everything that happens it seems like it's the same notes that get played over and over again. (I never felt bored, per se, but there were a few times where I did think we could move along already.)
And then when things did move along they moved along very quickly, and I sometimes had a hard time following what was going on. Part of this is because there's been a 2 1/2 year gap since I read the last book and I'd forgotten a lot of the details. While Robson does a good job and slipping in little reminders of things that happened, I still felt like I was missing a lot of what I was supposed to know.
And then more things kept getting added to the pile of things to keep straight. New characters and philosophies and revelations, oh my. (And there was some of that whole "it would all make so much more sense if the people who generally knew what was going on would actually explain in instead of playing all coy and mysterious", which I generally hate as a plot device, but I let some of it slide in the whole "well, it's in the nature of things elven and faerie to be mysterious bastards", but, still... )
And then everything sort of happened at once and while I was ultimately satisfied with the conclusion (though I thought the epilogue was a bit hokey), I didn't feel as connected to the characters and the story as I did in the beginning.
So it's like on one hand I'm walking away feeling a bit disappointed by the whole thing but, on the other hand, I kind of actually enjoyed it.
Like I said - torn.
One thing is for certain - I definitely want to read this whole series, back to front, at some point in the future. It'll probably be a few years or so before I get to it, but I do think it'll help me not feel so lost half the damn time and I think that could make the experience infinitely more enjoyable.
wyvernfriend's review
3.0
Dammit, now I want to go back to the beginning and start again. I'd say these would be best experienced read closely together, it took me a while to remember who everyone was and what their relationship was to everyone. Lila Black is more integrated with her lethality, Zal is more shadow than person, an elven musician who has no band and his memories are very patchy. There's also Teazle, a demon who is becoming an angel and possibly Death's Angel, Lila has been married to both but isn't sure which one she really wants to be with, or whether she has to make a choice.
The dead are rising, walking through the world and no-one is sure why. The borders between the worlds is a mess and the three of them are pivotal to the survival of all worlds.
There are times when it lags, and I should have read it sooner to reading the last, but it was a blast.
The dead are rising, walking through the world and no-one is sure why. The borders between the worlds is a mess and the three of them are pivotal to the survival of all worlds.
There are times when it lags, and I should have read it sooner to reading the last, but it was a blast.
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