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kylieqrada's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
I am so bad at rating books because it is legit allllllll vibes. The further I get into a series and the more invested I get, for the most part, my rating goes up. And there wasn't much room to improve here from The Blade Itself's 4.5 ⭐s! We were definitely moving and grooving more in this one (in some cases literally - ew Joe don't write sex scenes) and I am READY for book threeeeeeeee.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Violence, and Torture
Moderate: Rape, Sexual assault, and Sexual content
Minor: Animal death, Domestic abuse, and Slavery
brewsandbooks's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
I will be writing a much longer review on my blog, but here is my shorter review. I think Abercrombie is a great writer who has stunning character portrayals and builds the world magnificently. Logen Ninefingers and Sand Dan Glokta are two of my favorite fantasy characters I've read to date. While I enjoyed the scene setting of the first novel more, I greatly enjoyed how he ramped up the book, leading us into the last book of the trilogy. I am interested in the lore that he also sets up with this, and I loved it.
That said, the last book I noted he had a long way to go with his 2 female characters. They didn't get as many pages. While Ferro got a lot more service in this book, she still felt a bit like a man's thoughts on a woman and not a full fledged character. Further, Ardee was sidelined and it just bothered me. I recognize this was written in 2007, but I do hope he gets better at writing women as time goes on.
That said, the last book I noted he had a long way to go with his 2 female characters. They didn't get as many pages. While Ferro got a lot more service in this book, she still felt a bit like a man's thoughts on a woman and not a full fledged character. Further, Ardee was sidelined and it just bothered me. I recognize this was written in 2007, but I do hope he gets better at writing women as time goes on.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Sexual assault
taglharp's review
adventurous
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
4 bloody stars, and no mistake.
From a structural point of view, middle books in trilogies are always hard to judge for me. Not much experience analyzing them as I do with beginnings. The better they are in the elements I favor, the harder I know how to review them. This one is no different.
But. Say one thing for Abercrombie, say that he does not let you down when it comes to characters. Bastards they might be, bastard roles they might play, and yet no matter how vile... they fucking grow on you. If you were ever attached to any characters you met in the first book, well. I have both good and bad news for you in this one.
(And though I do have some qualms about certain choices in the narrative, they're few compared to the good.)
NGEL, don't think I'll be able to keep myself from jumping on the Last Argument of Kings ASAP.
From a structural point of view, middle books in trilogies are always hard to judge for me. Not much experience analyzing them as I do with beginnings. The better they are in the elements I favor, the harder I know how to review them. This one is no different.
But. Say one thing for Abercrombie, say that he does not let you down when it comes to characters. Bastards they might be, bastard roles they might play, and yet no matter how vile... they fucking grow on you. If you were ever attached to any characters you met in the first book, well. I have both good and bad news for you in this one.
(And though I do have some qualms about certain choices in the narrative, they're few compared to the good.)
NGEL, don't think I'll be able to keep myself from jumping on the Last Argument of Kings ASAP.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal death, Blood, Death, Gore, Misogyny, Racism, and Violence
Moderate: Cannibalism, Sexual content, Slavery, and Torture
Minor: Rape and Sexual assault
shadereads's review
adventurous
dark
emotional
funny
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? Yes
4.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, War, Torture, Violence, Racism, and Murder
Moderate: Slavery and Sexual content
Minor: Sexual assault
steviwondr's review
adventurous
dark
emotional
funny
slow-paced
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood, Cursing, Death, and Violence
Moderate: Rape and Sexual assault
Minor: Animal death and Domestic abuse
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