Reviews

Amnesty by Lara Elena Donnelly

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snarkyspice's review against another edition

adventurous 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

3.75

A suitable conclusion to the Amberlough Dossier trilogy. We finally got some much-needed character exposition on Cyril (though I would argue still not enough to explain his act of treason in Book 1). My favorite character in this book was definitely Stephen, and I appreciated the openness of his relationship with Cyril more than anything else throughout this entire series. It broke the tension broader events and the density/duplicity of the adult conversations. I never had to analyze the layers of conversation between Cyril and his nephew because that was the most honest relationship he had. I'm super pissed they killed off Cordelia, though. Outside of Stephen, she was my favorite character and I felt like she deserved more than an off-page, "died in the events between books" send off. I recognize that freedom fighters by nature often don't get to live to see the future they're fighting for, but I would have at least loved for her to have 1 final confrontation with Cyril. To ask him whether all of the trouble he had caused was truly worth it. I wonder if that would have made him and others rethink referring to her relationship with Cyril as a "friend." Cordelia Lehane's legacy deserved better than being linked to that of the traitor that caused her to get her fingers chopped off.

christyco125's review against another edition

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adventurous emotional mysterious 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

4.0

syliu's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging dark emotional hopeful inspiring mysterious sad tense medium-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

4.75

“I am only trying to understand. All my life I have worked hard, done well, given others everything they asked from me. And I get nowhere. I get nothing. Cyril DePaul has betrayed, failed … he has floundered through his life. You were famous, and wealthy, and you threw away everything for him.”
“Yes,” said Aristide, and though he was drunk, anger made his diction sharp as broken glass and dragged the sibilance across it into tatters. “Twice.”

I think I misunderstood what Amberlough is about. All the dazzling lights of the first volume were exposition for a much more serious story about atonement and the way our actions shape us. Reading the first book of the trilogy was like shining a spotlight upon the cast at their best moments; beautiful and cunning; with all their clever implements finely honed. They were a mystery, their pasts and motivations unclear, but they were endearing and I desperately wanted to follow them where they went next, into exile or incarceration. The rest of the series revolves around the first volume, unable to leave its orbit, but the first volume also seems inconsequential next to the exhausted tragedy of the later chapters.

It’s rare for a book/series (Amnesty in particular) to really make me sit and contemplate what it means to love someone and idealise them for years on end, and to reckon with the serrated edge of change and dashed expectations. How do we live while saddled with simultaneous yearning and regret for the past? Never have I felt the loss of a past life in tandem with a book’s characters as acutely as I did here. And throughout Armistice and Amnesty there was a keen sense of the long stretch of time that encompasses the human experience, far more heavy and somber than any present moment or highlight.

The very concept of Amberlough is fascinating: a person who starts with nothing in life, who uses their smarts to get everything they could ever want and never get caught nor humbled. Sacrificing it all for someone born wanting for nothing but who ended up losing everything. Two people so deeply embroiled in politics with no saving principles of their own, inclined to selfishness and laziness. It’s miraculous that any positive emotion could blossom between them, yet it seems perfect and inevitable that it does, once they are stripped of all the glamour and pride they shielded themselves with.

Vague and fanciful reflections aside, man I love Aristide’s theatrical antics, no matter how pathetic they are. And Cyril’s gallows humour made me crack up as often as I felt pangs of grief.

I also have to mention that Armistice and Amnesty pulled off commentary on our real patriarchal society by constructing a fictional matriarchy very subtly and successfully — a rare feat. Daoud was so clearly beaten by the oppressive socialisation of his culture, made meek and confined to a life of ambitionless servitude. Juxtapose that with the curt superiority of Pulan, Lilian, and two female presidential candidates…there’s a striking power dynamic.

I will certainly have to reread the first volume, and I’ll never be able to see it the same way knowing what comes after.

The instant before death would be worse than another thirty, forty, fifty years of guilt because in that instant an infinity of failures would unfurl before him: all the things he might have done and would now never do. All the opportunities to do better that he would turn away, in paying a symbolic price for past wrongdoing.

Content Warnings

kokiriforest0617's review against another edition

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challenging emotional reflective 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

3.75

em_harring's review against another edition

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5.0

What a great ending to a trilogy I absolutely adore. It's bittersweet to say goodbye to characters that I f*cking love, but it's done so well. Highly recommend The Amberlough Dossier!

loganslovelylibrary's review against another edition

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4.0

This series is unique and so beautiful in a very distinct way. As the third and last installment in the series, it tied up many loose ends in a satisfying way. The book definitely focuses more on the political drama rather than the high-stakes espionage, which wore me down a little in the middle of the book. But the last quarter of the book was really wonderful, and I couldn't put it down. Ari and Cyril's tumultuous relationship finally gets its closure, and that's more than worth the read.

4/5 stars. -1 for the pacing, but all the rest for the visionary writing and unique character development. So glad I stuck with this series.

ashkitty93's review against another edition

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4.0

Oh my GOD that ending was perfection. Mary Robinette Kowal's narration remains flawless. And I still can't get over this world-building?? From the cars to the cigarettes (oh god too many cigarettes) to a singer on the radio to the slang, these books are filled with so many details that strike just the right tone of "Yes, this world exists." I can't wait to read more, Lara Elena Donnelly!

4 stars for [[Important Things Happening in the Time Jump]]

delecterble's review against another edition

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4.0

This felt like a satisfying conclusion to the Amberlough Dossier. The audiobook, narrated by Mary Robinette Kowal made me enjoy it even more. There's so much depth to the story that I feel I would have (or had been) missed by just reading it myself. The attention paid to each character's voice, dialect, intonation - makes it easier to follow the story. I may do a re-"read" of the entire series to get the complete experience with the audiobooks.

orion_or_hyangwoo's review against another edition

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5.0

Outstanding conclusion to an engaging trilogy. I love the world in these stories. And, though I was terrified of a dissatisfying ending, this was well-rounded. I put it down feeling how I feel after a really good meal -- like I would still eat more of it quite happily, even though I am profoundly content. I'm glad I bought the trilogy as I can honestly imagine re-reading it, which I don't say often.

joelminor's review against another edition

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3.0

As much as I loved the first Amberlough book, and was o.k. with the second, this book just wasn't what I was hoping for. None of the characters felt especially likeable--I wasn't really rooting for them. Ari and Cyril's relationship was frustrating, as was Lilian's and Jinadh's. I appreciated that the book had a fairly unvarnished view of presenting most of the narrative through the viewpoint of two alcoholic main characters... that part was interesting, at least, as was having seen them (especially Ari) evolve to the point of being so alcohol dependent over the course of a few books. And I also always appreciate books where coming out stories are not easy. Both Ari's and Cyril's inner demons about their homosexuality were presented compellingly. And of course the matriarchal(ish) society of Amberlough is always fun. But overall, it was just hard to get into a book where I didn't really like the characters that much.

Also, I couldn't stand the map in the front of the book! The author mentioned so many places that weren't on the map, and I kept turning back to it to figure out where the places were, only to be disappointed. Share more of the map with us!

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