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crossingtheratterlin's review
adventurous
dark
mysterious
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? No
mary_soon_lee's review
4.0
[Potential bias alert: I know the author a little.]
This is a sequel to "Nightwatch on the Hinterlands" and, like the first book, is science fiction on the border of science fantasy. The writing is intelligent, the worldbuilding fascinating, the plot disturbing and compelling. There are monsters vile and powerful, battles desperate and strange, threats that might topple interstellar accords. But it is Eason's characters that keep me coming back: varied and likable, the connections between them fraught with politics. I am hooked by Iari and Corso, two of the point-of-view characters. But I outright love Gaer. And Char. And Iffy. I'm rooting for a third book.
Four out of five weeping stars.
About my reviews: I try to review every book I read, including those that I don't end up enjoying. The reviews are not scholarly, but just indicate my reaction as a reader, reading being my addiction. I am miserly with 5-star reviews; 4 stars means I liked a book very much; 3 stars means I liked it; 2 stars means I didn't like it (though often the 2-star books are very popular with other readers and/or are by authors whose other work I've loved).
This is a sequel to "Nightwatch on the Hinterlands" and, like the first book, is science fiction on the border of science fantasy. The writing is intelligent, the worldbuilding fascinating, the plot disturbing and compelling. There are monsters vile and powerful, battles desperate and strange, threats that might topple interstellar accords. But it is Eason's characters that keep me coming back: varied and likable, the connections between them fraught with politics. I am hooked by Iari and Corso, two of the point-of-view characters. But I outright love Gaer. And Char. And Iffy. I'm rooting for a third book.
Four out of five weeping stars.
About my reviews: I try to review every book I read, including those that I don't end up enjoying. The reviews are not scholarly, but just indicate my reaction as a reader, reading being my addiction. I am miserly with 5-star reviews; 4 stars means I liked a book very much; 3 stars means I liked it; 2 stars means I didn't like it (though often the 2-star books are very popular with other readers and/or are by authors whose other work I've loved).
allisonwonderlandreads's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
I love that lit-up feeling you get when you're only a few pages into a sequel, but that's all it takes to get super hype about beloved characters. Like, look at them banter! Look at them caring for stray cats! This book did that for me.
Nightwatch Over Windscar has the ambiance and tension of exploring ruins... that you expect are now occupied by mysterious, enemy forces. It has electric fight scenes and action nonstop just like the first in the duology. It's tiring in the sense that I was on constant edge but not in the sense that I wanted to put the book down. Like at all. I'll admit that I missed the detective components from book one, but infiltrating a cult offered plenty of drama to sustain me.
Here's the problem. Spoilers to follow. Proceed at your own risk.
I ship Gaer and Iari forever. My emotional reaction to the end of the book is largely contingent on whether it's the end of the series. Which it is. After all the emotional turbulence, it was an unexpected letdown to reach the end of the action and find no closure to all the unsaid romantic tension of the series -- the main draw for me. At a group level, what with all the teammates Gaer and Iari have sort of adopted, we get pointed in a new direction for what their future might look like, and I enjoyed that. But in terms of Gaer and Iari's bond, whether it's romantic or ultimately just a strong partnership that transcends the others in their lives (fair), we get some nonsense. You don't get to END the book with the main characters being too scared of feelings to have real conversations. That should come earlier! Come on, now! Instead, our protagonists are separated for most of the book (lame), and then they avoid each other, and then they freak out and resolve nothing. Hence why I can't even say for certain the nature of their relationship as they intend it. ~They~ don't even know. And then they ride off into the sunset like bye, you'll never know-- hope the lack of resolution doesn't eat you up from the inside or anything. As you might be able to tell, I am in fact in that "being eaten alive" subset of the population.
Here's the thing, this is a fun book at the end of a unique duology. It's not that I hated it-- it's just that the very thing I loved most about the series was left open-ended. If you can a) handle that or b) show up for other parts of the book beyond the central relationship, you're going to have a grand old time. Thanks to DAW for my copy to read and review!
Nightwatch Over Windscar has the ambiance and tension of exploring ruins... that you expect are now occupied by mysterious, enemy forces. It has electric fight scenes and action nonstop just like the first in the duology. It's tiring in the sense that I was on constant edge but not in the sense that I wanted to put the book down. Like at all. I'll admit that I missed the detective components from book one, but infiltrating a cult offered plenty of drama to sustain me.
Here's the problem. Spoilers to follow. Proceed at your own risk.
I ship Gaer and Iari forever. My emotional reaction to the end of the book is largely contingent on whether it's the end of the series. Which it is. After all the emotional turbulence, it was an unexpected letdown to reach the end of the action and find no closure to all the unsaid romantic tension of the series -- the main draw for me. At a group level, what with all the teammates Gaer and Iari have sort of adopted, we get pointed in a new direction for what their future might look like, and I enjoyed that. But in terms of Gaer and Iari's bond, whether it's romantic or ultimately just a strong partnership that transcends the others in their lives (fair), we get some nonsense. You don't get to END the book with the main characters being too scared of feelings to have real conversations. That should come earlier! Come on, now! Instead, our protagonists are separated for most of the book (lame), and then they avoid each other, and then they freak out and resolve nothing. Hence why I can't even say for certain the nature of their relationship as they intend it. ~They~ don't even know. And then they ride off into the sunset like bye, you'll never know-- hope the lack of resolution doesn't eat you up from the inside or anything. As you might be able to tell, I am in fact in that "being eaten alive" subset of the population.
Here's the thing, this is a fun book at the end of a unique duology. It's not that I hated it-- it's just that the very thing I loved most about the series was left open-ended. If you can a) handle that or b) show up for other parts of the book beyond the central relationship, you're going to have a grand old time. Thanks to DAW for my copy to read and review!
catberks's review
adventurous
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? It's complicated
4.5
galexywitch's review
adventurous
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
dlsmall's review against another edition
4.0
3.5/5…Enjoyable, but a book of two disjointed halves…not as good as its mysterious caper predecessor, or the two same-universe Rory Thorne books.
sheska_meroba's review against another edition
I received a copy of this book in a Goodreads giveaway. This exactly the kind of sci-do I don’t enjoy. Just not a book for me.
itabar's review
5.0
I loved the first book in this series. Great world-building and fabulous characters. I listened to it again prior to tackling this book and am glad I did cause this book is pretty much a continuation of the first book.
The first third of this book was fighting. I am not a fan of fights. I usually fast-forward through fight scenes but that's hard to do when you're listening. Also, the book ends with no resolution, which was disappointing.
I still loved the characters a lot so will definitely read the next book. Eason's great strength is creating characters I really like and care about.
The first third of this book was fighting. I am not a fan of fights. I usually fast-forward through fight scenes but that's hard to do when you're listening. Also, the book ends with no resolution, which was disappointing.
I still loved the characters a lot so will definitely read the next book. Eason's great strength is creating characters I really like and care about.
rheingoldriver's review against another edition
5.0
Thanks to NetGalley for providing me with an ARC in exchange for an unbiased review!
Nightwatch Over Windscar continues The Weep series, with all of the strengths of the first and not a single bit of mid-series downturn. Iari and Gaer are back, and Gaer's chapters continue to be my favorite (and we also get a bonus Char chapter partway through!) Eason sustains character voices masterfully, and as in Hinterlands it's delightful to see Iari and Gaer adapt each other's speech patterns.
The story takes off where we were at the end of Hinterlands, and if you've read the first book, you'll realize that's no small task - but Windscar totally delivers. It's 400 pages of adventure as Iari gets her first field command and has to figure out what that means for her and how she's going to deal with her newfound (and not entirely wanted) responsibility.
I'm always a fan of politics in any spec fic that I read - that's part of why I loved Rory so much - and there's enough politics here to keep me happy, but not too much to distract from the mystery & military scifi plots. Indeed, it's pretty incredible how much Eason was able to pack into this novel, without sacrificing depth of character or worldbuilding.
And if it's been a while since you read Hinterlands, don't worry - Windscar does a pretty good job of jogging your memory at the start, so you'll get caught up on all the important plot points you need to know.
Overall, Nightwatch Over Windscar is an easy 5/5 for me, this was the first book I've ever requested as an ARC and I couldn't have asked for a better one!
Nightwatch Over Windscar continues The Weep series, with all of the strengths of the first and not a single bit of mid-series downturn. Iari and Gaer are back, and Gaer's chapters continue to be my favorite (and we also get a bonus Char chapter partway through!) Eason sustains character voices masterfully, and as in Hinterlands it's delightful to see Iari and Gaer adapt each other's speech patterns.
The story takes off where we were at the end of Hinterlands, and if you've read the first book, you'll realize that's no small task - but Windscar totally delivers. It's 400 pages of adventure as Iari gets her first field command and has to figure out what that means for her and how she's going to deal with her newfound (and not entirely wanted) responsibility.
I'm always a fan of politics in any spec fic that I read - that's part of why I loved Rory so much - and there's enough politics here to keep me happy, but not too much to distract from the mystery & military scifi plots. Indeed, it's pretty incredible how much Eason was able to pack into this novel, without sacrificing depth of character or worldbuilding.
And if it's been a while since you read Hinterlands, don't worry - Windscar does a pretty good job of jogging your memory at the start, so you'll get caught up on all the important plot points you need to know.
Overall, Nightwatch Over Windscar is an easy 5/5 for me, this was the first book I've ever requested as an ARC and I couldn't have asked for a better one!
carolined314's review
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
inspiring
mysterious
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? It's complicated
4.5
I loved this even more than the first. I was sucked right in and couldn't stop reading.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence
Moderate: Injury/Injury detail, Xenophobia, Kidnapping, Torture, and Gun violence