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streetnectarines's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
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? It's complicated
5.0
outcolder's review against another edition
5.0
The magic system is developing beautifully, with lots of meditation, and some of the magic-technology, like the things in the Guardians, the Geode and the origins of the Stone Eaters are fun to ponder. When you know the author has done the behind the scenes work like this, you can trust that thinking about the magic isn't going to lead to silly contradictions or obvious binaries like in Harry Potter or Star Wars. The connection between emotional and social intelligence is explored in the metaphor of controlling or expanding your 'orogeny' and magic skills. Knowing how to keep cool and relate to others isn't just about surviving, it's also about not setting off geothermal self-destruction. Also the factions fighting an ancient war are coming into focus but leaving enough unclear to tantalize; although our protagonists seem to have chosen sides, we're still unsure why these factions formed and how the shifting alliances might play out, especially with our rogue Guardian and his ward. That the next book will have to have a mother-daughter confrontation and possible reconciliation that might involve a magic battle and be paralleled in the relationship of the Earth and the Moon might be obvious but it's so cool that I am looking forward to it. Anyway, Mother-Daughter drama is always deep, and for a series concerned with geological layers we are ready to go deep.
felixtrom's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
jimmyviera's review against another edition
5.0
Everyone should read this series. A classic in the making.
larastead's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
reflective
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? Yes
4.5
silverfronds's review against another edition
4.0
I think this suffers a liiiitle bit from middle book syndrome. It's still completely captivating and wonderful, but I think it's lacking just a bit of the magic of the first book, mostly because it felt so stationary. The first book felt like people were on the move and things were progressing through time, whereas this felt very focused on specific locations while people learned and grew their powers over the course of a year or two. I think it succeeded in setting things in motion for the final book though, so I can't wait to read more.
pshah5473's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
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