Reviews

The Mirador by Sarah Monette

o_ambrogio's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional hopeful reflective sad medium-paced

4.5

pencilled_robin's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional mysterious sad medium-paced

• Loveable characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.75

Great book. Definitely the best in the series so far. I loved the addition of Mehitabel's POV - the author writes her narrative voice wonderfully, and it feels completely distinct from the other main characters.  The prose is compelling, and with a unique turn of phrase that I love.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Murder, Violence, Blood, Physical abuse, and Emotional abuse

Moderate: Alcohol

Minor: Body shaming, Incest, and Terminal illness

kivt's review against another edition

2.0

Less grindingly unpleasant than the previous two but I'm not totally sure why I keep reading this series. Mehitabel is a fun narrator at least.

thage's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional funny mysterious sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

dameguillotine's review against another edition

3.0

El más largo de la saga hasta ahora y el que me merece peor opinión. Cuando el libro anterior resolvió en sus últimas páginas lo que parecían ser los conflictos principales de la saga me pregunté de qué nos íbamos a ocupar en el siguiente. La respuesta pareció ser "de una serie de detalles menores y pequeños misterios sin resolver".
Si bien el personaje de Mehitabel fue de hecho una buena adición al reparto principal del libro, no sé cuánto sumó incorporar su narración. Los tres personajes principales pasan la mayor parte del libro ocupados en cosas que no parecen tener conexión alguna, además de no tener tampoco importancia. Hacia el final estos eventos se conectan, como era esperable que sucediera, pero la resolución tiene poco de satisfactorio.
Felix cada vez más sorete, cada vez más difícil tenerle cariño (aunque es inevitable, también). Su relación con Gideon me pareció casi absurda. Mildmay es un ángel y merece una mejor vida que la que tiene. Mehitabel terminó por ser fascinante, y el libro consiguió que me interesara también por el personaje de Stephen. Por lo demás tiene el defecto de incorporar decenas y decenas de personajes que pretende que uno recuerde, algunos figuras históricas cuyas tramas son imposibles de retener. La historia no es tan difícil de seguir, pero uno termina perdiéndose a menudo.
Cierro diciendo que me pareció interesante la mutación en la relación de Mildmay con Septimus. Bien hecha, me dejó gratamente sorprendida.

nico_asteri's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

tellingetienne's review against another edition

4.0

Wow. This book brings some really sharp and painful closure to major plotlines woven through the first two books. It ends with Felix being exiled, which at first, didn't make a whole lot of sense to me. However, I realize now that I've also finished the fourth book, it was going to be the only way for both him and Mildmay to be able to move forward with their lives.

Anyway, if you made it through the first books and didn't pick up this one, you MUST.

ergative's review against another edition

3.75

 This felt a little bit less focused than the previous two books, and I was never entirely clear, given how it began, whether I was supposed to look for a connection between the mystery of the extra tomb in the crypt and the modern-day court political shenanigans. I see now that I think the former was perhaps some symbolic representation of the toxicity of court politics (??), but it took so long to get resolved that it felt as if instead there was gong to be some grand connection between them, which never materialized. 

Still, the character work is superb. The way Felix is such a PROFOUND asshole is a really bold choice. It was a very good narrative decision to bind him to Mildmay in the previous book with the obligation d'ame, because otherwise it would absolutely beggar belief why Mildmay puts up with him. This way there's a perfectly reasonable motivation for that.
 

solaana's review against another edition

3.0

Yeah, this book felt very much like filler. Way to turn Mildmay the fucking Fox (aka stone cold KILLER) into a weepy little baby. Do not want.

sklepia's review against another edition

adventurous dark mysterious 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

3.5