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3.36 AVERAGE
3.36 AVERAGE
adventurous
funny
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
adventurous
emotional
inspiring
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
adventurous
challenging
dark
sad
fast-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
It's hard to tell what I would've thought of this book if I hadn't played the game. Maybe I would have still found it engaging and the characters interesting, but it's impossible to say. But I can say that knowing the story of the game made me not like some parts of this book at all.
Let me start with the detail that angered me the most: Claudia getting side-lined. Again, if I didn't know the game I would think nothing of this, but in the game Claudia becomes the manager of Monteriggioni's finances. She never went to a convent and she certainly never showed interest in taking vows, nor was she ever married, as far as I could tell from the game's narrative. Having her character shoved off like that was so infuriating, and there was absolutely no reason for it.
There was also a distinct lack of Altaiir/Assassin tombs in this book. How much more interesting things would've been if it included Ezio going through those tombs and learning about the Assassins who came before him! But no, we get one mention of Altaiir and I think that's it.
The book pretty much follows the story of the game beat for beat, except for random changes like not having Claudia manage the finances until late in the story. Sometimes I did feel like it was very surface level. Ezio finding out what happened to Cristina didn't nearly have the emotional impact it should have. And I thought he devoted himself to the Creed a little too quickly and completely before he even became an official Assassin. It was weird. Maybe Ubisoft didn't allow the author to dive deeper, or maybe he didn't feel like he should dive deeper into such a beloved character. Who knows.
Either way, I liked it well enough. It does make me curious to see how the author handles Brotherhood. To me, that game was a smaller story, so maybe there will be more time for fleshing out characters.
Let me start with the detail that angered me the most: Claudia getting side-lined. Again, if I didn't know the game I would think nothing of this, but in the game Claudia becomes the manager of Monteriggioni's finances. She never went to a convent and she certainly never showed interest in taking vows, nor was she ever married, as far as I could tell from the game's narrative. Having her character shoved off like that was so infuriating, and there was absolutely no reason for it.
There was also a distinct lack of Altaiir/Assassin tombs in this book. How much more interesting things would've been if it included Ezio going through those tombs and learning about the Assassins who came before him! But no, we get one mention of Altaiir and I think that's it.
The book pretty much follows the story of the game beat for beat, except for random changes like not having Claudia manage the finances until late in the story. Sometimes I did feel like it was very surface level. Ezio finding out what happened to Cristina didn't nearly have the emotional impact it should have. And I thought he devoted himself to the Creed a little too quickly and completely before he even became an official Assassin. It was weird. Maybe Ubisoft didn't allow the author to dive deeper, or maybe he didn't feel like he should dive deeper into such a beloved character. Who knows.
Either way, I liked it well enough. It does make me curious to see how the author handles Brotherhood. To me, that game was a smaller story, so maybe there will be more time for fleshing out characters.
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
adventurous
emotional
funny
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
In comparison to the first book, this one is slightly more light-hearted and entertaining. I really enjoyed reading it, and found it funny, especially when Caterina was in action. I feel like I started liking young Ezio more, due to him being very charismatic, but I still think his older version is better. Characters were interesting, plot was thrilling, the ending was unexpected. But once again, I might be biased as I really like Assassin's Creed games, and this book retells what happened in the 2nd part. This said, I never actually finished it, but now I really want to.
I have been wanting to read these books for a long time and enjoyed the story. Knowing that this is also a computer game and having watched my son play said game I pictured all the descriptions as part of the game. I am looking forward to reading the rest of the series.
adventurous
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
This book was so fun and easy to read - especially as a massive fan of the games. I definitely get what people are saying about it feeling like it was written like a video game (everything was very convenient and the subplots felt like side quests) but I think that's part of what made the story so enjoyable. Never thought I'd be a historical fiction fan but I LOVED this one