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4.13 AVERAGE
4.13 AVERAGE
This is the most nothingburger book I've ever read. The experience of reading this book is like if you watch a livecam footage of a savannah. Sure, you might get some cool moments here and there of a predator going after its prey but most of the time you're really just watching grass. You can probably skip pages of this book and not missing anything substantial.
What a disappointing end for a good premise
What a disappointing end for a good premise
This is the kind of fantasy book with a lot of lore and social-political climate tidbits thrown in all the time. So sometimes it is a little drudge-y, but it personally was never too much for me as a big high fantasy fan.
I think Chu’s strengths really lie in worldbuilding and the creative plots, where the first book really shines. Something i loved about The Art of Prophecy was how each POV character had such a unique path they were following and each had really different motivations/goals. But in this book, it feels more like a filler book because each POV character had such similar plots. And so with the weaker story it really dragged for me until the last 30ish%.
adventurous
funny
hopeful
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:
No
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
sad
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:
Yes
This series is such a good time.
I regret listening to this one as an audiobook splitting my attentions up between tasks and this story, which does demand more attention than the first book. I adored the first book. I gave book one five stars. This one I didn’t love as much and am dropping a star off for that reason but it was still very enjoyable, continues character growth and found family development and even surprised me with an end that points to a third book when all this time I thought I was reading a duology.
This book still has all the character interactions, action and humor I loved about book one but the four main character storylines split up so much I kept wondering how it was all going to come together in the end to be cohesive. I kept waiting for everyone to interact.
Taishi keeps being her absolute best badass self with warmth emanating beneath her exterior. Jain continues to be a lovable bumbler, Qisami is written so well sometimes I forget how awful she is and in this book she even starts to have more of a conscience. Sali is honestly my least favorite character. I didn’t care about her development and I would be just as happy with the story if she were written out. More Taishi and Qisami.
I’m grabbing the gorgeous hardcovers to re-read before the third book.
I regret listening to this one as an audiobook splitting my attentions up between tasks and this story, which does demand more attention than the first book. I adored the first book. I gave book one five stars. This one I didn’t love as much and am dropping a star off for that reason but it was still very enjoyable, continues character growth and found family development and even surprised me with an end that points to a third book when all this time I thought I was reading a duology.
This book still has all the character interactions, action and humor I loved about book one but the four main character storylines split up so much I kept wondering how it was all going to come together in the end to be cohesive. I kept waiting for everyone to interact.
Taishi keeps being her absolute best badass self with warmth emanating beneath her exterior. Jain continues to be a lovable bumbler, Qisami is written so well sometimes I forget how awful she is and in this book she even starts to have more of a conscience. Sali is honestly my least favorite character. I didn’t care about her development and I would be just as happy with the story if she were written out. More Taishi and Qisami.
I’m grabbing the gorgeous hardcovers to re-read before the third book.
3
I thought that this book was just "ok." The author introduced new and interesting side characters such as the other masters, Sonoya and Kaiyu. Their inclusion felt very natural, and I enjoyed reading about them. I continued to love the writing style. There were parts that made me laugh. The plot twists were very good, and I really enjoyed the last 150 pages or so.
That being said, I felt that this book just didn't land like I was hoping it would. There was little to no character development, and still struggles with not knowing enough about the characters. My main complaint with the first book was that the characters felt a little flat, but since the plot was so heavy, I didn't mind it as much. This book felt like it was meant to be more character focused since the plot was on the lighter side, but I finished it feeling the same way as I did from the last one. Lastly, the characters made decisions that seemed really dumb but you could tell they were only in there to further the plot. Why was Jian so stupid in this book? Why was he endangering himself and Taishi nonstop by being reckless when it was really unnecessary? Why would the most wanted man in the country be constantly visiting an area with his wanted posters all over?
Minus .5 for overusing the word "egg", too.
I thought that this book was just "ok." The author introduced new and interesting side characters such as the other masters, Sonoya and Kaiyu. Their inclusion felt very natural, and I enjoyed reading about them. I continued to love the writing style. There were parts that made me laugh. The plot twists were very good, and I really enjoyed the last 150 pages or so.
That being said, I felt that this book just didn't land like I was hoping it would. There was little to no character development, and still struggles with not knowing enough about the characters. My main complaint with the first book was that the characters felt a little flat, but since the plot was so heavy, I didn't mind it as much. This book felt like it was meant to be more character focused since the plot was on the lighter side, but I finished it feeling the same way as I did from the last one. Lastly, the characters made decisions that seemed really dumb but you could tell they were only in there to further the plot. Why was Jian so stupid in this book? Why was he endangering himself and Taishi nonstop by being reckless when it was really unnecessary? Why would the most wanted man in the country be constantly visiting an area with his wanted posters all over?
Minus .5 for overusing the word "egg", too.
adventurous
dark
emotional
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
This books does a really good job continuing the story from the Art of Prophecy.
It shows the doubts and weaknesses of the characters and how they struggle and grow from them. The story is unfolded in a nice manner and the discoveries made really pull you into the story and want you to reach the next chapter about your favourite character.
It shows the doubts and weaknesses of the characters and how they struggle and grow from them. The story is unfolded in a nice manner and the discoveries made really pull you into the story and want you to reach the next chapter about your favourite character.
adventurous
funny
lighthearted
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
adventurous
emotional
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:
Complicated
While I enjoyed the vibrant and complex world Wesley Chu introduced us to in the first War Arts book, The Art of Prophecy, the second book didn't capture my attention anywhere near as much.
Chu's writing continues to be top notch, and he certainly managed to flesh out some minor characters from the previous book, this instalment seemed to sideline the main characters and the development of the world in order to do so; and it did so for stories that felt very predictable (particularly in the case of Qisami). This was disappointing, since the first book was as good as it was in part because Chu was able to unsettle some typical story beats in ways that felt smart and intentional.
I was particularly disappointed by how flat the world felt in this book compared to the first. Again, the world building here was missing the creativity of the first book.
Whereas in the first book it felt like the characters were being swept up in the events of the world, in this book it felt like three distinct stories were played out in a way that felt disconnected from the main story (Sali), or brought together in a way that felt contrived (Qisami and Taishi). Jian, while an enjoyable character, also just kind of seems to be along for the ride.
While not a terrible book, I just think there might have been too much going on with too many characters, resulting in something that lacked that spark that made book one so much fun.
I'll continue on with the series, but I hope book three is able to rein in these issues so the next instalment is able to excite me again.
Chu's writing continues to be top notch, and he certainly managed to flesh out some minor characters from the previous book, this instalment seemed to sideline the main characters and the development of the world in order to do so; and it did so for stories that felt very predictable (particularly in the case of Qisami). This was disappointing, since the first book was as good as it was in part because Chu was able to unsettle some typical story beats in ways that felt smart and intentional.
I was particularly disappointed by how flat the world felt in this book compared to the first. Again, the world building here was missing the creativity of the first book.
Whereas in the first book it felt like the characters were being swept up in the events of the world, in this book it felt like three distinct stories were played out in a way that felt disconnected from the main story (Sali), or brought together in a way that felt contrived (Qisami and Taishi). Jian, while an enjoyable character, also just kind of seems to be along for the ride.
While not a terrible book, I just think there might have been too much going on with too many characters, resulting in something that lacked that spark that made book one so much fun.
I'll continue on with the series, but I hope book three is able to rein in these issues so the next instalment is able to excite me again.
Another fun read with a fun story. Jian's character growth is fantastic, as is Sali's. I'm looking forward to the next book!