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hollie313'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? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.5
papi's review against another edition
4.0
Set in the Sianim world, only loosely connected to the others, but pretty good for a Briggs fix.
thenia's review against another edition
3.0
When Demons Walk on Books On Track
RTC
Previous book reviews:
✦ Steal the Dragon (Sianim #2)
✦ Masques (Sianim #1)
larayn's review
adventurous
emotional
funny
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
caileenay's review against another edition
3.0
Good plot. I have no clue why it was in the adult section. No major romance. Barely any in fact. Good character and action though :)
librarycatnip's review against another edition
5.0
This is an old favorite of mine. And it is still good stuff.
skippypeanuts's review against another edition
4.0
3.5. Interesting world that's being created. I'm looking forward to reading more
elusivity's review
2.0
Cardboard characters. Cardboard situation. Random people introduced for no particular purpose... "The Shark"--What purpose did this man serve, other to than to provide the heroine with some easy "hidden" information, and to carry the colorful name?
Never has demon possession been so tame, never has the demon's purpose been so...anticlimactic. Never has magic evoked such little wonder. Never has a curse that slowly warps a man's body to cripple him been so... boring.
Her later writings are SO much better.
Never has demon possession been so tame, never has the demon's purpose been so...anticlimactic. Never has magic evoked such little wonder. Never has a curse that slowly warps a man's body to cripple him been so... boring.
Her later writings are SO much better.
bethmitcham's review
4.0
Fun and light. It makes me a bit sad for the characters in the previous book, because clearly they fail utterly in stopping the invasion by Altis.
katiev's review
4.0
I really enjoyed this and it worked as a standalone, but I can't help but wonder if there wasn't more that was cut by the editor, or if Briggs intended to write a sequel at the time. If you've read my reviews of the rest of the series, you know I have similar feelings on the entire Sianim world. While this is technically book #3, book #4 is a sequel of book #1 and just barely related, so it doesn't answer any of my lingering questions.
The heroine, Sham (Shamera), was the daughter of the head of the king's guard and an apprentice magician before the magic hating Cybellians, followers of Altus, besieged the castle and killed her entire family along with many others. The king's mage and Sham's teacher is blinded and crippled by the order of the invaders. Sham's goal in life is to get revenge on those who convicted the mage of heresy and steal enough gold to get them out of the city where she'll buy a small place in the country. With the rest of the survivors, Sham has been pushed to the horrid White Chapel-esque section of town known as Purgatory. Instead of becoming a prostitute she disguised herself as a boy and took to thieving, a vocation her magical skill-set aided. All of her plans are set aside, however, when her old mentor is brutally slain by a demon.
Sham comes to the attention of Kerim, the warlord keeper of the castle. He came after the siege and slaughter and is not the monster she imagined him to be. He believes magic is mere superstition and Sham just a clever thief, but he's an open-minded likeable alpha (the type Briggs excels at writing). He's also in a wheelchair for much of the story, which was an interesting twist. The two of them, along with a few others, work to defeat the demon.
The question of Altus (spelling?) the god, so prominent in several of the Sianim books, is not resolved. Is he a good thing, a bad thing, a mixed bag? What happens with the Voice of Altus from book #2? While the religion was not a horrible one when practiced by someone with pure intentions - like most religions - some of the followers do horrible things in the name of it. The warrior hero in the book was a devotee until he saw a priest bless a bloody battlefield in Altus' name. Yet, the god himself plays a heroic role that left me and the heroine uncomfortable. It was really an interesting question that I'm afraid will never be answered. Maybe that is the point. His believers call him "the one god" which draws an obvious parallel to the big 3 major religions. Briggs, like the rest of humanity, would be unable to solve the questions and contradictions much of the world faces.
The romance was left in an unfinished state. Both were clearly in love, but a kiss is all we get in the end. Briggs doesn't typically focus on the romance. In the case of Mercy Thompson it is a slow burn that takes a few books to develop. I feel like that was the intended path here.
There are some threads left dangling and it is not on par with Briggs later works, still I enjoyed it and was able to overlook the flaws. A good storyteller can do that. I'm still fondly laughing over the convoluted plot at the heart of Moon Called -- yet, I'll probably re-read it again within the next few months and simply whistle past the bad guy's reasoning. Who cares when there are so many interesting characters and such fascinating world building?
The heroine, Sham (Shamera), was the daughter of the head of the king's guard and an apprentice magician before the magic hating Cybellians, followers of Altus, besieged the castle and killed her entire family along with many others. The king's mage and Sham's teacher is blinded and crippled by the order of the invaders. Sham's goal in life is to get revenge on those who convicted the mage of heresy and steal enough gold to get them out of the city where she'll buy a small place in the country. With the rest of the survivors, Sham has been pushed to the horrid White Chapel-esque section of town known as Purgatory. Instead of becoming a prostitute she disguised herself as a boy and took to thieving, a vocation her magical skill-set aided. All of her plans are set aside, however, when her old mentor is brutally slain by a demon.
Sham comes to the attention of Kerim, the warlord keeper of the castle. He came after the siege and slaughter and is not the monster she imagined him to be. He believes magic is mere superstition and Sham just a clever thief, but he's an open-minded likeable alpha (the type Briggs excels at writing). He's also in a wheelchair for much of the story, which was an interesting twist. The two of them, along with a few others, work to defeat the demon.
The question of Altus (spelling?) the god, so prominent in several of the Sianim books, is not resolved. Is he a good thing, a bad thing, a mixed bag? What happens with the Voice of Altus from book #2? While the religion was not a horrible one when practiced by someone with pure intentions - like most religions - some of the followers do horrible things in the name of it. The warrior hero in the book was a devotee until he saw a priest bless a bloody battlefield in Altus' name. Yet, the god himself plays a heroic role that left me and the heroine uncomfortable. It was really an interesting question that I'm afraid will never be answered. Maybe that is the point. His believers call him "the one god" which draws an obvious parallel to the big 3 major religions. Briggs, like the rest of humanity, would be unable to solve the questions and contradictions much of the world faces.
The romance was left in an unfinished state. Both were clearly in love, but a kiss is all we get in the end. Briggs doesn't typically focus on the romance. In the case of Mercy Thompson it is a slow burn that takes a few books to develop. I feel like that was the intended path here.
There are some threads left dangling and it is not on par with Briggs later works, still I enjoyed it and was able to overlook the flaws. A good storyteller can do that. I'm still fondly laughing over the convoluted plot at the heart of Moon Called -- yet, I'll probably re-read it again within the next few months and simply whistle past the bad guy's reasoning. Who cares when there are so many interesting characters and such fascinating world building?