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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?
mariaschneider's review
adventurous
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
Remains one of my favorite books ever! Great world building, romantic, fun and has a thief! Well-plotted with a nice twist. Have re-read several times.
brownbetty's review
2.0
Pretty much as expected, a decent read if one doesn't expect too much. The cheesy cover art was redeemed, however, by the main character's delight in the ridiculousness of the costumes she wears. That said, it resembled a vampire novel in the detail given to costume changes, which, while a plot point, were not as interesting to me as they evidently were to the author.
Plus:
Briggs has never been good at romances, in my opinion. Generally, in her books, two opposite gender characters develop a decent friendship, and then declare themselves to be in love at the end of the book without giving me any evidence this is so. In this book, the obvious couple were left alone and although I think Briggs intended the reader to imagine them riding off into the sunset at the end, I was content to imagine them growing into affection and perhaps getting so far as to fool around in a no-strings-attached manner.
Minus:
Oh Briggs, I maintain that you have so much potential, but at this stage in your career it seems unlikely to develop unless you are taken severely in hand. All your characters are sue-like, none of them really distinguish themselves, and nothing is shown rather than told.
A good novel to read on the bus, you won't mind putting it down when you come to the end of your ride.
Plus:
Briggs has never been good at romances, in my opinion. Generally, in her books, two opposite gender characters develop a decent friendship, and then declare themselves to be in love at the end of the book without giving me any evidence this is so. In this book, the obvious couple were left alone and although I think Briggs intended the reader to imagine them riding off into the sunset at the end, I was content to imagine them growing into affection and perhaps getting so far as to fool around in a no-strings-attached manner.
Minus:
Oh Briggs, I maintain that you have so much potential, but at this stage in your career it seems unlikely to develop unless you are taken severely in hand. All your characters are sue-like, none of them really distinguish themselves, and nothing is shown rather than told.
A good novel to read on the bus, you won't mind putting it down when you come to the end of your ride.
motsinsatiables's review against another edition
5.0
https://auxmotsinsatiables.wordpress.com/2013/07/03/lempreinte-du-demon-sianim-tome-4-patricia-briggs/
L'empreinte du démon est le quatrième tome de la saga Sianim, que j'aime de plus en plus à chaque tome. Vous pouvez retrouvez mes chroniques sur les deux premiers tomes : Masques et L'épreuve du loup. Et celle sur le troisième : Le voleur de dragon. Ce quatrième tome n'a pas échappé à mon amour inconditionnel des romans de Patricia Briggs, et à vrai dire, je suis fière de pouvoir avouer qu'elle est la seule à me faire aimer la pure fantasy. Au dos de ce tome, on trouve un commentaire du qui dit « Patricia Briggs est une conteuse-née » et entre Aralorn et Sham, je dois avouer qu'en effet, elle excelle dans cet art.
On suit une jeune femme surnommé Sham le voleur, déguisée en homme, cambrioleuse et redoutée à cause de ses talents de mage. Sham est en fait habitée par une vengeance, elle tente jour après jour de rendre justice aux horreurs qu'a subi son maître sorcier. Un jour, elle assiste au meurtre de ce dernier et on l'engagera alors pour trouver qui ou qu'est-ce qui est à l'origine de ces crimes qui se multiplient. Pour l'aider, elle pourra compter sur le Léopard, bien qu'handicapé par une étrange douleur, et Talbot, un garde de son quartier, bien décidé à améliorer la situation dans celui-ci. Sham devra apprendre à ne pas se fier aux apparences. (...)
L'empreinte du démon est le quatrième tome de la saga Sianim, que j'aime de plus en plus à chaque tome. Vous pouvez retrouvez mes chroniques sur les deux premiers tomes : Masques et L'épreuve du loup. Et celle sur le troisième : Le voleur de dragon. Ce quatrième tome n'a pas échappé à mon amour inconditionnel des romans de Patricia Briggs, et à vrai dire, je suis fière de pouvoir avouer qu'elle est la seule à me faire aimer la pure fantasy. Au dos de ce tome, on trouve un commentaire du qui dit « Patricia Briggs est une conteuse-née » et entre Aralorn et Sham, je dois avouer qu'en effet, elle excelle dans cet art.
On suit une jeune femme surnommé Sham le voleur, déguisée en homme, cambrioleuse et redoutée à cause de ses talents de mage. Sham est en fait habitée par une vengeance, elle tente jour après jour de rendre justice aux horreurs qu'a subi son maître sorcier. Un jour, elle assiste au meurtre de ce dernier et on l'engagera alors pour trouver qui ou qu'est-ce qui est à l'origine de ces crimes qui se multiplient. Pour l'aider, elle pourra compter sur le Léopard, bien qu'handicapé par une étrange douleur, et Talbot, un garde de son quartier, bien décidé à améliorer la situation dans celui-ci. Sham devra apprendre à ne pas se fier aux apparences. (...)
lindaunconventionalbookworms's review
4.0
Very good book, typically one of those books that left me a taste of moreish when I finished it! There could have been so much more to be told in this story :)
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