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returner424's review
adventurous
dark
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.5
shane's review
4.0
I had thought this was the 2nd in a trilogy but it turns out there are a good many involving the teiflings, Farideh and Havilah. This is good news, especially since I've come to know and love these characters quite a lot. I'm a particular fan of dungeons and this one has, not only a great dungeon, but it houses a wonderful Library too. The teifling sisters and the rest of the party are becoming more and more real with each book I read. Plenty of magic and adventure, not to mention a good bit of romance too. I loved it. Very good read.
Recommended.
Recommended.
petermedeiros1988's review
4.0
Your mileage may vary, but I got a huge kick out of this. It's got all your favorite Forgotten Realms stuff, and an intriguing and genuinely spooky mystery. The thing about the Realms books is that our heroes tend to be so powerful that it's hard for them to be ... spooky. But the big set-piece ending of this one (in which our heroes are sent on a mission to a hidden library, not searingly original but LOADS of fun) has a neat mystery behind it, a good reveal...
It's not perfect. The reason WHY our various heroes end up on this particular adventure is like half-important. And while the main cast - particularly Farideh and Tam - are great, there's a LOT of POV switches to the Hells. There's a lot of devilish intrigue, but part of me wishes we knew less about it and it was just tighter to Farideg's perspective. That said, the author is clearly setting things up for the next book, so it makes sense.
Again - for lots of folks this might be a two star. But it has warlocks and a talking book and mysterious library and unlikely heroes not getting along very well. It's my exact cup of tea. At it's best, Farideh and her sister's interpersonal problems set against adventuring... comes close to getting that much-sought-after-but-rarely-achieved Buffy-vibe.
It's not perfect. The reason WHY our various heroes end up on this particular adventure is like half-important. And while the main cast - particularly Farideh and Tam - are great, there's a LOT of POV switches to the Hells. There's a lot of devilish intrigue, but part of me wishes we knew less about it and it was just tighter to Farideg's perspective. That said, the author is clearly setting things up for the next book, so it makes sense.
Again - for lots of folks this might be a two star. But it has warlocks and a talking book and mysterious library and unlikely heroes not getting along very well. It's my exact cup of tea. At it's best, Farideh and her sister's interpersonal problems set against adventuring... comes close to getting that much-sought-after-but-rarely-achieved Buffy-vibe.
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