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elenajohansen's review against another edition
4.0
Kay is always an author deeply concerned with displaying the inner lives and complexity of his characters, but even for him, this is a gravely introspective novel, which leads to my only real criticism of it--all the characters read the same after a while, as uniformly thoughtful people.
Some were cleverer than others, some managed to approach impulsiveness from time to time; but mostly, everyone ponders everything at length, be it the political motives of a rival person or rival nation, the play of light on tree leaves, the love of a man or a woman who may or may not be awaiting their return.
It's beautiful. It's all beautiful. But there's little variety in tone.
The plot sets out to accomplish a great number of things, and it does. Depending on which angle you consider this novel from, it's about journeys. It's about family. It's about how small decisions can shape nations. It's about how no one's future is predictable in the moment, how even a simple life can go wildly off the beaten path. It's about power, both political and personal, and yet, it's also deeply about love, especially finding it, or its lesser shadows of affection and tenderness, in unexpected places.
That's what I'll carry with me away from this book, far more than what actually happened. But I do wish it weren't quite so saturated with introspection that the individuality of the characters gets washed out by the scope of the themes.
Some were cleverer than others, some managed to approach impulsiveness from time to time; but mostly, everyone ponders everything at length, be it the political motives of a rival person or rival nation, the play of light on tree leaves, the love of a man or a woman who may or may not be awaiting their return.
It's beautiful. It's all beautiful. But there's little variety in tone.
The plot sets out to accomplish a great number of things, and it does. Depending on which angle you consider this novel from, it's about journeys. It's about family. It's about how small decisions can shape nations. It's about how no one's future is predictable in the moment, how even a simple life can go wildly off the beaten path. It's about power, both political and personal, and yet, it's also deeply about love, especially finding it, or its lesser shadows of affection and tenderness, in unexpected places.
That's what I'll carry with me away from this book, far more than what actually happened. But I do wish it weren't quite so saturated with introspection that the individuality of the characters gets washed out by the scope of the themes.
hay_shock's review against another edition
5.0
I really enjoyed this book. It was such an easy read! Its the right mix of surprise, along with sadness & happiness for the characters.
Story Telling - I found the first 50 pages tough, because we're introduced to so many characters, with their own story lines. But once you get your head around this, the story flows well. I really appreciated how all the main characters stories connected, but that each character had their own unique story. The author also does this little thing, where they even finish up some of the side characters stories. Usually I find in fantasy, that the side characters ride of into the distance & we have no clue if they live or die - but this author does a really good job of tying those up in enough detail, but quickly enough to not be distracting.
Characters - This is a character driven book. Whilst its an interesting political world, its the characters who really make this book interesting. Each character played an important role in the story as a whole & they mostly felt multi-dimensional and thought through. I also really appreciated how the main characters changed so much over time, and those changes didn't in any way feel rushed. Its a well balanced book between male vs female & I didn't feel like there were any problematic fantasy character tropes.
World Building - This is a big world, with many countries & major cities. The political, religious & cultural differences were very interesting to read.
Would recommend to anyone who enjoys fantasy.
Story Telling - I found the first 50 pages tough, because we're introduced to so many characters, with their own story lines. But once you get your head around this, the story flows well. I really appreciated how all the main characters stories connected, but that each character had their own unique story. The author also does this little thing, where they even finish up some of the side characters stories. Usually I find in fantasy, that the side characters ride of into the distance & we have no clue if they live or die - but this author does a really good job of tying those up in enough detail, but quickly enough to not be distracting.
Characters - This is a character driven book. Whilst its an interesting political world, its the characters who really make this book interesting. Each character played an important role in the story as a whole & they mostly felt multi-dimensional and thought through. I also really appreciated how the main characters changed so much over time, and those changes didn't in any way feel rushed. Its a well balanced book between male vs female & I didn't feel like there were any problematic fantasy character tropes.
Spoiler
I'm also a sucker for the fact that I really thought Danika was going to not get her vengeance for love & I really appreciated that is not what happened. I also really didn't see Neven not joining his sister - that was devastating, but more realistic & I like that because of this, the characters really grew over timeWorld Building - This is a big world, with many countries & major cities. The political, religious & cultural differences were very interesting to read.
Would recommend to anyone who enjoys fantasy.
andimontgomery's review against another edition
3.0
I almost didn't want to read this, given my luck with GGK's most recent tomes. But reading Children of Earth and Sky felt like he has somewhat (but not entirely) recaptured the magic of some of his earlier works.
This is a multilayered story, with many characters to get to know. The guide in the front of the book definitely came in handy. While I initially became easily immersed in the plot (despite its breadth), I did lose some interest at about the halfway mark. The ending was very satisfying, however.
This is a multilayered story, with many characters to get to know. The guide in the front of the book definitely came in handy. While I initially became easily immersed in the plot (despite its breadth), I did lose some interest at about the halfway mark. The ending was very satisfying, however.
bennysbooks's review against another edition
Mostly just not meeting my expectations. Might return to it one day. This is the second time I've started a GGK book, only to learn it might not be reflective of his best work (the first was Ysabel). Going to do my research and try something else by him next.
anaiira's review against another edition
3.0
A very typical high fantasy novel, replete with battles, vengeance, problematic portrayals of an Eastern enemy nation hellbent on waging war on pseudo-Europe, ladies and courtly intrigue.
It is salvaged by some truly remarkable characters though. In particular, both Leonora and Danica are clever and engaging and great in their own rights, and I must admit to some affection for Paulo and Marin. The descriptions of the cities are similarly fantastic, if a bit one note after a while.
Solid fantasy, but a good introduction I think to this author's writing.
It is salvaged by some truly remarkable characters though. In particular, both Leonora and Danica are clever and engaging and great in their own rights, and I must admit to some affection for Paulo and Marin. The descriptions of the cities are similarly fantastic, if a bit one note after a while.
Solid fantasy, but a good introduction I think to this author's writing.
2lzfrumcunceasa's review against another edition
2.0
A very well-done ending ultimately hampered by too much build-up during the main plot, fairly disjointed names, geography, and history, and plotlines that I was excited about being concluded in a poor way (Danica's grandfather)
I kept feeling like I should be enjoying the book more than I was. The characters (especially the Khalif) were great, but their motivations were lacking for me Because of the lack of enjoyment I was getting from reading it, it took me months to actually finish it. Ultimately I found it to be boring until the end.
I kept feeling like I should be enjoying the book more than I was. The characters (especially the Khalif) were great, but their motivations were lacking for me Because of the lack of enjoyment I was getting from reading it, it took me months to actually finish it. Ultimately I found it to be boring until the end.
anne_98's review against another edition
adventurous
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
4.25
A very interesting book, a different kind of story than I expected, but definitely not in a bad way. I enjoyed following the characters in a chapter of their lives. The ending was done in a very different way than I am used to, but I liked it a lot, it gives closure. It was interesting to see where each of their paths took them and why they made the decisions they did.
I also very much liked Marin and Danica finding each other again at the end, I really like their dynamic. I am curious about the secong meeting of Danica and Neven, too bad we didn't get that, but I suppose I can probably infer what happened and spelling it out might not have added anything
themarquessmagpie's review against another edition
adventurous
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
4.25
aturnage's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.25
pemdas97's review against another edition
adventurous
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5