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samcarlin's review against another edition
3.0
A nice collection of stories, but like with all of these collections, I'm always left wanting more. The last story is terrible, don't even waaste your time.
inferiorwit's review
adventurous
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
informative
inspiring
lighthearted
mysterious
reflective
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death of parent, Alcohol, Homophobia, Injury/Injury detail, Grief, Violence, Misogyny, Animal death, Blood, and Death
Minor: Sexual assault, Rape, and Sexual violence
xeni's review against another edition
4.0
Well, as Valdemar anthologies go, it was a very nice one. Two things really bugged me though: firstly, it really really really irritated me that there were many repeated sets of characters (already noticeable in the anthology before) in a disorderly fashion, so not only had I an irritating suspicion that I knew these characters before, but I also couldn't remember (in a few cases) what their former stories were. Thus, I actually wanted to sit down and draw a timetable of all the stories and characters, it got to be that confusing!
Secondly, and this is of course always a problem with anthologies, I couldn't keep the timeline in my head straight anymore. Most stories were written after the Mage Stormes, but then you'd have a few jump in from before Vanyel, or somewhere in between. And the secondary authors didn't write the stories clearly enough for it to be understandable until after the story was over.
And last of all, what was also annoying, but not monumentally irritating, was the last story of the anthology. It was... crude. Irritating. Not worth reading even. Left a sour taste in my mouth after I finished all the other nice stories. It was of a modern-day, non-Valdemar time setting. A companion in the southern states of America. So NOT necessary! Definitely ruined the end of the book.
On a positive note, I think the Jem And Ree stories could be written into a full length series.
Secondly, and this is of course always a problem with anthologies, I couldn't keep the timeline in my head straight anymore. Most stories were written after the Mage Stormes, but then you'd have a few jump in from before Vanyel, or somewhere in between. And the secondary authors didn't write the stories clearly enough for it to be understandable until after the story was over.
And last of all, what was also annoying, but not monumentally irritating, was the last story of the anthology. It was... crude. Irritating. Not worth reading even. Left a sour taste in my mouth after I finished all the other nice stories. It was of a modern-day, non-Valdemar time setting. A companion in the southern states of America. So NOT necessary! Definitely ruined the end of the book.
On a positive note, I think the Jem And Ree stories could be written into a full length series.
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