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3.57 AVERAGE
3.57 AVERAGE
adventurous
dark
lighthearted
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
This had really good aspects, but also severely pissed me off in places. I appreciated the setting and wry writing, and some of the secondary characters were fabulous. I just couldn’t warm to the leads though, and the romance was terrible.
I've been meaning to read this book for years, since I love everything else Bujold has written. This is a fantastic magical adventure that does not disappoint! Please write another novel soon!
https://wordnerdy.blogspot.com/2021/06/2021-book-132.html
This is a standalone fantasy novel from Bujold, not one of her better known works, but still entertaining and moving. Set in a fantasy version of Renaissance Italy, it centers on the biracial teenage daughter of a master artisan-slash-mage, who longs to follow in his footsteps, but is beset by racism and sexism! And also the story of her love interest (the romance is not the main thing here, but I was here for it), who is supposed to be apprenticed to her father…. Except then his patron Duke is assassinated, an enemy is taking over the town, and her father is murdered. Oh yeah, and the bad guys are also evil sorcerers! (Really interesting magic/political stuff here, as the local Catholic Church is in charge of non-evil sorcerers.) So this wasn’t the best Bujold book, but definitely still worth a read. A-/B+.
This is a standalone fantasy novel from Bujold, not one of her better known works, but still entertaining and moving. Set in a fantasy version of Renaissance Italy, it centers on the biracial teenage daughter of a master artisan-slash-mage, who longs to follow in his footsteps, but is beset by racism and sexism! And also the story of her love interest (the romance is not the main thing here, but I was here for it), who is supposed to be apprenticed to her father…. Except then his patron Duke is assassinated, an enemy is taking over the town, and her father is murdered. Oh yeah, and the bad guys are also evil sorcerers! (Really interesting magic/political stuff here, as the local Catholic Church is in charge of non-evil sorcerers.) So this wasn’t the best Bujold book, but definitely still worth a read. A-/B+.
Totally fabulous. I even think if you squint your eyes just right you could find a way to slip this into concordance with the worlds of Chalion and Sharing Knife.
adventurous
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
In her usual style, bujold delivers another historical frought with spirits. it is clear that She is learning her craft in these historicals though. There are some moments when the characters appear to be flat. But the action is fast-faced. Her research is impecable. The world she draws is, other than the magic with which she endows her characters, very near to the Renaissance Italy that existed. Her other historicals are much better.
adventurous
emotional
lighthearted
tense
fast-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:
Complicated
adventurous
dark
funny
lighthearted
mysterious
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
I don't think that "The Spirit Ring" the best book by Lois McMaster Bujold that I have read, yet she is so consistently good, that her "not best" is often better than many other authors'.
The Renaissance setting is very well researched - and I loved the fact that there were so many references to "The Autobiography of Benvenuto Cellini". Thank you, dear author!
The plot rushes along (this is the kind of book that you read in one day, if you have the time), the magic system is interesting, and the main characters are very sympathetic and charming. Very enjoyable :)
The Renaissance setting is very well researched - and I loved the fact that there were so many references to "The Autobiography of Benvenuto Cellini". Thank you, dear author!
The plot rushes along (this is the kind of book that you read in one day, if you have the time), the magic system is interesting, and the main characters are very sympathetic and charming. Very enjoyable :)
I've eye-read this two or three times before, but last night I saw Audible had this for free in its Audible Plus catalog. I just wanted something easy to listen to for now.
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Done. I'd forgotten a lot of it, but it's still a nice read.
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Done. I'd forgotten a lot of it, but it's still a nice read.