Reviews

A brilliant conclusion to the trilogy, with twists and turns that even I did not see coming. I applaud Naomi Novik for continuing to find unexpected ways to solutions that seem impossible.

However, there were a few more swear words than in the previous books, as if to prove how grown up she was, and sometimes the inundation of details about how the magic worked made my head swirl trying to understand. Perhaps that was necessary, perhaps not. And I do not see how a romance with Liesel had any relevance whatsoever. It was almost just like an easy way out so that the main character didn't actually have to figure out how to deal with what she was going through, but could instead focus on things that just made her feel good, ignoring the deeper issues, or possibly a political statement, or perhaps an attempt to ratchet tension that was not necessary. A simple friendship would have done the exact same thing the issues with Liesel did.

sfburdick's review against another edition

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adventurous dark emotional hopeful sad medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

I was even more lost in this one. It definitely jumped around a lot and was hard to follow. When reading these it’s like a train rushing by, and you’re just running to stay caught up. I still love the characters, but this book seemed to focus on character development less.

moonflower97's review against another edition

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adventurous dark emotional funny hopeful inspiring mysterious sad tense 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? Yes

5.0

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