Scan barcode
katyanaish's review against another edition
4.0
I liked this series (which I'm reading smack dab in the middle of the House War series, per the instructions for read-order in that series), but not as much as I wanted to.
I think the primary reason for that is Serra Diora. I don't despise her - she's got moments of genuine compassion - but at the end of the day, the vast majority of the book is focused on her, and she's the least interesting character in it. Valedan, the Ospreys, Kiriel, Auralis, Kalakar, Yollana, Serra Teresa, Ramiro Callesta... not to mention Kallandras, Meralonne, Jay, Avandar and the den ... are all vastly more interesting characters with so much more depth.
With Diora, it feels like an endless commentary on how beautiful she is - which, I'm sorry, is just always going to be the least interesting, and least valuable, character trait for any character - and her ego. For example, her insistence that it was only through her that Valedan would find legitimacy - and this is a thing she said multiple times - literally made me want to punch her in the throat. It is critical to note that no other character ever made this comment. EVER. This made Diora's opinion of herself seem laughably naive and egotistical. It also did not AT ALL mesh with his character arc. Valedan is a tremendously well-written leader, who - despite his questionable claim - has won every single person that he has met to his side. This includes people who had every reason to despise him, as well as people who were sent to freaking assassinate him!!! They became his most devoted allies. He had won all of his allies - ALL - to his side before Diora even met him. Lamberto, Callesta, and the Kings of the North... who were so impressed by him that they sent their armies south under his command ... were all at his side before the pretty pretty princess showed up and claimed that she alone can give him the crown.
Had Diora just offered herself as another ally, I'd have respected that. She brings some formidable people with her - the Voyani, not least of all - and has some skills (her voice). She makes a strong ally, and frankly is probably the best informed person at the table when it comes to her father and Alesso. She unquestionably has value. But the way it was done made me despise her. Because look, asshole, Valedan has legitimacy with or without you. Just because you tried to elevate yourself to a place where you are tied to the crown, doesn't mean that Valedan couldn't claim it without you. Because - as has been hammered into our brains for this whole series - the ONLY thing the South respects is strength. If he won the war, he was king. As we've also been told, the South is a misogynistic shithole place. I do not believe that they would have given many fucks if Diora wasn't married to him. And yes, bringing the Sun Sword to him was helpful - obviously - but given that no one can draw the sword except Valedan, at the end of the day she didn't give him anything that wasn't already his.
In this book, Diora became even more annoying because she suddenly developed abilities no one else has - her voice was suddenly even more powerful than Kallandras (lol) and she could apparently make friends with the wild earth (??) - which put her firmly into Mary Sue territory. That combined with her precious pretty princess crap just put her way beyond what I can tolerate.
Plus, Jewel and her people were pretty much not in this book at all. So that was lame.
So, now at the end of the Sun Sword series, I'm going to say...
Overall Sun Sword series story: B
Diora: D ... just push through her parts, because everyone else is great
I think the primary reason for that is Serra Diora. I don't despise her - she's got moments of genuine compassion - but at the end of the day, the vast majority of the book is focused on her, and she's the least interesting character in it. Valedan, the Ospreys, Kiriel, Auralis, Kalakar, Yollana, Serra Teresa, Ramiro Callesta... not to mention Kallandras, Meralonne, Jay, Avandar and the den ... are all vastly more interesting characters with so much more depth.
With Diora, it feels like an endless commentary on how beautiful she is - which, I'm sorry, is just always going to be the least interesting, and least valuable, character trait for any character - and her ego. For example, her insistence that it was only through her that Valedan would find legitimacy - and this is a thing she said multiple times - literally made me want to punch her in the throat. It is critical to note that no other character ever made this comment. EVER. This made Diora's opinion of herself seem laughably naive and egotistical. It also did not AT ALL mesh with his character arc. Valedan is a tremendously well-written leader, who - despite his questionable claim - has won every single person that he has met to his side. This includes people who had every reason to despise him, as well as people who were sent to freaking assassinate him!!! They became his most devoted allies. He had won all of his allies - ALL - to his side before Diora even met him. Lamberto, Callesta, and the Kings of the North... who were so impressed by him that they sent their armies south under his command ... were all at his side before the pretty pretty princess showed up and claimed that she alone can give him the crown.
Had Diora just offered herself as another ally, I'd have respected that. She brings some formidable people with her - the Voyani, not least of all - and has some skills (her voice). She makes a strong ally, and frankly is probably the best informed person at the table when it comes to her father and Alesso. She unquestionably has value. But the way it was done made me despise her. Because look, asshole, Valedan has legitimacy with or without you. Just because you tried to elevate yourself to a place where you are tied to the crown, doesn't mean that Valedan couldn't claim it without you. Because - as has been hammered into our brains for this whole series - the ONLY thing the South respects is strength. If he won the war, he was king. As we've also been told, the South is a misogynistic shithole place. I do not believe that they would have given many fucks if Diora wasn't married to him. And yes, bringing the Sun Sword to him was helpful - obviously - but given that no one can draw the sword except Valedan, at the end of the day she didn't give him anything that wasn't already his.
In this book, Diora became even more annoying because she suddenly developed abilities no one else has - her voice was suddenly even more powerful than Kallandras (lol) and she could apparently make friends with the wild earth (??) - which put her firmly into Mary Sue territory. That combined with her precious pretty princess crap just put her way beyond what I can tolerate.
Plus, Jewel and her people were pretty much not in this book at all. So that was lame.
So, now at the end of the Sun Sword series, I'm going to say...
Overall Sun Sword series story: B
Diora: D ... just push through her parts, because everyone else is great
winterreader40's review against another edition
5.0
The time for war has finally come, Valedan is finally in the South with his Northern army, Jewel returns to the North, Diora completes her mission, Kiriel returns to Ashaf's home and this is all just the wind up. This is the final book for the Sun sword series so that's all I can say without spoiling things.
There are a lot of POV's in this series but specific to this story, nothing can be skimmed, this is the first time I've taken my time reading this and I think I actually got way more out of than I have before, I cried several times which I don't remember doing before either. This was a more satisfying wrap up than I remember it being on previous read.
There are a lot of POV's in this series but specific to this story, nothing can be skimmed, this is the first time I've taken my time reading this and I think I actually got way more out of than I have before, I cried several times which I don't remember doing before either. This was a more satisfying wrap up than I remember it being on previous read.
laurla's review against another edition
he loved the plants, he had said, because they demanded nothing.
"they demand your care, your time, your attention; even though they are mute, they sepak to you."
"yes, but the answer i offer in return is of little consequence. they grow, with or without me."
she raised a brow, and he smiled.
"i did not say they grew well without me. but i am free to let them grow and wither in their season. they are my responsibility. but failure of that responsibility is one i can live with. i have no dreams of dying plants. i have no nightmares. they exist, they will continue to exist."
"but they will not love you, and they will not grieve. they do not care who tends them."
"i have no desire to cause grief. when i go, i would leave as much peace as the plants do."
"the dead are dead; they are no longer troubled by the means or the manner of their death. let them drive you, if you must. but let them drive you to a better place."
"he speaks only the truth."
"he meant to wound you."
"truth does. but it is a curious weapon; it cannot wound without my consent."
"i have offered advice, but advice is like rain; it falls, and what it causes to grow, i have no control over."
"they demand your care, your time, your attention; even though they are mute, they sepak to you."
"yes, but the answer i offer in return is of little consequence. they grow, with or without me."
she raised a brow, and he smiled.
"i did not say they grew well without me. but i am free to let them grow and wither in their season. they are my responsibility. but failure of that responsibility is one i can live with. i have no dreams of dying plants. i have no nightmares. they exist, they will continue to exist."
"but they will not love you, and they will not grieve. they do not care who tends them."
"i have no desire to cause grief. when i go, i would leave as much peace as the plants do."
"the dead are dead; they are no longer troubled by the means or the manner of their death. let them drive you, if you must. but let them drive you to a better place."
"he speaks only the truth."
"he meant to wound you."
"truth does. but it is a curious weapon; it cannot wound without my consent."
"i have offered advice, but advice is like rain; it falls, and what it causes to grow, i have no control over."
evakristin's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
slow-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
2.0
It's finished! It's done!
Never will I ever read another word by West/Sagara!
I'm still not sure how I managed to finish this series. It's without a doubt my greatest feat as a reader so far.
What I liked: West has created a truly magnificently complex and complete world for her stories, it almost rivals Erikson of the Malazan. I found the Dominion story line interesting and engaging, and several of her characters deeply fascinating: Diora, Kiriel, Valedan, Auralis, Kallandras, Ania.
What I didn't like: The Terafin story line was mostly unbearably boring an uninteresting, a waste of paper and ink and the readers time. I absolutely loathe Jewel, and I don't care at all about her den. I can not describe my joy and relief when I realized that after suffering through the first 80 pages, where West hastily ties off this story for later (go figure!), the rest of the book is about the goings on of the Dominion.
Wests writing style is at it's best beautifully poetic, at its worst endlessly long winded and imprecise to the degree its hard to figure out what's going on.
After reading the last page, there's still a lot of questions unanswered, I'm sure West tackles them in her later books. It's with infinite relief I can conclude I feel no need what so ever to read them.
Never will I ever read another word by West/Sagara!
I'm still not sure how I managed to finish this series. It's without a doubt my greatest feat as a reader so far.
What I liked: West has created a truly magnificently complex and complete world for her stories, it almost rivals Erikson of the Malazan. I found the Dominion story line interesting and engaging, and several of her characters deeply fascinating: Diora, Kiriel, Valedan, Auralis, Kallandras, Ania.
What I didn't like: The Terafin story line was mostly unbearably boring an uninteresting, a waste of paper and ink and the readers time. I absolutely loathe Jewel, and I don't care at all about her den. I can not describe my joy and relief when I realized that after suffering through the first 80 pages, where West hastily ties off this story for later (go figure!), the rest of the book is about the goings on of the Dominion.
Wests writing style is at it's best beautifully poetic, at its worst endlessly long winded and imprecise to the degree its hard to figure out what's going on.
After reading the last page, there's still a lot of questions unanswered, I'm sure West tackles them in her later books. It's with infinite relief I can conclude I feel no need what so ever to read them.
tatere's review
5.0
Notes on rereread: One thing that's different about reading ebooks is that you aren't always faced with a sense of how far along you are, the way you are when you're holding a physical book. I got to the end of Jewel's part here, and happened to check where I was. Shocked to see that I was barely maybe a fifth of the way through. What could possibly follow that? Oh, right, the whole war thing, the sword, the girl, the end of the world.
*spoilernotspoiler* Falloran! Good dog!
*spoilernotspoiler* Falloran! Good dog!
marktimmony's review
5.0
This last title in the Sun Sword series ends with a bang!
Luckily, it is only the end of the second arc in a larger story sequence.
If you like juicy sagas with intelligent writing, rich characterisation and a depth that surpasses the more traditional fantasy, then look no further. One of the things that captivates me about this author is her unique ability to string a sentence together, gradually unfolding a story and presenting distinct ideas, cultures and philosophies. Although her prose can seem dense in parts, it opens up vistas so real that you can’t help feeling you’re actually there. Intricate plotting allows her the space to explore relationships between families, friends and Kingdoms that deepen an already vibrant tale of magic, wonder and human triumph. You will remember this book long after you’ve put it down.
Luckily, it is only the end of the second arc in a larger story sequence.
If you like juicy sagas with intelligent writing, rich characterisation and a depth that surpasses the more traditional fantasy, then look no further. One of the things that captivates me about this author is her unique ability to string a sentence together, gradually unfolding a story and presenting distinct ideas, cultures and philosophies. Although her prose can seem dense in parts, it opens up vistas so real that you can’t help feeling you’re actually there. Intricate plotting allows her the space to explore relationships between families, friends and Kingdoms that deepen an already vibrant tale of magic, wonder and human triumph. You will remember this book long after you’ve put it down.
katepreach's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
emotional
inspiring
slow-paced
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
kaylynn's review against another edition
5.0
A very satisfying conclusion to a very long series. I look forward to the next series!
More...