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cathyatratedreads's review against another edition
4.0
As the series moves along, I've become more intrigued. The pieces are slowly starting to come together and point to a conclusion that makes everything make sense. I hope I'm not disappointed by the time I'm done with the fourth book.
Read my full review, including a rating for content, at RatedReads.com: https://ratedreads.com/hidden-coronet-relic-master-clean-young-adult-book-review/
Read my full review, including a rating for content, at RatedReads.com: https://ratedreads.com/hidden-coronet-relic-master-clean-young-adult-book-review/
glimnore's review against another edition
4.0
Huzzah! And here now is the review of book three. I'll keep this one short.
Characters (4/5): Raffi actually evolved a little! Galen, while being the ominously awesome power-possessed avatar of the crow stayed static, but with some growing of Carys, and the introduction of the new characters, and the expansion into the realms of the Sekoi, Fisher actually did quite a well job of the character development within this installment.
Pacing (4/5): Often I found myself wondering whether or not something seemed simply off within this book in terms of the pacing. The shifting of perspectives had increased in frequency, which sort of hampered the book's read. But when I realized that what Fisher is essentially trying to do is set the stage for the final book in the series, I guess the pacing became something less of a minor annoyance.
Prose (4/5): Granted sometimes and somehow, Fisher seems to cast such vivid descriptions of the world around her with the simplest of words, every now and then within the moments, I sometimes find myself getting lost. Not like 'lost in the book lost', but like lost in all the action and drama. Sometimes I had to read certain segments of the book over and over again to solidify my understanding of what exactly was going on.
Plot (4/5): It's more drama then action in this book which could or could not be a gripe for most people. Like I said before, Fisher is setting the stage for some really dramatic events to occur. I very much hope she lives up to the hype.
World (5/5): This is where the author shines the most. The world she creates is so amazingly deep and vivid that I am certain even after I read the entire series I, as well as many other readers, wont know for certain the world in all its entirety. The cultural mythology is vague but beautiful, the snippets of the many works throughout the book are simply fantastic. All in all, tis a wonderful world Catherine Fisher has created. I am almost scared to know that the series will be ending with the last book...
Totals: 4+4+4+4+5=21/5= 4.2: It will be rounded to a 4. Till next time peeps!
Characters (4/5): Raffi actually evolved a little! Galen, while being the ominously awesome power-possessed avatar of the crow stayed static, but with some growing of Carys, and the introduction of the new characters, and the expansion into the realms of the Sekoi, Fisher actually did quite a well job of the character development within this installment.
Pacing (4/5): Often I found myself wondering whether or not something seemed simply off within this book in terms of the pacing. The shifting of perspectives had increased in frequency, which sort of hampered the book's read. But when I realized that what Fisher is essentially trying to do is set the stage for the final book in the series, I guess the pacing became something less of a minor annoyance.
Prose (4/5): Granted sometimes and somehow, Fisher seems to cast such vivid descriptions of the world around her with the simplest of words, every now and then within the moments, I sometimes find myself getting lost. Not like 'lost in the book lost', but like lost in all the action and drama. Sometimes I had to read certain segments of the book over and over again to solidify my understanding of what exactly was going on.
Plot (4/5): It's more drama then action in this book which could or could not be a gripe for most people. Like I said before, Fisher is setting the stage for some really dramatic events to occur. I very much hope she lives up to the hype.
World (5/5): This is where the author shines the most. The world she creates is so amazingly deep and vivid that I am certain even after I read the entire series I, as well as many other readers, wont know for certain the world in all its entirety. The cultural mythology is vague but beautiful, the snippets of the many works throughout the book are simply fantastic. All in all, tis a wonderful world Catherine Fisher has created. I am almost scared to know that the series will be ending with the last book...
Totals: 4+4+4+4+5=21/5= 4.2: It will be rounded to a 4. Till next time peeps!
addy1991's review against another edition
3.0
Friendship. Betrayal. Saving. Destruction. All of this and more happens in this third installment in the series. Raffi, a relic master's apprentice, is getting more of an education than he ever bargained for when he began his training under Galen Harn. They are on a race against time and other forces to save their beloved world. Yes, this is a theme that has gets repeated in this genre but I'm still enjoying this variation.
andraste's review against another edition
5.0
This series is the perfect blend of sci-fi and fantasy. I really enjoy Catherine Fisher's writing, on the whole. I especially like the way she creates entire complex mythologies for her stories. Even the little snippets of folklore and poems (from the the world of her stories, of course) at the beginning of every chapter are genius! I suspect that she's doing with folklore what Tolkien did with linguistics. It's almost as if she writes a pile of folk tales and then says, "Hey, what if I had a group of people in x, y, or z sort of world who believed they were true?" and then she writes a story about the people who believe in the mythology she created...just like Tolkien invented High-Elven Quenya and then wrote a story about people who spoke it. Crazy-brilliant stuff!
I was a little uncomfortable at first with how the series sort of falls between epic fantasy and post-apocalyptic science fiction (being one of those box-y people who likes labels and likes things to fit in places), but it's actually a really good blend of the best parts of both genres. On the fantasy side, you have your epic quest for relics (magical and technological). There's a prophesy about a lost heir to the throne who must be found. There's a wizard-like person trying to teach his apprentice the ways and magics of their order while they're on the run. There's the search for lost history and magical knowledge, and (haven't read the last book yet, but assuming, given how this book ended and the title of the next and last book) the ultimate battle between good and evil. On the sci-fi side, you've got this futuristic world on a different planet. There's the left-over people from some great apocalypse that crushed their society. There's a small group of those people trying to fix their world before everyone dies (and, of course, a larger group of people trying to stamp them out). There's forbidden technology that no one quite understands how to use, but it's the only hope for saving the planet. The people in the story have to piece together how to solve their problems through what they know from folk tales, ruined control buildings, and bits of technological 'relics' left over from better, more advanced days. The way this story merges the two genres is fantastic.
And, if I may gush for a moment about the characters, I love them all. Especially Raffi! He's definitely one of my favorite sci-fi/fantasy characters of all time. The characters are all brilliantly written and their chemistry is interesting. The main characters are a strange bunch of personalities to be thrown into a quest together, but it works!
I was a little uncomfortable at first with how the series sort of falls between epic fantasy and post-apocalyptic science fiction (being one of those box-y people who likes labels and likes things to fit in places), but it's actually a really good blend of the best parts of both genres. On the fantasy side, you have your epic quest for relics (magical and technological). There's a prophesy about a lost heir to the throne who must be found. There's a wizard-like person trying to teach his apprentice the ways and magics of their order while they're on the run. There's the search for lost history and magical knowledge, and (haven't read the last book yet, but assuming, given how this book ended and the title of the next and last book) the ultimate battle between good and evil. On the sci-fi side, you've got this futuristic world on a different planet. There's the left-over people from some great apocalypse that crushed their society. There's a small group of those people trying to fix their world before everyone dies (and, of course, a larger group of people trying to stamp them out). There's forbidden technology that no one quite understands how to use, but it's the only hope for saving the planet. The people in the story have to piece together how to solve their problems through what they know from folk tales, ruined control buildings, and bits of technological 'relics' left over from better, more advanced days. The way this story merges the two genres is fantastic.
And, if I may gush for a moment about the characters, I love them all. Especially Raffi! He's definitely one of my favorite sci-fi/fantasy characters of all time. The characters are all brilliantly written and their chemistry is interesting. The main characters are a strange bunch of personalities to be thrown into a quest together, but it works!
_michelle_'s review against another edition
1.0
I might not finish the series at this point. It's just so meh. I don't hate the series, contrary to the rating. I won't remember it in a year, by which I mean that I even read it, not just forgetting the fine details; and that's the problem.
adubrow's review against another edition
5.0
(Originally posted @ CSI:Librarian.)
Like both The Dark City and The Lost Heiress, The Hidden Coronet was fantastic. From beginning to end, I was engaged, concerned, and so pleased by everything that happened.
The Hidden Coronet was the most event-filled installment so far, but it never felt overwhelmed or bogged down. Instead there is just one awesome moment after another and from a larger range of view points at a more rapid pace. I cannot settle on a favorite part, but I especially loved the Frost Fair, the way the keepers spoke to the forest to create a path, the Canticle of Flain, all the little details about Kest, all the snippets of various fairy tales, and Carys' experience in Theriss.
The world-building maintained the same level of excellence I'd come to expect from the Relic Master series, and the introduction of new characters as well as the way they were utilized was very, very cool. And the darkness that's been growing steadily began to really rear its ugly head, and I just loved the way Galen, Raffi, Carys, the Sekoi, and all the others have started to deal with it. And I cannot wait to see more of them trying to take on the Margrave.
In conclusion, completely awesome. If you aren't reading this series, you are really missing out. Fisher is a remarkable writer, and I cannot wait to see what happens in the last book, The Margrave.
Like both The Dark City and The Lost Heiress, The Hidden Coronet was fantastic. From beginning to end, I was engaged, concerned, and so pleased by everything that happened.
The Hidden Coronet was the most event-filled installment so far, but it never felt overwhelmed or bogged down. Instead there is just one awesome moment after another and from a larger range of view points at a more rapid pace. I cannot settle on a favorite part, but I especially loved the Frost Fair, the way the keepers spoke to the forest to create a path, the Canticle of Flain, all the little details about Kest, all the snippets of various fairy tales, and Carys' experience in Theriss.
The world-building maintained the same level of excellence I'd come to expect from the Relic Master series, and the introduction of new characters as well as the way they were utilized was very, very cool. And the darkness that's been growing steadily began to really rear its ugly head, and I just loved the way Galen, Raffi, Carys, the Sekoi, and all the others have started to deal with it. And I cannot wait to see more of them trying to take on the Margrave.
In conclusion, completely awesome. If you aren't reading this series, you are really missing out. Fisher is a remarkable writer, and I cannot wait to see what happens in the last book, The Margrave.
singinglight's review against another edition
3.0
This book was dominated by the sense of building towards the end and the final book. There are some big secrets revealed, but lots left to be resolved. As with all of the Relic Master books, I found this a very fast read, which is nice sometimes. However, I do think that emotional investment is a bit lacking, because it’s so fast I don’t feel like I have time to know the characters. [Sept. 2011]
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