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chirson's review
3.0
It was an utter page turner, and while at first I had some problems re-immersing myself in Jes's headspace, I was ultimately drawn in. I guess I'm beginning to think clearly I have strange/unusual textual preferences. I read all the advice about how characters should have agency and influence action, and how important it is for readers to see the emotion and feelings characters experience and then I read a book and I think - I'd like it better if the character's feelings were less obvious, because either her emotions are too extreme for me (and I like angry protagonists! It's just that she keeps telling me and showing me she's angry, and being angry at the wrong person) or the book is clubbing me over the head with them, as though I can't understand after being told once. The agency the protagonist has feels excessive - I think she shouldn't have this many clever ideas, this much say, this extent of influence on the outcome.
Maybe I need a break from genre fiction ;)
But that was mainly the beginning of the volume. Later on, the book was really great about showing consequences, bodily trauma, complexities of politics and culture. I even quite liked how sports fit in with the themes and mysteries, although I found the way they figured into the plot less interesting. I am that reader who died of boredom reading Quidditch in Harry Potter; I'm not into sports. I'd rather watch a progress bar on a computer doing drive defragmentation.
Some quibbles: I found the coyness with which the two canonical (I guess) queer couples are shown to be annoying. I'm not sure if it was meant to reflect Jes's blithe lack of interest or be a bawdlerisation that makes this book more teen-friendly (if you don't want to see / remember about queerness, we won't make it too apparent!), but it came off queer-baity.
I had problems with Kiya's plotline. It felt a little too convenient and the entire Kiya-as-Efea imagery has bad connotations for me.
That said, the book was significantly better than the previous volume. Really well-paced and gripping. I wish mythology and dynastic scheming had been given more space, and I could have used less military enthusiasm (Jes's descriptions of the army in particular read like propaganda-lite), and less teen romance. The ending is almost too neat, but the moment in the narrative at around 1/3 of the book, when the protagonist changes her path, was really well-played. And there's some very real emotion in the relationships between the characters, particularly Maraya and Jes.
A strong 3.5 stars and now I hope Elliott can finish the Black Wolves continuation next ;)
Maybe I need a break from genre fiction ;)
But that was mainly the beginning of the volume. Later on, the book was really great about showing consequences, bodily trauma, complexities of politics and culture. I even quite liked how sports fit in with the themes and mysteries, although I found the way they figured into the plot less interesting. I am that reader who died of boredom reading Quidditch in Harry Potter; I'm not into sports. I'd rather watch a progress bar on a computer doing drive defragmentation.
Some quibbles: I found the coyness with which the two canonical (I guess) queer couples are shown to be annoying. I'm not sure if it was meant to reflect Jes's blithe lack of interest or be a bawdlerisation that makes this book more teen-friendly (if you don't want to see / remember about queerness, we won't make it too apparent!), but it came off queer-baity.
Spoiler
All it would have taken is Jes taking two-three sentences to think more closely about Denya's relationship with Amaya or how fortunate it was who loved Inarsis.I had problems with Kiya's plotline. It felt a little too convenient and the entire Kiya-as-Efea imagery has bad connotations for me.
That said, the book was significantly better than the previous volume. Really well-paced and gripping. I wish mythology and dynastic scheming had been given more space, and I could have used less military enthusiasm (Jes's descriptions of the army in particular read like propaganda-lite), and less teen romance
Spoiler
I find the ending utterly unbelievable in that while Kalliarkos might have a hope of escaping recognition as a soldier in the army, I think that might disappear if he's seen in public with Jes, who is known to have been the king's mistressSpoiler
That moment when Maraya tells Jes about the trip the family took years ago and about how Jes took father's side believing him to be the one with power - I found it very believable but also the reason I found Jes so difficult to root for at times. I hate it when female characters side with fathers against their mothers. It is ultimately reversed here, and written in a very believable way, but it's a thing I find difficult to read about or even to comprehend more viscerally.A strong 3.5 stars and now I hope Elliott can finish the Black Wolves continuation next ;)
esemple's review
adventurous
inspiring
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
llleya's review
adventurous
emotional
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.25
luckykosmos's review
adventurous
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
I did enjoy this book, in particular the end of Kal's storyline, and Jessamy's story when she re-enters the action. Most points in the background were wrapped up, though I would have liked more detail on others, particularly Jessamy's sisters. Nonetheless, I couldn't help but think of the very white author, while the side characters slung slurs at Jessamy. I don't want to say this book could only be done by an author of color, but there were certain scenes that didn't sit well with me for that reason.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death of parent, Slavery, and Violence
libscote's review against another edition
4.0
I thought this really ended the trilogy well. I was wondering how everything could balance out, and I'm really happy with what Elliott did. It felt satisfying as a reader, and for the character. Such a good series.
lizshayne's review
3.0
How do you end your revolution?
This is the hard question for all YA novels - if you stage the revolt, you have to follow through with the possibility of real change. But you have to make your overthrow believable. Elliott has something of an advantage as she has not written some weird futuristic police state and many of her characters actually have records of the previous rule, but she still has the basic problem, which is pulling off a plausible rebellion.
Overall, she sticks the landing and her rationale rests not on lucky breaks or volte faces, but on reasonable machinations behind the scenes and characters we already know to be sympathetic in positions where they can effect change. So that was better than average and very fun.
The book did take a while to get back into--this is a series problem that I don't think I will ever get over--but it was pretty interesting once it was there and I enjoyed watching the plot weave its way to its conclusion. I do sometimes find that Elliott gets a little too caught up in world building and it leaves her characters feel a bit underdrawn, which happened in a few places here, but not in a way that hurt the book. There was more than enough adventure to hold my attention.
This is the hard question for all YA novels - if you stage the revolt, you have to follow through with the possibility of real change. But you have to make your overthrow believable. Elliott has something of an advantage as she has not written some weird futuristic police state and many of her characters actually have records of the previous rule, but she still has the basic problem, which is pulling off a plausible rebellion.
Overall, she sticks the landing and her rationale rests not on lucky breaks or volte faces, but on reasonable machinations behind the scenes and characters we already know to be sympathetic in positions where they can effect change. So that was better than average and very fun.
The book did take a while to get back into--this is a series problem that I don't think I will ever get over--but it was pretty interesting once it was there and I enjoyed watching the plot weave its way to its conclusion. I do sometimes find that Elliott gets a little too caught up in world building and it leaves her characters feel a bit underdrawn, which happened in a few places here, but not in a way that hurt the book. There was more than enough adventure to hold my attention.
cnohero's review
3.0
I wanted to know how the court of fives ended... but it was really hard to stick with this book to the end. I almost put it down several times.
reader_fictions's review
2.0
2.5 stars
I’m simultaneously going to say that Buried Heart was a pretty satisfying series conclusion and also that it wasn’t. The thing is that, for what this series actually is, Buried Heart is consistent to what’s come before, and it doesn’t drop all the balls. Mostly, this series feels like a jongleur came out and tossed up ten balls, dropped half of them, but then successfully juggled the remaining five for the duration of the series.
There’s a lot of action throughout the series, so I was never bored. I was only minimally engaged with any of the characters, but just enough to keep my attention. Kal was probably my favorite overall. Jes is cool. I like Amaya and Denya and Maraya, though I wish I’d gotten to see more of them. Actually, I wonder if the problem is largely the fact that Jes is very focused on herself and the Fives, so you really don’t get to know anyone else that well, even the people to whom she is closest. The whole thing comes at you from a distance, like you’re sitting in the cheap seats watching the Fives tournament.
There are so many dropped balls, plot lines that started in book one but just never ever culminated in anything. Wenru and Bettany are MASSIVELY UNDERUTILIZED. Wenru’s this creepy baby inhabited by a spirit that is fluent in Saroese, and I expected some fucked up shit.But nah, he’s just Lord Ottonor, and he’s able to testify against Gargaron’s treachery. Bettany betrays her family in Poisoned Blade, and that could have had a huge emotional resonance. It’s so obvious that there should be another interaction, but, nope, she’s just gone. Realistic? Sure. Good fiction? Nah.
Speaking of underutilized characters, Ro, for all that he’s massively important actually, doesn’t really serve any role in the series except to be the pining second love interest. There’s no chemistry really, and it’s just so awkward. I kept expecting the ship to flip at some point, because otherwise WHY would there be two books of love triangle drama, but it’s just there to serve as a metaphor for how Jes feels torn between her Saroese and Efean halves. Listen, the whole series is already about that very overtly, so the love triangle really doesn’t help at all.
The timeframe also seems very short for all of this war to get neatly resolved, but I don’t know that much about military history, so maybe it can happen in a matter of months during a perfect storm of events. I do really like the bloodiness of the series; important characters die and Jes sustains injuries that will be with her forever.
One of my favorite aspects of the series, though, again it could have been done more compellingly, is Jes’ mother’s development. Kiya starts out as an entirely passive character. She does everything that Jes’ dad says. When he abandons her, she descends into misery (partially due to childbirth in the absolute worst of circumstances). But, after that, while still not being a physical person and defaulting more to mild, she ends up helping to lead a revolution. That’s pretty cool.
I enjoyed this series all the way through, but I doubt I’ll read it again. Mostly, I wish that I could have seen it done by someone like Sharon Shinn. I’d recommend Elemental Blessings or Summers at Castle Auburn over Court of Fives. I’d also recommend Elliott’s Spiritwalker trilogy over this one, because it has excellent character building; it’s still sloppy in terms of world building, but it’s much stronger overall.
I’m simultaneously going to say that Buried Heart was a pretty satisfying series conclusion and also that it wasn’t. The thing is that, for what this series actually is, Buried Heart is consistent to what’s come before, and it doesn’t drop all the balls. Mostly, this series feels like a jongleur came out and tossed up ten balls, dropped half of them, but then successfully juggled the remaining five for the duration of the series.
There’s a lot of action throughout the series, so I was never bored. I was only minimally engaged with any of the characters, but just enough to keep my attention. Kal was probably my favorite overall. Jes is cool. I like Amaya and Denya and Maraya, though I wish I’d gotten to see more of them. Actually, I wonder if the problem is largely the fact that Jes is very focused on herself and the Fives, so you really don’t get to know anyone else that well, even the people to whom she is closest. The whole thing comes at you from a distance, like you’re sitting in the cheap seats watching the Fives tournament.
There are so many dropped balls, plot lines that started in book one but just never ever culminated in anything. Wenru and Bettany are MASSIVELY UNDERUTILIZED. Wenru’s this creepy baby inhabited by a spirit that is fluent in Saroese, and I expected some fucked up shit.
Speaking of underutilized characters, Ro, for all that he’s massively important actually, doesn’t really serve any role in the series except to be the pining second love interest. There’s no chemistry really, and it’s just so awkward. I kept expecting the ship to flip at some point, because otherwise WHY would there be two books of love triangle drama, but it’s just there to serve as a metaphor for how Jes feels torn between her Saroese and Efean halves. Listen, the whole series is already about that very overtly, so the love triangle really doesn’t help at all.
The timeframe also seems very short for all of this war to get neatly resolved, but I don’t know that much about military history, so maybe it can happen in a matter of months during a perfect storm of events. I do really like the bloodiness of the series; important characters die and Jes sustains injuries that will be with her forever.
One of my favorite aspects of the series, though, again it could have been done more compellingly, is Jes’ mother’s development. Kiya starts out as an entirely passive character. She does everything that Jes’ dad says. When he abandons her, she descends into misery (partially due to childbirth in the absolute worst of circumstances). But, after that, while still not being a physical person and defaulting more to mild, she ends up helping to lead a revolution. That’s pretty cool.
I enjoyed this series all the way through, but I doubt I’ll read it again. Mostly, I wish that I could have seen it done by someone like Sharon Shinn. I’d recommend Elemental Blessings or Summers at Castle Auburn over Court of Fives. I’d also recommend Elliott’s Spiritwalker trilogy over this one, because it has excellent character building; it’s still sloppy in terms of world building, but it’s much stronger overall.
rhodered's review
5.0
BRAVO!
This third volume was even better than I expected. I found myself leaping on excuses to put it aside during the day to make it last longer.
The author took so many YA tropes — from the prince who loved a commoner to the young girl who can save the world — turned them upside down, inside out and set them down only this time intelligently, brilliantly, insightfully written.
It’s not a fairy tale. It feels far more real. Plus, feminist AF. Not to mention anti-racist and anti-colonialist. And it’s not purely a cishet world.
All that and I loved the last line too. Plus, GREAT PARENTS. Yeah. Five stars. Thank you Kate!!!
This third volume was even better than I expected. I found myself leaping on excuses to put it aside during the day to make it last longer.
The author took so many YA tropes — from the prince who loved a commoner to the young girl who can save the world — turned them upside down, inside out and set them down only this time intelligently, brilliantly, insightfully written.
It’s not a fairy tale. It feels far more real. Plus, feminist AF. Not to mention anti-racist and anti-colonialist. And it’s not purely a cishet world.
All that and I loved the last line too. Plus, GREAT PARENTS. Yeah. Five stars. Thank you Kate!!!