Reviews

The Golden Enclaves by Naomi Novik

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jackketch's review against another edition

adventurous dark hopeful 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

5.0

After we resolve the CLIFFHANGER at the end of Book #2, there's a point in which as a reader I was wondering - is this going somewhere, or is Naomi Novik making it up as she goes along?

And the answer is: She knew. She knew where it was going THE WHOLE TIME.

Suffice to say if you liked the earlier books, you'll want to read this one, too.

mack_e's review against another edition

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dark emotional hopeful 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

4.0

Spoiler free:
Genuinely loved this book series. It was easy to sink my teeth into and cruise through.

My only gripe truly comes from what I believe is just the writing style. I haven’t read anything else by her yet (I definitely will after this), but just based on this series alone, I would say she’s definitely a “teller” and not a “show-er.” This happened a lot in the other books in this series as well, but something will happen in the plot, whether that’s a revelation, something discovered, etc., and she will take the next couple paragraphs or pages to talk about the main character’s thoughts and/or add world building. There were points it got to be so frustrating, I couldn’t stand it. There was a big reveal in this last book and she took 5 - YES, FIVE - pages of thinking detour before she got back to the plot! Like I said, not enough to deter me from reading more, but definitely enough to bother me to mention it haha.
That being said, a solid series and I have a lot of love for it.

greenidmnstr's review against another edition

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4.0

A worthy finale

It was a good story and decently wrapped up. I felt like the characters grew with the events unfolding, but also, some gaps remain. Nonetheless, I enjoyed it regardless of the flaws, and it's rewarding having a solid conclusion for a great introduction to this world.

daydreamerjade's review against another edition

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adventurous dark 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

4.5

spinnerlynne's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging dark emotional funny mysterious tense 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? It's complicated

5.0

I have either very many words or none at all. Wow. What superb writing. Gosh. I basically inhaled all 1100 pages of this trilogy (in EIGHTEEN DAYS, many of which were work days!) and I deeply wish there was a follow-up novella.

kbone's review against another edition

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adventurous dark emotional hopeful mysterious sad medium-paced

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

4.0

Some of the coolest world building I’ve read in a while. Such a vivid descriptions of how magic works and each enclave etc. My only gripe was the transitions were very abrupt and it took me out of it. Felt like this was once much longer and she had to cut out a lot of parts.