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4.08 AVERAGE
4.08 AVERAGE
This isn’t a book, it’s barely a novella. It’s more like a chapter out of a longer book and it’s a bit flat given that it comes from the pen of the author of the Vorkosigan novels.
emotional
inspiring
fast-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
adventurous
challenging
emotional
lighthearted
reflective
relaxing
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
adventurous
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
relaxing
tense
fast-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:
No
dark
emotional
mysterious
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
emotional
mysterious
sad
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:
No
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
mysterious
reflective
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
adventurous
mysterious
medium-paced
Something about this entry in the Penric and Desdemona series just doesn't have the same hook as the rest. It does not seem consequential in the overarching political drama being told, and all but one of the stakes are pretty uninteresting in terms of like..."why does this really matter?" It also very quickly becomes clear that the one stake you do care about is already a moot point. (Also just like one dead is too many dead in this series for me.)
Spoiler
babySpoiler
babies
This is the book that fostered a new discovery for me: I don't enjoy a book in a series that mirrors the plot of another book in the same series. I'm not talking about structure or even beats. I'm talking about the same story: The same characters set up the same situation with the same tensions and the same stakes.
It's especially bad when, as the reader, you stop and look down at the book in your hands and wonder, "Did I pick up a previously read installment instead of the newest one?"
That's exactly what I did a few pages into this novella.
To the author's credit, she acknowledged the dilemma by having the MC remark on the similarities - or I might have put the book down and never picked it up again. But the experience really dampened my ability to enjoy the book, which didn't seem to have much stakes to begin with, especially when its identical predecessor also wasn't that good.
A strong author but a plodding installment. Perhaps this series has simply played itself out.
It's especially bad when, as the reader, you stop and look down at the book in your hands and wonder, "Did I pick up a previously read installment instead of the newest one?"
That's exactly what I did a few pages into this novella.
To the author's credit, she acknowledged the dilemma by having the MC remark on the similarities - or I might have put the book down and never picked it up again. But the experience really dampened my ability to enjoy the book, which didn't seem to have much stakes to begin with, especially when its identical predecessor also wasn't that good.
A strong author but a plodding installment. Perhaps this series has simply played itself out.