Scan barcode
daumari's review against another edition
5.0
The point of view protagonist in the third and final installment of Emily B. Martin's Woodwalker series is a scientist, and I couldn't love her more. After the actions at the end of [b:Ashes to Fire|30166223|Ashes to Fire (Woodwalker, #2)|Emily B. Martin|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1474978369s/30166223.jpg|50605667], Queen Gemma finds herself arrested by her own people. A familiar stranger breaks her out, and a tantalizing discovery could change the religion and politics of Alcoro forever.
I honestly thought the first arc would be the overarching book so as our characters approached McGuffin 1, I looked at my page progress and thought, "That can't be, we're only a third of the way here... what's going on". Geopolitics! With a third act twist [again?] that made sense in hindsight but ALSO didn't go the way I thought it might? As far as series viewpoint characters, each of the women are strongly influenced by their background- Mae by her, uh, woodwalker skills, Mona by being a politician at birth, and Gemma- always a scholar, never stops being a scholar. The importance of primary sources drives the plot.
I honestly thought the first arc would be the overarching book so as our characters approached McGuffin 1, I looked at my page progress and thought, "That can't be, we're only a third of the way here... what's going on". Geopolitics! With a third act twist [again?] that made sense in hindsight but ALSO didn't go the way I thought it might? As far as series viewpoint characters, each of the women are strongly influenced by their background- Mae by her, uh, woodwalker skills, Mona by being a politician at birth, and Gemma- always a scholar, never stops being a scholar. The importance of primary sources drives the plot.
Spoiler
Also- in previous art, Gemma was always holding her arm. I figured this was maybe a magical disfigurement or something, but it's more important and mundane than that- a winestain, covered up because of the perfection demanded of Alcoran rulers. Gemmaaaa I just want you to live a quiet life drawing insectssssdaumari's review against another edition
5.0
I'm curious as to how GR displays reviews of different editions... guess I'll find out!
For some reason, I... completely forgot the timing of the third act twist and once again missed what I should've been looking for in my reread of [b:Ashes to Fire|30166223|Ashes to Fire (Woodwalker, #2)|Emily B. Martin|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1474978369l/30166223._SY75_.jpg|50605667] lol; I'll thumb through that again later today... but because it's fresh thanks to reread, there's bits that are like, "Oh, right. That's what the concern was over."
Gemma remains my fave, a scholar through and through. Primary sources are important, y'all, and using multiple sources to verify is good!!!
original review (as seen here)
The point of view protagonist in the third and final installment of Emily B. Martin's Woodwalker series is a scientist, and I couldn't love her more. After the actions at the end of Ashes to Fire, Queen Gemma finds herself arrested by her own people. A familiar stranger breaks her out, and a tantalizing discovery could change the religion and politics of Alcoro forever.
I honestly thought the first arc would be the overarching book so as our characters approached McGuffin 1, I looked at my page progress and thought, "That can't be, we're only a third of the way here... what's going on". Geopolitics! With a third act twist [again?] that made sense in hindsight but ALSO didn't go the way I thought it might? As far as series viewpoint characters, each of the women are strongly influenced by their background- Mae by her, uh, woodwalker skills, Mona by being a politician at birth, and Gemma- always a scholar, never stops being a scholar. The importance of primary sources drives the plot.
For some reason, I... completely forgot the timing of the third act twist and once again missed what I should've been looking for in my reread of [b:Ashes to Fire|30166223|Ashes to Fire (Woodwalker, #2)|Emily B. Martin|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1474978369l/30166223._SY75_.jpg|50605667] lol; I'll thumb through that again later today... but because it's fresh thanks to reread, there's bits that are like, "Oh, right. That's what the concern was over."
Gemma remains my fave, a scholar through and through. Primary sources are important, y'all, and using multiple sources to verify is good!!!
original review (as seen here)
The point of view protagonist in the third and final installment of Emily B. Martin's Woodwalker series is a scientist, and I couldn't love her more. After the actions at the end of Ashes to Fire, Queen Gemma finds herself arrested by her own people. A familiar stranger breaks her out, and a tantalizing discovery could change the religion and politics of Alcoro forever.
I honestly thought the first arc would be the overarching book so as our characters approached McGuffin 1, I looked at my page progress and thought, "That can't be, we're only a third of the way here... what's going on". Geopolitics! With a third act twist [again?] that made sense in hindsight but ALSO didn't go the way I thought it might? As far as series viewpoint characters, each of the women are strongly influenced by their background- Mae by her, uh, woodwalker skills, Mona by being a politician at birth, and Gemma- always a scholar, never stops being a scholar. The importance of primary sources drives the plot.
Spoiler
Also- in previous art, Gemma was always holding her arm. I figured this was maybe a magical disfigurement or something, but it's more important and mundane than that- a winestain, covered up because of the perfection demanded of Alcoran rulers. Gemmaaaa I just want you to live a quiet life drawing insectssss5c_sami's review
5.0
I'm so glad to have Sunshield and Floodpath build off of these stories, because I don't want them to be done.
This one built a little slower than the first two, simply because we were getting the Alcoran narrative that wasn't as interwoven with the Silvern and Lumeni ones.
The shining points of this whole series are the characters. They are all so human and believable. Their mistakes and weaknesses aren't shrouded, but faced head-on. And they're strengths are seen best through how they interact with each other.
I'm grateful for Celeno and all he represented for being more than his circumstances and finding points of light in the darkness, not only the darkness of war, but of mental health and addiction. And those who loved him and those who saw the humanity in him and treated him as such. I hate that his redemption came so late, but it was heartbreakingly real and raw.
This one built a little slower than the first two, simply because we were getting the Alcoran narrative that wasn't as interwoven with the Silvern and Lumeni ones.
The shining points of this whole series are the characters. They are all so human and believable. Their mistakes and weaknesses aren't shrouded, but faced head-on. And they're strengths are seen best through how they interact with each other.
I'm grateful for Celeno and all he represented for being more than his circumstances and finding points of light in the darkness, not only the darkness of war, but of mental health and addiction. And those who loved him and those who saw the humanity in him and treated him as such. I hate that his redemption came so late, but it was heartbreakingly real and raw.
mira_blume's review
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
reflective
slow-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
4.25
betwixt_the_pages's review
4.0
Queens, countries, and cultures collided in Woodwalker and Ashes to Fire, the first two books in Emily B. Martin’s Creatures of Light series. From Mae’s guidance to retake Lumen Lake to Mona’s eye-opening adventure in Cyprien, we now see things from Gemma’s perspective—a queen in disgrace…and symbol of the oppressive power of Alcoro.
Queen Gemma—although she isn’t sure she still has claim to that title—is in prison.
To her people, it’s simply called “The Retreat,” but in the middle of nowhere, surrounded by guards and unable to speak to her husband, King Celeno, there’s no other word for it. The only comfort she has is knowing she might not be there long—the Prelate has let her know in no uncertain terms the council is, even now, deciding her ultimate fate.
And Gemma would resign herself to that if it wasn’t for a mysterious stranger breaking her free and setting her on a course that could change the world. With precious information—and a skeptical travel companion— Gemma must undertake a journey to find answers to the questions that have defined her life for years…and her country for centuries.
If she can make this desperate scheme work, she might not just forge peace between Alcoro and their neighbors, but win some peace of heart as well. And, perhaps, she’ll learn the same lessons Mae and Mona learned: that being Queen doesn’t mean having to do everything alone.
Creatures of Light—the eponymous third and final book in Emily B. Martin’s series—is a novel filled with adventure, betrayal, and a queen’s lifelong struggle to love and trust herself.
Rating: 4.5/5 Penguins
Quick Reasons: the final perspective sheds light on events that started way back in book 1; I felt like Gemma's POV was a bit stiff/formal; there were some smaller emotional moments that really helped to "shape" her for me; once again, Emily B. Martin yanked the rug out from under me; awesome conclusion to a thrilling adventure
Huge thanks, once again, to Emily B. Martin and Harper Voyager Impulse for shooting a free digital galley of this title my way in exchange for an honest review! As always, this in no way altered my read of or opinions on this book.
"We'll pretend we're having an affair," she replied.
"That's not funny."
"Oh, sure it is. Think of the look on Mona's face."
"Think of the look on Valien's," he admonished. "What would he say?"
"I'd say get on with it, or take it somewhere else," mumbled a groggy voice from under the trees, making Colm jump again. "Leastwise, let a man get as decent a sleep as he can in below-freezing temperatures."
And having completed this series, let me just say: it is so, SO obvious that Emily B. Martin knew where she wanted things to go from probably the very first page. There is a plot twist lurking in this last installment that I hadn't even imagined might happen. The build-up to this is subtle, quiet enough to pass by even the most observant readers. It was masterfully done, and I applaud Emily B. Martin on achieving it--and making it seem so very seamless!
I did feel as if Gemma is the more stiff/formal character of all of them. I'm not sure why, but I didn't connect with her nearly as well--perhaps this is due to the way she carries herself throughout the series, or the fact that she always seems to be holding everything within herself. Don't get me wrong here, Penguins--there is ANOTHER character, or several, who tend to hold themselves in check...but something about Gemma on the page felt a bit more distanced. There were a few smaller, emotionally-driven moments, however, that REALLY helped to "shape" her as a character for me. These were the moments I caught a tiny glimpse past her surface--and found a woman made of steel and barbed wire. Seriously, I adore the way that Emily B. Martin wrote her characters for this series--they are all so very vibrantly different, and SO well-rounded!
I closed my eyes, the cold stone biting through my cloak.
"I wonder," I said, "if there is no such thing as bravery--if it's just fear coming from a different direction."
"You were brave to come here."
"No, I was just afraid. Like you. And I'm still afraid." I rubbed my eyes. "I've always been afraid."
He curled his fingers around the metal bars. "But...the thing is, at least you moved forward anyway. I don't think bravery is the absence of fear. Bravery is being afraid and taking action anyway."
This was a fantastic closure to a thrilling, heart-pounding adventure! I am so, so honored to have gotten the chance to read the series back-to-back; despite not usually binge-reading an entire series all at once, I dove into each installment with breathless anticipation, excited to see what came next! I really did adore that each book follows a different person, and is from an entirely different perspective--this helped to fully mold the story, and keep the journey from feeling "stale" during quieter moments. Emily B. Martin wove a masterpiece with these novels--I definitely recommend them to lovers of fantasy, strong-willed women, and mounting political tensions. There's an execution bell tolling, Penguins; will YOUR head be on the chopping block?
diceydruid's review
5.0
A great end to this trilogy! A full review will be available soon on skiffyandfanty.com.
hckilgour's review
adventurous
emotional
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.0
While I enjoyed this book I didn’t relate to Gemma near as much as I did to May and Mona in the first two books.
It was nice to see a main character that is insecure about herself both capability wise and physically and to see how she overcomes that. As well a how she handles her fear of claustrophobia.
The scientific and biological aspect of the character and author were well presented. And as someone who is a biologist, these spacers of the story resonated significantly with me.
I did have an issues with the plot twists of what Gemma didn’t say. They tied too closely to what was going on to realistically have come to fruition at the last moment.
I did like the budding romance between Colm and Gemma at the end. I think Celano and Gemma could’ve been great once, but things had changed so it was nice to see she wasn’t holding onto a ghost.
<\spoiler>
onwingsofbooks's review
5.0
Sometimes you don't need a Queen to save a kingdom, you need a scientist. Luckily Gemma is both!
I enjoyed this book so much. I particularly loved the main character. Gemma is first and foremost a scientist. The main character in a fantasy book is rarely a scholar and I have to admit that the writer honestly captured the spirit of a researcher. Gemma is constantly thinking and putting information together. I also found the pure love she held for all insects immensey endearing, she is an entomologist.Gemma was a very realistic character with fears and flaws.
This book also looked closely at what expectations and a crown can do to a person. Throughout the course of the book you can clearly see how Celeno, the king and Gemma's husband, is slowly broken down. He loses his health, his love for science and everything that fundamentally made him the man who Gemma loves.
Emily B. Martin's writing style is, as always, beautiful and easy to read. She has never failed to capture my attention.
Creatures of Light was a beautiful conclusion to a wonderful series.I enjoyed reading this series immensely. All in all this is a feel good and fun series.
I enjoyed this book so much. I particularly loved the main character. Gemma is first and foremost a scientist. The main character in a fantasy book is rarely a scholar and I have to admit that the writer honestly captured the spirit of a researcher. Gemma is constantly thinking and putting information together. I also found the pure love she held for all insects immensey endearing, she is an entomologist.Gemma was a very realistic character with fears and flaws.
This book also looked closely at what expectations and a crown can do to a person. Throughout the course of the book you can clearly see how Celeno, the king and Gemma's husband, is slowly broken down. He loses his health, his love for science and everything that fundamentally made him the man who Gemma loves.
Emily B. Martin's writing style is, as always, beautiful and easy to read. She has never failed to capture my attention.
Creatures of Light was a beautiful conclusion to a wonderful series.I enjoyed reading this series immensely. All in all this is a feel good and fun series.
cgreenstein's review against another edition
5.0
Really enjoyed this! The attention to the natural world is simply amazing, and the plot was just as unpredictable and engaging as those of the previous two installments. Looking forward to whatever series comes next!