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being_b's review
4.0
Lots of gruesome fun, and plenty of dangling threads to pick up in the next book.
justonebubble's review
adventurous
funny
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.25
sawesome's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
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
is_book_loring's review
3.0
Once I again, I expected too much. The premise and the popularity of the series raised certain kind of excitement. Badass female protagonist as a hired mercenary + magic + intriguing vicious murder mystery supposed to equal excellent feast party. Was it very bad though? I wouldn't dismiss this series to never read again bucket list. But it needed effort, focus and the right mood to read this book.
The concept and world in this series has a lot of potential. But the execution was bad, the written just didn't flow, the lack of necessary information didn't help, it felt like missing pages. The main male character, Curran, was a big asshole. Actually, most of the male characters were assholes. But he was the biggest one. And that impression didn't happen a lot to me. Fortunately, Kate was awesome. What I like the most about her was the fact that she was not self righteous like mostly strong female protagonist in books. She was not fearless at all, she was scared a lot, but she pushed through it every time, and she never backed down. With a bit more wit and subtlety she will be perfect. The goriness of the fighting scenes also one of things that worked. All in all, it held enough potential for me to maybe continue the second book at one point in the future.
The concept and world in this series has a lot of potential. But the execution was bad, the written just didn't flow, the lack of necessary information didn't help, it felt like missing pages. The main male character, Curran, was a big asshole. Actually, most of the male characters were assholes. But he was the biggest one. And that impression didn't happen a lot to me. Fortunately, Kate was awesome. What I like the most about her was the fact that she was not self righteous like mostly strong female protagonist in books. She was not fearless at all, she was scared a lot, but she pushed through it every time, and she never backed down. With a bit more wit and subtlety she will be perfect. The goriness of the fighting scenes also one of things that worked. All in all, it held enough potential for me to maybe continue the second book at one point in the future.
firehawk's review
adventurous
dark
funny
mysterious
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
3.5
parpacifica's review
3.0
Re-read: December 9, 2023
Tried the Graphic Audio book this time.
LMAO who picked those background sounds?
—> “Greg was the last tie of my family severed from me…”
*Ting ting ting ting ting tooo ting tooo*
—-> A man leaned against the car door in black
*referee whistle, metal dragging, tink tink jungle noise, maracas, tink-tink bird-caw, tink think*
What am I supposed to be feeling here?
Why does Dr.Doolittle sound like a poor-man’s Eddie Murphy
Tried the Graphic Audio book this time.
LMAO who picked those background sounds?
—> “Greg was the last tie of my family severed from me…”
*Ting ting ting ting ting tooo ting tooo*
—-> A man leaned against the car door in black
*referee whistle, metal dragging, tink tink jungle noise, maracas, tink-tink bird-caw, tink think*
What am I supposed to be feeling here?
Why does Dr.Doolittle sound like a poor-man’s Eddie Murphy
katyanaish's review
4.0
Re-read April 2017 - Okay, this is probably re-read 6 or something, because I tend to re-read this series when a new book comes out. I never used to track that, but I'm doing a challenge this year, so I'm being more diligent.
Anyway.
This is one of my favorite series. It may actually be my favorite, but it's hard to say ... it's like trying to pick which kid you love most.
There are rough spots in this series opener. For me, the toughest is that I find Curran to be pretty despicable. Look,
Binding Derek? That's entirely because of his bullshit little display of power. She couldn't fight, and asking for him to intercede just acknowledges that she's under his power. Also intolerable, because she has to represent the Order with at least some level of neutrality.
The thing with Crest? She never EVER thought it was Crest. Curran thought it was Crest, and convinced the Council. And when it wasn't, Curran pretty much spit in her face, as if the bad judgment call was hers.
Helping the Crusader leave? It was critical. They wouldn't have won that fight without Nick getting the weapons. Kate's mistake here was not telling him this ... but even that is somewhat forgivable, given that he is unbending in his insistence that no one knows better than him throughout this book. Risking him saying no and locking down Nick would have been a disaster.
And all the other little things, paired with his constant disdain for her and his accusations that she just craves attention, make him a character I pretty seriously disliked in this book.
And so the first time I read the series, I wasn't sure I was going to like it moving forward.
It's a beautiful thing.
Which is why this series is pretty much an annual re-read for me.
Anyway.
This is one of my favorite series. It may actually be my favorite, but it's hard to say ... it's like trying to pick which kid you love most.
There are rough spots in this series opener. For me, the toughest is that I find Curran to be pretty despicable. Look,
Spoiler
most of the shit that goes wrong goes wrong because of him and his absolutely mammoth ego. Kate isn't perfect - and she's obviously super new to this, and stumbling through as best she can while coping with the fact that her last family member was just horrifically murdered - but most of the things his High Doucheyness decides are horribly offensive are things she didn't have control over.Binding Derek? That's entirely because of his bullshit little display of power. She couldn't fight, and asking for him to intercede just acknowledges that she's under his power. Also intolerable, because she has to represent the Order with at least some level of neutrality.
The thing with Crest? She never EVER thought it was Crest. Curran thought it was Crest, and convinced the Council. And when it wasn't, Curran pretty much spit in her face, as if the bad judgment call was hers.
Helping the Crusader leave? It was critical. They wouldn't have won that fight without Nick getting the weapons. Kate's mistake here was not telling him this ... but even that is somewhat forgivable, given that he is unbending in his insistence that no one knows better than him throughout this book. Risking him saying no and locking down Nick would have been a disaster.
And all the other little things, paired with his constant disdain for her and his accusations that she just craves attention, make him a character I pretty seriously disliked in this book.
And so the first time I read the series, I wasn't sure I was going to like it moving forward.
Spoiler
Because it seemed pretty clear that Curran was eventually going to be the hero, and I couldn't see myself liking him. But that's because I was new to Andrews. I didn't yet know how incredible this writing team is. Now, 9 books in, I can see Curran's arc - from the utterly alone authority figure who MUST remain unbending - to the incredible partner he now is. Don't get me wrong, there are serious hiccups along the way ... but it's a great arc, and it is key to why this is at the top of my favorites pile. Kate and Curran hammer against each other repeatedly, until they find a way for two such incredibly dominant personalities to co-exist without diminishing each other.It's a beautiful thing.
Which is why this series is pretty much an annual re-read for me.
saoirsekelly's review
adventurous
dark
funny
mysterious
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? It's complicated
4.0