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pmsmrsmoose's review against another edition
5.0
I am jealous of the person who gets to read this for the first time. This sequel is everything and more than I expected. Rachel Hartman's mind is amazing!
artsybry's review against another edition
3.0
A release date of March 10, 2015!!! Yay!!!
*******
Release date went from 2013 to 2014 and now is 2015.
The title went from Dracomachia to Shadow Scale.
Sounds like the author is having some serious writers block or indecision :( not good.
*******
Release date went from 2013 to 2014 and now is 2015.
The title went from Dracomachia to Shadow Scale.
Sounds like the author is having some serious writers block or indecision :( not good.
natprince's review against another edition
4.0
I was undecided at first, but after finishing I can say that I thoroughly enjoyed it, for different reasons than the first one. I had trouble getting through the first half of the book, it was a bit slow to start. I was a bit unsatisfied with the kiggs/selda/Phina pairing and the lack of explanation. I also felt that Jannoula was ridiculously evil, I found it hard to empathize with her and it kind of made her seem two dimensional to me. The vocabulary was very rich, it’s exciting for me when I come across words I don’t know and have to look up for reference. I felt like this book lacked the lightness and whimsy of the first book, and I think I was missing that.
Overall, it’s A wonderful story with such colorful and deep characters, with understanding and empathy woven throughout. Definitely a new favorite, I will treasure this book and Seraphina always.
Overall, it’s A wonderful story with such colorful and deep characters, with understanding and empathy woven throughout. Definitely a new favorite, I will treasure this book and Seraphina always.
jenbruton's review against another edition
2.0
Hated the ending. Very little resolution, not happy enough.
And the whole book felt very slow compared to the first. It was very frustrating and tedious, but I wanted the resolution. Which didn’t come.
And the whole book felt very slow compared to the first. It was very frustrating and tedious, but I wanted the resolution. Which didn’t come.
sunlightandstories's review against another edition
3.0
Shadow Scale might be the most tedious book I've ever read, I had seen the reviews saying it wasn't nearly as good as Seraphina but yet I still had hope I would enjoy it more than I do. I have quite a lot of problems with it, I'll start with the biggest problem and the hardest to explain and that problem is the pacing and overall tone of the book. It reads slow but not slow I know that doesn't make since its hard to put it into words, the book is just odd there's a lot happening yet it manages to be oh so un-exiting.
There's so many interesting storylines and new characters but they don't have enough time for you to get to know them and for them to reach their full potential. This book could have been spectacular it most likely would have been spectacular if it had been a trilogy. I think trilogy's are overused but it all depends on what's best for the story and in this case there's simply too much happening to properly fit into two books. Restricting such a complex story to two books resulted in a mess, it caused interesting storylines to get glossed over and happen in just a few pages.
There are some good things Seraphina continues to be an great heroine, I love the take on dragons and the unique mind based magic system. When I started writing this review I thought I had more nice things to say, I didn't realize how much all these things bothered me until I wrote them out. My feelings are still a bit jumbled, I do love the imaginative world and the great characters that's why I'm giving it three stars despite all my problems with it. It's really sad because it had the potential to be spectacular.
There's so many interesting storylines and new characters but they don't have enough time for you to get to know them and for them to reach their full potential. This book could have been spectacular it most likely would have been spectacular if it had been a trilogy. I think trilogy's are overused but it all depends on what's best for the story and in this case there's simply too much happening to properly fit into two books. Restricting such a complex story to two books resulted in a mess, it caused interesting storylines to get glossed over and happen in just a few pages.
There are some good things Seraphina continues to be an great heroine, I love the take on dragons and the unique mind based magic system. When I started writing this review I thought I had more nice things to say, I didn't realize how much all these things bothered me until I wrote them out. My feelings are still a bit jumbled, I do love the imaginative world and the great characters that's why I'm giving it three stars despite all my problems with it. It's really sad because it had the potential to be spectacular.
sarai_te's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
funny
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? Yes
5.0
I love Rachel Hartman's writing so much!!!! Also I read this after Leigh Bardugo's King of Scars series and lowkey I feel like one of Bardugo's main premises for the Grishaverse may have been inspired by Shadow Scale... iykyk.
ftrebelo's review against another edition
2.0
I really enjoyed [b:Seraphina|19549841|Seraphina (Seraphina, #1)|Rachel Hartman|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1387577872s/19549841.jpg|17375239], Shadow Scale's prequel. This sequel had some good elements, particularly giving closure to Seraphina's "garden". Nonetheless, it was overlong and part of the (various and winding) plots seemed to mostly be written to please specific groups rather than move the story forward. Overall, I was fairly disappointed with this sequel - I'd recommend reading Seraphina and leaving it there.
sillykenken36's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
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? Yes
5.0
angela_iseli's review
adventurous
emotional
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.5
shapeoflobster's review against another edition
4.0
3.5ish. I think I like the first one a bit better. This one seemed overlong and like it should have been two or more books, and the climax/resolution felt awfully short in comparison. Still, what made me love Seraphina was still there and I thoroughly enjoyed it.