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3.7 AVERAGE
3.7 AVERAGE
I got angry while reading this book.
I loved the first book, then found the second mediocre. But this one just plainly got on my nerves, and I'm honestly debating whether or not to continue the series.
First of all, this book starts off with a huge time skip of 16 years. A bit odd, but okay. We meet Tom and Hester's daughter Wren, who I didn't like at first but who grew on me over the course of this book.
She wasn't the problem I had with this book, neither was the plot. My issue with this book were Tom and Hester themselves, and mostly Hester. The two characters I absolutely loved from the first book. I'll be going into some spoiler territory here.
It just feels like they didn't change in all that time, they didn't grow as people or grow more mature. If anything, they regressed into one dimensional versions of themselves. Hester especially seemed to have turned into the worst possible version of herself. I almost didn't recognize her, and I definitely didn't like her. Which is horrible because she was one of my favorites in the first book.
Also, can we stop with the talk about how ugly Hester is, for once? Please? I'm so tired of it! It's mentioned in every book, it's the root cause of her insecurities and presumably the underlying reason for her bad behavior, and it's just... not great.
I'm really debating just reading a summary of the fourth book and moving on, but I'm not sure.
I loved the first book, then found the second mediocre. But this one just plainly got on my nerves, and I'm honestly debating whether or not to continue the series.
First of all, this book starts off with a huge time skip of 16 years. A bit odd, but okay. We meet Tom and Hester's daughter Wren, who I didn't like at first but who grew on me over the course of this book.
She wasn't the problem I had with this book, neither was the plot. My issue with this book were Tom and Hester themselves, and mostly Hester. The two characters I absolutely loved from the first book. I'll be going into some spoiler territory here.
It just feels like they didn't change in all that time, they didn't grow as people or grow more mature. If anything, they regressed into one dimensional versions of themselves. Hester especially seemed to have turned into the worst possible version of herself. I almost didn't recognize her, and I definitely didn't like her. Which is horrible because she was one of my favorites in the first book.
Spoiler
It just feels like the author did everything in his power to make us hate Hester. She's jealous of her own daughter, seems almost glad she was kidnapped, said to her face that she wished she hadn't been born, and leaves a ten year old orphan boy behind on purpose after Tom promised him he could come with them. It was all just cruel and unnecessary, and it was very frustrating to read.Also, can we stop with the talk about how ugly Hester is, for once? Please? I'm so tired of it! It's mentioned in every book, it's the root cause of her insecurities and presumably the underlying reason for her bad behavior, and it's just... not great.
I'm really debating just reading a summary of the fourth book and moving on, but I'm not sure.
Maybe it's because I'm an adult that the opening "my parents don't me!" plot device really bugged me. Maybe it will speak to tweens and teens and they won't feel it's hackneyed for a YA novel. But I disliked it immensely.
Overall, I still enjoyed the book, still felt it was pacey, liked the characters and was kept guessing.
(The digs at Brighton were amusing, but really threw me out of the fantasy of the world that had been created. But I'm guessing that most readers won't know of Brighton's reputation, so it won't bother them.)
Overall, I still enjoyed the book, still felt it was pacey, liked the characters and was kept guessing.
(The digs at Brighton were amusing, but really threw me out of the fantasy of the world that had been created. But I'm guessing that most readers won't know of Brighton's reputation, so it won't bother them.)
adventurous
dark
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I appreciated that this book takes on new characters from the rest of the series, and I found the teenage rebellion plot believable and a good adventurous time was had. What as shame the author never quite seizes the opportunity to explore the life-altering awakening of characters who realize municipal Dawinism is a sham… I think this was supposed to be a capitalism analog, but it never gets fully explored because they keep uncovering another fully functional super weapon from the Before Times to tell us that War Is Bad I got a little bored and annoyed at the moral inconsistency.
So this series goes in several different directions, but nails almost every single one.
First of all, there is a 16 year time jump. Anchorage is now Anchorage in Vineland and we follow a grown up Tom, Hester and their daughter Wren. Wren is a YA protagonist and does some stupid things to move the plot forward, and she really feels like Tom in the first book.
Hester is still the most interesting character, and this if you grow up with a killing machine as a parent, you are going to be messed up. She is like a tiger, and doesn't like being kept in a cage.
Some characters return, and we see a bit more on the war between Traction Cities and the Anti-Traction League. Stalker Fang is now head of the Green Storm and the war that was running in the backround steps more to the foreground.
We see some new locations, such as Brighton. A small quibble is that we spend quite a lot of time on Brighton and some more stuff could have possibly happened. Very minor quibble. We also return to some places, and see how the past 16 years has, or has not, been kind.
The action is well written, the characters are three dimensional and we learn about the world organically as always. You then get the ending. What a cliffhanger. Part of me wants to start reading A Darkling Plain straight away.
Another part of me wants to leave it a while, mainly so that I wouldn't have finished this series that has been absolutely outstanding.
First of all, there is a 16 year time jump. Anchorage is now Anchorage in Vineland and we follow a grown up Tom, Hester and their daughter Wren. Wren is a YA protagonist and does some stupid things to move the plot forward, and she really feels like Tom in the first book.
Hester is still the most interesting character, and this if you grow up with a killing machine as a parent, you are going to be messed up. She is like a tiger, and doesn't like being kept in a cage.
Some characters return, and we see a bit more on the war between Traction Cities and the Anti-Traction League. Stalker Fang is now head of the Green Storm and the war that was running in the backround steps more to the foreground.
We see some new locations, such as Brighton. A small quibble is that we spend quite a lot of time on Brighton and some more stuff could have possibly happened. Very minor quibble. We also return to some places, and see how the past 16 years has, or has not, been kind.
The action is well written, the characters are three dimensional and we learn about the world organically as always. You then get the ending. What a cliffhanger. Part of me wants to start reading A Darkling Plain straight away.
Another part of me wants to leave it a while, mainly so that I wouldn't have finished this series that has been absolutely outstanding.
The only reason I finished this was because I liked Barnaby Edwards voice.
adventurous
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
I read this in 4 hours on the bus... The concept of Grimsby is fun, and the breakdown of the family was well written. Again, JUSTICE FOR HESTER SHAW!
The ending of this one just infuriates me. I could live with the “sixteen years later.” And, the goofy-and-creative names, and the still-incredible world-building is the things that keep me reading. But the ending? When Hester yells at Wren ? Really?! What mother says that to her daughter?!
Will I finish the series? Well, yes. When I’ve already invested this amount of time in it, I may as well see how it ends. And, I really do want to read the stories of Anna Fang that were recently published. So … on to book four.
Spoiler
“I wish you’d never been born!”Will I finish the series? Well, yes. When I’ve already invested this amount of time in it, I may as well see how it ends. And, I really do want to read the stories of Anna Fang that were recently published. So … on to book four.
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
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