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kltemplado's review against another edition
4.0
A solid 2nd book. I'm definitely looking forward to the next one.
maniactoon's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
lighthearted
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
jammer_in_to's review against another edition
4.0
The second book in the Travelers Gate Trilogy. Like the first, its a pretty action heavy novel. Not much in political setup or deep character development. But some pretty cool battle scenes with a unique magic system. A little Matrix like.
all in all - good, without much thinking required.
all in all - good, without much thinking required.
rarmknecht's review against another edition
5.0
Excellent! Twists within twists and full throttle energy from beginning to end!
jaipal's review against another edition
4.0
As in my review of the first book, the second one feels very much like a comic book. The story accelerates at a breakneck speed and the main characters gain super-powers to fight the incarnations of the traveler realms.
These incarnations are super powered but have lost their humanity in the process. Nothing seems to be able to stop them except for Will and Simon who both gained help and power through some deals.
It's quite predictable and yet I'm off to read the last book in the trilogy.
These incarnations are super powered but have lost their humanity in the process. Nothing seems to be able to stop them except for Will and Simon who both gained help and power through some deals.
It's quite predictable and yet I'm off to read the last book in the trilogy.
tzurky's review against another edition
5.0
Wonderful continuation to the first installment. We get some development for most of the characters, some new powers, some cool fights and an unexpected denouement.
Honestly, the plot is pretty captivating, most of the things have some level of foreshadowing but they’re not blatantly obvious or automatic and, more importantly, the plot develops based on character decisions.
And the best part is: there are still no real bad guys. Everybody sucks in a believable way, meaning this does not have the ridiculous bleakness of “grimdark” but at the same time people are fallible and make mistakes and the people in power are not looking out for the best interests of their subjects. It doesn’t sound so special when I put it like this but the execution is amazing - there is no other book I can think of where I didn’t know who to root for in the second book in a series. The most you get in your classic fantasy a la Butcher is that the bad guys are not completely irredeemable and even Sanderson usually has one side that while not evil is completely misguided. Whereas here you have people with good intentions doing the right (meaning they are also objectively right in the context of the plot) thing but going about it the wrong way, on both sides. And people get killed and their homes get destroyed in the process.
Obviously, our protagonists are caught in the middle, with some of their friends and allies on either side. And while they can’t stay and idly watch people die or risk their lives, that doesn’t mean they buy into the propaganda of either side hook, line and sinker, either. For teenagers, they’re pretty smart.
[For every adult worried because the book has teenagers: no, this is still not a love triangle story and no, we don’t get a ridiculous rivalry story, it’s a pretty compelling story about personal growth, so no reason to shy away.]
Honestly, the plot is pretty captivating, most of the things have some level of foreshadowing but they’re not blatantly obvious or automatic and, more importantly, the plot develops based on character decisions.
And the best part is: there are still no real bad guys. Everybody sucks in a believable way, meaning this does not have the ridiculous bleakness of “grimdark” but at the same time people are fallible and make mistakes and the people in power are not looking out for the best interests of their subjects. It doesn’t sound so special when I put it like this but the execution is amazing - there is no other book I can think of where I didn’t know who to root for in the second book in a series. The most you get in your classic fantasy a la Butcher is that the bad guys are not completely irredeemable and even Sanderson usually has one side that while not evil is completely misguided. Whereas here you have people with good intentions doing the right (meaning they are also objectively right in the context of the plot) thing but going about it the wrong way, on both sides. And people get killed and their homes get destroyed in the process.
Obviously, our protagonists are caught in the middle, with some of their friends and allies on either side. And while they can’t stay and idly watch people die or risk their lives, that doesn’t mean they buy into the propaganda of either side hook, line and sinker, either. For teenagers, they’re pretty smart.
[For every adult worried because the book has teenagers: no, this is still not a love triangle story and no, we don’t get a ridiculous rivalry story, it’s a pretty compelling story about personal growth, so no reason to shy away.]
book__reader's review against another edition
adventurous
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? It's complicated
4.0
I did like this book better than the last. I am liking the different territories, and I was definitely not expecting the twist at the end!!