Reviews

Daughter of the Empire by Janny Wurts, Raymond E. Feist

daisy_kxnt's review against another edition

4.0

*3.5 stars

ailishgray's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.5

jackabo520's review against another edition

adventurous tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.25

Glad I’m listening to the audiobook so I can soak in the details and imagine the world in my mind. Mara if so clever - absolutely love to watch her plans unfold.

e_gal's review against another edition

medium-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

5.0

redhead_reader's review against another edition

adventurous tense medium-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? No

4.5

I absolutely loved the Riftwar Saga and thought this was an interesting follow up series as it takes place on Kelewan while the battle is taking place in Midkemia (where the Riftwar Saga takes place). As I have come to expect from Feist’s novels, the world building is wonderful and I really enjoyed reading about the Tsurani people, culture, and society. What kept this from being a 5 star read for me was the timeline. It was hard to follow because it wasn’t ever really called out. It would suddenly mention a year or more had gone by but without that offhand mention in the text there was nothing else to indicate that passage of time. I think the book spans a two year time period but I’m not positive on that timeline. 

I really enjoyed this book and I can’t wait to read more about Mara and her moves within the Game of the Council. 
She is such a strong female protagonist, and I couldn’t help but compare her plays within the Game of the Council to the strong women in A Song of Ice and Fire. Mara would be a force in the Game of Thrones, akin to the likes of Daenerys Targaryen, Cersei Lannister, Olenna Tyrell, and Sansa Stark.  

You could read this series without having read the Riftwar Saga, but it is highly suggested that you read those books before reading this trilogy. I’m currently following the publication order of books in the Riftwar Cycle which is the recommended order to read the books. 

I highly recommend this book (and the Riftwar Saga) to anyone that loves a good epic high fantasy novel. 

dromwald's review against another edition

5.0

So this was a re-read having first read this many years ago. It hasn't lost any of its appeal for me in that time. The combination of Feist's world-building with Wurt's ability to bring characters to life is a magical one.

tristanv's review

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? Yes

4.0

alwaysfullybooked's review against another edition

Don't see myself picking it back up any time soon so soft dnf

subparcupcake's review against another edition

3.0

Good, but not great. Feist’s Riftwar series was one of my first fantast reads, so it holds a special place in my heart. I expected to like the Empire series just as much, but found myself slightly disappointed.. I mean it is good, it’s an enjoyable story... It was just a little more work to read it than it ever was with Empire. Not that it was a difficult read, don’t get me wrong. I was just so used to Feist being sort of a popcorn read; easy to settle into and get absorbed in, and in general a quick read. This took me a lot longer to get into, and it never really felt like a quick read. It sort of felt like work. But still, I did enjoy the story enough to give it three stars (it’s actually closer to 3.5), and also to continue on in the series.

wipqozn's review against another edition

5.0

Fantastic book. Mara is an amazing character, and is easily amongst one of my favourite characters in all of literature. I'm looking forward to reading the next two books in The Empire Trilogy.