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4.43 AVERAGE
4.43 AVERAGE
Quick review: This book was awesome and the best in the trilogy in my opinion. Wraps up the story nicely and was pretty emotional. 5 stars well deserved.
"Power corrupts."
These two words describes this book perfectly. Whenever someone dreams to be powerful there's always dire consequences. In this cut throat struggle to reach the top one just sees the position and not the destruction that he/she leave behind to achieve that dream. And this book is all about being the most powerful, to destroy everything.
The first time I met Sigrud in City of Stairs, I find him peculiar and yet very interesting character. I wanted to know more about him, who was he? what was his powers? and Robert was so stingy with the information about Sigrud. We saw a new side of Sigrud in City of Blades and I was impressed. I must point out here that in both books he was a secondary character. So imagine what havoc he created when he was given a book of his own.
it's been more than a decade since the events of City of Blades and Sigrud is far away from home, spending his days doing petty work, waiting for someone to call him back. The call never came but the news of assassination of that loved one arrives, Sigrud is livid and he wants revenge. But in a world where Gods walks the earth, nothing is so simple. You have to fight the Gods, live through the lies, feel the pain of losing loved one, face the secrets from the past, and fight till you breathe your last breath.
While this book was similar to it's predecessors in terms of story, but I felt it was more personal. First two books, for me, were like murder mysteries. A murder and someone was sent to solve it. Here Sigrud did everything because he wanted to and not because he was ordered to. We saw a softer and vulnerable side of him in City of Blades, here it was on full display. I think Jackson poured out his heart in this character and the emotions were so intense. It was redemption. It was sacrifice. It was fear of losing again what he got just now. It was acceptance. It was death.
End was fitting, yet painful and sad. It was more than I had expected from this book.
Highly recommended, I know I will be suggesting this to whoever asks me about a great fantasy to read.
These two words describes this book perfectly. Whenever someone dreams to be powerful there's always dire consequences. In this cut throat struggle to reach the top one just sees the position and not the destruction that he/she leave behind to achieve that dream. And this book is all about being the most powerful, to destroy everything.
The first time I met Sigrud in City of Stairs, I find him peculiar and yet very interesting character. I wanted to know more about him, who was he? what was his powers? and Robert was so stingy with the information about Sigrud. We saw a new side of Sigrud in City of Blades and I was impressed. I must point out here that in both books he was a secondary character. So imagine what havoc he created when he was given a book of his own.
it's been more than a decade since the events of City of Blades and Sigrud is far away from home, spending his days doing petty work, waiting for someone to call him back. The call never came but the news of assassination of that loved one arrives, Sigrud is livid and he wants revenge. But in a world where Gods walks the earth, nothing is so simple. You have to fight the Gods, live through the lies, feel the pain of losing loved one, face the secrets from the past, and fight till you breathe your last breath.
While this book was similar to it's predecessors in terms of story, but I felt it was more personal. First two books, for me, were like murder mysteries. A murder and someone was sent to solve it. Here Sigrud did everything because he wanted to and not because he was ordered to. We saw a softer and vulnerable side of him in City of Blades, here it was on full display. I think Jackson poured out his heart in this character and the emotions were so intense. It was redemption. It was sacrifice. It was fear of losing again what he got just now. It was acceptance. It was death.
End was fitting, yet painful and sad. It was more than I had expected from this book.
Highly recommended, I know I will be suggesting this to whoever asks me about a great fantasy to read.
Fantastic by itself, fantastic as the conclusion to the trilogy. It's been a long con all up, but the long view (and the really long view) is important to what this story has to say overall. I loved the resolutions, and I loved the parts left messy. Great work.
The City of Miracles is a fascinating novel about gods, miracles and divinities. Bennett creates an astounding world that revolves around the mysteries of godhood. The main character is an amazingly strong and relatable character. Sigrud seeks revenge after his friend and former operations partner is assassinated. He is then thrust into a secret war of gods and divinities and is so much more than he had anticipated. This novel is truly thought-provoking and should be on everyone's shelf.
You can find this review and more at Novel Notions.
City of Miracles is a stunning accomplishment; it is a marvelous ending to what I now consider my favorite trilogy, and a fast-paced, addictive story in its own right.
Sigrud je Harkvaldsson was one of my favorite side characters in both City of Stairs and City of Blades, and I was both incredibly excited and more than a little nervous to read his story. Sometimes when a side character becomes the focal point of the story, they seem to lose a bit of their appeal for some reason. That was definitely not the case here. Sigrud has a wealth of experiences under his belt, most of them not good ones. Those experiences have shaped him into the man he is today, for better or for worse. He feels that he really only excels at one thing: violence. Once again, he finds himself in a position calling for violent action, and he revels in it. Until he doesn’t. Sigrud grows so much throughout this book, and I loved seeing him learn from past mistakes and struggle with his past and who that past made him.
While reading the first two books in this trilogy, I kept thinking that Sigrud reminded me of someone, though I could never put my finger on it. In City of Miracles we get to see into his mind, and I finally figured out who Sigrud is reminiscent of, at least in my opinion. He reminds me of Frankenstein’s Monster, the nameless noble savage who cannot seem to separate beauty from brutality. Because there is definitely nobility within Sigrud je Harkvaldsson, but that nobility has been hardened by a lifetime of violence. Sigrud’s tortured inner monologue also reminded me of the Monster, as both struggle within themselves to break free of the savage cycle in which they reside.
Mourning has become a way of life for Sigrud. He has lost everything, both through the machinations of fate and the works of his own hands. But he suddenly finds himself in a role of leadership, and must help others deal with the same pain. How do you lose everyone you love and not let it turn you bitter? Or, if it does, how do you let go of that bitterness and move past it? How do you make that pain into a reminder to enjoy what you do have to the fullest, instead of letting it blind you to everything except what you’ve lost?
I don’t want to discuss plot here, except to say that the one within these pages was excellent. I was afraid going in that this installment would be lacking the mystery element that so drew me into the first two books, because of the spoiler in the synopsis. (If you haven’t read this series, don’t read the synopsis! Go in as blind as you can. Trust me.) And for the first third or so, it seemed that I was right. This book felt more straightforward than the others. But I needn’t have worried. There were definitely mysteries and surprises to be had. I love that these books were so unpredictable.
This book also gave me one of the most satisfying endings to a book or trilogy I have ever had the pleasure of reading. It was powerful and moving and just exactly right. I read it through tears, which I think is one of the highest compliments I can pay a book. The only ending I remember ever moving me to this extent is that in one of my favorite books, Till We Have Faces by C.S. Lewis.
One of the things I love most about this trilogy is how well each book can stand on its own. I would of course strongly recommend reading all three books, and reading them in order. But if someone were to stumble upon the second or third installment and read that first, not realizing that it was part of a larger story, I feel that they could still appreciate it and enjoy it for what it is outside of its counterparts.
I can’t recommend this series enough. It is a perfect blending of multiple genres. It is a vivid, potent, multifaceted story. It is comprised of rich, broken characters, who have the benefit of years instead of youth to make them more compelling. It is original and unique and moving. It’s a story that will stay with you long after you read the final page.
City of Miracles is a stunning accomplishment; it is a marvelous ending to what I now consider my favorite trilogy, and a fast-paced, addictive story in its own right.
“One should not seek ugliness in this world. There is no lack of it. You will find it soon enough, or it will find you.”
Sigrud je Harkvaldsson was one of my favorite side characters in both City of Stairs and City of Blades, and I was both incredibly excited and more than a little nervous to read his story. Sometimes when a side character becomes the focal point of the story, they seem to lose a bit of their appeal for some reason. That was definitely not the case here. Sigrud has a wealth of experiences under his belt, most of them not good ones. Those experiences have shaped him into the man he is today, for better or for worse. He feels that he really only excels at one thing: violence. Once again, he finds himself in a position calling for violent action, and he revels in it. Until he doesn’t. Sigrud grows so much throughout this book, and I loved seeing him learn from past mistakes and struggle with his past and who that past made him.
“But violence is a tool that, if you use it but once, it begs you to use it again and again. And soon you will find yourself using it against someone undeserving of it.”
While reading the first two books in this trilogy, I kept thinking that Sigrud reminded me of someone, though I could never put my finger on it. In City of Miracles we get to see into his mind, and I finally figured out who Sigrud is reminiscent of, at least in my opinion. He reminds me of Frankenstein’s Monster, the nameless noble savage who cannot seem to separate beauty from brutality. Because there is definitely nobility within Sigrud je Harkvaldsson, but that nobility has been hardened by a lifetime of violence. Sigrud’s tortured inner monologue also reminded me of the Monster, as both struggle within themselves to break free of the savage cycle in which they reside.
“To live with hatred,” says Sigrud, “is like grabbing hot embers to throw them at someone you think an enemy. Who gets burned the worst?”
Mourning has become a way of life for Sigrud. He has lost everything, both through the machinations of fate and the works of his own hands. But he suddenly finds himself in a role of leadership, and must help others deal with the same pain. How do you lose everyone you love and not let it turn you bitter? Or, if it does, how do you let go of that bitterness and move past it? How do you make that pain into a reminder to enjoy what you do have to the fullest, instead of letting it blind you to everything except what you’ve lost?
“What a tremendous sin impatience is, he thinks. It blinds us to the moment before us, and it is only when that moment has passed that we look back and see it was full of treasures.”
I don’t want to discuss plot here, except to say that the one within these pages was excellent. I was afraid going in that this installment would be lacking the mystery element that so drew me into the first two books, because of the spoiler in the synopsis. (If you haven’t read this series, don’t read the synopsis! Go in as blind as you can. Trust me.) And for the first third or so, it seemed that I was right. This book felt more straightforward than the others. But I needn’t have worried. There were definitely mysteries and surprises to be had. I love that these books were so unpredictable.
“A better world comes not in a flood, but with a steady drip, drip, drip. Yet it feels at times that every drop is bought with sorrow and grief.”
This book also gave me one of the most satisfying endings to a book or trilogy I have ever had the pleasure of reading. It was powerful and moving and just exactly right. I read it through tears, which I think is one of the highest compliments I can pay a book. The only ending I remember ever moving me to this extent is that in one of my favorite books, Till We Have Faces by C.S. Lewis.
“Death, as you know, had to die to understand death. War had to lose in order to understand victory.”
One of the things I love most about this trilogy is how well each book can stand on its own. I would of course strongly recommend reading all three books, and reading them in order. But if someone were to stumble upon the second or third installment and read that first, not realizing that it was part of a larger story, I feel that they could still appreciate it and enjoy it for what it is outside of its counterparts.
“We are all of us but the sum of our moments, our deeds.”
I can’t recommend this series enough. It is a perfect blending of multiple genres. It is a vivid, potent, multifaceted story. It is comprised of rich, broken characters, who have the benefit of years instead of youth to make them more compelling. It is original and unique and moving. It’s a story that will stay with you long after you read the final page.
I really enjoyed the first two-thirds of the book. With the main storyline following Sigrud (my favourite character) I felt emotionally involved even though none of the other characters is even remotely interesting.
Sadly the last third of the book feels very 'unrealistic'. Many things happen that do not quite make sense and the ending is just weird and unsatisfying.
Still, 3,5 stars as I did enjoy the largest part of the book.
Sadly the last third of the book feels very 'unrealistic'. Many things happen that do not quite make sense and the ending is just weird and unsatisfying.
Still, 3,5 stars as I did enjoy the largest part of the book.
adventurous
emotional
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