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morgob's review against another edition
4.0
Wow. What an ending to the trilogy. You know, with only one hundred pages to go, I was worried not everything would be resolved before the end. I was partially right. There were some questions left unanswered, some mysteries left over. I guess those questions I have will never be satisfied. Let's break this story down bit by bit.
First, how it compares to the other two books in the series. I think the second book was the weakest link, as sometimes happens in trilogies. This one was very nice. It had the right amount of dark and light, I believe. Maybe not quite--there was still an awful lot of dark--but it was good. The ending was satisfying anyway (mostly). I guess it was a relatively happy ending as well. The best thing about this book is it pretty much totally moves away from the riddled-with-teenage-virgin-angstyness that the last book had. It didn't spend nearly as much time talking about virginity as the last one. I'd say the first book was still the best, as much as I hate to admit it, but this one was also very good, if not a bit predictable. You can pretty much guess how it's all going to shake out, but that doesn't make it less enjoyable to read.
The magic systems were actually quite cool in this book, how there's technically a "good" and "bad" magic, or at least a magic that feeds off of you and sends you down a not so good path. Honestly, I would have been content with several hundred pages of getting to see how mages worked, or inside the school, but what I got was alright, with the Sisters and the Chantry.
Elene's character got a bit better, as did Vi's. Pretty much everyone's character arc was good and well-developed. Dorian's character was really sad and disappointing how it all ended up, but I suppose it shouldn't come as a shock to me. I mean, he did say in the first book that was going to happen. Logan's character was one of my favorites. He really turned out very well. Okay, mostly. I still do not buy that he and Jenine could possibly be so deep in love, because they had barely spoken in the first book before being separated by the other's supposed death. I do not buy it one bit. Probably my favorite new character that arose from this book was Lantano Garuwashi. He was freaking amazing. I loved him. I know he was kind of a bloodthirsty warlord, but he was all like "Honor!" and "Sacrifice!" and "Fight me!" He was really cool, and it was neat to actually interact with a character from a different culture, like a completely different culture, besides the Khalidorians. Those dudes just sucked. Lantano was cool. Kyler's character really didn't change much. The bit of a plot twist in which we figure out the cost of his immortality was really good, but Kyler was such a self-loathing dude to begin with that it didn't make too much of a difference, except that this time it would be Elene. Honestly, parts of it reminded me of Vin and Elend, especially the part at the end with the flowers. Ahhh that made me remember that trilogy and get sad. Otherwise, my favorite character was still--after all this time--Durzo. Especially when he showed up flying at the end! He is amazing. I loved the actual bonding the two of them did, and the heart-to-hearts they finally had. Those were really touching. And he almost had me at the end, when it appeared Neph killed him! Really, though, at the end, I didn't feel as upset about Elene as I did about Durzo and Kyler's relationship. No, nothing detrimental happened between them, their bond was just so great that it left my heart aching at times.
Speaking of the end, I kind of don't like what he did with Vi and Elene and Kyler at the end of this book. Like so often, it seems as though Kyler is going to move on from Elene and get with Vi. That's disappointing, because, based on all their talk and the fact that the rings' bond broke, I would have thought Kyler would really be a one woman type of guy, at least for the first several decades of his immortality. Elene's bit at the end where they felt guilty for having Vi do the thing to block the bond while they were together really rubbed me the wrong way. It was almost like the author was trying to hint that Elene and Kyler really hadn't been in love that whole time, it was really meant to be Kyler and Vi. Yeah, I was not a big fan of that. Oh also I wasn't a fan of how Uly just entirely slipped away in this book and we didn't get anything from her. Not even a very sweet scene between her and her father. What the heck? I would have paid to see that. Uly was gearing up to be such an important character, and then nothing. She didn't even have a speaking part in this book, I'm pretty sure. Disappointing.
But besides that, it really was a great book, and a great trilogy altogether. I am happy I forced myself through that first book. Right now, I'm still upset from the ending. There's a bit of a pit in my chest. It's not quite a book hangover, but it's the raw emotions from the ending. And having to say goodbye to all of those characters I actually loved, like Durzo, Solon, Logan, Sister Ariel (badass). Most of all, I'm glad the world was saved, and most of the people in it. Some sacrifices always have to be made, it's inevitable. But these sacrifices were for good reason, so it's alright. Now I may have to go check on the Durzo Blint prequel.
First, how it compares to the other two books in the series. I think the second book was the weakest link, as sometimes happens in trilogies. This one was very nice. It had the right amount of dark and light, I believe. Maybe not quite--there was still an awful lot of dark--but it was good. The ending was satisfying anyway (mostly). I guess it was a relatively happy ending as well. The best thing about this book is it pretty much totally moves away from the riddled-with-teenage-virgin-angstyness that the last book had. It didn't spend nearly as much time talking about virginity as the last one. I'd say the first book was still the best, as much as I hate to admit it, but this one was also very good, if not a bit predictable. You can pretty much guess how it's all going to shake out, but that doesn't make it less enjoyable to read.
The magic systems were actually quite cool in this book, how there's technically a "good" and "bad" magic, or at least a magic that feeds off of you and sends you down a not so good path. Honestly, I would have been content with several hundred pages of getting to see how mages worked, or inside the school, but what I got was alright, with the Sisters and the Chantry.
Elene's character got a bit better, as did Vi's. Pretty much everyone's character arc was good and well-developed. Dorian's character was really sad and disappointing how it all ended up, but I suppose it shouldn't come as a shock to me. I mean, he did say in the first book that was going to happen. Logan's character was one of my favorites. He really turned out very well. Okay, mostly. I still do not buy that he and Jenine could possibly be so deep in love, because they had barely spoken in the first book before being separated by the other's supposed death. I do not buy it one bit. Probably my favorite new character that arose from this book was Lantano Garuwashi. He was freaking amazing. I loved him. I know he was kind of a bloodthirsty warlord, but he was all like "Honor!" and "Sacrifice!" and "Fight me!" He was really cool, and it was neat to actually interact with a character from a different culture, like a completely different culture, besides the Khalidorians. Those dudes just sucked. Lantano was cool. Kyler's character really didn't change much. The bit of a plot twist in which we figure out the cost of his immortality was really good, but Kyler was such a self-loathing dude to begin with that it didn't make too much of a difference, except that this time it would be Elene. Honestly, parts of it reminded me of Vin and Elend, especially the part at the end with the flowers. Ahhh that made me remember that trilogy and get sad. Otherwise, my favorite character was still--after all this time--Durzo. Especially when he showed up flying at the end! He is amazing. I loved the actual bonding the two of them did, and the heart-to-hearts they finally had. Those were really touching. And he almost had me at the end, when it appeared Neph killed him! Really, though, at the end, I didn't feel as upset about Elene as I did about Durzo and Kyler's relationship. No, nothing detrimental happened between them, their bond was just so great that it left my heart aching at times.
Speaking of the end, I kind of don't like what he did with Vi and Elene and Kyler at the end of this book. Like so often, it seems as though Kyler is going to move on from Elene and get with Vi. That's disappointing, because, based on all their talk and the fact that the rings' bond broke, I would have thought Kyler would really be a one woman type of guy, at least for the first several decades of his immortality. Elene's bit at the end where they felt guilty for having Vi do the thing to block the bond while they were together really rubbed me the wrong way. It was almost like the author was trying to hint that Elene and Kyler really hadn't been in love that whole time, it was really meant to be Kyler and Vi. Yeah, I was not a big fan of that. Oh also I wasn't a fan of how Uly just entirely slipped away in this book and we didn't get anything from her. Not even a very sweet scene between her and her father. What the heck? I would have paid to see that. Uly was gearing up to be such an important character, and then nothing. She didn't even have a speaking part in this book, I'm pretty sure. Disappointing.
But besides that, it really was a great book, and a great trilogy altogether. I am happy I forced myself through that first book. Right now, I'm still upset from the ending. There's a bit of a pit in my chest. It's not quite a book hangover, but it's the raw emotions from the ending. And having to say goodbye to all of those characters I actually loved, like Durzo, Solon, Logan, Sister Ariel (badass). Most of all, I'm glad the world was saved, and most of the people in it. Some sacrifices always have to be made, it's inevitable. But these sacrifices were for good reason, so it's alright. Now I may have to go check on the Durzo Blint prequel.
mrbear's review against another edition
3.0
It's better than the first book, but that's really not saying much. This series could have been much better if it had had a better plot, better writing, and better characterization.
Oh, wait..
Overall, a disappointment. While I appreciated Weeks' willingness to be honest with the realities of war, very little else impressed me in this series - would not recommend.
Oh, wait..
Overall, a disappointment. While I appreciated Weeks' willingness to be honest with the realities of war, very little else impressed me in this series - would not recommend.
witchfynder_finder's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Man. What a weird drop in quality this series experienced across its 3 books. I'm rating this one a flat 3 but honestly I feel like I could, and maybe should, knock that down a bit more. It was just an absolute mess. Entire new plot threads and political entities were introduced in this book because they were necessary for the final climax to function at all, both within the world of the story and in terms of themes and narrative. Brother, it's the third book and each one has been over 600 pages, you couldn't find a way to introduce the Chantry sooner? Like I get not frontloading a bunch of worldbuilding that won't become super relevant until way later but the way it was handled here is just sloppy.
There's a big timeskip in the middle of the book and it absolutely fucking hamstrings some of the most important character work that this book should have had. Vi went from hating Sister Ariel to begrudgingly working with her and then in the course of about 2 chapters is now actively working with the Chantry and later is having revelations about how good it feels to work with "her Sisters" but absolutely none of those later moments hit properly because we never spend any time with Vi as she is changing and coming to accept the Chantry. We have to just accept that it's Good, Actually because our POV character says it is. At least most of the battle-of-the-sexes bullshit was left in book 2.
And, like, I really have to say, just fucking plonking Christianity wholesale into your grimdark fantasy world is a fucking coward's move. Elene should have been a really wonderful and beautiful figure in this book but instead she's literally just quoting the literal Bible and ruining every moment she's in because all I can do is roll my eyes at how hamhanded she is with her faith. Which, I mean. At least Weeks got that part of actual Christians down. I just truly can't believe how many times she just directly said something I heard in church or something.
In the first book, I felt like there was a lot of really interesting thematic work being set up and some of that was carried through and paid off in the end. The series seems like it wants to investigate the nature of power, of goodness, of justice, of what it means to be a good person, if a troubled past can keep you from a brighter future, if it's possible to come through the shit and be spotless on the other side. These are great questions worth answering, or at least trying to. Unfortunately, by the end almost all of it has been thrown out the window. Kylar is the Night Angel, the avatar of justice, of retribution, who can see in the eyes of strangers if they deserve to live or die. But who decides that? By what metric does he judge these people? The narrative does explicitly ask this question but then, in having asked the question, decides "That's good enough" and drops the point entirely. By the end it's all been flattened into a page-long monologe about, get this, The Power Of Love. That's the ultimate message of the dark fantasy series about the guy called the NIGHT ANGEL. Love Conquers All. And like don't get me wrong here, I'm a Star Wars fan, I love a good Love Conquers All story, but there's a time and a place and also you have to do better about setting that shit up in advance.
I will say that the little teaser in the end about some King of Darkness returning in 15-20 years and the fourth book coming out exactly 15 years later is very cute. I liked that.
But overall, this one was just a mess. A big big mess.
There's a big timeskip in the middle of the book and it absolutely fucking hamstrings some of the most important character work that this book should have had. Vi went from hating Sister Ariel to begrudgingly working with her and then in the course of about 2 chapters is now actively working with the Chantry and later is having revelations about how good it feels to work with "her Sisters" but absolutely none of those later moments hit properly because we never spend any time with Vi as she is changing and coming to accept the Chantry. We have to just accept that it's Good, Actually because our POV character says it is. At least most of the battle-of-the-sexes bullshit was left in book 2.
And, like, I really have to say, just fucking plonking Christianity wholesale into your grimdark fantasy world is a fucking coward's move. Elene should have been a really wonderful and beautiful figure in this book but instead she's literally just quoting the literal Bible and ruining every moment she's in because all I can do is roll my eyes at how hamhanded she is with her faith. Which, I mean. At least Weeks got that part of actual Christians down. I just truly can't believe how many times she just directly said something I heard in church or something.
In the first book, I felt like there was a lot of really interesting thematic work being set up and some of that was carried through and paid off in the end. The series seems like it wants to investigate the nature of power, of goodness, of justice, of what it means to be a good person, if a troubled past can keep you from a brighter future, if it's possible to come through the shit and be spotless on the other side. These are great questions worth answering, or at least trying to. Unfortunately, by the end almost all of it has been thrown out the window. Kylar is the Night Angel, the avatar of justice, of retribution, who can see in the eyes of strangers if they deserve to live or die. But who decides that? By what metric does he judge these people? The narrative does explicitly ask this question but then, in having asked the question, decides "That's good enough" and drops the point entirely. By the end it's all been flattened into a page-long monologe about, get this, The Power Of Love. That's the ultimate message of the dark fantasy series about the guy called the NIGHT ANGEL. Love Conquers All. And like don't get me wrong here, I'm a Star Wars fan, I love a good Love Conquers All story, but there's a time and a place and also you have to do better about setting that shit up in advance.
I will say that the little teaser in the end about some King of Darkness returning in 15-20 years and the fourth book coming out exactly 15 years later is very cute. I liked that.
But overall, this one was just a mess. A big big mess.
subparcupcake's review against another edition
4.0
A great conclusion to the Night Angel trilogy! I didn't like it quite as much as I liked the second book, but that's not to say it wasn't a satisfying read. There were a couple of story lines I had hoped would wrap up a little more.. Or maybe not "wrap up" necessarily.. I just wanted to know more about them. But I'm not left feeling disappointed in any way, just curious.
I don't know what else to say.. This is a great trilogy, and I highly recommend it to any/all fantasy fan. I'm definitely looking forward to reading more from Weeks!
I don't know what else to say.. This is a great trilogy, and I highly recommend it to any/all fantasy fan. I'm definitely looking forward to reading more from Weeks!
trzcuit's review against another edition
dark
emotional
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
is_book_loring's review against another edition
3.0
At least better than the second book, nothing grand of the final. Everything tied up in whatever convenience to the writer, illogical and without explanation whatsoever. But with some great characters and some amazing scenes.
tsemoana's review against another edition
5.0
The Night Angel Trilogy by Brent Weeks (The Way of Shadows, Shadow’s Edge & Beyond the Shadows)
I loved these books. I’m a sucker for epic fantasy, and especially when the world is so detailed as Brent Weeks makes his, I’m sold. He manages to turn the world of his books into a living, breathing thing with history, good politics and economy and a nice variety in cultures. I like how the magic in the book comes in a few different types, and offers nice mechanisms (in the way the Talent and the vir work) I’ve not come across before. Bonus points for limiting this magic by giving it a price/requirement so it’s not the catch-all solution. Finally, the ka’kari and how it works was very well done. I like how it is both an entity as well as an object, plus the cost of the immortality is a killer.
Then, on to the story. It starts with a young thief in a guild in the poorest district of the city of Cenaria. Azoth tries his best to steal enough to pay his guild dues, protect his friends and in general, make it through his miserable little life. When he sees the greatest wetboy (assassins with magical Talent) of this time deal with a threat, he decides he wants to be his apprentice. Convinced this will get him out of his sucky life, he trails Durzo Blint. Durzo finally caves and orders Azoth to kill his guild leader Roth (who is a bastard). Azoth has trouble with this, but after Roth severely mutilates his friend Elene, Azoth succeeds in killing him.
Azoth trains with Durzo and becomes Kylar Stern, supposedly son of a distant baronet, now living with Count Drake and his family. Through this persona, he also befriends Logan Gyre. When Kylar has grown up and is working as wetboy, Logan is set out to marry one of Count Drake’s daughters. However, with a twist, after the assasination of the King’s son, Logan ends up being married to the King’s daughter and is proclaimed heir to the throne. After the festivities, as Logan and Jenine head upstairs to consummate the marriage, as ordered by her (rather crazy) father, Cenaria is invaded by Khalidor.
Much murder and mayhem ensues and many characters, both flat and fleshed out ones, end up dead. Through another twist, Kylar ends up with an old magical artifact which bonds with him, a so-called ka’kari. Before, while he had two of the three internal things needed for the Talent, the third was missing and he could never use it. With the ka’kari, he can. The longer he has the ka’kari though, the more he learns of what it is, and what it can do. It effectively renders him immortal, after every death he is brought back to life but at a cost, which takes him ages to figure out what it is. Kylar struggles with what the ka’kari is, what it does to him, and what it all means for him for the rest of the book. He displays a very well written growth in this process and it was something I really enjoyed.
From that moment on, Kylar works tirelessly to free, and restore, Cenaria. Not always willingly, and not always very well thought out, but he does it. He finds out Logan is not dead and rescues him and together with him and other friends and accomplices they manage to free Cenaria. But then it’s still not over…
I must say I really enjoyed the direction the book took after Khalidor got repelled. I was expecting, when the invasion happened, that it would take them all three books just to get rid of them. But getting rid of Khalidor in Cenaria was just the start. Pulling on all the history and cultural differences Weeks showed and told throughout the story he pulls the different peoples together for a climactic battle that’s not just about restoring Cenaria, but about saving the entire world.
I for one would love it if Weeks were to write more books in this world. Not necessarily even about Kylar but just in this setting. It has such depth he can easily craft more stories. I’d love to read more about the Chantry for example or Sho’Cendi.
http://www.tsemoana.net/?p=545
I loved these books. I’m a sucker for epic fantasy, and especially when the world is so detailed as Brent Weeks makes his, I’m sold. He manages to turn the world of his books into a living, breathing thing with history, good politics and economy and a nice variety in cultures. I like how the magic in the book comes in a few different types, and offers nice mechanisms (in the way the Talent and the vir work) I’ve not come across before. Bonus points for limiting this magic by giving it a price/requirement so it’s not the catch-all solution. Finally, the ka’kari and how it works was very well done. I like how it is both an entity as well as an object, plus the cost of the immortality is a killer.
Then, on to the story. It starts with a young thief in a guild in the poorest district of the city of Cenaria. Azoth tries his best to steal enough to pay his guild dues, protect his friends and in general, make it through his miserable little life. When he sees the greatest wetboy (assassins with magical Talent) of this time deal with a threat, he decides he wants to be his apprentice. Convinced this will get him out of his sucky life, he trails Durzo Blint. Durzo finally caves and orders Azoth to kill his guild leader Roth (who is a bastard). Azoth has trouble with this, but after Roth severely mutilates his friend Elene, Azoth succeeds in killing him.
Azoth trains with Durzo and becomes Kylar Stern, supposedly son of a distant baronet, now living with Count Drake and his family. Through this persona, he also befriends Logan Gyre. When Kylar has grown up and is working as wetboy, Logan is set out to marry one of Count Drake’s daughters. However, with a twist, after the assasination of the King’s son, Logan ends up being married to the King’s daughter and is proclaimed heir to the throne. After the festivities, as Logan and Jenine head upstairs to consummate the marriage, as ordered by her (rather crazy) father, Cenaria is invaded by Khalidor.
Much murder and mayhem ensues and many characters, both flat and fleshed out ones, end up dead. Through another twist, Kylar ends up with an old magical artifact which bonds with him, a so-called ka’kari. Before, while he had two of the three internal things needed for the Talent, the third was missing and he could never use it. With the ka’kari, he can. The longer he has the ka’kari though, the more he learns of what it is, and what it can do. It effectively renders him immortal, after every death he is brought back to life but at a cost, which takes him ages to figure out what it is. Kylar struggles with what the ka’kari is, what it does to him, and what it all means for him for the rest of the book. He displays a very well written growth in this process and it was something I really enjoyed.
From that moment on, Kylar works tirelessly to free, and restore, Cenaria. Not always willingly, and not always very well thought out, but he does it. He finds out Logan is not dead and rescues him and together with him and other friends and accomplices they manage to free Cenaria. But then it’s still not over…
I must say I really enjoyed the direction the book took after Khalidor got repelled. I was expecting, when the invasion happened, that it would take them all three books just to get rid of them. But getting rid of Khalidor in Cenaria was just the start. Pulling on all the history and cultural differences Weeks showed and told throughout the story he pulls the different peoples together for a climactic battle that’s not just about restoring Cenaria, but about saving the entire world.
I for one would love it if Weeks were to write more books in this world. Not necessarily even about Kylar but just in this setting. It has such depth he can easily craft more stories. I’d love to read more about the Chantry for example or Sho’Cendi.
http://www.tsemoana.net/?p=545
bings's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
tense
fast-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? It's complicated
4.0
The start of this one threw me a little bit... You are all over the place. Unlike the others that is mostly told from Kylar's perspective, this one is from multiple perspectives and follows so many threads that need to tie together in the end that you can feel a little overwhelmed in the beginning.
Though, once you get used to jumping from one POV to the next, you get sucked back into the world and all it's characters. The most info dumpy off all three books. Makes you think that it might have been worth considering a fourth book to take more time to set up the stakes correctly.
A good ending to the trilogy, it wraps up enough to feel like an ending, though leaving it open just enough that Brent Weeks can return to this world and these characters.
The one bad thing that really irked me sometimes though, there is no sense of time with the travels, this character needs to be here, end chapter, next time we are with the character they have arrived at said place. Like, what happened on the road, how long did the travelling actually take???
Though, once you get used to jumping from one POV to the next, you get sucked back into the world and all it's characters. The most info dumpy off all three books. Makes you think that it might have been worth considering a fourth book to take more time to set up the stakes correctly.
A good ending to the trilogy, it wraps up enough to feel like an ending, though leaving it open just enough that Brent Weeks can return to this world and these characters.
The one bad thing that really irked me sometimes though, there is no sense of time with the travels, this character needs to be here, end chapter, next time we are with the character they have arrived at said place. Like, what happened on the road, how long did the travelling actually take???