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katyanaish's review
4.0
This one was hard for me in a couple ways.
The most critical one: Diora. I know, from reading reviews, that people adore her. I don't. I honestly, seriously, don't. I have never been a fan of what I call "precious" heroines - the ones who are treated like a perfect, pampered princess... usually because of something they deserve no credit for, like being born beautiful - and Diora has always been that. Now, don't get me wrong, what her father and Alesso did to her in previous books was WRONG, and infuriating - I despise Sendari - and she deserves her vengeance. But in this book, people kept heralding her as some kind of warrior for the Lady, against the Lord of Night, and she used that to position herself ... and look, we have spent a LOT of time in Diora's POV. She has never had a single thought about championing the cause of humanity against the demons. Her every single thought is either mourning her dead, beating herself up for not helping them, and vengeance. And as I said, I'm onboard with that - she deserves it (and she does not deserve to beat herself up as she does - she couldn't have done anything but what she did) - but I felt like it hurt her character a LOT in this book to suddenly be held up as this champion for Team Good Guys. She is not. It is a trick of fate that her goal happens to align with Team Good Guys, but let's be frank: if it didn't, she would be on Team Bad Guys if that's what it took to get her her vengeance. And in this book, she even admits that in a POV chapter - that if the Lord of Night offered her 10 years with her wives as long as he came to rule, she says that she would take that deal.
So it rubbed me wrong, all the time this book spent holding Diora up as some kind of perfect woman. It was, quite frankly, infuriating. And that got even worse, for me, when she outright called the Voyani - people who have helped her, sheltered her and her aunt, and the Arkosan Matriarch even died helping her - her enemies (when she said she wouldn't surrender the Heart while she's in her enemy's territory)... and refused to give them this thing that was theirs by right. And no, that wasn't helped when she admitted that she could not take it off, because she said that even if she could, she wouldn't give it to them. Seriously, you guys, I wanted them to just kill her and take it from her corpse.
Diora was the worst, most condescending ice bitch of a woman for the first half of this book. And I really, really struggled with it. She evolved a bit in the last third, and I enjoyed that much more. But I still dislike her. I dislike her constant repeated lament that she's alone in the world, when she has an almost-mother that she completely takes for granted. Teresa has literally sacrificed everything in her life to help Diora. She has given up everything she has ever known - safety, money, the lifestyle of one of the most respected clanswomen in the Dominion - and made war on her brother, and she has done it ALL for Diora. And Diora can't be bothered to acknowledge that at all. She takes Teresa's loyal Ramdan, without a thought, just as she takes every sacrifice Teresa has made, as if it is everything that she is entitled to. Guys, to me, Diora is literally the same as her father. Plays as pawns everyone around her, to further her own goals. She doesn't think for a single minute about the hurt she has done the person who loves her most in the world. She doesn't even think about that love, as she REPEATEDLY whines (in her POV) about being alone in the world with no one who loves her.
I pretty much despise her. And the events of the end of this book haven't changed it much. We'll see if those events change her behavior. But thus far, I see her as a scheming clanswoman... no different from anyone else who plays horrible games for power. She leveraged herself into a position of power in the Arkosa, just as she leveraged herself into a position of power in the Dominion. At this point, because of her games, Valedan has no choice but to marry her, as she's made herself a symbol of the kingdom. And I hate that, because frankly, he deserves better than to be tied to just another fucking stereotypical Dominion clanswoman. Because the Dominion needs to change. This culture of oppression, where power is the only thing of value, has to shatter and be remade, so this shithole country doesn't continue to fall to demons over and over and over. I mean, guys, there's a fucking reason why the Empire has never fallen to the demons. The culture in the Dominion pretty much WELCOMES the demons.
Last note: Adam.
The most critical one: Diora. I know, from reading reviews, that people adore her. I don't. I honestly, seriously, don't. I have never been a fan of what I call "precious" heroines - the ones who are treated like a perfect, pampered princess... usually because of something they deserve no credit for, like being born beautiful - and Diora has always been that. Now, don't get me wrong, what her father and Alesso did to her in previous books was WRONG, and infuriating - I despise Sendari - and she deserves her vengeance. But in this book, people kept heralding her as some kind of warrior for the Lady, against the Lord of Night, and she used that to position herself ... and look, we have spent a LOT of time in Diora's POV. She has never had a single thought about championing the cause of humanity against the demons. Her every single thought is either mourning her dead, beating herself up for not helping them, and vengeance. And as I said, I'm onboard with that - she deserves it (and she does not deserve to beat herself up as she does - she couldn't have done anything but what she did) - but I felt like it hurt her character a LOT in this book to suddenly be held up as this champion for Team Good Guys. She is not. It is a trick of fate that her goal happens to align with Team Good Guys, but let's be frank: if it didn't, she would be on Team Bad Guys if that's what it took to get her her vengeance. And in this book, she even admits that in a POV chapter - that if the Lord of Night offered her 10 years with her wives as long as he came to rule, she says that she would take that deal.
So it rubbed me wrong, all the time this book spent holding Diora up as some kind of perfect woman. It was, quite frankly, infuriating. And that got even worse, for me, when she outright called the Voyani - people who have helped her, sheltered her and her aunt, and the Arkosan Matriarch even died helping her - her enemies (when she said she wouldn't surrender the Heart while she's in her enemy's territory)... and refused to give them this thing that was theirs by right. And no, that wasn't helped when she admitted that she could not take it off, because she said that even if she could, she wouldn't give it to them. Seriously, you guys, I wanted them to just kill her and take it from her corpse.
Diora was the worst, most condescending ice bitch of a woman for the first half of this book. And I really, really struggled with it. She evolved a bit in the last third, and I enjoyed that much more. But I still dislike her. I dislike her constant repeated lament that she's alone in the world, when she has an almost-mother that she completely takes for granted. Teresa has literally sacrificed everything in her life to help Diora. She has given up everything she has ever known - safety, money, the lifestyle of one of the most respected clanswomen in the Dominion - and made war on her brother, and she has done it ALL for Diora. And Diora can't be bothered to acknowledge that at all. She takes Teresa's loyal Ramdan, without a thought, just as she takes every sacrifice Teresa has made, as if it is everything that she is entitled to. Guys, to me, Diora is literally the same as her father. Plays as pawns everyone around her, to further her own goals. She doesn't think for a single minute about the hurt she has done the person who loves her most in the world. She doesn't even think about that love, as she REPEATEDLY whines (in her POV) about being alone in the world with no one who loves her.
I pretty much despise her. And the events of the end of this book haven't changed it much. We'll see if those events change her behavior. But thus far, I see her as a scheming clanswoman... no different from anyone else who plays horrible games for power. She leveraged herself into a position of power in the Arkosa, just as she leveraged herself into a position of power in the Dominion. At this point, because of her games, Valedan has no choice but to marry her, as she's made herself a symbol of the kingdom. And I hate that, because frankly, he deserves better than to be tied to just another fucking stereotypical Dominion clanswoman. Because the Dominion needs to change. This culture of oppression, where power is the only thing of value, has to shatter and be remade, so this shithole country doesn't continue to fall to demons over and over and over. I mean, guys, there's a fucking reason why the Empire has never fallen to the demons. The culture in the Dominion pretty much WELCOMES the demons.
Last note: Adam.
Spoiler
I love him. He is, to me, the kind of man that the South needs - like Valedan, compassion rules him. That said ... I was unhappy with the Evayne revelation in the end: that he's the future ruler of Tor Arkosa. Because ... come fucking on. If the Voyani claim their cities and then revert to the same fucking patriarchy of the South, I will literally punt my kindle out a window in fury.winterreader40's review
5.0
We spend most of our time following the Matriarch of Arkosa as she makes the trek into the Sea of Sorrows(a desert) as part of the rights of passage of her ascension to matriarch, with her go the Havallan Matriarch, the Serra's Teresa and Diora, Kallandras, Avandar, Jewel, and many others. We also see a bit of Valedan and his return to the South.
This is possibly my favorite book in the series, so much happens in the Sea of Sorrows, there are battles to be fought, relationships to heal and fracture and even just surviving the desert takes work.
This is possibly my favorite book in the series, so much happens in the Sea of Sorrows, there are battles to be fought, relationships to heal and fracture and even just surviving the desert takes work.
laurla's review
"it is when we are exposed in our entirety that we have truly set aside all fear."
"there are no right choices. make one of the wrong choices instead, and make it decisively."
"i am always caught between two voices, two powers. at another time i might choose to listen to yours."
"you'll pardon me if i pray to whatever joke of a god governs my life that there will never be another time."
"gods dont govern mortal lives. but pray if you like. its never done me any good."
"the memory is painful in two ways. because of the loss, and because of what it tells you about yourself. accept both. you cannot flee from your own truths."
"there is no truth that is absolute. not even yours. there are goals, yes - but memory is a funny thing. any ten people can view the same battle; they can watch events unfold around them without taking their eyes from whatever occurs. but question them later, and they will give you ten different versions of the fight; they have watched, but selectively, and their memory has hoarded and embellished those details of import."
"the less of ourselves we understand the more prone we are to manipulations by others who understand us better."
"i think that there is no damnation she could face that is worse than the one she faces daily."
"what might have happened has long since passed; the possibilities vanished."
"i lose everyone i loved in a single night, and i lose them over and over again without pause. i lose them when i sleep, and nightmare takes me. i lose them when i wake, alone. i lose them when i see something that would have drawn a smile from their faces. i lose them when i watch your children, and i hear them speak a new word or take a new step, and i think of all the things that my child will never do."
"i thought the world had died when they died. it did. but it was my world, not *the* world."
"there are no right choices. make one of the wrong choices instead, and make it decisively."
"i am always caught between two voices, two powers. at another time i might choose to listen to yours."
"you'll pardon me if i pray to whatever joke of a god governs my life that there will never be another time."
"gods dont govern mortal lives. but pray if you like. its never done me any good."
"the memory is painful in two ways. because of the loss, and because of what it tells you about yourself. accept both. you cannot flee from your own truths."
"there is no truth that is absolute. not even yours. there are goals, yes - but memory is a funny thing. any ten people can view the same battle; they can watch events unfold around them without taking their eyes from whatever occurs. but question them later, and they will give you ten different versions of the fight; they have watched, but selectively, and their memory has hoarded and embellished those details of import."
"the less of ourselves we understand the more prone we are to manipulations by others who understand us better."
"i think that there is no damnation she could face that is worse than the one she faces daily."
"what might have happened has long since passed; the possibilities vanished."
"i lose everyone i loved in a single night, and i lose them over and over again without pause. i lose them when i sleep, and nightmare takes me. i lose them when i wake, alone. i lose them when i see something that would have drawn a smile from their faces. i lose them when i watch your children, and i hear them speak a new word or take a new step, and i think of all the things that my child will never do."
"i thought the world had died when they died. it did. but it was my world, not *the* world."
kmj91's review
4.0
4 stars, this one dragged a bit and it felt like the narrative was just spinning its wheels at times but there's still few better character writers than West so even a bit of running in place is still enjoyable in her capable hands.
coolcurrybooks's review
3.0
Sea of Sorrows is the fourth book in Michelle West’s Sun Sword series, and you absolutely need to start from the beginning. If you aren’t familiar with the series, it’s a traditional epic fantasy series with plenty of female characters and begins with The Broken Crown.
Like all other installments in the series, Sea of Sorrows is long, numbering some 800 odd pages. My experience with this series has been that the beginnings might feel like they’re dragging, but by the half way mark things speed up. Unfortunately that wasn’t my experience with Sea of Sorrows. There were large sections that I felt like I was slogging through.
The focus of Sea of Sorrows is on the Voyani, their allies, and their journey into the desert to find the lost Cities of Men. To be honest, I didn’t really understand the point of the journey, and I felt like even when they reached the cities there was still a lot of exposition. For a book that’s 800 pages long, I’m not sure how much happened that was actually plot relevant.
However, West excels at creating emotionally resonant scenes. I especially loved the bond that formed between Margret and Diora and how Margret was eventually able to see beyond Diora’s pretty face. Diora is hands down my favorite character in the series, and I love how her strength is portrayed as feminine. The other good news about Sea of Sorrows is that there was less of Avandar than in the last book. I really hate Avandar. If he winds up in a romantic relationship with Jewel, you will see some ranting in my reviews.
I found Sea of Sorrows to be the weakest installment in the Sun Sword series. However, I am most certainly planning on continuing the series. I look forward to what the next two books will bring.
Originally posted on The Illustrated Page.
Like all other installments in the series, Sea of Sorrows is long, numbering some 800 odd pages. My experience with this series has been that the beginnings might feel like they’re dragging, but by the half way mark things speed up. Unfortunately that wasn’t my experience with Sea of Sorrows. There were large sections that I felt like I was slogging through.
The focus of Sea of Sorrows is on the Voyani, their allies, and their journey into the desert to find the lost Cities of Men. To be honest, I didn’t really understand the point of the journey, and I felt like even when they reached the cities there was still a lot of exposition. For a book that’s 800 pages long, I’m not sure how much happened that was actually plot relevant.
However, West excels at creating emotionally resonant scenes. I especially loved the bond that formed between Margret and Diora and how Margret was eventually able to see beyond Diora’s pretty face. Diora is hands down my favorite character in the series, and I love how her strength is portrayed as feminine. The other good news about Sea of Sorrows is that there was less of Avandar than in the last book. I really hate Avandar. If he winds up in a romantic relationship with Jewel, you will see some ranting in my reviews.
I found Sea of Sorrows to be the weakest installment in the Sun Sword series. However, I am most certainly planning on continuing the series. I look forward to what the next two books will bring.
Originally posted on The Illustrated Page.
tatere's review
5.0
Thoughts on rereading: For as much as this story is carried by what people are thinking and feeling, there are some parts that just cry out to be turned into showstopping blockbuster movie scenes. Like early on, when Valedan explains by way of example why the Ospreys are the only real choice for his bodyguards. Oh to see that done well...
For people who have already read this:
The first hints at Jewel+Avandar start here, DO NOT WANT. Not only do I not ship this, I put that ship in dry dock, set it on fire, put the ashes in a bucket, and launched it into the sun. I don't remember how much worse it gets because I've purged that from my mind, but I don't expect to be pleased.
For people who have already read this:
The first hints at Jewel+Avandar start here, DO NOT WANT. Not only do I not ship this, I put that ship in dry dock, set it on fire, put the ashes in a bucket, and launched it into the sun. I don't remember how much worse it gets because I've purged that from my mind, but I don't expect to be pleased.
evakristin's review
adventurous
challenging
slow-paced
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Not gonna lie, I'm struggling a bit with this series. The thing is I'm deeply fascinated with West's world building, which I think comes close to Steven Eriksons Malazan series, but, with two or three exceptions, I couldn't give a damn about any of her characters. And one of them, Jewel, just annoys me like no other fictional character has ever done before.
While the second book, The Uncrowned King, was an absolute low point for me (so boring!) this one, like the third, was pretty good by comparison. I enjoyed learning more about the Tuatha'an Voiani history and culture, and the action scenes at the end of the book were very well written and thrilling to read.
Every time I pick up a book in this series I know I'm in for weeks of masochism, still I know I'm going to do it again. I have to know more about the Winter Queen, damn it! Help.
While the second book, The Uncrowned King, was an absolute low point for me (so boring!) this one, like the third, was pretty good by comparison. I enjoyed learning more about the Tuatha'an Voiani history and culture, and the action scenes at the end of the book were very well written and thrilling to read.
Every time I pick up a book in this series I know I'm in for weeks of masochism, still I know I'm going to do it again. I have to know more about the Winter Queen, damn it! Help.
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