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queentut's review against another edition
5.0
This is just such a great series. I love Kerr's writing style. The characters are so real and the storylines so engrossing. I will say, however, that while I see how it fits into the rest of the story, I could really do without Evander and the Guardians and, particularly, Dallandra. I know, it's a fantasy, but that part of the whole thing could have been left out and I'd never miss it. In this book, the most momentous event in the book takes a couple paragraphs, where page after page is devoted to the, in my opinion, idiotic Dallandra and Evander. Still, five stars for the overall story
fantastiskfiktion's review against another edition
2.0
https://fantastiskfiktion.wordpress.com/2017/11/05/sagan-om-det-magiska-landet-deverry/
annekepaige's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.5
felinity's review against another edition
5.0
Although the first 50 pages or so may leave you wondering if you accidentally picked up a spin-off book, rest assured you're still reading the right series, and it won't take long before everything begins to tie together!
A Time of War stands alone in that it's the only truly linear book in the Deverry series, as the stories of Jahdo, Jill, Rhodry and Dallandra begin to draw together through the frustrating riddles of Evandar, and Rhodry's Wyrd starts to become apparent, and it gives a fascinating look at Deverry from the outside.
A Time of War stands alone in that it's the only truly linear book in the Deverry series, as the stories of Jahdo, Jill, Rhodry and Dallandra begin to draw together through the frustrating riddles of Evandar, and Rhodry's Wyrd starts to become apparent, and it gives a fascinating look at Deverry from the outside.
catamongstthepages's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.75
faymus1985's review against another edition
adventurous
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
3.5
katmarhan's review against another edition
5.0
Excellent, with twists and turns, intriguing new characters alongside familiar favorites. This book has retired my enthusiasm for the Deverry cycle.
angrywombat's review against another edition
2.0
I'm feeling slightly let down by Ms Kerr in this book - as it is really starting to feel quite different from the previous novels in the Deverry series.
What I've really loved about this series so far was the way that this felt like a very unique series - highlighting the pseudu-celtic culture of the Deverrians and the people and politics of that region. Magic has been very subdued and felt quite subdued. All that seemed to disappear in this book.
We're introduced to the dwarves of the land - which are done in a very standard fantasy trope way - accented, money obsessed, underground dwellers.
The second main plotline is about the weird guardians. In the last book their story seemed interesting, but in this book it just labors on and nothing really is added to the story. Ashandra is portrayed as a crazy boogyman, and the other Guardians are just simple minded 2 dimensional characters.
The third plotline of Dar and Carra (elf "prince" and his new human wife) seemed vaguely interesting, but just putted along with Carra's dilike of being put in her place - a story which seems very similar to one we had with Jill and a few other female characters. We are also introduced to the Horsekin (+gel da thae) who are portrayed as bloodthirsty monsters, or through the character of Meer as an annoying "know it all" bard who just constantly spouts off rules...
The only redeeming feature was finally getting to meet this dragon - who is portrayed as a very sly and clever character.
I'll read the last book in the series, but I really hope the series improves!
What I've really loved about this series so far was the way that this felt like a very unique series - highlighting the pseudu-celtic culture of the Deverrians and the people and politics of that region. Magic has been very subdued and felt quite subdued. All that seemed to disappear in this book.
We're introduced to the dwarves of the land - which are done in a very standard fantasy trope way - accented, money obsessed, underground dwellers.
The second main plotline is about the weird guardians. In the last book their story seemed interesting, but in this book it just labors on and nothing really is added to the story. Ashandra is portrayed as a crazy boogyman, and the other Guardians are just simple minded 2 dimensional characters.
The third plotline of Dar and Carra (elf "prince" and his new human wife) seemed vaguely interesting, but just putted along with Carra's dilike of being put in her place - a story which seems very similar to one we had with Jill and a few other female characters. We are also introduced to the Horsekin (+gel da thae) who are portrayed as bloodthirsty monsters, or through the character of Meer as an annoying "know it all" bard who just constantly spouts off rules...
The only redeeming feature was finally getting to meet this dragon - who is portrayed as a very sly and clever character.
I'll read the last book in the series, but I really hope the series improves!
wordnerdy's review against another edition
4.0
https://wordnerdy.blogspot.com/2022/02/2022-book-33.html
It’s starting to feel like a Stefon SNL skit up in here, because this book has EVERYTHING! There's elves and dwarves and humans and some other species of being! There’s spirit ghosts! There's little mostly invisible sprites and gnomes! There’s swords and sorcery and magic and mayhem! There's a siege and there’s a magical secret dwarf city! Now there’s even dragons in the mix! It rules. Small note that a young woman who seems to have an intellectual disability (but also has magic powers) is referred to several times as a “mooncalf” which feels like an uncool thing to say. A-/B+.
It’s starting to feel like a Stefon SNL skit up in here, because this book has EVERYTHING! There's elves and dwarves and humans and some other species of being! There’s spirit ghosts! There's little mostly invisible sprites and gnomes! There’s swords and sorcery and magic and mayhem! There's a siege and there’s a magical secret dwarf city! Now there’s even dragons in the mix! It rules. Small note that a young woman who seems to have an intellectual disability (but also has magic powers) is referred to several times as a “mooncalf” which feels like an uncool thing to say. A-/B+.
redheadreading's review against another edition
3.0
I enjoyed that this book expanded the Deverry world further with the focus on dwarves (and dragons, finally, yay!), even if it was a more stereotypical portrayal than some of the others races explored in this. I'm not really connecting with the Guardians storyline that much, which is what a lot of this geared around, but I will say I am looking forward to seeing how it will get brought to some kind of a conclusion in the next book. I also don't enjoy Rhodry as much as I used to; he feels a bit repetitive with his berserker/death focus and it feels like every book he has a different woman to sleep with. On the whole, there are threads of this second cycle that I am very much enjoying, but there are also things I miss about the first cycle! On the whole, ready to dive into the next one to see how this cycle will conclude.