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florinese_expert's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
reflective
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? Yes
nclcaitlin's review against another edition
3.75
Perhaps civilization never truly suited Sigrud, but he must feign it now, after so 13 years in the wilderness on the run.
Ex-prime minister Shara was assassinated forcing Sigrud out of hiding to exact revenge. Only he finds Shara has started recruiting orphans to her cause and waging a war against something that works in the shadows.
The majority of the Divinities might be dead, but what about their offspring?
Sigrud finds himself on babysitting duty as someone is targeting Shara's adopted daughter. This really allows Bennett to explore the trauma of Sigrud’s own relationship with his family and face a world where violence cannot be the only and automatic answer.
“It's unfair that the dead leave us," she says. "But it's worse that they never really go away."
I am always hesitant, scared, and awed when authors decide to get involved with timey-wimey stuff. Getting the logic right, ensuring there’s no plot holes, stupid loopholes, or absurd inconsistencies is a skill few manage to pull of satisfyingly. Unsurprisingly, Bennett is one of these rare geniuses.
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 loved that each book focuses on a different character and story yet connects to a larger picture.
The ending was brave but justified and oddly satisfying, yet I can see how it might frustrate some.
Ranking:
Book one (favourite)
Book two
Book three (least favourite)
Ex-prime minister Shara was assassinated forcing Sigrud out of hiding to exact revenge. Only he finds Shara has started recruiting orphans to her cause and waging a war against something that works in the shadows.
The majority of the Divinities might be dead, but what about their offspring?
Sigrud finds himself on babysitting duty as someone is targeting Shara's adopted daughter. This really allows Bennett to explore the trauma of Sigrud’s own relationship with his family and face a world where violence cannot be the only and automatic answer.
“It's unfair that the dead leave us," she says. "But it's worse that they never really go away."
I am always hesitant, scared, and awed when authors decide to get involved with timey-wimey stuff. Getting the logic right, ensuring there’s no plot holes, stupid loopholes, or absurd inconsistencies is a skill few manage to pull of satisfyingly. Unsurprisingly, Bennett is one of these rare geniuses.
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 loved that each book focuses on a different character and story yet connects to a larger picture.
The ending was brave but justified and oddly satisfying, yet I can see how it might frustrate some.
Ranking:
Book one (favourite)
Book two
Book three (least favourite)
graff_fuller's review
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
sad
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? It's complicated
4.0
I feel that the first and last books, for me...suffered for being a bit too complicated. I still enjoyed the stories, but felt that some of it could've been streamlined (or it could just be a me, thing).
I loved that Sigrud was the main character. If you had told me in book one, that he'd end up being as important to the story...that he was, it might've changed by viewpoint. Still, the story was what it was.
Shara had her story...which I really enjoyed. I love how it worked out for this book, too...and how it wove into the plot.
General Turyin Mulaghesh had her story in the second book (my favourite of the series)
And Sigrud in this one.
Also, I enjoyed the beginning to the middle of this book, better...than the middle to the end.
Loved the worldbuilding and the explaination of the way things worked in this book, but just felt it was a LITTLE too much.
Overall, I feel that this was a very successful story, and solidifies (to me) that he's an author that I want to read more of his work. Next up, for me...by this author, is the Foundryside trilogy. I will hopefully get to it by the middle of the month. SO looking forward to experiencing another story from his mind.
I loved that Sigrud was the main character. If you had told me in book one, that he'd end up being as important to the story...that he was, it might've changed by viewpoint. Still, the story was what it was.
Shara had her story...which I really enjoyed. I love how it worked out for this book, too...and how it wove into the plot.
General Turyin Mulaghesh had her story in the second book (my favourite of the series)
And Sigrud in this one.
Also, I enjoyed the beginning to the middle of this book, better...than the middle to the end.
Loved the worldbuilding and the explaination of the way things worked in this book, but just felt it was a LITTLE too much.
Overall, I feel that this was a very successful story, and solidifies (to me) that he's an author that I want to read more of his work. Next up, for me...by this author, is the Foundryside trilogy. I will hopefully get to it by the middle of the month. SO looking forward to experiencing another story from his mind.
oweran's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
funny
mysterious
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? Yes
5.0
rainhaunted's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
emotional
mysterious
tense
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
4.25
peterkeep's review against another edition
5.0
Robert Jackson Bennett closes out his trilogy with a really great conclusion. The characters, old and new, are so good. We follow Sigrud around most of the time, but we get to see a bit of Shara and Turyin (not much of either, but enough of both) as well. The new faces are really great as well.
I love the plot. Sigrud on a full blown revenge/murder mission is just perfect. I won't spoil much, but there's a big happening in the very beginning of the book that sets the rest of the story up. It feels pretty natural, and there are plenty of small twists and turns along the way. As with the other two books in this trilogy, the Divine plays a pretty big part in all of it, and RJB does an excellent job handling that.
This series has been really cool in its shift for each book. It's almost like Max Gladstone's Craft Sequence in that aspect. Each book has new characters with a new plot. Even the way they handle some of the "magic" or "divine" seems a bit similar in feel. They're definitely not copycats of each other, but they've both become some of my favorite authors and their series have become some of my favorites for all the same reasons. They're creative. They're structured. They have great leading characters. Each book is a fresh take on a new issue. It's all around really fun to see these types of stories being written.
I love the plot. Sigrud on a full blown revenge/murder mission is just perfect. I won't spoil much, but there's a big happening in the very beginning of the book that sets the rest of the story up. It feels pretty natural, and there are plenty of small twists and turns along the way. As with the other two books in this trilogy, the Divine plays a pretty big part in all of it, and RJB does an excellent job handling that.
This series has been really cool in its shift for each book. It's almost like Max Gladstone's Craft Sequence in that aspect. Each book has new characters with a new plot. Even the way they handle some of the "magic" or "divine" seems a bit similar in feel. They're definitely not copycats of each other, but they've both become some of my favorite authors and their series have become some of my favorites for all the same reasons. They're creative. They're structured. They have great leading characters. Each book is a fresh take on a new issue. It's all around really fun to see these types of stories being written.
lisagreen65's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
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
4.0
bergha1998's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
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
3.75
I wasn’t sure how this one was going to end, or the whole series really. I love the worlds this author makes and a the moral quandaries. Also the characters and the plot twists. It was nice to finally understand why Sigurd was Sigurd.
Fantasy, Good vs. Evil, Found Family
“What puzzles the dead are,” says Taty. She looks away into the wilderness. “They take so much of themselves with them, you’re not even sure who you’re mourning.”
“We are all of us but the sum of our moments, our deeds. I died, Sigrud, and I died doing something I believed in. I will die doing it again. But if I lived my life rightly, what I did during it will echo on. Those I helped, those I protected—they will carry my moments forward with them. And that is no small thing.”
“But how many times has one person performed an unspeakable atrocity, all in the name of making the world better?“
Fantasy, Good vs. Evil, Found Family
“What puzzles the dead are,” says Taty. She looks away into the wilderness. “They take so much of themselves with them, you’re not even sure who you’re mourning.”
“We are all of us but the sum of our moments, our deeds. I died, Sigrud, and I died doing something I believed in. I will die doing it again. But if I lived my life rightly, what I did during it will echo on. Those I helped, those I protected—they will carry my moments forward with them. And that is no small thing.”
“But how many times has one person performed an unspeakable atrocity, all in the name of making the world better?“
Content Warnings
Graphic: Gun violence, Body horror, Child abuse, Cultural appropriation, Colonisation, Xenophobia, Violence, Grief, Gore, Child death, Murder, Injury/Injury detail, and Blood
mate90909's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
emotional
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.75