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4.61 AVERAGE
4.61 AVERAGE
That was spectacular, I’ve burned through this series faster than any other for some time. Excited for the next!
adventurous
dark
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Lots of action, characters and battles. Good read
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
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
mysterious
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
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
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
adventurous
dark
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:
No
adventurous
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
I feel like I've been pretty down on this series in my reviews so far.
If you really like these books, more power to you! I think they are largely worth your time to read. If I had read these 20 years ago (without the plaque of nearly every major fantasy series clogging my reading arteries) I think I would have really enjoyed them too.
The writing is snappy but a little under baked.
The plot has a ton of momentum, but very little weight.
The characters are likable, but not very dynamic.
The world is interesting but not really explored.
I read this (humungous) novel pretty quickly. It was fun to read. Even if I felt a little like I was reading a diet fantasy book. It tasted like a fantasy book. But it didn't really satisfy me in the way that many fantasy books do.
A big part of that is that I'm old. I've read a LOT. I'm a critical guy on my best days (for better or for worse). Younger me would have loved this series. Older me is just happy that it's over.
That being said, there were some really excellent reveals in this particular book. There's something very satisfying about finally being let in on the backstory. Those parts were excellent (and about 1000 pages later than I think they should have been).
The lesson that I've taken away from these books is that if your characters aren't changed by their challenges, your challenges lose power. Calen doesn't really change... he just gets more determined. More intensely Calen. That reads like heroism, but kinda echoes hollow the more I think about it. And most (if not all) the characters here have a similar ramping up of intensity.
I need to think about all of that some more.
Glad to be done with these massive books for now.
If you really like these books, more power to you! I think they are largely worth your time to read. If I had read these 20 years ago (without the plaque of nearly every major fantasy series clogging my reading arteries) I think I would have really enjoyed them too.
The writing is snappy but a little under baked.
The plot has a ton of momentum, but very little weight.
The characters are likable, but not very dynamic.
The world is interesting but not really explored.
I read this (humungous) novel pretty quickly. It was fun to read. Even if I felt a little like I was reading a diet fantasy book. It tasted like a fantasy book. But it didn't really satisfy me in the way that many fantasy books do.
A big part of that is that I'm old. I've read a LOT. I'm a critical guy on my best days (for better or for worse). Younger me would have loved this series. Older me is just happy that it's over.
That being said, there were some really excellent reveals in this particular book. There's something very satisfying about finally being let in on the backstory. Those parts were excellent (and about 1000 pages later than I think they should have been).
The lesson that I've taken away from these books is that if your characters aren't changed by their challenges, your challenges lose power. Calen doesn't really change... he just gets more determined. More intensely Calen. That reads like heroism, but kinda echoes hollow the more I think about it. And most (if not all) the characters here have a similar ramping up of intensity.
I need to think about all of that some more.
Glad to be done with these massive books for now.
adventurous
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
What a great addition to this series. Payoffs we’ve been waiting for finally happened, great character development and fantastic story development.
adventurous
tense
slow-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
This book could have been 200 pages shorter if it didn't add so much fluff. There were some scenes that felt dragged out. That being said, the characters feel very fleshed out and developed and there are a lot of them.