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3.65 AVERAGE
3.65 AVERAGE
I didn't have a clue what was going on most of the time, but it was still a fun trip to be taken along on!
I had no idea what was going on or who anyone was but the vibes were immaculate
adventurous
lighthearted
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Intriguing, but confusing. I know Jemis was drugged for good amounts of time, making confusion part of the narration, I guess?
adventurous
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
I didn't really expect this book to be for me, and it wasn't. I'm going to read the whole Greenwing & Dart series anyway, because I know there will be details that add to the lore of the Lays of the Hearthfire books, but this was very different from the Lays of the Hearthfire. There were too many characters and plot elements, making it both hard to follow and hard for me to get invested in what was happening. I'm glad I kept this series for last of all the Nine Worlds books because I might never have gotten to The Hands of the Emperor etc. if I'd started here.
adventurous
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
adventurous
emotional
funny
relaxing
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Fantasy of manners in the same setting as Goddard's very long (and very cosy and excellent) Hands of the Emperor -- I am having to ration myself on these books so I don't run through them too quickly!
At first I really disliked this book. The whole Stargazy Pie was so disgusting; too well described with it's fish heads and eyeballs. I was just very grossed out and wasn't even sure if I could finish it.
But I posted on the discord server run by Victoria and people mentioned this is really not a thing aside from the early book, and thus I continued on. And I'm quite glad I did!
The plot gets entirely too convoluted for itself: mermaids and stone arms and cultists and magical allergies, to invading house parties that turn into magical orgies and garden crops. It's all quite wild mayhem. And yet I just adored how Mrs. Etaris is our cool, calm, older matronly head keeping everyone sane, on task, and yet usually the most energetic and knowledgeable one. Since I've already read [b:The Return of Fitzroy Angursell|56392665|The Return of Fitzroy Angursell (The Red Company Reformed #1)|Victoria Goddard|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1608755753l/56392665._SY75_.jpg|87873864] this was a wonderful easter egg (same with the very short line dropped about how Mr. Dart studied at Stoneybrook under Dominia Black!). I love how Victoria Goddard already has a lot of the backstory and main story of her world plotted out, so she can easily say "thus and thus character was here, doing these things" and it's normal but also extra.
But I digress! The plot, while convoluted does make a sort of sense by the end of the book (I'm not sure I entirely followed all of that, however). The characters are crazy fun. I do hope there is more of Violet in future books because she is amazing! I love that she clearly has a life and story of her own and isn't willing to divulge it to our cast (or to us) so quickly. There is still a lot there to explore, although we get so much more about Jemis' backstory than I ever hoped. I can't help but feel that all of that is going to come up again in a future book.
So, you've done it again, Victoria! I don't quite love this story with all my heart like I do Kip's and Tor's, but I adore Jemis as a protagonist. He's so stalwart, intelligent, and yet soft and squishy inside. He's kind and polite and at the same time he will not let a wrong go unaddressed. Victoria just writes the best characters, especially when it comes to men. So often men have to be physically strong or at least if they're more emotionally it's all cutting wit and straight to anger. And hers have none of those cliches. At least when Jemis loses his temper it's righteous anger about how he's been terribly wronged and it burns itself out just as fast. He's a character after my own heart, so I certainly must continue reading this series and serve it up on a silver platter! (Also the next book finally has the infamous dragon!)
But I posted on the discord server run by Victoria and people mentioned this is really not a thing aside from the early book, and thus I continued on. And I'm quite glad I did!
The plot gets entirely too convoluted for itself: mermaids and stone arms and cultists and magical allergies, to invading house parties that turn into magical orgies and garden crops. It's all quite wild mayhem. And yet I just adored how Mrs. Etaris is our cool, calm, older matronly head keeping everyone sane, on task, and yet usually the most energetic and knowledgeable one. Since I've already read [b:The Return of Fitzroy Angursell|56392665|The Return of Fitzroy Angursell (The Red Company Reformed #1)|Victoria Goddard|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1608755753l/56392665._SY75_.jpg|87873864] this was a wonderful easter egg (same with the very short line dropped about how Mr. Dart studied at Stoneybrook under Dominia Black!). I love how Victoria Goddard already has a lot of the backstory and main story of her world plotted out, so she can easily say "thus and thus character was here, doing these things" and it's normal but also extra.
But I digress! The plot, while convoluted does make a sort of sense by the end of the book (I'm not sure I entirely followed all of that, however). The characters are crazy fun. I do hope there is more of Violet in future books because she is amazing! I love that she clearly has a life and story of her own and isn't willing to divulge it to our cast (or to us) so quickly. There is still a lot there to explore, although we get so much more about Jemis' backstory than I ever hoped. I can't help but feel that all of that is going to come up again in a future book.
So, you've done it again, Victoria! I don't quite love this story with all my heart like I do Kip's and Tor's, but I adore Jemis as a protagonist. He's so stalwart, intelligent, and yet soft and squishy inside. He's kind and polite and at the same time he will not let a wrong go unaddressed. Victoria just writes the best characters, especially when it comes to men. So often men have to be physically strong or at least if they're more emotionally it's all cutting wit and straight to anger. And hers have none of those cliches. At least when Jemis loses his temper it's righteous anger about how he's been terribly wronged and it burns itself out just as fast. He's a character after my own heart, so I certainly must continue reading this series and serve it up on a silver platter! (Also the next book finally has the infamous dragon!)
adventurous
funny
lighthearted
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
adventurous
funny
lighthearted
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
adventurous
funny
lighthearted
mysterious
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
Quirky, and I enjoyed the style and manner of behaviour and speaking. I felt I may have needed to read many other books by the writer first because i found it hard to follow the people and society. Partly this was deliberate, but even at the end I wasn't sure what had gone on.. I may try another book from the writer earlier in the world in the hope it's easier to follow.