Scan barcode
soulfulsin's review against another edition
4.0
If I could, I would have given this 3.5 stars. Unfortunately, GoodReads does not permit me that option.
It took me a long while to fall back into the book. It's been years since I read the previous books and having been thrust right into that world with little history rehashed meant that I spent a lot of time wracking my brains trying to recall what happened. If it wasn't for remembering that I had loved the previous books, I would have given up.
That said, I enjoyed it once I remembered enough. It was hard to grow attached to certain historical figures with lack of background about them too. I loved being back with Benito and Marco again.
Still...having waited this long for a new book and then having no sequel within sight...is frustrating. For that, I think I'll approach a series that has either finished or has at least several books out in it.
It took me a long while to fall back into the book. It's been years since I read the previous books and having been thrust right into that world with little history rehashed meant that I spent a lot of time wracking my brains trying to recall what happened. If it wasn't for remembering that I had loved the previous books, I would have given up.
That said, I enjoyed it once I remembered enough. It was hard to grow attached to certain historical figures with lack of background about them too. I loved being back with Benito and Marco again.
Still...having waited this long for a new book and then having no sequel within sight...is frustrating. For that, I think I'll approach a series that has either finished or has at least several books out in it.
leons1701's review
3.0
Not sure why, but this feels like the weakest entry in the series so far (however, I haven't read A Mankind Witch yet, so who knows). Maybe it's the overlap with "Much Fall of Blood", maybe it's that the new characters just aren't compelling, maybe it's the lack of Eric, Manfred and Francisca. Still, being the weakest entry in a series like this one isn't exactly a huge condemnation.
There's not much character development here, but then this is the fourth go round for these folks so they're pretty well established. Benito did most of his maturing in "A Rough Magic", this is just polishing some of the remaining rough edges a bit. Likewise, Marco's main arc was handled in the first book. And maybe that's the problem, nobody is really being developed here. The closest we come is Antimo Bartelozzi's relationship with Hecate but I don't see much change to his character there. Hecate is the one undergoing the real change, but she's a secondary character. Significant, yes, but only in how she interacts with the main characters.
There's not much character development here, but then this is the fourth go round for these folks so they're pretty well established. Benito did most of his maturing in "A Rough Magic", this is just polishing some of the remaining rough edges a bit. Likewise, Marco's main arc was handled in the first book. And maybe that's the problem, nobody is really being developed here. The closest we come is Antimo Bartelozzi's relationship with Hecate but I don't see much change to his character there. Hecate is the one undergoing the real change, but she's a secondary character. Significant, yes, but only in how she interacts with the main characters.
More...