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mcfade28's review against another edition
4.0
It's been a long time since I last visited Sonea and co. in this series, and I was not disappointed. This novel introduced a new central character- a young, female novice named Lilia, who falls in with the wrong crowd early in the story. It was great to introduce some new blood into this series, and Lilia provided a fish-out-of-water perspective that Sonea had previously represented in the original trilogy.
Meanwhile, the rest of our main characters' plots carried on in much the same manner as in the previous book. Sonea is hunting a rogue magician in the city, while her son Lorkin lives as a prisoner in a faraway land. The final storyline revolves around Dannyl and his research/love life. Unfortunately his was by far the least interesting, which is a shame, as Dannyl was one of my favourite characters in the original novel.
This is a must read for fans of the original series- I'd forgotten how fond I was of all of the characters.
Meanwhile, the rest of our main characters' plots carried on in much the same manner as in the previous book. Sonea is hunting a rogue magician in the city, while her son Lorkin lives as a prisoner in a faraway land. The final storyline revolves around Dannyl and his research/love life. Unfortunately his was by far the least interesting, which is a shame, as Dannyl was one of my favourite characters in the original novel.
This is a must read for fans of the original series- I'd forgotten how fond I was of all of the characters.
galax003's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
slow-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
4.0
fantastiskfiktion's review against another edition
3.0
http://fantastiskfiktion.wordpress.com/2013/08/26/the-traitor-spy-trilogy/
mollymortensen's review against another edition
3.0
Well I failed. I couldn't stop the series. I read one chapter of Golden Compass and went back to this. It was okay. It didn't drag and I read it fast enough, but it didn't call to me either.
No Cery POV in this one. Instead we get Lilia, who is a student magician. Hers was the POV that kept me reading, because it was the most interesting with a murder mystery. (Even though I knew who it was from the start.) Too bad she was such an idiot. Being gullible and naive has its limits. I've never liked reactionary characters and she never makes a decision for herself.
Dannyl was again pointless. I thought when he went on a trip to Duna we'd actually learn something, but nope.
Sonea's story goes pretty much nowhere. She's supposed to be tracking down Skellin, but she gets distracted by Lilia and makes little progress doing anything. She's pretty much just back up muscle.
Lorkin's story was interesting but he was way too accepting of Traitor society. Like brainwashed blind to their faults. And I didn't understand why he was in love with Tyvara. She was mostly cold and standoffish. Boy I hated Kalia! I suppose that made her a good villain, but I really wanted her punished.
Will I continue the series? Yes. Though I wish I'd stopped after book three, I kinda have to know how it ends now.
No Cery POV in this one. Instead we get Lilia, who is a student magician. Hers was the POV that kept me reading, because it was the most interesting with a murder mystery. (Even though I knew who it was from the start.) Too bad she was such an idiot. Being gullible and naive has its limits. I've never liked reactionary characters and she never makes a decision for herself.
Dannyl was again pointless. I thought when he went on a trip to Duna we'd actually learn something, but nope.
Sonea's story goes pretty much nowhere. She's supposed to be tracking down Skellin, but she gets distracted by Lilia and makes little progress doing anything. She's pretty much just back up muscle.
Lorkin's story was interesting but he was way too accepting of Traitor society. Like brainwashed blind to their faults. And I didn't understand why he was in love with Tyvara. She was mostly cold and standoffish. Boy I hated Kalia! I suppose that made her a good villain, but I really wanted her punished.
Will I continue the series? Yes. Though I wish I'd stopped after book three, I kinda have to know how it ends now.
izabella_higson's review against another edition
4.0
It was a bit too obvious.. no surprises - I kind of expected it to be more difficult to work out what was going on - still pretty good though
kait_lost_in_books's review against another edition
5.0
I’m a massive fan of @trudicanavan but I’ve never finished the Traitor Spy series because my mean husband bought them in hardback and they are too heavy for me to read in bed without knocking myself out as I fall asleep! So I was super excited to find this one on audible read by a fabulous voice artist!
Lorkin is in Sachaka being held the rebel women known as the traitors. Will they make him pay for the sins of his father - the Magician who cheated them out of healing magic? Lorkin’s mother, Black Magician Sonea, is on the trail of a rogue magician loose in Kyralia while also dealing with a novice who appears to have learnt blood magic from an old book and uncovering some dubious details about Black Magician Kalen, the only other official black magician. Ambassador Dannyl is off trying to gather more information for the guild when his former lover turns up to make things complicated.
The black magician trilogy will always be my favourite Canavan series but I love that the author didn’t abandon Sonea at the end of that first series. Seeing the character grow over time and the development of Lorkin’s character from the seeds of his parents backstory is so wonderful. I’m always sad when I leave Kyralia at the end of these books. It feels like leaving old friends.
Lorkin is in Sachaka being held the rebel women known as the traitors. Will they make him pay for the sins of his father - the Magician who cheated them out of healing magic? Lorkin’s mother, Black Magician Sonea, is on the trail of a rogue magician loose in Kyralia while also dealing with a novice who appears to have learnt blood magic from an old book and uncovering some dubious details about Black Magician Kalen, the only other official black magician. Ambassador Dannyl is off trying to gather more information for the guild when his former lover turns up to make things complicated.
The black magician trilogy will always be my favourite Canavan series but I love that the author didn’t abandon Sonea at the end of that first series. Seeing the character grow over time and the development of Lorkin’s character from the seeds of his parents backstory is so wonderful. I’m always sad when I leave Kyralia at the end of these books. It feels like leaving old friends.
nanas_bookish_obsession's review against another edition
5.0
I absolutely love this book! Just like every other book written by Trudi Canavan.
protestmyboredom's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
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
4.25
I enjoyed this a lot more than the first book- a lot more happening versus just setting everything up. I love Sonea still but I’m intrigued by Lillia and so glad Naki is out of the picture. I’m so happy they found out about the mind block; I was so frustrated nobody caught Lillia’s memory about the magic ring that could supposedly hide intentions. I also enjoy Lorkin’s storyline and am curious about the Traitors and the Duna. I’m worried about Kellan but at least he’s not as obviously without morals as Naki.
lindsaymay92's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
funny
lighthearted
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? It's complicated
4.5