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4.14 AVERAGE
4.14 AVERAGE
I will first give non-spoiler thoughts and then go into spoiler thoughts.
I had a lot of issues with this book. The plot was really slow. I consistently didn’t feel invested in the story. The plot felt like it didn’t have a clear end goal, so several points didn’t feel connected, and didn't feel like it contributed to a larger arc. I also felt some subplots were suddenly stopped, with the characters returning home. But reflecting on those subplots, they could have been removed and the book unchanged. The events/the character growth there was not relevant. I felt the climax came out of nowhere, like it was set up in 50 pages and then lasted 100 pages. The 100 or so pages before that felt like an ending, even an ending to a series. This made the pacing really weird for the end of the book. There were several time jumps/time skips. There was no context as to how much time had passed, which also made it hard to gauge what to expect. I don’t feel like there was a good consistent antagonist. Yes there were some antagonists, but they only felt like each played a small separate role. I felt like the plot twists were cheap and didn’t make sense. The romance was really bad. None of it made sense, it felt like a junior high type of romance, but the characters are around 19 years old. The character development was unearned, happened too quickly, and happened off screen in some instances. I felt some of the arcs of characters were rushed. Some of them felt incomplete. Some of them stopped too early, or took a turn for no reason. There were instances in some of the character motivations that were contradictory.
Okay now for spoilers. This is very ranty, I am sorry but I want to get it out.
I didn’t like how after “The Ember Blade” how much this book still focused on the ember blade. It really bothered me that there was still a lot of drama around the blade (Cade on a mission to steal it). Between the books, it is established that the Dawnwardens went around showing off the blade trying to get a revolution going, just to then at the end of the book to make this deal about how they had failed because they weren’t proudly displaying and showing off the blade. It felt very contradictory to what they did in between books.I felt there was a lot of emphasis on the Shadow Casket and they wouldn’t be able to overcome these dreadknights without it. It felt like they really didn’t try to get the Shadow Casket and quit too easily. Although they made this huge deal of the Shadow Casket being the key to them defeating the dreadknights, they just had this discussion of we just don’t need to be afraid of them and we can overcome them. I thought it was cheap and it was a studpid resolution to the issue. It felt Aren falls in love with any female he interacts with. I felt like the whole Fen love triangle didn’t work and she gave up too easily on Aren. I could not stand any of these romance related scenes, they were so cringy. I felt like Fen spends so much time upset over the pregnancy, then magically she is okay and fine with it. No show of the growth/development, a very cheap explanation to it. Cade and Stiven, I couldn’t keep track of how many times they “turned coat”. It felt very tiring and they are only ever on the side that makes it more convenient to the plot. I really disliked the whole Cade isn’t a traitor, it was Kiri all along. Like I want a good twist, but we literally see Cade writing and sending letters. Then to have this reveal that his letters did nothing, and it was Kiri all along was so cheap and did not make any sense and came out of nowhere. I appreciate that Wooding isn’t afraid to have his characters die, but most character deaths felt premature. It felt like their arc was only half finished. They felt more confusing than emotional. I felt whenever Mara’s past came up, it would bounce between saying she didn’t ever want to have kids and she was regretful that she didn’t have kids. This was pointed out especially at one point where I saw both perspectives within a chapter of each other. I felt Klyssen made for a compelling villain, but his story had nothing to do with the overall plot. I was bothered that he took a back seat in this book and it was focused on the Krodans in general as an antagonist.
I could go on, but will leave it here. I was really disappointed with this book and was hoping it would have lived up to the first one. I am unsure if I will even continue on in the series once more books are written.
adventurous
emotional
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
adventurous
dark
emotional
tense
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:
No
adventurous
dark
emotional
funny
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
adventurous
challenging
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Great sequel
adventurous
dark
emotional
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:
No
adventurous
lighthearted
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
adventurous
hopeful
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
The Shadow Casket, the much-awaited sequel to The Ember Blade, is a stronger and much better-paced novel than its predecessor. Reeling from the aftermath of the events of The Ember Blade, Aren and co. are fighting for their rights amidst tremendous adversity and increasingly daunting challenges. The plot moves at breakneck speed with many twists and turns - I could not put the novel down once I started reading. My criticism would be that the depth of the character work and the worldbuilding suffers due to the amount of story packed into the novel and the constant succession of events. Some quiet moments of reflection would have made the novel more impactful. Another point is that we are never really given insight into the true nature of The Shadow Casket despite the novel having its title. Otherwise, this was a thoroughly engaging read.
Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the eARC. All opinions expressed in this review are my own.
Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the eARC. All opinions expressed in this review are my own.
I'm sad that this was such a disappointment. One character in particular had a really bad arc and it ruined the book for me. I pushed through only because I had the audiobook. Otherwise, I would have dropped it.
Not continuing the series.
Not continuing the series.