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emhamill's review
5.0
I have been waiting for this book to arrive, and was definitely not disappointed.
I love Aristide so much, but definitely missed Cyril's presence. I think that was probably the whole point, that we miss Cyril as much as Ari does. I adore Cordelia, stripper turned guerrilla leader, in her new, even-more-gritty-than-before personality. And diplomat Lillian, Cyril's younger sister, is a Mama Bear of formidable proportion.
The bulk of this book is set in a sultry, middle-eastern style climate as even more intrigue plays out against this backdrop. It's fantastic. It doesn't have the decadent Berlin-feeling atmosphere Amberlough had, more of a Casablanca-ish feel here. Just waiting for the Ospies to get theirs. Can't wait for the next one!
I love Aristide so much, but definitely missed Cyril's presence. I think that was probably the whole point, that we miss Cyril as much as Ari does. I adore Cordelia, stripper turned guerrilla leader, in her new, even-more-gritty-than-before personality. And diplomat Lillian, Cyril's younger sister, is a Mama Bear of formidable proportion.
The bulk of this book is set in a sultry, middle-eastern style climate as even more intrigue plays out against this backdrop. It's fantastic. It doesn't have the decadent Berlin-feeling atmosphere Amberlough had, more of a Casablanca-ish feel here. Just waiting for the Ospies to get theirs. Can't wait for the next one!
bridrizzle72's review
adventurous
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
venti's review
adventurous
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? It's complicated
4.0
where is cyril god damn it
eliojae's review against another edition
4.0
i really love the world that’s been built in this series and i really hate how my memory betrayed me in the less than 3 weeks since i read book one
for the first like 50% of the book i was likewait did cyril really die in book one am i bald before finding out that i was not, indeed, bald
anyways im excited to read book 3 :)
for the first like 50% of the book i was like
anyways im excited to read book 3 :)
heresthepencil's review
3.0
I received an ARC from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
If you start Armistice simply expecting it to be more of Amberlough, you will be disappointed. Which isn’t to say that the second part of the series is in any way worse than the first - just that there’s a very different feeling about it.
We move three years into the future & into Porachis, the neighbouring country. That dazzling city of cabarets & decadence we came to know? It’s no longer there, since the Ospies turned the world upside-down. And so Armistice deals with the fall-out of that disastrous event - it’s more about how the characters try to make sense of their new lives and hold out hope of getting the old lives back than anything else. There are still spying missions and politics, of course, just as in the first book, but it all has a very different, more desperate vibe. They’re no longer fighting against a system but instead attempt to rebuild a lost country. It’s especially interesting to see since we get to fitness this struggle from an outsider's perspective, as all of the main characters are now outsiders of their homeland.
Speaking of characters, I’m sure I wasn't the only one who picked up this book waiting anxiously for news of Cyril. Not only do we not learn anything about him - it’s never even clear if he’s alive - but both Aristide and Cordelia are so much changed by the Ospies induced nightmares, they almost feel like different people. Their traumas and emotional trials are palpable, Aristide missing his lover Cyril & being unable to fully pursue another relationship because of this actually seems like the core of the novel at times. And this is still very much a characters driven novel. That’s truly where Donnelly’s strength lies in, creating those multi-dimensional characters who sometimes feel more real than actual living people you know.
So that’s one (amazing) aspect in which Donnelly is giving the readers exactly what they came to expect after Amberlough. Another would be the style itself. Now, if you enjoyed the writing in the first book, you will like this as well. It’s just as dense, just as full of a made-up slang, making you pause every three minutes to make sure you got a sentence right. I can see how people would love this but unfortunately, for me personally it was kind of hard to get through. It doesn’t help that basically the first half of the book is pretty slow with action, either. On the more technical side of things, I especially didn’t like the use of a different type of quotation to note a character speaking another language.
Overall, Armistice is a solid continuation of the series. It introduces a bunch of new characters, adds a lot of depth and flavor into this miraculous world, and answers some of the questions we’re left with at the end of Amberlough. And even though it very clearly feels like The Middle Book - you know the syndrome - it doesn’t actually disappoint.
If you start Armistice simply expecting it to be more of Amberlough, you will be disappointed. Which isn’t to say that the second part of the series is in any way worse than the first - just that there’s a very different feeling about it.
We move three years into the future & into Porachis, the neighbouring country. That dazzling city of cabarets & decadence we came to know? It’s no longer there, since the Ospies turned the world upside-down. And so Armistice deals with the fall-out of that disastrous event - it’s more about how the characters try to make sense of their new lives and hold out hope of getting the old lives back than anything else. There are still spying missions and politics, of course, just as in the first book, but it all has a very different, more desperate vibe. They’re no longer fighting against a system but instead attempt to rebuild a lost country. It’s especially interesting to see since we get to fitness this struggle from an outsider's perspective, as all of the main characters are now outsiders of their homeland.
Speaking of characters, I’m sure I wasn't the only one who picked up this book waiting anxiously for news of Cyril. Not only do we not learn anything about him - it’s never even clear if he’s alive - but both Aristide and Cordelia are so much changed by the Ospies induced nightmares, they almost feel like different people. Their traumas and emotional trials are palpable, Aristide missing his lover Cyril & being unable to fully pursue another relationship because of this actually seems like the core of the novel at times. And this is still very much a characters driven novel. That’s truly where Donnelly’s strength lies in, creating those multi-dimensional characters who sometimes feel more real than actual living people you know.
So that’s one (amazing) aspect in which Donnelly is giving the readers exactly what they came to expect after Amberlough. Another would be the style itself. Now, if you enjoyed the writing in the first book, you will like this as well. It’s just as dense, just as full of a made-up slang, making you pause every three minutes to make sure you got a sentence right. I can see how people would love this but unfortunately, for me personally it was kind of hard to get through. It doesn’t help that basically the first half of the book is pretty slow with action, either. On the more technical side of things, I especially didn’t like the use of a different type of quotation to note a character speaking another language.
Overall, Armistice is a solid continuation of the series. It introduces a bunch of new characters, adds a lot of depth and flavor into this miraculous world, and answers some of the questions we’re left with at the end of Amberlough. And even though it very clearly feels like The Middle Book - you know the syndrome - it doesn’t actually disappoint.
lgiegerich's review
4.0
I sort of enjoy how in medias res this whole series can be, where you also have to get your bearings the same way the characters often do. I know I did this to myself, but waiting another year for the third book is very depressing. Highly entertaining!
danieneverwhere's review
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
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
4.0
amandakh's review against another edition
2.0
I loved the first book but this one was downright tedious. The ornate style did not work well for a book that is entirely conversations and political maneuvering. It just made everything drag along. If you were to jump from book one to book three I’m fairly certain you would only need one or two sentences from this book to fill in the gap because so little actually happens in this book.
The characters also don’t face half as many complications as they should have so the book wraps up neatly without any sense of urgency about the characters or plot. Given that this is a trilogy this doesn’t bode well for book three.
It’s also entirely tell vs show for some of the major elements of the plot. We’re told Ari is a brilliant director but we never see him do anything but drink unhealthily (apparently a very high functioning alcoholic). We’re told Cordelia is a mastermind revolutionary but we only ever see her hiding and sulking in the houses of the super rich. There’s no evidence that people are the way we’re told they are and we just have to accept what we’re repeatedly told.
It also struck me as so odd that the setting was three years after the last book and apparently in a huge lag time for all of our main players. I would have MUCH rather read about their times doing all this interesting stuff than whatever this was.
The characters also don’t face half as many complications as they should have so the book wraps up neatly without any sense of urgency about the characters or plot. Given that this is a trilogy this doesn’t bode well for book three.
It’s also entirely tell vs show for some of the major elements of the plot. We’re told Ari is a brilliant director but we never see him do anything but drink unhealthily (apparently a very high functioning alcoholic). We’re told Cordelia is a mastermind revolutionary but we only ever see her hiding and sulking in the houses of the super rich. There’s no evidence that people are the way we’re told they are and we just have to accept what we’re repeatedly told.
It also struck me as so odd that the setting was three years after the last book and apparently in a huge lag time for all of our main players. I would have MUCH rather read about their times doing all this interesting stuff than whatever this was.