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4.29 AVERAGE
4.29 AVERAGE
adventurous
hopeful
inspiring
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
adventurous
emotional
funny
hopeful
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Still a very good book! But the plot beats and character dynamics feel more obvious in their execution than in Ancillary Justice. It's difficult to pinpoint why her brazen politicking aggravates me in a way that Baldwin's doesn't. Maybe it's just because Baldwin is a better writer, though I think it also has to do with Baldwin being willing to challenge or complicate the conventional wisdom of the social movements he engaged with in his writing (without being needlessly contrarian or attempting to diminish their importance--reading his work I just feel struck by how clear and unique his thinking is.) Leckie, on the other hand, periodically makes me feel like she's trying to disguise a somewhat inane moral lesson as a character conflict in the last 2 books of the Radch trilogy. There are still exciting action setpieces and fun characters and even some delightful surprises, but it just feels weaker and more conventional overall in its themes and ideas than the first installment.
1.5 ☆ A further downward spiral from book two. There are no permanent consequences at all throughout this book - even those from book 2 give way. Instead of killing one instance (out of hundreds or possibly thousands) of an imperial dictator Breq decides it's "worse for her" if she waits in prison for a ship to take her back to her army? They made a big deal about this instance being so young, and that all of her clones have to be raised from birth, meaning if they kept killing these progressively younger instances of this dictator, um yeah, it would hurt her to try and rule from a toddlers body. There was no teeth behind anything Leckie was trying to say, and she wrote a revolution in which nobody dies as a way to find a moral highground for Breq to inhabit when she virtually becomes a dictator in her own right in a way that suggests she's not a dictator because she's not killing people and trying to do everything for humanities benefit. Cool motive, still a dictator.
Instead of having an interesting take on what Breqs's life would look like as an amputee, the limb will grow back just fine. Breq orders them to leave her after a mission and her crew defies orders to save her life again, which she says she has to punish and then never does. The person who tried to blow up Raughd last book is released without any other consequence because we're supposed to like her. Seivarden is in the middle of a breakdown still going on missions. Tisarwat at the end is labeled at risk of becoming a dictator after she manages to save the day with no build up in her character to suggest this while what's most pressing is the color of her eyes for some godforsaken reason over three books. Breq calls her Lieutenant "darling child"??? Even when Translator is shot she spits out the bullets despite being covered in blood and is totally fine reverting instantly from comic relief with ominous "you just don't understand the Presger" to being a capable emissary. The whole book was a struggle for the author to find the identity of even established characters and sink into their psyches.
Also I wanted more of the Presger. Introducing a really intriguing ominous force on the outskirts of a huge imperialist empire as the only thing keeping it in check, saying multiple times that if they so chose they would tear humanity apart and sit giggling in their viscera...and then like never featuring them? Lol like I'm sorry was having pages of a military officer for some reason obsessed with china patterns and whose job it seemed centered around this (?) more relevant to the story?
Absolutely baffled how such a strong first book could end up here.
Instead of having an interesting take on what Breqs's life would look like as an amputee, the limb will grow back just fine. Breq orders them to leave her after a mission and her crew defies orders to save her life again, which she says she has to punish and then never does. The person who tried to blow up Raughd last book is released without any other consequence because we're supposed to like her. Seivarden is in the middle of a breakdown still going on missions. Tisarwat at the end is labeled at risk of becoming a dictator after she manages to save the day with no build up in her character to suggest this while what's most pressing is the color of her eyes for some godforsaken reason over three books. Breq calls her Lieutenant "darling child"??? Even when Translator is shot she spits out the bullets despite being covered in blood and is totally fine reverting instantly from comic relief with ominous "you just don't understand the Presger" to being a capable emissary. The whole book was a struggle for the author to find the identity of even established characters and sink into their psyches.
Also I wanted more of the Presger. Introducing a really intriguing ominous force on the outskirts of a huge imperialist empire as the only thing keeping it in check, saying multiple times that if they so chose they would tear humanity apart and sit giggling in their viscera...and then like never featuring them? Lol like I'm sorry was having pages of a military officer for some reason obsessed with china patterns and whose job it seemed centered around this (?) more relevant to the story?
Absolutely baffled how such a strong first book could end up here.
medium-paced
adventurous
funny
hopeful
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:
Yes
adventurous
challenging
emotional
inspiring
reflective
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
Will return with a detailed review after thinking, but i really enjoyed this.
adventurous
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
adventurous
emotional
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:
Complicated
I finally finished the series! I really enjoyed this series. More than I expected. I understand it is not for everyone, but I found it engaging and relaxing. The audiobooks were amazing.