Reviews

Die dunkle Schwester by Ilse Rothfuss, Allan Frewin Jones

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kristid's review against another edition

3.0

Rescuing the Queen was easy, now Tania has to save the entire faerie realm. Now they must rescue King Oberon if there is to be any hope of winning the war. He is bound in an amber prison surrounded by bars of Isenmort, which will make his release very difficult, if only they knew where to find him. Tania, Edric and Tania’s two sister Cordelia and Zara set off on a quest to Ynis Maw, the end of the faerie world. They hope to find King Oberon, release him from his prison and join his power with Queen Titania’s to over throw the Sorcerer King. The journey is far and there are many obstacles to face. Will they rescue King Oberon in time and lead them into victory?

The Sorcerer King was my favorite book of The Faerie Path series. The characters were finally well defined, maybe it helped that I had gotten to know them in the three books. Even though the book is predicable at times, I still enjoyed the adventures to Ynis Maw and the new characters that were introduced. I loved the exploration into the faerie realm, as well as the never-ending supply of action and adventure around every turn. If you are a fan of the first two books, you will not be disappointed with the third.

maddie_d_316's review against another edition

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adventurous emotional hopeful lighthearted mysterious medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

3.25

izzyproudfoot's review against another edition

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2.0

The story seems promising so far...
But for the first 20% of the book all the main character seemed to do was dismiss the reality to a dream in a really, really annoying way.
The way it's written makes the main character entirely annoying, more so than any other protagonist.
the words seemed fumbled on and sometimes like they are placed in the text as fillers.
I still seem to be reading, I'm curious as to how it will turn out and if the character will grow some sense. The other books have good ratings so hopefully it compacts itself and improves in the other books... 23% and counting.

rodanoar's review against another edition

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3.5

For the first time, I felt like this was truly a YA series. Maybe because the plot became denser

(especially with a war going on)

, the pacing felt a whole lot better, the stakes felt higher, and you could see struggle and consequences being part of the characters' lives.

I was truly surprised and, in a way, happy to see Zara die.

Don’t get me wrong, the sisters have been showing more of their personalities, and I am loving getting to know them better and seeing how brave they are (iconic, to be honest, to see female characters thrive without being compared to male ones),

but I was afraid that the author was going to do a "magically brings back to life" kind of situation to her, and I was glad that they didn't overshadow her sacrifice with that cliché.

I loved seeing more about Faerie's creatures too, and maybe it's the world setting that helped this book have a higher ranking when compared to its brothers. Not just because of the plot, but the world-building, to me, disguised as a quest, was richer and more enveloping.

And some clichés are meant to be embraced, like Cordelia and Bryn, okay? I will take the blow and say it was predictable and insta-love-y BUT I DON'T CARE, THEY MIGHT BE MY FAVORITE YET-TO-BE COUPLE. Oh, and I was right about Tania's Earth parents coming to Faerie. So curious to see an adult couple go delirious and hysterical, to be honest.

But I still feel like a lot of things were convenient, and I have the ghost of the shallowness of the first book going around some decisions. The dialogue, especially with modern characters like Tania and Edric, is borderline cringy (but part of the times, I get that) and it just sucks the life out of me, you know?

And Rathina, what the hell, darling? Gabriel murdered loads of people, but you still loved him… It had to be your sister for you to see all the red flags, like… No, I want a better redemption arc for her or not one at all!