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atarbett's review against another edition
I just can't take anymore. I have rarely been so bored in a story. It seems like it should work. Murder, assassinations, conspiracies! But the plot drags severely and the only character that I got a strong impression from was Ilario and that was a negative impression, because that character was VERY annoying. I won't be continuing the series, but I will probably give the author another shot.
wynwicket's review against another edition
4.0
This one took awhile to get into, as the narrator, a mostly-mild-mannered mage-reject librarian (with surprising talent for navigating political intrigue and hidden bravery) speaks in a formalized, somewhat stilted language. But there's a courtier with hidden depths ( I LOVE Ilario) and a grumpy mage with a not-so-hidden shadowy past, and it's all a great big Renaissance-flavored mystery. Nice!
wishanem's review against another edition
3.0
My first impression of this book was that it would be a simple Fantasy adventure romp, but I was pleasantly surprised to find a murder mystery with suspenseful elements all around the edges. Throughout both the action and the more contemplative aspects of the investigation the motives, actions, and character of all the principle players (even the protagonist) are brought into question and their moral shades of gray are closely examined.
drey72's review against another edition
3.0
In Carol Berg's latest fantasy, it's magic vs. science, with the latter coming into popularity in the kingdom of Sabria. When this results in magicians' attempt to assassinate Sabria's King Philippe, he enlists the help of his very-distant cousin to uncover the traitors, and to determine if his wife is somehow behind the attempt.
Portier de Savin-Duplais agrees to help the King, and hits the ground running. The stuff he uncovers places his own life at risk, and he finds himself looking for plots within plots as he tries to unravel the tangled web of treachery. But can he do it before the kingdom unravels right in front of his eyes?
Character: Portier is a typical hero in this type of story. He's not very good at what he does, and fumbles his way through the hurdles that are thrown in his path. He's just nice enough, just personable enough, just smart enough, to try to put the pieces of the puzzle together. His companions are a foppish dandy and an irascible magician. Between the three of them, it's almost like watching The Three Stooges.
Pace & Plot: The Spirit Lens moves along quickly, and at times your head spins with the reveals. The plot is twisty, too, which doesn't help with the head-spin. But it does keep you turning the pages!
Portier de Savin-Duplais agrees to help the King, and hits the ground running. The stuff he uncovers places his own life at risk, and he finds himself looking for plots within plots as he tries to unravel the tangled web of treachery. But can he do it before the kingdom unravels right in front of his eyes?
Character: Portier is a typical hero in this type of story. He's not very good at what he does, and fumbles his way through the hurdles that are thrown in his path. He's just nice enough, just personable enough, just smart enough, to try to put the pieces of the puzzle together. His companions are a foppish dandy and an irascible magician. Between the three of them, it's almost like watching The Three Stooges.
Pace & Plot: The Spirit Lens moves along quickly, and at times your head spins with the reveals. The plot is twisty, too, which doesn't help with the head-spin. But it does keep you turning the pages!
egelantier's review against another edition
4.0
a court fantasy whodunnit mystery, narrated by portier duplais, a distinctly cazaril-like character (instant win) - a humble, inexorably honorable, decent, sharply intelligent man dealing with his inner demons while investigating a most dreadful political-magical conspiracy in a company of two most unlikely confederates, ilario the flighty courtier with a secret and dante the cranky mage with all the
drama.
i've liked it even more than flesh the lighthouse duet, mostly due to portier being more of "my" character than valen, and it's a pageturner at it's finest - i've more or less devoured it under two days.
my only gripe is that most of the plot relies on my most hated plot device ever : people. not. sharing. information. like, i swear the whole mess they're dealing with could be cleared up in one book instead of three if everybody just sat down at the end of every day and pooled their operational information. instead everybody lies, misunderstands, withholds informations, twists information, aaaaaaaaargh - and everybody does it mostly for other people's 'good', and, oh my god.
but other that, it was aaaaaaaaaawesome. good creepy mystery, tasty h/c bits, clearly mapped emotional journey, a+ worldbuilding, clear sweet writing.
drama.
i've liked it even more than flesh the lighthouse duet, mostly due to portier being more of "my" character than valen, and it's a pageturner at it's finest - i've more or less devoured it under two days.
my only gripe is that most of the plot relies on my most hated plot device ever : people. not. sharing. information. like, i swear the whole mess they're dealing with could be cleared up in one book instead of three if everybody just sat down at the end of every day and pooled their operational information. instead everybody lies, misunderstands, withholds informations, twists information, aaaaaaaaargh - and everybody does it mostly for other people's 'good', and, oh my god.
but other that, it was aaaaaaaaaawesome. good creepy mystery, tasty h/c bits, clearly mapped emotional journey, a+ worldbuilding, clear sweet writing.
bookstuff's review against another edition
5.0
I really liked this - the language, the atmosphere, the characters.
Can't wait 'til the next book.
I like the main character, Portier, because despite his feelings of inferiority, he displays admirable qualities: unswerving loyalty to his king, investigative competence, and the ability to stay focused despite being charmed by a pretty face. He has integrity.
Minor spoilers so I remember when I read the sequel:
Portier - will the next book answer questions about his own nature?
Ilario - leading man material deserves a starring role
Dante - is the change for real or for show?
Big Bad - motivation is way too fuzzy.
Can't wait 'til the next book.
I like the main character, Portier, because despite his feelings of inferiority, he displays admirable qualities: unswerving loyalty to his king, investigative competence, and the ability to stay focused despite being charmed by a pretty face. He has integrity.
Minor spoilers so I remember when I read the sequel:
Portier - will the next book answer questions about his own nature?
Ilario - leading man material deserves a starring role
Dante - is the change for real or for show?
Big Bad - motivation is way too fuzzy.
cmbohn's review against another edition
2.0
Finally gave up on this one. I made it halfway and nothing was happening. Too slow 🐌 for me.
mackle13's review against another edition
2.0
2 1/2
A sort of cop-procedural type mystery story set in a fantasy setting, with Portier being the king's spy to try and find out the truth behind an assassination attempt along with Ilario, the fop, and Dante, the taciturn mage.
It was very slow going at first with some, imo, extraneous world building and belabored set-up. It did pick up about half-way through, though, which is what saved it from a full 2-star rating.
The mystery part of it was interesting enough, though based on some reviews I read I was expecting more twists and turns.
The real downfall, for me, is that I never really clicked with the characters. Portier was kind of annoying with all his well-meaning fumbling, Ilario was interesting, though I guessed his secret almost from the outset, and Dante - Dante was the most frustrating. I didn't really like the direction his arc went, or the fact that he kept withholding information so that we'd have to stumble through it the hard way. (I hate that in stories.)
Anyway, since there were various threads left dangling for the next stories, and since I did find the story to be interesting enough, I am curious to discover what happens and how it all wraps up. That said, I'm not sure I'm interested enough to continue reading, because the style just didn't mesh for me. I'm sort of of the mind to jump onto Wikipedia, or something, and read plot synopsis rather than actually reading the next two books.
On the other hand, I'm not entirely opposed to reading the books, either, but I think it'll take a group-read or mini-read or something to garner the impetus to do so.
ETA: I will say I liked the differences in the styles of magic between the Colleges more ritualized magic and Dante's more wild and/or natural/essential magic.
A sort of cop-procedural type mystery story set in a fantasy setting, with Portier being the king's spy to try and find out the truth behind an assassination attempt along with Ilario, the fop, and Dante, the taciturn mage.
It was very slow going at first with some, imo, extraneous world building and belabored set-up. It did pick up about half-way through, though, which is what saved it from a full 2-star rating.
The mystery part of it was interesting enough, though based on some reviews I read I was expecting more twists and turns.
The real downfall, for me, is that I never really clicked with the characters. Portier was kind of annoying with all his well-meaning fumbling, Ilario was interesting, though I guessed his secret almost from the outset, and Dante - Dante was the most frustrating. I didn't really like the direction his arc went, or the fact that he kept withholding information so that we'd have to stumble through it the hard way. (I hate that in stories.)
Anyway, since there were various threads left dangling for the next stories, and since I did find the story to be interesting enough, I am curious to discover what happens and how it all wraps up. That said, I'm not sure I'm interested enough to continue reading, because the style just didn't mesh for me. I'm sort of of the mind to jump onto Wikipedia, or something, and read plot synopsis rather than actually reading the next two books.
On the other hand, I'm not entirely opposed to reading the books, either, but I think it'll take a group-read or mini-read or something to garner the impetus to do so.
ETA: I will say I liked the differences in the styles of magic between the Colleges more ritualized magic and Dante's more wild and/or natural/essential magic.
ferrumage's review
"Everyone in the group hates each other on sight and yet must work together" - tedious.
rachachisaur's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.75
A solid start to a series that weaves magic, mystery, and murder plots together. The story bogs down a bit in the middle but picks up quickly in the end, setting up the next book quite well. The magic system in the world is not clearly explained or defined, but can be vaguely grasped and will likely be elaborated on in the following books.