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4.13 AVERAGE
4.13 AVERAGE
adventurous
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
Advocate follows Aelis out of Lone Pine and into the city of her wild College years, but she's no longer a student with something to prove. Now she's a Warden who has to prove that her most esteemed teacher should not be executed for murder. With her typical bull-in-a-teashop approach, Aelis is soon tangled in a shadowy conspiracy and murder plots galore. A new cast of characters joins her in the mayhem, though some old faces also pop up.
Plot-wise, this book feels like a fantasy action crime thriller, with Aelis' investigation punctuated by assassination attempts and a lot of shouting at suspects who are either incompetent, malicious, or both. It's fast-paced, and Aelis is actively pushing the plot forward one checklist item at a time.
Regarding the characters, it's cool to see Archmagister Bardun Jacques, since Aelis has referenced him frequently throughout the past two books. It's also cool to see some of Aelis' family show up. Throughout these three books, Aelis uses her family's wealth to her advantage even as she adamantly seeks to prove that her abilities and career are hers alone. I like how different characters call this out, and I think Aelis is finally starting to understand that. I also enjoy how committed Aelis is to her duty. She is intense and often abrasive, but she genuinely wants to live up to the Warden ideal - to serve and protect. It's been fun getting to see her grow into this over three books now. Hopefully she eventually learns how to be more considerate of her friends, but that's likely a long ways away.
I hope there will be more books in this series, and I hope we get to spend more time in Lone Pine before Aelis' next posting. Overall, this book was a good entry to the series!
Plot-wise, this book feels like a fantasy action crime thriller, with Aelis' investigation punctuated by assassination attempts and a lot of shouting at suspects who are either incompetent, malicious, or both. It's fast-paced, and Aelis is actively pushing the plot forward one checklist item at a time.
Regarding the characters, it's cool to see Archmagister Bardun Jacques, since Aelis has referenced him frequently throughout the past two books. It's also cool to see some of Aelis' family show up. Throughout these three books, Aelis uses her family's wealth to her advantage even as she adamantly seeks to prove that her abilities and career are hers alone. I like how different characters call this out, and I think Aelis is finally starting to understand that. I also enjoy how committed Aelis is to her duty. She is intense and often abrasive, but she genuinely wants to live up to the Warden ideal - to serve and protect. It's been fun getting to see her grow into this over three books now. Hopefully she eventually learns how to be more considerate of her friends, but that's likely a long ways away.
I hope there will be more books in this series, and I hope we get to spend more time in Lone Pine before Aelis' next posting. Overall, this book was a good entry to the series!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Violence, Murder, Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Alcoholism, Vomit
Find my full review here:
https://infinitefreetime.com/2025/04/27/review-advocate-by-daniel-m-ford/
https://infinitefreetime.com/2025/04/27/review-advocate-by-daniel-m-ford/
adventurous
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Ahoy there mateys! This is the third book in the Warden series. Aelis de Lenti has been sent back to civilization and her old alma mater to help defend her mentor against a murder charge. Aelis is thrilled to be back in the city but intimidated by the enormity of the tasks set before her.
While I did overall enjoy this book, there were some issues I had with it that felt similar to those from book two. What I enjoyed about the first book was how character driven it was. Book two then opened up the world a bit more and it happens again here. I found I didn't' really care for descriptions of the city's automatons, buildings, wines, or clothes. Politics gets more attention here and, frankly, its just boring. Power for the sake of power. Not a lot makes sense upon reflection.
Also, Aelis NEVER really has a plan. It is supposed to be her modus operandi but I wish she would have growth in this area. She took forever to figure things out. Also I feel like so many of her solutions were to fling money at the problems. Aelis doesn't want to be known for her family but uses those family connections at the drop of a hat. She treats her friends with discourtesy. She seems to have become rather hateful and lost those gains she made in Long Pine. Also her greatest hardship seemed to be losing some sleep.
Aelis did so much at the last minute and with little thought. The pacing was extremely slow in the middle. I wanted Aelis to make plans with her friends and work together instead of running around all over the place. I did like two gnomes in this. One was at the fashion store and the other became Aelis' sidekick.
I am not sure if another book is planned as most crew are discussing this being the end of the trilogy. A big long-range plan was set-up at the end though so who knows. I will read another book in this series if one is written. Arrrr!
I received a copy from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.
While I did overall enjoy this book, there were some issues I had with it that felt similar to those from book two. What I enjoyed about the first book was how character driven it was. Book two then opened up the world a bit more and it happens again here. I found I didn't' really care for descriptions of the city's automatons, buildings, wines, or clothes. Politics gets more attention here and, frankly, its just boring. Power for the sake of power. Not a lot makes sense upon reflection.
Also, Aelis NEVER really has a plan. It is supposed to be her modus operandi but I wish she would have growth in this area. She took forever to figure things out. Also I feel like so many of her solutions were to fling money at the problems. Aelis doesn't want to be known for her family but uses those family connections at the drop of a hat. She treats her friends with discourtesy. She seems to have become rather hateful and lost those gains she made in Long Pine. Also her greatest hardship seemed to be losing some sleep.
Aelis did so much at the last minute and with little thought. The pacing was extremely slow in the middle. I wanted Aelis to make plans with her friends and work together instead of running around all over the place. I did like two gnomes in this. One was at the fashion store and the other became Aelis' sidekick.
I am not sure if another book is planned as most crew are discussing this being the end of the trilogy. A big long-range plan was set-up at the end though so who knows. I will read another book in this series if one is written. Arrrr!
I received a copy from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.
adventurous
funny
mysterious
tense
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
We get that unique brand of homecoming that happens when you go back to your college/home town where you're big shit, but you've grown significantly since the last time you were there and you're growing past the people there. Oh, and a major shadowy magical conspiracy that you've gotten caught up in because your mentor has called you in to be his Phoenix Wright. It's a great turn to watch Aelis realize that the place she wants to be is in Lone Pines, and what looks like hopefully set up for the future at the end. Would love to see more of this, but if this is where we leave her for now, it's a great place to take a deep breath.
I loved seeing this part of the world that was so important to her foundations, and it was so good to read!