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4.26 AVERAGE
4.26 AVERAGE
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
inspiring
mysterious
reflective
sad
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
Felt like a lot of setup at the end but the progression through the book was faster than Memories of Ice. Pace was good and loved the development of Karsa. Very fast and unsatisfying ending that leaves me wanting for the next book in the series.
dark
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
slow-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
adventurous
challenging
dark
sad
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
adventurous
dark
tense
slow-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:
No
I am a slut for the Bridgburners, so the stories that focus less on them, I tend to like less.
The beginning of this book, which is like a very long prologue to retroactively setup a character only briefly met previously, feels a little out of place and like you aren’t reading a Malazan book. In the end, it all comes together and is still enjoyable, just a very different start that doesn’t feel quite right for a while.
While this book tackles a large story point that was started in Deadhouse Gates, it largely serves to introduce new characters and plot points.
The beginning of this book, which is like a very long prologue to retroactively setup a character only briefly met previously, feels a little out of place and like you aren’t reading a Malazan book. In the end, it all comes together and is still enjoyable, just a very different start that doesn’t feel quite right for a while.
While this book tackles a large story point that was started in Deadhouse Gates, it largely serves to introduce new characters and plot points.
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
sad
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
This is honestly probably a 3 star read... The second and third parts of this book were so slow. However, the first and last were fantastic! Karsa Orlong is one of my new favorite characters in this series, and his character development was superb. Hopefully Midnight Tides, the next book, is more interesting in the middle sections!
Well, it took me a while, but I finally finished this one. The slow progress was mostly because I was writing my own novel, which is why upon finishing my book, I ran through the last 700 pages of this relatively quickly.
But, yeah, it's not my favorite of the Malazan books so far, but there's a lot to love here, for many of the same reasons as the previous novels. Epic doesn't even begin to describe it. Nor does brutal and tragic and hilarious. This novel offers new visions of horror and awe, new ways to be broken or reborn. It's a phenomenal feat.
So maybe I'm being silly by giving it four stars, since this is better than most books I've read this year. But it doesn't measure to the previous, especially Memories of Ice, and so it's a relative rating, I suppose.
A shining moment, here, is Karsa Orlong, which is just about one of the craziest and most amazing characters I've ever come across. His character arc here is worth the 1,000 pages. Seeing where he begins and watching where he goes is just...kind of unbelievable.
But, yeah, these books are just something else. I meant to read all of these much faster, but there's been so much else to do!
Anyrare, hopefully reading Book Five before the end of the year.
Witness!
But, yeah, it's not my favorite of the Malazan books so far, but there's a lot to love here, for many of the same reasons as the previous novels. Epic doesn't even begin to describe it. Nor does brutal and tragic and hilarious. This novel offers new visions of horror and awe, new ways to be broken or reborn. It's a phenomenal feat.
So maybe I'm being silly by giving it four stars, since this is better than most books I've read this year. But it doesn't measure to the previous, especially Memories of Ice, and so it's a relative rating, I suppose.
A shining moment, here, is Karsa Orlong, which is just about one of the craziest and most amazing characters I've ever come across. His character arc here is worth the 1,000 pages. Seeing where he begins and watching where he goes is just...kind of unbelievable.
But, yeah, these books are just something else. I meant to read all of these much faster, but there's been so much else to do!
Anyrare, hopefully reading Book Five before the end of the year.
Witness!