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stelhan's review against another edition
3.0
Strong 3.5 stars. Improved upon the first book and I enjoyed it a lot
erinreadsbooks's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
fast-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
4.75
Wow. City of Stairs was excellent and when I started reading this one I was sad that Shara wasn’t the main character. But as I got into it, I saw why Mulaghesh is the only choice for a protagonist for this one and I learned to love her even more as a protagonist than as a secondary character. What a masterful story told in such a rich, detailed world. The characters, as in the first book, are all very believable and even if I don’t completely understand how some of the miracles and Divine events work, I was completely engrossed and invested in the unraveling of the mystery. I can’t wait to read the final book in the trilogy.
Read if you like mystery plot lines set in richly built-out fantasy worlds.
Read if you like mystery plot lines set in richly built-out fantasy worlds.
lamisosoup's review against another edition
3.0
didn't live up to city of stairs imo, but still an engaging read. I found myself wanting to skim large portions of this in a way that I did not with city of stairs - I guess an indication that the writing and pacing could've used some tightening up. I still have lingering questions from the first book about the implications of everyone's races that weren't really answered in this one either. maybe the third book will finally shed some light?
nclcaitlin's review against another edition
4.0
Five years on from the events of The City of Stairs, Mulaghesh has retired to the island of Javrat. However, in order to receive her full pension, she must embark on a touring shuffle of the Continent, the land where she fought a war in her youth, wasted decades of her life in bureaucracy, and lost a hand, all in the shadow of that nation's dead gods.
In fact, that’s merely a cover story in order for Mulaghesh to work covertly for prime minister Shara to find out the truth about a new material that has surfaced that seems to possess Divine qualities.
“Chains are forged of many strange metals. Poverty is one. Fear, another Ritual and custom are yet more. All actions are forms of slavery, methods of forcing people to do what they deeply wish not to do."
Mulaghesh is a fascinating character to follow. Not only is she an older protagonist, is one-handed and uses a prosthetic; she also suffers acutely from PTSD and guilt.
We get graphic flashbacks to her horrific experiences- from when she was in the Yellow Company, hiding her true age of fifteen years old at enlistment and all the atrocities she carried out in the name of war and victory.
“You aren't born this way. None of us are. We're made this way, over time. But we might be able to unmake some of what was done to us, if we try."
This was like a sudden adventure to the main plot to show the larger world, political climate, and give us an awesome side character story.
This was a lot more emotionally heavy and poignant, dark and insightful. This was an intense study of what it means to be a soldier, to serve, to be a hero. To remember, to be remembered. To forget, to pave a future.
A soldier serves not to take, they don't strive to have something, but rather they strive so that others might one day have something. And a blade isn't a happy friend to a soldier, but a burden, a heavy one, to be used scrupulously and carefully.
I haven’t been this enraptured by a book series in a while!
In fact, that’s merely a cover story in order for Mulaghesh to work covertly for prime minister Shara to find out the truth about a new material that has surfaced that seems to possess Divine qualities.
“Chains are forged of many strange metals. Poverty is one. Fear, another Ritual and custom are yet more. All actions are forms of slavery, methods of forcing people to do what they deeply wish not to do."
Mulaghesh is a fascinating character to follow. Not only is she an older protagonist, is one-handed and uses a prosthetic; she also suffers acutely from PTSD and guilt.
We get graphic flashbacks to her horrific experiences- from when she was in the Yellow Company, hiding her true age of fifteen years old at enlistment and all the atrocities she carried out in the name of war and victory.
“You aren't born this way. None of us are. We're made this way, over time. But we might be able to unmake some of what was done to us, if we try."
This was like a sudden adventure to the main plot to show the larger world, political climate, and give us an awesome side character story.
This was a lot more emotionally heavy and poignant, dark and insightful. This was an intense study of what it means to be a soldier, to serve, to be a hero. To remember, to be remembered. To forget, to pave a future.
A soldier serves not to take, they don't strive to have something, but rather they strive so that others might one day have something. And a blade isn't a happy friend to a soldier, but a burden, a heavy one, to be used scrupulously and carefully.
I haven’t been this enraptured by a book series in a while!
rachel281's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
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
5.0
joey_schafer's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.75
peterkeep's review against another edition
5.0
Books are so often judged by their endings. I do it. I can slog through a book, but if the last 50 pages are exciting, then that's what I dwell on. That's probably not fair, especially in the other direction.
I loved the first 400 pages of the book. Absolutely amazing. The last 80 or so were still good, but it wasn't like it was the most amazing ending action sequence ever written. It was good. Not quite as enjoyable for me as the end of City of Stairs, but that doesn't mean that this wasn't a great book. Because it really was.
I really liked the focus on some of the newer characters - I thought moving away from the original cast of characters would be hard, but it really wasn't. I was pretty immediately invested in the new people, or the familiar ones with different roles. They fit really well into the feel of the series, but everything was still new and exciting. And that's a big part of this series: feel and uniqueness. The world is still as cool and unique and special as it was in City of Stairs, but there are some really great new wrinkles added, details filled in, and backstories told. Robert Jackson Bennett really does a great job of writing intriguing and interesting stories, and I've had so much fun with these books.
I loved the first 400 pages of the book. Absolutely amazing. The last 80 or so were still good, but it wasn't like it was the most amazing ending action sequence ever written. It was good. Not quite as enjoyable for me as the end of City of Stairs, but that doesn't mean that this wasn't a great book. Because it really was.
I really liked the focus on some of the newer characters - I thought moving away from the original cast of characters would be hard, but it really wasn't. I was pretty immediately invested in the new people, or the familiar ones with different roles. They fit really well into the feel of the series, but everything was still new and exciting. And that's a big part of this series: feel and uniqueness. The world is still as cool and unique and special as it was in City of Stairs, but there are some really great new wrinkles added, details filled in, and backstories told. Robert Jackson Bennett really does a great job of writing intriguing and interesting stories, and I've had so much fun with these books.
maledicte's review against another edition
4.0
I wrote a review for this book on my blog! You can read it here.
tashshaw's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
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? No
5.0
rainhaunted's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
emotional
reflective
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
4.25