Reviews

I gave this six stars then deducted one for some faults.

It's still one of the top ten of the last decade (sorta counting the three as one book).

Complex and (mostly) meticulously constructed.

Sieh is a wonderful character, and well written. I especially liked the part early in the book where, having been told 40 pages earlier of his part-cat nature, we see him opening his mouth to get a better scent (for dog owners, cats do that a lot). I also liked his inability to sustain maturity.

I was a little disappointed by some details. Kahl wasn't well developed, and Ahad's secret was mentioned too often, then

Spoiler

turned out to be sorta kinda important but not essential.

The climax of the plot, the resolution of the last battle? DO NOT READ THIS BY ACCIDENT:

Spoiler

You can't DO that with your narrator! No, no, no. What happened was fine, but the way it was presented? No. There must have been a better way. And the "explanation" of what really happened to Sieh is pure handwaving in an otherwise carefully built world.

Still a great, great book. And for a first-timer? Wow.

tregina's review against another edition

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4.0

I was a little overwhelmed by this book, in the good way. The scope of it was as small as a human relationship and as large as the universe all at once, and you felt it, which is what made it all work.

What the author always does so well, and this is no small thing, is make us understand how alien the gods are. They do not think or understand or see the world the way mortals do. They are capricious and impulsive. They don't make decisions the way a mortal would make decisions. And yet in many ways they feel the things we do; they have to, in order for us to relate to them as a reader. This is an extremely fine line, and she treads it masterfully. You are never—never—entirely sure what you're going to get.

I wish I could give half stars. I would probably give this a 4.5. There are plot holes and loose ends and things I would have liked to see more or less of, but I'm left with a real sense of satisfaction in its wake.

thebookishhawaiian's review against another edition

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adventurous medium-paced

4.0

eclipse799's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging dark emotional hopeful mysterious sad tense slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

calecrawford's review against another edition

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adventurous emotional hopeful medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

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