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embereye's review against another edition
4.0
Well... this was a fun read. Although he has this set for when the main character is in school, this is not your typical student fantasy novel... you know what I'm talking about. Harry Potter, the Crestomanci books by Diana Wynne Jones, etc. Nothing like that. This is political intrigue, drama, sword fighting, hints of aliens and such (not sure where that might go) etc. Which means fun!
yellauraya's review against another edition
4.0
4.25 of 5 stars
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Omg, this book! I definitely loved this more than the first book! I certainly loved the political aspect as the main focus of this series. It always excites me whenever a story involves political mind games and battleground techniques. I specifically loved this because of the slow but intense world building. The dreadful battles didn't last for just a few pages, but span for almost half the book. Those battles kept me on the edge of my seat the whole time. There was more than enough tension set up for a whole book.
Aside from that, there's so much character development, especially Tavi. Oh my, Tavi! I remember that there was not enough scenes of him on the first book and I was so glad we had more of him on this one. I can proudly say that he became one of my most favorite male fictional characters ever. Among the several character perspective, Tavi was the one I'm most looking forward to. He was so smart, courageous, caring and rational. I loved that despite being furyless, he's the most capable among all of them. He didn't let his emotions cloud his judgements. In fact, he can think more rational when he feels things. I can practically hear how his mind works whenever he was in a helpless position. He was also wise and politically knowledgeable. That scene when he was almost too late to get to the Citadel to save the First Lord and hopeless about not having enough help, his 'the enemy of my enemy is my friend' clever plan was not something I can think of myself! The fact that the fate of the Realm relies literally on his decisions was too much I actually felt bad for him. Oh my, I loved his character so much!
If Tavi was my most favorite character in this series, Isana was one of my least favorite. It already crept my mind in the first book. I don't like how she handled things. I almost always disagree with her decisions. She was the exact opposite of Tavi when it comes to formulating steps and decisions. She always let her emotions affect her judgement. I mean, I respect her for having so much love and care for her loved ones, her desire to protect them and do everything to make them safe, but she often decides without thinking beyond that. I can't exactly blame her, especially when I discovered something from her words at the end of the book. But still. I always don't like unwise characters. And I noticed that she always missed the important battles, even in the first book. There's always something going on with her and her lack of participation in those battles made me think about her less.
Overall, this is a very intense book. So much happened and I enjoyed every last bit of them. Those last few pages made me speculate a lot of things. I'm so excited for the next book.
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Omg, this book! I definitely loved this more than the first book! I certainly loved the political aspect as the main focus of this series. It always excites me whenever a story involves political mind games and battleground techniques. I specifically loved this because of the slow but intense world building. The dreadful battles didn't last for just a few pages, but span for almost half the book. Those battles kept me on the edge of my seat the whole time. There was more than enough tension set up for a whole book.
Aside from that, there's so much character development, especially Tavi. Oh my, Tavi! I remember that there was not enough scenes of him on the first book and I was so glad we had more of him on this one. I can proudly say that he became one of my most favorite male fictional characters ever. Among the several character perspective, Tavi was the one I'm most looking forward to. He was so smart, courageous, caring and rational. I loved that despite being furyless, he's the most capable among all of them. He didn't let his emotions cloud his judgements. In fact, he can think more rational when he feels things. I can practically hear how his mind works whenever he was in a helpless position. He was also wise and politically knowledgeable. That scene when he was almost too late to get to the Citadel to save the First Lord and hopeless about not having enough help, his 'the enemy of my enemy is my friend' clever plan was not something I can think of myself! The fact that the fate of the Realm relies literally on his decisions was too much I actually felt bad for him. Oh my, I loved his character so much!
If Tavi was my most favorite character in this series, Isana was one of my least favorite. It already crept my mind in the first book. I don't like how she handled things. I almost always disagree with her decisions. She was the exact opposite of Tavi when it comes to formulating steps and decisions. She always let her emotions affect her judgement. I mean, I respect her for having so much love and care for her loved ones, her desire to protect them and do everything to make them safe, but she often decides without thinking beyond that. I can't exactly blame her, especially when I discovered something from her words at the end of the book. But still. I always don't like unwise characters. And I noticed that she always missed the important battles, even in the first book. There's always something going on with her and her lack of participation in those battles made me think about her less.
Overall, this is a very intense book. So much happened and I enjoyed every last bit of them. Those last few pages made me speculate a lot of things. I'm so excited for the next book.
kieserachel's review against another edition
adventurous
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
2.75
kiml_page's review
adventurous
challenging
dark
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
karinlib's review against another edition
4.0
Slow at first, then I couldn't put it down. On to the third book.
theredhead210's review against another edition
adventurous
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
4.0
mlenore's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
funny
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? It's complicated
4.5
imakandiway's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
tvrandhavane's review against another edition
3.0
It was enjoyable. There are some cliches but also some novel elements. The action is cool and engaging. The characters have some depth but could be better. Overall, the book could be a lot better but it could also be worse. Overall, 3 stars.
buckeyeordie's review against another edition
4.0
This was a better book than the first. It introduced a new enemy that is otherworldly which was exciting. There was good character development and new conflicts. Some of the political conflict is hard to follow or be invested in when there is such good physical conflict happening. The next book will be exciting.