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teachinsci's review against another edition
4.0
The world building in this book is amazing, yet subtle. There is no clumsy exposition where for some odd reason a character has to explain why things are the way they are. Instead, Butcher assumes you know his world and explains only what he must to the characters. The rest you must deduce through thr actions and behaviors of the characters.
This book is action heavy and yet the story is moved forward as much by politics as by battle. This makes for a book with good pacing that is hard to put down.
Well done fantasy series thus far.
This book is action heavy and yet the story is moved forward as much by politics as by battle. This makes for a book with good pacing that is hard to put down.
Well done fantasy series thus far.
jeremybost's review against another edition
5.0
Around 4.8 stars...only the many POV switches kept me from fully enjoying the story.
nicki_in_nz's review
4.0
I'm really, really enjoying these. Such good tension throughout as all the characters battle through (usually literally), and enough of a clue in the story to get you guessing at what is to be revealed without giving it all away completely.
I'm listening to the audiobooks and the narrator, Kate Reading, is brilliant. I highly recommend her. 5 stars for her and 4.5 for the book.
I'm listening to the audiobooks and the narrator, Kate Reading, is brilliant. I highly recommend her. 5 stars for her and 4.5 for the book.
jfkaess's review against another edition
5.0
Better than the first book. Since I am listening this time to the audiobooks, having read the entire series several years ago in paperback, it is very interesting to see/hear the foreshadowing the Butcher puts in the story of things to come. Jim Butcher is an excellent writer and storyteller. I have yet to read a single one of his books that did not delight me and fully absorb me. I strongly recommend the Codex Alera series for any who enjoy fantasy novels. There are no dwarves or elves, but there are several very interesting and unique races who interact throughout the entire series. He creates a world and then inhabits it with people that you end up caring about. Well done.
ckjaer88's review against another edition
4.0
The plot is still very predictable at times, but Butcher still manages to keep me hooked. Well done. already grabbed book three.
clarks_dad's review against another edition
4.0
What's good: Butcher returns, picking up the tale of Tavi where he left him in the last book, a small-town boy in a big city, and right in the center of an ingeniously constructed political crisis (well, ingenious for a fantasy writer). Butcher shows a level of sophistication that most fantasy or sci-fi writers simply don't, sticking to reformulated space opera epic or tolkein-esque adventure with no substance. In a way, Butcher's writing reminds me of the Timothy Zahn Star Wars novels - clever and nuanced without being overbearing and cheesy (well for the most part). Tavi and his family find themselves in an impossible situation. The First Lord is under siege from Alera's enemies and falls into a coma at a time when concerns over his health are fomenting rebellion. In the countryside, a new menace, the vord, threaten to undo the feuding Alerans before they even become aware of the problem. There are layers to the problems that the main characters face, and it's not all melodrama. Tavi faces personal problems of isolation in the big city, betrayal, identity crisis and the myriad of other problems a normal teenage boy would face. The best part is, Butcher doesn't find some impossible solution to tie the world back together with no harm done. The characters "survive" the ordeal through compromise, not all of it pretty, and some of it quite heartbreaking. As usual, the concept and the writing are solid, and Butcher continues to deliver solid and direct dialogue that doesn't make you cringe (as happens 90% of the time with books of this genre). Definitely worth continuing.
surfmonkey01's review against another edition
4.0
Much better than the first. I'm not really crazy about the vord as villains, but the rest... more setting details, more history, more secrets, more politics, and plenty of action. I think I'm hooked now.
abumblebeee's review against another edition
4.0
"The irony. That someone the Realm failed to keep safe would be willing to sacrifice other families in service to it."
Once again Tavi finds himself in the midst of disaster; however, this time it is centered in the heart of Alera and he must use his cunning and wits to save Alera. Tavi has spent the last 2 years as a page to the First Lord while also attending classes at the Academ and training to become a Cursor. Since Tavi's patron is the First Lord, and he is the page to the First Lord, he is in daily contact with Gaius. Therefore, when something terrible happens that could threaten the stability of the Realm, Tavi has to decide who he can trust to help him on behalf of the First Lord without throwing the country into Civil War.
Meanwhile, Calderon Valley is once again under attack, this time by a force known only to the Marat. Bernard, Amara and Doroga, along with Walker, team up again to battle a force they know very little about and are unprepared for. A force that outmaneuvers them and outwits them at every turn. Can Calderon Valley survive another threat only two years after the Second Battle of Calderon? Can Tavi prevent the Realm from falling into chaos?
This book takes place two years after the first and you see growth throughout all of the main characters. The book starts out with glimpses as to what the main characters have been up to for the past 2 years; however, it does not go into so much detail that it takes over the plot of this book. Tavi is now a page to the First Lord and is still furyless in a society that sees this as a disability; therefore, even though his patron is the First Lord he is mocked and bullied for being a "furyless freak". Tavi, as we learned in the first book and in this one, is very resourceful, and while he does think he is crippled by not having furies, he again proves himself to be more than capable of handling anything that is thrown his way through the use of cunning and logic. He is a 17 year old boy who once again finds himself in the midst of chaos and still manages to put his family, friends, and duty above all else.
We are introduced to new characters in this book that attend training with Tavi. Max, Ehren, and Gaelle are all in training to be Cursors and they are very pivotal characters to the story. You get enough of a backstory about the characters to see why they were picked to train as Cursors and when disaster strikes, Tavi recruits his friends based on the talents that were presented earlier in the book. The roles these characters would play was definitely well thought out.
Isana, Bernard and Amara all play vital roles in this book as well. Isana, while certainly not my favorite character, is thrust into a new role when she is summoned to Alera Imperia for Wintersend. She is thrust into a new world full of politics and you get a better insight into what motivates her as a character. You are also led to believe that she is still hiding vital information in regards to the First Lord and also in regards to Tavi. She is definitely more than she appears. Bernard and Amara's relationship grows and is tested once again when they head to another battle to save Calderon Valley and Alera from impending doom. I love the relationship these characters have and despite their feelings for each other, it does not get in the way of their duty to their country or the men they go to battle with.
Some of my favorite characters are Doroga and Kitai, who once again play a vital role in the story even though they are still considered to be barbarians by most Alerans. Doroga, along with his gargant Walker, head to battle with Bernard and Amara, playing a vital role in explaining who and what the foe are. While also consistently bringing up valid points in the simplest of terms, keeping the Alerans focused on what actually matters in the here and now. Kitai and Tavi's stories intertwine again in the most adorable way and I love the growth the two show in this book in the last 2 years. They are both still immature 17 year olds when it comes to personal relationships; however, they are much older and wiser than they seem in all other regards. I absolutely love the Marat because while they are seen as "barbarians" to the Alerans, they are fiercely loyal, and brutally honest, the way the explain and describe things are the best part of the book.
The plot was well thought out; however, I think I am noticing a pattern with these books. In both book 1 and 2 it seems that Butcher spends the majority of the book setting everything up and it can seem tedious or boring at times and then he really throws everything at you in the last 200 pages. Everything that can go wrong will go wrong and you will not want to put the book down until you get to the end. This book definitely had more politics and they play a major role throughout the entire plot, and based on the decisions made in this book it is clear that will certainly continue into book 3. The world and how it works developed greatly and you can see everything weaving together. Some parts of the book are painfully obvious while others will take you by surprise and throughout it all Butcher adds in humor which is a welcome accompaniment during some super tense scenes. I am definitely looking forward to reading the next book.
Once again Tavi finds himself in the midst of disaster; however, this time it is centered in the heart of Alera and he must use his cunning and wits to save Alera. Tavi has spent the last 2 years as a page to the First Lord while also attending classes at the Academ and training to become a Cursor. Since Tavi's patron is the First Lord, and he is the page to the First Lord, he is in daily contact with Gaius. Therefore, when something terrible happens that could threaten the stability of the Realm, Tavi has to decide who he can trust to help him on behalf of the First Lord without throwing the country into Civil War.
Meanwhile, Calderon Valley is once again under attack, this time by a force known only to the Marat. Bernard, Amara and Doroga, along with Walker, team up again to battle a force they know very little about and are unprepared for. A force that outmaneuvers them and outwits them at every turn. Can Calderon Valley survive another threat only two years after the Second Battle of Calderon? Can Tavi prevent the Realm from falling into chaos?
This book takes place two years after the first and you see growth throughout all of the main characters. The book starts out with glimpses as to what the main characters have been up to for the past 2 years; however, it does not go into so much detail that it takes over the plot of this book. Tavi is now a page to the First Lord and is still furyless in a society that sees this as a disability; therefore, even though his patron is the First Lord he is mocked and bullied for being a "furyless freak". Tavi, as we learned in the first book and in this one, is very resourceful, and while he does think he is crippled by not having furies, he again proves himself to be more than capable of handling anything that is thrown his way through the use of cunning and logic. He is a 17 year old boy who once again finds himself in the midst of chaos and still manages to put his family, friends, and duty above all else.
We are introduced to new characters in this book that attend training with Tavi. Max, Ehren, and Gaelle are all in training to be Cursors and they are very pivotal characters to the story. You get enough of a backstory about the characters to see why they were picked to train as Cursors and when disaster strikes, Tavi recruits his friends based on the talents that were presented earlier in the book. The roles these characters would play was definitely well thought out.
Isana, Bernard and Amara all play vital roles in this book as well. Isana, while certainly not my favorite character, is thrust into a new role when she is summoned to Alera Imperia for Wintersend. She is thrust into a new world full of politics and you get a better insight into what motivates her as a character. You are also led to believe that she is still hiding vital information in regards to the First Lord and also in regards to Tavi. She is definitely more than she appears. Bernard and Amara's relationship grows and is tested once again when they head to another battle to save Calderon Valley and Alera from impending doom. I love the relationship these characters have and despite their feelings for each other, it does not get in the way of their duty to their country or the men they go to battle with.
Some of my favorite characters are Doroga and Kitai, who once again play a vital role in the story even though they are still considered to be barbarians by most Alerans. Doroga, along with his gargant Walker, head to battle with Bernard and Amara, playing a vital role in explaining who and what the foe are. While also consistently bringing up valid points in the simplest of terms, keeping the Alerans focused on what actually matters in the here and now. Kitai and Tavi's stories intertwine again in the most adorable way and I love the growth the two show in this book in the last 2 years. They are both still immature 17 year olds when it comes to personal relationships; however, they are much older and wiser than they seem in all other regards. I absolutely love the Marat because while they are seen as "barbarians" to the Alerans, they are fiercely loyal, and brutally honest, the way the explain and describe things are the best part of the book.
The plot was well thought out; however, I think I am noticing a pattern with these books. In both book 1 and 2 it seems that Butcher spends the majority of the book setting everything up and it can seem tedious or boring at times and then he really throws everything at you in the last 200 pages. Everything that can go wrong will go wrong and you will not want to put the book down until you get to the end. This book definitely had more politics and they play a major role throughout the entire plot, and based on the decisions made in this book it is clear that will certainly continue into book 3. The world and how it works developed greatly and you can see everything weaving together. Some parts of the book are painfully obvious while others will take you by surprise and throughout it all Butcher adds in humor which is a welcome accompaniment during some super tense scenes. I am definitely looking forward to reading the next book.