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brandypainter's review against another edition
4.0
Originally posted here at Random Musings of a Bibliophile.
The Inquisitor's Apprentice (my thoughts) was one of my favorite reads of 2011. And I feel like I've been waiting for it's sequel, The Watcher in the Shadows, forever. I pre-ordered it, not so patiently waited for it to arrive, and immediately bumped it to the top of my reading pile when it finally came. All that waiting was so worth it.
Sacha is far more proactive and outgoing in this volume, though often unclear which direction to take and be proactive in. His struggle is a very real one that has me very concerned for him overall. He is striving so hard to hold onto his integrity in a world where everyone is for sale. He wants to be a good Inquisitor, a good Jew, a good brother, an a good son. But these things are far too often in conflict with each other. Sacha doesn't want to compromise on any of it, and it doesn't make it any easier when he constantly finds himself tempted by deals with gangsters and threats of millionaires. Lily, Sacha's fellow apprentice, was a little more frustrating. I felt that she remained fairly stagnate and changed little from the first book. This could be excused by her privileged background which does not require her to face the adversity necessary to change. However there was one major event toward the end of the book that should have had some sort of impact and then wasn't really dealt with. I hope it will be addressed more in the next volume.
The adult characters continue to fascinate me the most, though that may be because I'm an adult. The reader finds out a little bit more about Max's background and his relationship with Shen, but not nearly enough. The mystery building up around Max is one of the most fascinating aspects of this story. He is far from perfect, but how far is not yet clear. Sacha desperately wants him to be a hero. He is the ideal Sacha wants to live up to, but he doesn't entirely trust him either. Their interactions are fascinating character studies of both of them.
The alternate universe NY setting continues to be one of the best parts of the story. The history is so accurate and yet so fantastical at the same time. It is a brilliant balance Moriarty has established. The story and mystery here are more intense than the first. The stakes feel higher and I love the inclusion of so much more of the Jewish element.
Last I knew there are supposed to be five books total and I can not wait for the release of the next one.
The Inquisitor's Apprentice (my thoughts) was one of my favorite reads of 2011. And I feel like I've been waiting for it's sequel, The Watcher in the Shadows, forever. I pre-ordered it, not so patiently waited for it to arrive, and immediately bumped it to the top of my reading pile when it finally came. All that waiting was so worth it.
Sacha is far more proactive and outgoing in this volume, though often unclear which direction to take and be proactive in. His struggle is a very real one that has me very concerned for him overall. He is striving so hard to hold onto his integrity in a world where everyone is for sale. He wants to be a good Inquisitor, a good Jew, a good brother, an a good son. But these things are far too often in conflict with each other. Sacha doesn't want to compromise on any of it, and it doesn't make it any easier when he constantly finds himself tempted by deals with gangsters and threats of millionaires. Lily, Sacha's fellow apprentice, was a little more frustrating. I felt that she remained fairly stagnate and changed little from the first book. This could be excused by her privileged background which does not require her to face the adversity necessary to change. However there was one major event toward the end of the book that should have had some sort of impact and then wasn't really dealt with. I hope it will be addressed more in the next volume.
The adult characters continue to fascinate me the most, though that may be because I'm an adult. The reader finds out a little bit more about Max's background and his relationship with Shen, but not nearly enough. The mystery building up around Max is one of the most fascinating aspects of this story. He is far from perfect, but how far is not yet clear. Sacha desperately wants him to be a hero. He is the ideal Sacha wants to live up to, but he doesn't entirely trust him either. Their interactions are fascinating character studies of both of them.
The alternate universe NY setting continues to be one of the best parts of the story. The history is so accurate and yet so fantastical at the same time. It is a brilliant balance Moriarty has established. The story and mystery here are more intense than the first. The stakes feel higher and I love the inclusion of so much more of the Jewish element.
Last I knew there are supposed to be five books total and I can not wait for the release of the next one.
tibbynaj's review against another edition
3.0
I went into this one with the hype on carlos's writing surrounding me. So in my mind I expected to read something that would be on the level of the best writing out there. In a way this book fell short of that.
The writing albeit enjoyable, was not as amazing is I had hoped it would be. Sure it was eerie but I found the characters to be a bit flat. Not unlikeable but unapproachable in a sense.
The story was extremely predictable and had no surprise factor for me.
A 3 star rating may have been too generous but I'm going to give the writer another chance and pick up another book by him and hope for the best.
The writing albeit enjoyable, was not as amazing is I had hoped it would be. Sure it was eerie but I found the characters to be a bit flat. Not unlikeable but unapproachable in a sense.
The story was extremely predictable and had no surprise factor for me.
A 3 star rating may have been too generous but I'm going to give the writer another chance and pick up another book by him and hope for the best.
bdhroasted's review against another edition
5.0
I haven't read a book like this in a long time. It was wonderful and exciting and gripping and so heartfelt. Sincere. Putting it down was almost impossible and reading it was a dream. I loved it. I'm so glad I read it. I feel a little empty now for having finished it but pleased.
onemonday's review against another edition
4.0
A book that contains ghost story, murder mystery, magic and love is definitely my type of book ♥
"You mustn't believe everything you see. The image of reality we perceive with our eyes is only an illusion, an optical effect, light is a great liar."
"You mustn't believe everything you see. The image of reality we perceive with our eyes is only an illusion, an optical effect, light is a great liar."
dibooks43's review against another edition
5.0
As ligações subtis entre os 3 livros desta trilogia são um detalhe delicioso, apesar de serem todos tão diferentes ao mesmo tempo. Contudo, agora estou triste porque só me falta ler um livro do mestre Záfon. Vou ter uma crise existencial quando acabar
jopcy's review against another edition
2.0
No sé por qué no me gustó tanto como los anteriores, creo que si lo hubiera leído antes que los anteriores mi rating sería más alto
naomi_e_'s review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
2.5
federiica's review against another edition
5.0
L'ho amato dalla prima all'ultima pagina. Scorrevole ed incalzante riesce a non cadere mai nel noioso o nel banale ma ogni dettaglio aiuta il lettore a capire meglio i personaggi e ad immedesimarsi nel loro vissuto. Leggi la prima pagina e di colpo sono passate due ore e te sei a metà libro, una lettura coinvolgente.