Scan barcode
manjala's review against another edition
5.0
Jenn Lyons made a ballsy move with this book -- which is writing it from the perspective of a character we barely met in the first book, accompanied by a completely new character.
And while that may throw people off, (since some of my personal faves from the first book didn't appear much in this one) it really worked for me. While being apprehensive about this at first, both of the new narrating characters really grew on me, as did the new side characters. The unreliable narration was wonderful! I have chuckled and grinned multiple times at the wonderful chapter openings (They are absolutely magnificent at times) and the footnotes written by a character we meet in this book.
The story structure was a lot less convoluted and more straightforward this time. While book one wasn't in chronological order, this one is. At times (almost always the start of every chapter) it switched back to the characters listening to the story, which was in this case, Kihrin. The overall tone of this book is more quiet and slow compared to the rollercoaster that was book one. All the tension and spectacle all came back in part four of the book though -- what an ending that was!
A new part of the world was introduced (the kingdom of Jorat), with wonderful worldbuilding where Jenn just said No Tokenism in my books! There's so much representation in here, and it all feels well crafted because it suits the overall magic system, politics and history and is embedded accurately. There were discussions on how different issues were handled here compared to the rest of the world, and these were well done in my opinion. Kudos for that!
This book proved Jenn Lyons one of my new favorite authors, and this series as one of my all-time favorites (even just at book two!)
Ofcourse, I am looking forward to the next book a whole lot, and I can't wait to read it in march with the book club!
What made this experience even greater, was that I could scream about all the twists and emotions with my friend Amanda (love you lots my friend! And you were right, the ending SLAPPED. Aaaaa!!)
And while that may throw people off, (since some of my personal faves from the first book didn't appear much in this one) it really worked for me. While being apprehensive about this at first, both of the new narrating characters really grew on me, as did the new side characters. The unreliable narration was wonderful! I have chuckled and grinned multiple times at the wonderful chapter openings (They are absolutely magnificent at times) and the footnotes written by a character we meet in this book.
The story structure was a lot less convoluted and more straightforward this time. While book one wasn't in chronological order, this one is. At times (almost always the start of every chapter) it switched back to the characters listening to the story, which was in this case, Kihrin. The overall tone of this book is more quiet and slow compared to the rollercoaster that was book one. All the tension and spectacle all came back in part four of the book though -- what an ending that was!
A new part of the world was introduced (the kingdom of Jorat), with wonderful worldbuilding where Jenn just said No Tokenism in my books! There's so much representation in here, and it all feels well crafted because it suits the overall magic system, politics and history and is embedded accurately. There were discussions on how different issues were handled here compared to the rest of the world, and these were well done in my opinion. Kudos for that!
This book proved Jenn Lyons one of my new favorite authors, and this series as one of my all-time favorites (even just at book two!)
Ofcourse, I am looking forward to the next book a whole lot, and I can't wait to read it in march with the book club!
What made this experience even greater, was that I could scream about all the twists and emotions with my friend Amanda (love you lots my friend! And you were right, the ending SLAPPED. Aaaaa!!)
orangeapple's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
slow-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
4.0
I loved this book, probably far more than I should have. It was deeply flawed in so many ways. The narrative system was tiring, and between the two perspectives, one was far more interesting than the other. The world remains extremely comex, and I constantly found myself unsure who was being talked about.
Despite my issues with it, I was completely unable to put this book down from start to finish. I loved the characters and was invested in where they would end up immediately. I love that the cast is slowly being fleshed out, and I feel like I'm beginning to understand the world.
The biggest obstacle to my enjoyment remains the complexity of the world. I find it difficult to keep track of big fantasy histories, and this is an enormous one. There are character lists and maps, but it's a lot of exposition to read, and sometimes when I tried to look up a name or some piece of information, it still wouldn't be there. The world feels interesting and well-planned, but it's presented in such a dry and uninteresting way it's confusing and distracts me from the plot.
As a final note, I loved that the footnote style of commentary continued in this book. I thought it was just a poor rehash of the first book at first, and it does make little narrative sense, but I loved the little comments. I thought Senera was a great character (once she was introduced). It did make the perspectives very strange again. With two times, two narrators talking through different lenses (recounting vs reading a journal), then filtered through Serena's view.
Despite my issues with it, I was completely unable to put this book down from start to finish. I loved the characters and was invested in where they would end up immediately. I love that the cast is slowly being fleshed out, and I feel like I'm beginning to understand the world.
The biggest obstacle to my enjoyment remains the complexity of the world. I find it difficult to keep track of big fantasy histories, and this is an enormous one. There are character lists and maps, but it's a lot of exposition to read, and sometimes when I tried to look up a name or some piece of information, it still wouldn't be there. The world feels interesting and well-planned, but it's presented in such a dry and uninteresting way it's confusing and distracts me from the plot.
As a final note, I loved that the footnote style of commentary continued in this book. I thought it was just a poor rehash of the first book at first, and it does make little narrative sense, but I loved the little comments. I thought Senera was a great character (once she was introduced). It did make the perspectives very strange again. With two times, two narrators talking through different lenses (recounting vs reading a journal), then filtered through Serena's view.
themockingbird's review against another edition
adventurous
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
wolcottcm's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.25
luluht's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
funny
reflective
tense
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? It's complicated
4.5
oliverjames_ix's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
- 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
4.0
shandyt's review against another edition
4.0
3.5 stars.
Whereas Kihrin was the main character of Book 1, he takes a back seat in this volume to Janel, a character who was only briefly introduced in the first book. Janel is a strong character in her own right, competent and intelligent, but she's missing that spark of irreverence and snark and "why me?" that makes Kihrin so compelling. The structure of the story is definitely an improvement, though the middle third (which is really more like a "middle half") drags on for too long. The end sneaks up on you by comparison. After a lot of slow nothing, everything happens all at once; some of it is clever and well thought-out, some of it less so. There are a few satisfying plot twists, but others fall flat. The climax is a bit abrupt and implausible. Yet like the previous book, the ending is so shocking and cliffhanger-y that I must know more! Book 3 will definitely be on my to-read list.
Whereas Kihrin was the main character of Book 1, he takes a back seat in this volume to Janel, a character who was only briefly introduced in the first book. Janel is a strong character in her own right, competent and intelligent, but she's missing that spark of irreverence and snark and "why me?" that makes Kihrin so compelling. The structure of the story is definitely an improvement, though the middle third (which is really more like a "middle half") drags on for too long. The end sneaks up on you by comparison. After a lot of slow nothing, everything happens all at once; some of it is clever and well thought-out, some of it less so. There are a few satisfying plot twists, but others fall flat. The climax is a bit abrupt and implausible. Yet like the previous book, the ending is so shocking and cliffhanger-y that I must know more! Book 3 will definitely be on my to-read list.
Spoiler
Oh, and Kihrin still didn't sleep with Teraeth. Come ON, kid, just DO IT.chantaal's review against another edition
I’m throwing in the towel at 378 pages. At no point have I ever found myself enjoying this, and I’m just gonna put it down. Sad that I can’t seem to love this as much as so many others do, but I can’t force myself through another page of this.