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4.63 AVERAGE
4.63 AVERAGE
adventurous
emotional
reflective
slow-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:
Complicated
A fantastic, heart-wrenching conclusion to an epic story. I'm very sad but also so so pleased.
And Jia was my GIRL. I rarely find fictional characters as well-written as she is. Call me a Dyran Fin, because I was cheering for my evil, noble, wretched fav the whole way. She CARRIED this story like no other.
adventurous
emotional
slow-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
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
slow-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
adventurous
dark
emotional
reflective
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:
Yes
This book is a masterpiece. To have me on the edge of my seat for over a thousand pages is a feat I’m sure will never occur again. Beautiful, hopeful, thought-provoking and deeply emotional. To pigeonhole this as just fantasy feels confining. A story of love, of what makes a ruler good, of innovation, how history remembers us, of nation-hood, of staying true to one’s nature while finding a path forward through change. Complex characters with different motivations. Ken Liu is a master of the craft. I implore anybody reading this: READ THIS SERIES!!
dark
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
adventurous
challenging
emotional
hopeful
informative
inspiring
reflective
tense
slow-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
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
sad
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:
Yes
adventurous
dark
emotional
inspiring
reflective
sad
tense
slow-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:
Yes
“Teeth on the board”
“The Grace of kings has no hilt and equally hurts its wielder”
I feel old. I feel like I’ve lived three lifetimes. I am emotional and I am tired.
Speaking Bones stuck the landing and did not stumble. This final book is one of the most satisfying conclusions to a story I’ve ever experienced. Every plot thread was carefully strung out throughout the long history of years that we are shown; then woven together into this beautiful tapestry. Which could only be fully appreciated through the long passage of time that we see at the end of the book. Though it being over 1000 pages, Speaking Bones never feels like a slog. The book’s pace is constantly moving. Events, either big or small, push the pace.
The character work has somehow taken another step up from the previous books in the series. Ken Liu has made me feel as if I’ve grown up and lived which each and every one his character. Never have I felt so connected and so concerned for each of them. This connection is most apparent when these people, are killed, betrayed, or wronged; as no one is safe.
Jia has got to be the most complex character I’ve ever read. She is a standout character in all of fiction, not just in the context of the series. From where she starts out in book 1, to all the actions and decisions that she makes throughout the series makes her such a fun person to read. I still don’t know what to think of her morally or practically. She made me frustrated, made me angry, made me celebrate, made me depressed, but most importantly made
me love the dandelion dynasty the way I do. No other character had as much presence, or as much importance as she ended up having.
Something must be said about how much Ken Liu’s background as a short story writer influenced and shaped the unique style of the Dandelion dynasty. Constantly are we being taken on asides and flashbacks. These end up taking the reader down a long chapter that aid to further build the world as well as endear a character to you. Action is told through this panoramic storytelling in which, by the time the event has finished, we know every person involved and the road that lead up to the conflict. I find that this long epic fantasy, told through numerous little short stories, made me feel connection that I’ve never felt while reading before.
The discourse surrounding Ken Liu and the Dandelion Dynasty never seems to mention how amazing he is at writing romances. Book after book, I am addicted to the different ways he can depict love. Love for family, love for friends, love for mentors, love for students, love for country, love for ideals, but the most prevalent is the love for one’s self and for the romantic love between two people. Because so many young characters are introduced, the coming of age and the discovery of one’s true moral character. Specifically in this book, Timu and Tanavaki, Fara and Kriphi, Phyro and Zen-Kara, Thera and Zomi, and many more side and minor characters that get the full romantic treatment. Love is as intrinsic to this book as political machinations, invention, and war. The short story nature of this book allows it to spend the time in really establishing love, connection, and understanding of all the different characters and cultures. Whether it’s: the people from Dara, the Lyucu, the Agon, the children of mixed heritage, and even the some of the minor clans; you feel empathy for each and every single one.
I cannot stop thinking about the themes, the moral, the relationships, and the world. It’s a special thing when I feel that I need to re-read the whole series again because I didn’t feel like I absorbed everything that was offered. I’m not ready to leave this world, but I have to accept that I’ve lived in Dara long enough. Absolute masterpiece! I can’t imagine something will impact me like this for a long while.