Reviews

I’ll admit, I was not expecting to enjoy this. The series seemed to be steadily declining, but with Riddle of the Ages, it moved sharply back up. The Prisoner’s Dilemma was terrible, but this was almost as good as the first and second books, though it wasn’t nearly as fascinating. The setting was much darker, and the potential adventure and oddity were therefore limited, but the author did a great job, considering what he had to work with. Nevertheless, some parts of it were dull and even confusing, but it was overall thoroughly entertaining, and there was character development that was entirely absent from TPD. Mr. Benedict was not so holy, as well, and the concept of Curtain’s character was much improved.
Overall, 3.5 stars and my third-favorite of the series (so far). Solid bronze, not bad, though a glastanium medal might be more appropriate.

achinglyshy's review against another edition

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4.0

no because all the stuff about growing up and parting ways with your friends and family but not wanting to talk about it because it’s too painful was wayyyyyy to relatable :((((

julie_anne's review against another edition

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lighthearted medium-paced

Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? Yes

2.0

jokiwi's review against another edition

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adventurous emotional funny hopeful inspiring reflective tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.25

roseleaf24's review against another edition

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5.0

This is such a great series, and this book did not disappoint. There was one reveal that seemed a little too pat and easy to me, but otherwise, the puzzles and mysteries were engaging. I loved seeing these characters age and figure out how to hold on to the Society through that, and Tai Li was an excellent new addition.

torch_light_'s review against another edition

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4.0

read this in one sitting, feeling lots of feelings, this was good
change is really hard but it's okay :') it felt really weird to have the characters from the original trilogy be grown up and super different but their own reflections on their change along with readers getting to reflect on their change was super well done (and now i feel old, i first read the first 3 when i was 9)

breakfastgrey's review against another edition

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2.0

I didn't hate this book. I just didn't particularly like it either. The action scene where Kate faces down the Ten Men at an abandoned fair was amazing, but the rest of the book was just there. It was pretty heavy on nostalgia that was wasted on me since I've forgotten most of the details of any of the books beyond the first. Combined with a low stakes plot (that gets plot twisted into a nonexistent stakes plot) that is ridiculous at best, I just didn't care as I slogged through endless pages of discussions, after school special level teenaged angst, and descriptions of maps. Between this and the prequel, it makes me question if the original trilogy was any good to begin with.

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