Scan barcode
wetdryvac's review against another edition
4.0
Not a genre I care for, but a fun read. This one had some particularly good moments, but it became clear early on that the characters I cared about were not even remotely front and center - and in at least one case were not really characters.
judascomplex's review against another edition
4.0
[SPOILERS FOR ROSE POINT IN THIS REVIEW. Though if you're reading this before you read Rose Point...?]
One might think that after this many, I'd get tired of writing reviews for [a:M.C.A Hogarth|5777544|M.C.A Hogarth|https://s.gr-assets.com/assets/nophoto/user/u_50x66-d9f6a4a5badfda0f69e70cc94d962125.png]'s work. That I would get bored of trying to find something to criticize just so that I sound like I'm not getting paid to say nice things about her. That somehow, I would grow weary of reading about fuzzy people in space trying to deal with decidedly non-fuzzy people in space.
...but then again, one might not know me very well.
Laisrathera is the long-awaited finale to the trilogy beginning with [b:Earthrise|18055987|Earthrise (Her Instruments, #1)|M.C.A. Hogarth|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1371448470s/18055987.jpg|25345243] and [b:Rose Point|20501099|Rose Point (Her Instruments 2)|M.C.A. Hogarth|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1389312582s/20501099.jpg|34355718], following Captain Theresa “Reese” Eddings and her intrepid crew on the TMS Earthrise...and of course, the on-going half-bubble-off soap-opera drama that she's found herself in with the xenophobic Eldritch. As any good lover of romance novels needs, Reese finds herself (occasionally begrudgingly) fond of “her” Eldritch: Hirianthial Sarel Jisiensire.
Ever since Rose Point, and Reese's connection to the Eldritch became decidedly more permanent, readers have been waiting to see what happens. How are the Eldritch going to take the betrayal we see in Rose Point? Is Reese going to have trouble on the Eldritch home world—especially since Hirianthial went away at the end of the second book? How is the familiar break going to come to pass, once Hirianthial gets back—since of course, we have to assume he gets back? And when in the name of the God and Lady are Reese and Hirianthial going to kiss?!
Hogarth promised us that all of this would come to fruition in the final book of the trilogy—and she did not disappoint.
The trouble I had with Laisrathera is more that it is exactly what this trilogy needed, and not necessarily what we had come to expect from the trilogy. Earthrise and Rose Point were both fairly action-based, lots of running around and getting hit by palmers and courting death. They were merchants and traders, running around like Captain Mal and Serenity, never sure of when their next meal or breath would be. But Laisrathera was a spy novel. This was cerebral and daunting and political and nuanced...and not what I was expecting. I'm not sure why, in the end, since that was the only way this series logically came to a close. The time of large scale fights was (for the most part) over, though there were a few knock-down throw-out battles to be had—but they weren't the focus. It was the subtlety of Baniel's interaction with Thaniet, and the Chatcaavan. It was the careful conversations with Liolesa and Hirianthial, and the hiding behind tumbling walls for Reese in her castle. It was the last moments of a game of Jenga, and not one you're willing to lose in a fit of anger.
That being said, it is a tremendously written spy novel. As always, Hogarth brings her world in tight and keeps you remembering things from previous novels—sometimes, ones outside of the trilogy!—and never lets go. The dialogue is beautifully nuanced, and allows the reader to make connections before it clarifies if you're right or wrong. The reader can be walked into a scene and not be sure of what's happening until a paragraph after it happens—and then when you realize and go back to read again, you can't understand how you missed it. The love is real, the vindication is real, the triumph and loss are real. And by the end, it feels like you've heard their story in totality...and still wish there could be more.
I won't say that I wouldn't love to see what happens next. The book opens up a whole new world and possibility, and of course I want to see where that leads. But the important thing about any trilogy, or any length series of work, is knowing when to end. There are many more stories to be told, but that doesn't mean that we need a book of them. A book requires a drive, and an conflict, and a strong plot to carry it. If that's not there, then it will feel flat and motionless, no matter how much we wanted to see whatever it happened to be come to fruition. I would worry about anything further.
...Though I won't say that I wouldn't love to see a series of short stories at least, based on the world they've created.
This has been cross-posted to my blog.
One might think that after this many, I'd get tired of writing reviews for [a:M.C.A Hogarth|5777544|M.C.A Hogarth|https://s.gr-assets.com/assets/nophoto/user/u_50x66-d9f6a4a5badfda0f69e70cc94d962125.png]'s work. That I would get bored of trying to find something to criticize just so that I sound like I'm not getting paid to say nice things about her. That somehow, I would grow weary of reading about fuzzy people in space trying to deal with decidedly non-fuzzy people in space.
...but then again, one might not know me very well.
Laisrathera is the long-awaited finale to the trilogy beginning with [b:Earthrise|18055987|Earthrise (Her Instruments, #1)|M.C.A. Hogarth|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1371448470s/18055987.jpg|25345243] and [b:Rose Point|20501099|Rose Point (Her Instruments 2)|M.C.A. Hogarth|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1389312582s/20501099.jpg|34355718], following Captain Theresa “Reese” Eddings and her intrepid crew on the TMS Earthrise...and of course, the on-going half-bubble-off soap-opera drama that she's found herself in with the xenophobic Eldritch. As any good lover of romance novels needs, Reese finds herself (occasionally begrudgingly) fond of “her” Eldritch: Hirianthial Sarel Jisiensire.
Ever since Rose Point, and Reese's connection to the Eldritch became decidedly more permanent, readers have been waiting to see what happens. How are the Eldritch going to take the betrayal we see in Rose Point? Is Reese going to have trouble on the Eldritch home world—especially since Hirianthial went away at the end of the second book? How is the familiar break going to come to pass, once Hirianthial gets back—since of course, we have to assume he gets back? And when in the name of the God and Lady are Reese and Hirianthial going to kiss?!
Hogarth promised us that all of this would come to fruition in the final book of the trilogy—and she did not disappoint.
The trouble I had with Laisrathera is more that it is exactly what this trilogy needed, and not necessarily what we had come to expect from the trilogy. Earthrise and Rose Point were both fairly action-based, lots of running around and getting hit by palmers and courting death. They were merchants and traders, running around like Captain Mal and Serenity, never sure of when their next meal or breath would be. But Laisrathera was a spy novel. This was cerebral and daunting and political and nuanced...and not what I was expecting. I'm not sure why, in the end, since that was the only way this series logically came to a close. The time of large scale fights was (for the most part) over, though there were a few knock-down throw-out battles to be had—but they weren't the focus. It was the subtlety of Baniel's interaction with Thaniet, and the Chatcaavan. It was the careful conversations with Liolesa and Hirianthial, and the hiding behind tumbling walls for Reese in her castle. It was the last moments of a game of Jenga, and not one you're willing to lose in a fit of anger.
That being said, it is a tremendously written spy novel. As always, Hogarth brings her world in tight and keeps you remembering things from previous novels—sometimes, ones outside of the trilogy!—and never lets go. The dialogue is beautifully nuanced, and allows the reader to make connections before it clarifies if you're right or wrong. The reader can be walked into a scene and not be sure of what's happening until a paragraph after it happens—and then when you realize and go back to read again, you can't understand how you missed it. The love is real, the vindication is real, the triumph and loss are real. And by the end, it feels like you've heard their story in totality...and still wish there could be more.
I won't say that I wouldn't love to see what happens next. The book opens up a whole new world and possibility, and of course I want to see where that leads. But the important thing about any trilogy, or any length series of work, is knowing when to end. There are many more stories to be told, but that doesn't mean that we need a book of them. A book requires a drive, and an conflict, and a strong plot to carry it. If that's not there, then it will feel flat and motionless, no matter how much we wanted to see whatever it happened to be come to fruition. I would worry about anything further.
...Though I won't say that I wouldn't love to see a series of short stories at least, based on the world they've created.
This has been cross-posted to my blog.
deviki's review against another edition
4.0
Books I've read and provided detailed reviews over the years but all data is lost after accidental deletion and GD refuse to restore it back.
Adding books back to my library for my own reference and tracking purposes
Adding books back to my library for my own reference and tracking purposes
mschaeff's review
5.0
This book, my god, this book. I don't think I've stayed up all night reading a book in the last decade or so (not that there were not some very good books in there) but I literally could not put this one down. It was perfect in every single conceivable way, and some that I hadn't thought to conceive of.
Spoilers:
I SO appreciated that the happy ending to this book didn't just happen when the war was won and the dramatic kiss gesture happened (though the dramatic kiss gesture was quite possibly the best I've read in years). I appreciated that the happy ending involved FURNITURE and MATCHMAKING and Irine being Irine and oh, god, everything. Absolutely everything. I cried, I was so happy. (I am not a book crier. I am REALLY not a HAPPY book crier.)
I really appreciated, also, that like... EVERYONE got a happy ending. It was not just limited to the "main" couple. ALLACAZAM got a happy ending, damn it. Sorry. I'm back to crying over the Tams and the furniture and Felith and... and... I never call books perfect, because books are dynamic things that are never (even the most beloved of them) perfect, but this book was basically as close to perfect as you get.
I would also just appreciate an entire sequel consisting entirely of Irine's children running around tormenting Reese to no end. Even just a short story. Anything! Mostly just the tigraines and the pardine(s) (we all knew where THAT was going) being unbelievably badass and awesome and cute and perfect. Also, what happens when you cross a tiger and a snow leopard? Stripes? Spots? UNBEARABLE CUTENESS? READERS NEED TO KNOW. You know they'll have twins. You know the entire world is pretty much doomed to the inevitable perfection that is Irine's kits.
Although, as an evolutionary biologist, I'd like to point out that if an extended lifespan is clearly an evolved trait in the Eldritch AND if they are biologically close enough to humans to interbreed and produce viable offspring, actually making them races rather than species, then their genomes are similar enough for some tweaking. If they have the technology to make sure two cousins can have children with no deleterious effects (which involves looking at the entirety of the genome and editing it) then an insertion of whatever longevity genes have evolved shouldn't be THAT difficult. (This is why you should not let geneticists read your romance novels - they will die on a sword before they will admit that their perfect ship has a potentially sad future outcome even if it's a happy ending.) And it's pretty clearly a dominant genetic trait given that the kids will have it. (She argued. Fiercely.) Reese saved their world, they can totally let her live for 800 years. A castle is not a big enough present. (And it's not like they have an excellent science engineer who would figure this out in three seconds flat. Nope. Not at all.)
Spoilers:
Spoiler
I SO appreciated that the happy ending to this book didn't just happen when the war was won and the dramatic kiss gesture happened (though the dramatic kiss gesture was quite possibly the best I've read in years). I appreciated that the happy ending involved FURNITURE and MATCHMAKING and Irine being Irine and oh, god, everything. Absolutely everything. I cried, I was so happy. (I am not a book crier. I am REALLY not a HAPPY book crier.)
I really appreciated, also, that like... EVERYONE got a happy ending. It was not just limited to the "main" couple. ALLACAZAM got a happy ending, damn it. Sorry. I'm back to crying over the Tams and the furniture and Felith and... and... I never call books perfect, because books are dynamic things that are never (even the most beloved of them) perfect, but this book was basically as close to perfect as you get.
I would also just appreciate an entire sequel consisting entirely of Irine's children running around tormenting Reese to no end. Even just a short story. Anything! Mostly just the tigraines and the pardine(s) (we all knew where THAT was going) being unbelievably badass and awesome and cute and perfect. Also, what happens when you cross a tiger and a snow leopard? Stripes? Spots? UNBEARABLE CUTENESS? READERS NEED TO KNOW. You know they'll have twins. You know the entire world is pretty much doomed to the inevitable perfection that is Irine's kits.
Although, as an evolutionary biologist, I'd like to point out that if an extended lifespan is clearly an evolved trait in the Eldritch AND if they are biologically close enough to humans to interbreed and produce viable offspring, actually making them races rather than species, then their genomes are similar enough for some tweaking. If they have the technology to make sure two cousins can have children with no deleterious effects (which involves looking at the entirety of the genome and editing it) then an insertion of whatever longevity genes have evolved shouldn't be THAT difficult. (This is why you should not let geneticists read your romance novels - they will die on a sword before they will admit that their perfect ship has a potentially sad future outcome even if it's a happy ending.) And it's pretty clearly a dominant genetic trait given that the kids will have it. (She argued. Fiercely.) Reese saved their world, they can totally let her live for 800 years. A castle is not a big enough present. (And it's not like they have an excellent science engineer who would figure this out in three seconds flat. Nope. Not at all.)
wetdryvac's review
4.0
Not a genre I care for, but a fun read. This one had some particularly good moments, but it became clear early on that the characters I cared about were not even remotely front and center - and in at least one case were not really characters.
sharonrhh's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
hopeful
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
snazel's review
Battles and marriages and baby aliens and executions and attempted genocide. It's a rush.
...
I didn't realize until I started this series, and then was prompted to look into it, is that the author doesn't consider rape worse than other physical attacks. My interpretation of this is that she's not downplaying rape, but asking us to consider the cost of physical violence on people. Especially when it can only really be termed torture. I do think personally that rape as makes me uncomfortable in a way that a calculated beating does not, but I haven't experienced either personally so I'm into really theoretical territory. Turns out I have strong feelings about sacraments. Who knew.
Okay so, there's a bunch of rape in this book. If you're messed up by that, you should know.
Be excellent to each other, all y'all.
...
I didn't realize until I started this series, and then was prompted to look into it, is that the author doesn't consider rape worse than other physical attacks. My interpretation of this is that she's not downplaying rape, but asking us to consider the cost of physical violence on people. Especially when it can only really be termed torture. I do think personally that rape as makes me uncomfortable in a way that a calculated beating does not, but I haven't experienced either personally so I'm into really theoretical territory. Turns out I have strong feelings about sacraments. Who knew.
Okay so, there's a bunch of rape in this book. If you're messed up by that, you should know.
Spoiler
So in this book particularly, the bad guys use rape as a tool to show their complete subjugation of their captives. (They have some unsurprisingly messed up views of gender.) And it happens a lot. A side character dies of her wounds.Be excellent to each other, all y'all.
sumayyah_t's review
4.0
I'm not crying..
Hirianthial awakens after falling victim to his brother, Baniel's violence to find that his captain, Reese, has stayed behind on his home planet, in the midst of a civil war, to rally the resistance and gather information to turn that tide. Meanwhile, Reese has gathered some surprise allies and attempts to beat Baniel at his own game. Problem is, no one has imAgined just how deep Baniel's machinations go. Hirianthial and Reese must survive the seemingly impossible tasks set before them, all while finally figuring out what they truly mean to each other, and finding out how flexible the definition of family really is. Warnings for implied/nongraphic raped torture, decapitation, gore, incest. A fitting end to the trilogy.
Hirianthial awakens after falling victim to his brother, Baniel's violence to find that his captain, Reese, has stayed behind on his home planet, in the midst of a civil war, to rally the resistance and gather information to turn that tide. Meanwhile, Reese has gathered some surprise allies and attempts to beat Baniel at his own game. Problem is, no one has imAgined just how deep Baniel's machinations go. Hirianthial and Reese must survive the seemingly impossible tasks set before them, all while finally figuring out what they truly mean to each other, and finding out how flexible the definition of family really is. Warnings for implied/nongraphic raped torture, decapitation, gore, incest. A fitting end to the trilogy.
shantastic's review
5.0
This book ends the trilogy on a perfect note. Everything I'd wondered about--Reese's romance with Hirianthial, the Eldritch politics, the fate of the Earthrise crew--was handled incredibly well. This installment was darker than the other two books in the series, but Hogarth gave me enough of a happy ending to keep my heart happy.
I'll miss these characters, and I went on to devour a bunch of other Hogarth books because I couldn't stand to leave this world. It's definitely one of my favorite SF settings, and a place I intend to revisit.
I'll miss these characters, and I went on to devour a bunch of other Hogarth books because I couldn't stand to leave this world. It's definitely one of my favorite SF settings, and a place I intend to revisit.
meschaeffer's review against another edition
5.0
This book, my god, this book. I don't think I've stayed up all night reading a book in the last decade or so (not that there were not some very good books in there) but I literally could not put this one down. It was perfect in every single conceivable way, and some that I hadn't thought to conceive of.
Spoilers:
I SO appreciated that the happy ending to this book didn't just happen when the war was won and the dramatic kiss gesture happened (though the dramatic kiss gesture was quite possibly the best I've read in years). I appreciated that the happy ending involved FURNITURE and MATCHMAKING and Irine being Irine and oh, god, everything. Absolutely everything. I cried, I was so happy. (I am not a book crier. I am REALLY not a HAPPY book crier.)
I really appreciated, also, that like... EVERYONE got a happy ending. It was not just limited to the "main" couple. ALLACAZAM got a happy ending, damn it. Sorry. I'm back to crying over the Tams and the furniture and Felith and... and... I never call books perfect, because books are dynamic things that are never (even the most beloved of them) perfect, but this book was basically as close to perfect as you get.
I would also just appreciate an entire sequel consisting entirely of Irine's children running around tormenting Reese to no end. Even just a short story. Anything! Mostly just the tigraines and the pardine(s) (we all knew where THAT was going) being unbelievably badass and awesome and cute and perfect. Also, what happens when you cross a tiger and a snow leopard? Stripes? Spots? UNBEARABLE CUTENESS? READERS NEED TO KNOW. You know they'll have twins. You know the entire world is pretty much doomed to the inevitable perfection that is Irine's kits.
Although, as an evolutionary biologist, I'd like to point out that if an extended lifespan is clearly an evolved trait in the Eldritch AND if they are biologically close enough to humans to interbreed and produce viable offspring, actually making them races rather than species, then their genomes are similar enough for some tweaking. If they have the technology to make sure two cousins can have children with no deleterious effects (which involves looking at the entirety of the genome and editing it) then an insertion of whatever longevity genes have evolved shouldn't be THAT difficult. (This is why you should not let geneticists read your romance novels - they will die on a sword before they will admit that their perfect ship has a potentially sad future outcome even if it's a happy ending.) And it's pretty clearly a dominant genetic trait given that the kids will have it. (She argued. Fiercely.) Reese saved their world, they can totally let her live for 800 years. A castle is not a big enough present. (And it's not like they have an excellent science engineer who would figure this out in three seconds flat. Nope. Not at all.)
Spoilers:
Spoiler
I SO appreciated that the happy ending to this book didn't just happen when the war was won and the dramatic kiss gesture happened (though the dramatic kiss gesture was quite possibly the best I've read in years). I appreciated that the happy ending involved FURNITURE and MATCHMAKING and Irine being Irine and oh, god, everything. Absolutely everything. I cried, I was so happy. (I am not a book crier. I am REALLY not a HAPPY book crier.)
I really appreciated, also, that like... EVERYONE got a happy ending. It was not just limited to the "main" couple. ALLACAZAM got a happy ending, damn it. Sorry. I'm back to crying over the Tams and the furniture and Felith and... and... I never call books perfect, because books are dynamic things that are never (even the most beloved of them) perfect, but this book was basically as close to perfect as you get.
I would also just appreciate an entire sequel consisting entirely of Irine's children running around tormenting Reese to no end. Even just a short story. Anything! Mostly just the tigraines and the pardine(s) (we all knew where THAT was going) being unbelievably badass and awesome and cute and perfect. Also, what happens when you cross a tiger and a snow leopard? Stripes? Spots? UNBEARABLE CUTENESS? READERS NEED TO KNOW. You know they'll have twins. You know the entire world is pretty much doomed to the inevitable perfection that is Irine's kits.
Although, as an evolutionary biologist, I'd like to point out that if an extended lifespan is clearly an evolved trait in the Eldritch AND if they are biologically close enough to humans to interbreed and produce viable offspring, actually making them races rather than species, then their genomes are similar enough for some tweaking. If they have the technology to make sure two cousins can have children with no deleterious effects (which involves looking at the entirety of the genome and editing it) then an insertion of whatever longevity genes have evolved shouldn't be THAT difficult. (This is why you should not let geneticists read your romance novels - they will die on a sword before they will admit that their perfect ship has a potentially sad future outcome even if it's a happy ending.) And it's pretty clearly a dominant genetic trait given that the kids will have it. (She argued. Fiercely.) Reese saved their world, they can totally let her live for 800 years. A castle is not a big enough present. (And it's not like they have an excellent science engineer who would figure this out in three seconds flat. Nope. Not at all.)