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4.27 AVERAGE
4.27 AVERAGE
I am up to book 4 in the Codex Alera series, and we find Tavi finally coming into his own as a leader and a magician. The side quest involving the High Lord was a bit of a waste and could have been cut entirely, without any loss. However, the rest of the story was fun and exciting, with lots of action. This book moves the story lines of the main characters forwards in many ways, so it makes me want to keep reading the series. Recommended for readers in the series, but start with the first book. Note: I did this one on audio, and I have to give a shout out to the narrator. There are many many characters in this book, and we often go many hours between hearing from any one of them, but she made each character unique and believable. One of the best narrations I have experienced.
To me, this book has been the most fun in the series so far, which is great! I read this as part of the #Rainbowthon and I found myself managing to get through this is just 2 days, very exciting.
This is set in a world where magic is the norm and everyone has at least one weak Fury (kind of a magic spirit). If you are very proficient with the Fury or Furies that you control and use then it's more likely that you're a noble or someone who has a position of power, although some keep the true extent of their powers hidden.
There are three major races in this book who we follow. The Aleran's are the main race that most of our central character's are from. We then have the Marat race which is largely based on tribes and customs, and have very different ways to the Aleran's. Finally we have the Canim who are a super large wolf-like race. They're often seen as the 'bad-guys' and in this book they're against the Aleran's, but some of them are more reasonable than others.
So this story once more follows Tavi as the lead character with others also taking leading roles. Tavi is a young man by the time we meet him in this book and he's been masquerading as Scipio, the young Captain leading troops against the Canim. The war against the Canim has been going on for a while and it's only now that Alera are at full strength and ready to really take them on (and *hopefully* win). Tavi is stuck leading troops and soldiers whilst all around him people are jealous of his position and envious of the men loyal to him. He's in a fair few deadly situations and close calls across the book, but this doesn't stop him from showing us his determination and skilful planning, and resourcefulness when things (inevitably) go wrong.
Isana is Tavi's aunt and has basically cared for him from his birth. She's one of the closest people to him, but she's kept a secret about his heritage for a long long time, and she's reluctant to tell Tavi even though he's now old enough. This secret has been the worry of her life, and she's tense and worried about his reaction to it. She's also kind of a pawn in another's game (Lady Aquitine) who wants her to do her bidding in return for earlier help. Overall Isana is also put into some tough predicaments, yet she actually relishes these once they're done with and the unburdening seems to help her expand herself and her powers.
Amara is a Curser who is working for the First Lord, Gaius as she has done for much of her life. She's a clever character who knows how to act quickly and do her job well. She's very competent and one of the best wind Fury controllers out there when it comes to flight. She's loyal to Gaius beyond a doubt, and she's happy to accompany him on a very mysterious mission without too much explanation.
Despite all this she has a secret which is to do with the man she loves. She's trying to fulfil her role to Gais at all times, but sometimes she wishes things were different and Curser's could get married and live a simple life...
Marcus is a member within the troops working with Tavi. He's a man who has a very shady past, but due to some events of the previous books his earlier alliances with the Aquitine's may now be tested and he's not sure who he should root for. He's manipulative and very good at guessing what may come to pass so he's a dangerous character to be on the wrong side of. He also doesn't like to be controlled. His story certainly interested me a lot more as the book went on and we saw him as a more major viewpoint character.
Kitai was, once more, my favourite character as she's quick and sharp in all senses of the words. She's funny and can make jokes, but she's also been raised in a way that's very different from the people of Alera because she's a Marat. She's fun to read about and imagine and I feel like she's the sort of person you'd like to be friends with (because being her enemy would be deadly).
Finally Gaius himself deserves a fair mention as he's one of the most powerful men in all of the land with many Furies under his command and a long time of ruling and experience. He's a fairly old man by this point of the story but the events of the ongoing conflicts from two sides have forced him to act and take matters into his own hands. At some points of this book his frailty was wonderfully shown and at others his power and immense strength of will and magic was also brilliantly shown. Overall I think he's a bit of a bad-ass :)
On the whole this book was just the type of book I was looking for right now. It was fun, fast-paced and a return to character I already knew and enjoyed. Slipping back into the world was very easy and it felt like I could remember everything that I needed to even though it had been a fair time since I last picked up the book before. I thoroughly enjoyed the read through for this and would give it a 5* rating. Recommended as a very fun and fast high fantasy series.
This is set in a world where magic is the norm and everyone has at least one weak Fury (kind of a magic spirit). If you are very proficient with the Fury or Furies that you control and use then it's more likely that you're a noble or someone who has a position of power, although some keep the true extent of their powers hidden.
There are three major races in this book who we follow. The Aleran's are the main race that most of our central character's are from. We then have the Marat race which is largely based on tribes and customs, and have very different ways to the Aleran's. Finally we have the Canim who are a super large wolf-like race. They're often seen as the 'bad-guys' and in this book they're against the Aleran's, but some of them are more reasonable than others.
So this story once more follows Tavi as the lead character with others also taking leading roles. Tavi is a young man by the time we meet him in this book and he's been masquerading as Scipio, the young Captain leading troops against the Canim. The war against the Canim has been going on for a while and it's only now that Alera are at full strength and ready to really take them on (and *hopefully* win). Tavi is stuck leading troops and soldiers whilst all around him people are jealous of his position and envious of the men loyal to him. He's in a fair few deadly situations and close calls across the book, but this doesn't stop him from showing us his determination and skilful planning, and resourcefulness when things (inevitably) go wrong.
Isana is Tavi's aunt and has basically cared for him from his birth. She's one of the closest people to him, but she's kept a secret about his heritage for a long long time, and she's reluctant to tell Tavi even though he's now old enough. This secret has been the worry of her life, and she's tense and worried about his reaction to it. She's also kind of a pawn in another's game (Lady Aquitine) who wants her to do her bidding in return for earlier help. Overall Isana is also put into some tough predicaments, yet she actually relishes these once they're done with and the unburdening seems to help her expand herself and her powers.
Amara is a Curser who is working for the First Lord, Gaius as she has done for much of her life. She's a clever character who knows how to act quickly and do her job well. She's very competent and one of the best wind Fury controllers out there when it comes to flight. She's loyal to Gaius beyond a doubt, and she's happy to accompany him on a very mysterious mission without too much explanation.
Despite all this she has a secret which is to do with the man she loves. She's trying to fulfil her role to Gais at all times, but sometimes she wishes things were different and Curser's could get married and live a simple life...
Marcus is a member within the troops working with Tavi. He's a man who has a very shady past, but due to some events of the previous books his earlier alliances with the Aquitine's may now be tested and he's not sure who he should root for. He's manipulative and very good at guessing what may come to pass so he's a dangerous character to be on the wrong side of. He also doesn't like to be controlled. His story certainly interested me a lot more as the book went on and we saw him as a more major viewpoint character.
Kitai was, once more, my favourite character as she's quick and sharp in all senses of the words. She's funny and can make jokes, but she's also been raised in a way that's very different from the people of Alera because she's a Marat. She's fun to read about and imagine and I feel like she's the sort of person you'd like to be friends with (because being her enemy would be deadly).
Finally Gaius himself deserves a fair mention as he's one of the most powerful men in all of the land with many Furies under his command and a long time of ruling and experience. He's a fairly old man by this point of the story but the events of the ongoing conflicts from two sides have forced him to act and take matters into his own hands. At some points of this book his frailty was wonderfully shown and at others his power and immense strength of will and magic was also brilliantly shown. Overall I think he's a bit of a bad-ass :)
On the whole this book was just the type of book I was looking for right now. It was fun, fast-paced and a return to character I already knew and enjoyed. Slipping back into the world was very easy and it felt like I could remember everything that I needed to even though it had been a fair time since I last picked up the book before. I thoroughly enjoyed the read through for this and would give it a 5* rating. Recommended as a very fun and fast high fantasy series.
This was a great book in this series. A lot more of the politics and Tavi being Tavi. The struggles in this book, things done in war, for duty, for family and love. I appreciate that Butcher’s characters are always conflicted, always in the grey.
Required statement in every review of this series: why did I wait so long to read this series?!?!!!? I still want to see a Tavi and Harry buddy comedy book. Saving empires, saving worlds, saving Chicago, battling evil together, pissing off fae and various high lords. Kitai and Molly would be fierce together.
Required statement in every review of this series: why did I wait so long to read this series?!?!!!? I still want to see a Tavi and Harry buddy comedy book. Saving empires, saving worlds, saving Chicago, battling evil together, pissing off fae and various high lords. Kitai and Molly would be fierce together.
Just as wonderful as the last! It's not every day you find a series where each sequel is just as good if not better than the first book. I'm loving every minute of this series.
Well. I was surprised and pleased by this one! It made me cry, in a specific part. The characters continue to evolve and change and become more (or less, perhaps). The bit with the leviathans was awesome. I'm particularly pleased at Isana's evolution and look forward to her continued character unfolding. This one was super good.
2024 Re-Read Update: Genuinely a masterclass in momentum building and when the momentous moment arrives, it feels very well-earned
I enjoyed this book a lot! Tavi is really starting to come into his own and own his identity (spoilers, so I won’t say more). You get such a view of his growth in this book. He also plays such an interesting role with the Canim, and yet again, we get to see Tavi’s heart while he learns about others instead of making assumptions as most of the rest of the Alerans do. (Again, spoilers, so I won’t add more detail to that.) It was also interesting to see more of Gaius. He’s been talked about so much but played almost behind the scenes roles in previous books. A lot of things are changing right as this book ends, so I’ll be curious to see what happens next! Can’t wait to read book 5 but sort of waiting for Nick to catch up.
8.5 of 10 for enjoyment and 3 of 5 for readability. Edge of your seat ride most of the way!
-Holly
8.5 of 10 for enjoyment and 3 of 5 for readability. Edge of your seat ride most of the way!
-Holly
