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4.08 AVERAGE
4.08 AVERAGE
Ja heel vet, wereld wordt weer een beetje breder. Soms alleen wel jammer dat er net te veel problemen zijn om op te lossen dus die maar snel afgerond worden.
funny
lighthearted
mysterious
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
adventurous
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
mysterious
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
“It isn't good to hold on too hard to the past. You can't spend your whole life looking back. Not even when you can't see what lies ahead. All you can do is keep on keeping on, and try to believe that tomorrow will be what it should be—even if it isn't what you expected.”
The Duke of the Red Court, Ortega, challenges Harry to a duel to end the war between the White Council and the Red Court once and for all. Harry knows going against such a strong vampire will be fatal, but he accepts it nonetheless to save the people he cares about. In the meantime, Harry is not afforded even one moment of rest. In addition to investigating a few bizarre deaths in the city, he is asked by Father Vincent to retrieve the Shroud that was stolen from the church. And to top it all off, Susan returns. It is one huge ball of chaos with crazy high-stake situations that push and pull Harry in every direction. The unexpected plot twist at the end blew my mind. Altogether, a great recipe to capture and hold my full attention.
I like that more depth is added now that we explore new parts of this universe and meet new characters. The most unexpected character is the Archive. I was as shocked as Harry to discover that she is actually a little girl. Harry renames her Ivy—such a beautiful name! Ivy is the neutral emissary who has been sent for the duel. The supernatural world is very professional, right?For someone possessing all the knowledge and wisdom, it’s almost embarrassing that she didn’t notice Ortega’s attempt to win the duel by cheating.
The character that I liked most is Shiro. He is a brave and wise Knight of the Cross, just like Michael. After meeting Shiro, I realized that I only hated self-righteousness when it came from Michael. Could it be because, in his case, Charity plays a big role—and I find her very annoying? She is very concerned about her husband’s safety, rightly so if I may add, but she blames Harry for putting him in harm’s way. However, being a Knight of the Cross is enough to attract danger. And let's be honest, even if Harry wanted to, he wouldn't be able to keep Michael away. His strong sense of duty would not allow it. So, I find Charity’s intense hostility towards Harry too harsh, but on the other hand, I can also understand that redirecting anger can make life more tolerable. At this point I know too little about the Carpenters to empathize with Charity.
Another new character whom I think will have an interesting arc in the future is Molly. She is the eldest of the Carpenter children which simultaneously means that she is partially responsible for taking care of her younger siblings. This is very common in most families, especially when there is a huge age gap between the eldest and the other children. It does, however, come with its own challenges. We’ve already seen her hidden rebel side when it comes to fashion. I’m curious to see how this will be handled in the series and how it will affect Molly’s bond with her parents.
Lastly, the supernatural villains in this book belong to an organization called ‘The Order of the Denarius’. They are also known as the Fallen. I liked that these creatures are so powerful, yet limited in what they can do without a human host. They want Harry to join them as well and this is only possible after he comes in contact with the coin that contains one of the Fallen. Throughout the story, he rejects their offer, even if it could potentially cost him his life.That is until he touches the coin when he sees little Harry Carpenter nearing it. A very altruistic move, but one that will cost him a lot. I’m interested to see how this ordeal with the Fallen will play out in the next books.
Some of the recurring characters also surprised me a lot. I expected Susan’s returnto have been dictated by the Red Court in order to distract Harry and keep him from connecting all the dots in the midst of chaos. In fact, Susan proves to be essential to Harry’s safety. Without her, he would have been killed already. I like that she can still be of great support to him even when their relationship is so uncertain. In many ways she resembles Murphy. Murphy has changed a lot since the first book, mainly due to her encounters with the underworld. She is more trusting of Harry and is more careful when dealing with the supernatural. I was also enlightened by Marcone’s softer side which is invisible to the outside world. It plays a huge role in humanizing him as a villain. He might be a bad guy for the outside world, but he is a hero for those he loves. This plays well with the overall notion that life is different shades of grey instead of just black and white.
The plot is delivered in a captivating way, albeit on a slow pace. Several clues and insights glimpsed through the main plot, involving for example the Outside and the mystery surrounding Harry’s parents. I need to know what’s going on!
The Duke of the Red Court, Ortega, challenges Harry to a duel to end the war between the White Council and the Red Court once and for all. Harry knows going against such a strong vampire will be fatal, but he accepts it nonetheless to save the people he cares about. In the meantime, Harry is not afforded even one moment of rest. In addition to investigating a few bizarre deaths in the city, he is asked by Father Vincent to retrieve the Shroud that was stolen from the church. And to top it all off, Susan returns. It is one huge ball of chaos with crazy high-stake situations that push and pull Harry in every direction. The unexpected plot twist at the end blew my mind. Altogether, a great recipe to capture and hold my full attention.
I like that more depth is added now that we explore new parts of this universe and meet new characters. The most unexpected character is the Archive. I was as shocked as Harry to discover that she is actually a little girl. Harry renames her Ivy—such a beautiful name! Ivy is the neutral emissary who has been sent for the duel. The supernatural world is very professional, right?
The character that I liked most is Shiro. He is a brave and wise Knight of the Cross, just like Michael. After meeting Shiro, I realized that I only hated self-righteousness when it came from Michael. Could it be because, in his case, Charity plays a big role—and I find her very annoying? She is very concerned about her husband’s safety, rightly so if I may add, but she blames Harry for putting him in harm’s way. However, being a Knight of the Cross is enough to attract danger. And let's be honest, even if Harry wanted to, he wouldn't be able to keep Michael away. His strong sense of duty would not allow it. So, I find Charity’s intense hostility towards Harry too harsh, but on the other hand, I can also understand that redirecting anger can make life more tolerable. At this point I know too little about the Carpenters to empathize with Charity.
Another new character whom I think will have an interesting arc in the future is Molly. She is the eldest of the Carpenter children which simultaneously means that she is partially responsible for taking care of her younger siblings. This is very common in most families, especially when there is a huge age gap between the eldest and the other children. It does, however, come with its own challenges. We’ve already seen her hidden rebel side when it comes to fashion. I’m curious to see how this will be handled in the series and how it will affect Molly’s bond with her parents.
Lastly, the supernatural villains in this book belong to an organization called ‘The Order of the Denarius’. They are also known as the Fallen. I liked that these creatures are so powerful, yet limited in what they can do without a human host. They want Harry to join them as well and this is only possible after he comes in contact with the coin that contains one of the Fallen. Throughout the story, he rejects their offer, even if it could potentially cost him his life.
Some of the recurring characters also surprised me a lot. I expected Susan’s return
The plot is delivered in a captivating way, albeit on a slow pace. Several clues and insights glimpsed through the main plot, involving for example the Outside and the mystery surrounding Harry’s parents. I need to know what’s going on!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Confinement, Death, Sexual content, Torture, Violence, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Terminal illness, Death of parent
adventurous
dark
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
adventurous
dark
emotional
funny
mysterious
tense
fast-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
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-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
funny
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
adventurous
fast-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
I always forget how much I love Michael as a character, but he’s hitting so well this re-read.
This is certainly one of the key plot books, and it IS fun, but I think I like it most for what it sets up to happen in the future. Introducing Ivy and Sonya and the Fellowship and the Denarians, setting up for Changes, the foreshadowing around Ebenezer and Thomas, further fleshing out Marcone. All that is great, and this story is just fine.
This is certainly one of the key plot books, and it IS fun, but I think I like it most for what it sets up to happen in the future. Introducing Ivy and Sonya and the Fellowship and the Denarians, setting up for Changes, the foreshadowing around Ebenezer and Thomas, further fleshing out Marcone. All that is great, and this story is just fine.
Content Warnings
Minor: Racial slurs, Racism
challenging
dark
mysterious
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:
Yes