Scan barcode
phyrre's review against another edition
3.0
You can read my full review for this (as well as the rest of the series) at my blog, The Writerly Way, here.
Thanks to NetGalley and Interstellar Flight Press for an eARC in exchange for an honest, unbiased review.
So, this book is a collection of short stories meant to be companions to The Assassin’s Curse series. Overall, the collection was short and sweet, and it was a little hit or miss, but it did provide some more background into the characters in the series that I really wanted more from.
✦ The Manticore’s Vow ✦
★★☆☆☆
I actually expected to like this one more than I did, because the manticore was my favorite character. But it really ended up raising more questions than it answered, which was a bit annoying.
The biggest question I had was, how old is the manticore supposed to be in this, anyway? She acted extremely young, like around what we humans might consider a five-year-old.
The peek behind the scenes of the island the manticores lived on and a little into their social structure and life was interesting, but fairly shallow. I wanted to know more. She goes on a bit of an adventure with another manticore, but I don’t really know anything about him. And they do end up finding something at the end of their quest, but it's never explained what it is or does, and then it's just completely forgotten. The whole story revolves around this little “quest,” so the fact that it didn’t pan out to anything was a bit disappointing.
What I did like was that we got to see the wizard and how the manticore ended up with him.
✦ The Automaton’s Treasure ✦
★★★☆☆
This story felt like it started too late and ended too early. Let me explain.
The Automatron’s Treasure picks up right after Marjani’s exile, so we don’t actually get to see the exile happen. Would’ve loved to have seen it play out, but fine. Post-exile Marjani was interesting, too, because she was a noble who suddenly found herself disowned and sent away.
If you’re wondering how Marjani becomes a pirate, this short story answers it for you … sort of. This is where it gets into the idea that it ended too early. It felt like the tale wasn’t fully told. There’s a little quest going on, which was cute and neat, but there was all this danger and warnings, and then … it ended. Like it was all no big deal. Except that at the point where it ends, Marjani is still in danger. So rather than wrap up, I felt more like it just stopped.
✦ The Witch’s Betrayal ✦
★★★☆☆
WE FIND OUT HOW NAJI RECEIVED HIS SCARS. YES, PLEASE. I was dying to know this throughout the series, since it played such a freaking big role in the way Naji viewed himself.
Confession: I have absolutely no idea why Naji fell in love with Leila except that she's beautiful. That’s quite literally all she has going for her. There's no chemistry between them other than being FWB. Emphasis on the benefits part, and less on the friends. Maybe more like acquaintances with benefits?
The actual how behind Naji’s scars makes sense, and I thought that was pretty well done. There’s also a little bit more background about assassins and what it means to Naji, at least, to be an assassin. I still don’t know much about his history (and I do sort of want to know more about how he came to be in the Order), but this nicely filled in a few things I was pretty curious about.
Thanks to NetGalley and Interstellar Flight Press for an eARC in exchange for an honest, unbiased review.
So, this book is a collection of short stories meant to be companions to The Assassin’s Curse series. Overall, the collection was short and sweet, and it was a little hit or miss, but it did provide some more background into the characters in the series that I really wanted more from.
✦ The Manticore’s Vow ✦
★★☆☆☆
I actually expected to like this one more than I did, because the manticore was my favorite character. But it really ended up raising more questions than it answered, which was a bit annoying.
The biggest question I had was, how old is the manticore supposed to be in this, anyway? She acted extremely young, like around what we humans might consider a five-year-old.
The peek behind the scenes of the island the manticores lived on and a little into their social structure and life was interesting, but fairly shallow. I wanted to know more. She goes on a bit of an adventure with another manticore, but I don’t really know anything about him. And they do end up finding something at the end of their quest, but it's never explained what it is or does, and then it's just completely forgotten. The whole story revolves around this little “quest,” so the fact that it didn’t pan out to anything was a bit disappointing.
What I did like was that we got to see the wizard and how the manticore ended up with him.
✦ The Automaton’s Treasure ✦
★★★☆☆
This story felt like it started too late and ended too early. Let me explain.
The Automatron’s Treasure picks up right after Marjani’s exile, so we don’t actually get to see the exile happen. Would’ve loved to have seen it play out, but fine. Post-exile Marjani was interesting, too, because she was a noble who suddenly found herself disowned and sent away.
If you’re wondering how Marjani becomes a pirate, this short story answers it for you … sort of. This is where it gets into the idea that it ended too early. It felt like the tale wasn’t fully told. There’s a little quest going on, which was cute and neat, but there was all this danger and warnings, and then … it ended. Like it was all no big deal. Except that at the point where it ends, Marjani is still in danger. So rather than wrap up, I felt more like it just stopped.
✦ The Witch’s Betrayal ✦
★★★☆☆
WE FIND OUT HOW NAJI RECEIVED HIS SCARS. YES, PLEASE. I was dying to know this throughout the series, since it played such a freaking big role in the way Naji viewed himself.
Confession: I have absolutely no idea why Naji fell in love with Leila except that she's beautiful. That’s quite literally all she has going for her. There's no chemistry between them other than being FWB. Emphasis on the benefits part, and less on the friends. Maybe more like acquaintances with benefits?
The actual how behind Naji’s scars makes sense, and I thought that was pretty well done. There’s also a little bit more background about assassins and what it means to Naji, at least, to be an assassin. I still don’t know much about his history (and I do sort of want to know more about how he came to be in the Order), but this nicely filled in a few things I was pretty curious about.
annarella's review
4.0
I'm happy I requested this ARC because I discovered a new to me exciting series.
This is an excellent book with an interesting world building and fleshed out characters.
The stories are engrossing and entertaining.
I had some issues because I didn't read the other book in this series and I think missed something.
It was a good reading experience, recommended!
Many thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for this ARC, all opinions are mine.
This is an excellent book with an interesting world building and fleshed out characters.
The stories are engrossing and entertaining.
I had some issues because I didn't read the other book in this series and I think missed something.
It was a good reading experience, recommended!
Many thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for this ARC, all opinions are mine.
brocc's review
3.0
I haven't read any Cassandra Rose Clarke before, so this was a bit of an introduction. The stories were so fantastical- I loved the premises and the character styles, and I thought it was very inventive. However, I didn't gel well with Clarke's writing style, and I found I could never quite immerse myself in the story. This could possibly be because of my aforementioned in experience with her work - I was very aware that perhaps these stories continued or were more fleshed out in her novels, and so it always felt like I was missing something.
Still, a fun little collection to while away a day with.
(I received a review copy of this from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. Thank you!)
Still, a fun little collection to while away a day with.
(I received a review copy of this from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. Thank you!)
wanderingwordsmith's review against another edition
4.0
This book is a collection of three short stories in Cassandra Rose Clarke's Magic of Blood and Sea universe. I really enjoyed Clarke's writing style and the way she's given voices and personalities to these characters. My favorite of the collection was definitely The Automaton's Treasure as it really felt like you got to know Marjani without really getting the full story of her past. I feel like this is a great taste of the world and if you've read the novels, then it would expand upon it. All three stories were enjoyable and entertaining, so it was a solid read.
annarella's review against another edition
4.0
I'm happy I requested this ARC because I discovered a new to me exciting series.
This is an excellent book with an interesting world building and fleshed out characters.
The stories are engrossing and entertaining.
I had some issues because I didn't read the other book in this series and I think missed something.
It was a good reading experience, recommended!
Many thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for this ARC, all opinions are mine.
This is an excellent book with an interesting world building and fleshed out characters.
The stories are engrossing and entertaining.
I had some issues because I didn't read the other book in this series and I think missed something.
It was a good reading experience, recommended!
Many thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for this ARC, all opinions are mine.
brocc's review against another edition
3.0
I haven't read any Cassandra Rose Clarke before, so this was a bit of an introduction. The stories were so fantastical- I loved the premises and the character styles, and I thought it was very inventive. However, I didn't gel well with Clarke's writing style, and I found I could never quite immerse myself in the story. This could possibly be because of my aforementioned in experience with her work - I was very aware that perhaps these stories continued or were more fleshed out in her novels, and so it always felt like I was missing something.
Still, a fun little collection to while away a day with.
(I received a review copy of this from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. Thank you!)
Still, a fun little collection to while away a day with.
(I received a review copy of this from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. Thank you!)
tsana's review against another edition
3.0
The Manticore's Vow and Other Stories by Cassandra Rose Clarke contains three short stories set in the world of The Assassin's Curse books, recently repackaged as The Magic of Blood and Sea. Although I have read both of the novels in this world, it was several years ago and my memory of them is quite hazy. This means that I was effectively coming to these stories from a stand-alone perspective.
Overall, I found these stories stood alone fine, especially the first two. My favourite story was, without a doubt, “The Automaton’s Treasure”, which hooked me most quickly and kept my attention the best, even though there were times when very little was happening in the story (granted the boring parts of the long sea voyage were skipped over). For the other two stories, I didn’t connect with the protagonists as well and hence did not find myself especially invested in them. My thoughts on each story are given at the end of this review, as per usual.
This book works well as a companion to the longer works set in the same universe while also working alone well. In fact, I suspect a reader unfamiliar with the larger world might not immediately realise that the stories are connected to each other since they take place in different regions of the world. This collection serves as a sampler of the author’s work, but not exactly a good introduction to the novels, since they are about tangential characters. I think it will appeal most to readers who want more from the world after having read the novels.
~
The Manticore’s Vow — Narrated in first person by a manticore, this story follows a young manticore, her human servant and some friends as she misadventures in her father’s kingdom. I enjoyed it well enough, particularly towards the end of the story.
The Automaton’s Treasure — A sea voyage interrupted by pirates and a sentient automaton made this story quite the exciting adventure. I enjoyed it more than the first story in its collection.
The Witch’s Betrayal — An assassin with a difficult kill and an obstruction from someone he had considered a friend. It was OK but nothing special. I think the most strongly linked to the novels in the same world (based on my vague memories).
3.5 / 5 stars
You can read more of my reviews on my blog.
Overall, I found these stories stood alone fine, especially the first two. My favourite story was, without a doubt, “The Automaton’s Treasure”, which hooked me most quickly and kept my attention the best, even though there were times when very little was happening in the story (granted the boring parts of the long sea voyage were skipped over). For the other two stories, I didn’t connect with the protagonists as well and hence did not find myself especially invested in them. My thoughts on each story are given at the end of this review, as per usual.
This book works well as a companion to the longer works set in the same universe while also working alone well. In fact, I suspect a reader unfamiliar with the larger world might not immediately realise that the stories are connected to each other since they take place in different regions of the world. This collection serves as a sampler of the author’s work, but not exactly a good introduction to the novels, since they are about tangential characters. I think it will appeal most to readers who want more from the world after having read the novels.
~
The Manticore’s Vow — Narrated in first person by a manticore, this story follows a young manticore, her human servant and some friends as she misadventures in her father’s kingdom. I enjoyed it well enough, particularly towards the end of the story.
The Automaton’s Treasure — A sea voyage interrupted by pirates and a sentient automaton made this story quite the exciting adventure. I enjoyed it more than the first story in its collection.
The Witch’s Betrayal — An assassin with a difficult kill and an obstruction from someone he had considered a friend. It was OK but nothing special. I think the most strongly linked to the novels in the same world (based on my vague memories).
3.5 / 5 stars
You can read more of my reviews on my blog.
More...