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auora1484's review
adventurous
mysterious
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.5
rebeccazh's review against another edition
What a great book. Possible review to come.
isaacrubberducky's review against another edition
3.0
I really liked the first two books in the world of five gods, but this one was so slow. The other ones started slow and picked up, but this one doesn't until the very end.
That being said, if you are really into the world building, this book certainly expands a lot on that (but again, not really until the end)
That being said, if you are really into the world building, this book certainly expands a lot on that (but again, not really until the end)
elros451's review against another edition
3.0
This is still everything that Bujold does fantastically well; a well put together cast of protaganists, a compelling magic, romance riddled plot and prose thats never not fun to read. But just like Paladin of Souls it has pacing issues in the back half of the book. The first 150 pages are such a good hook for a story that eventually does deliver what you expect it to but it never really goes beyond what is set up in the beginning and feels like its dragging those early plot points across the finish line by the end.
chirson's review against another edition
4.0
I picked this book up in August, but my mood just wasn't right then; the world was bright and full of buzz and energy, and I was busy and lacked the attention span this novel demanded.
It's a very difficult book for me to review because it is quite a bit more complex than it seems on the surface (and it reads light even though it is far from being slight!). Very few things about it match what they seem at first. It zigs when you think it would zag. It is a novel that has very little action and yet things keep happening; it is a romance between a man and a woman but the greatest tension is found between male characters; there's a lot of humour and it reads like a breeze, but it's also thoughtfully spinning a metaphor about how trauma of genocide and destruction of a culture and a religion can hold over hundreds of years. And how things and people survive despite many difficulties.
I loved the two previous novels in the World of the Five Gods, but this one really made me fall in love with the world Bujold built; I one-clicked the first Penric novella the moment I finished reading this (she exaggerated but only slightly).
It's a very difficult book for me to review because it is quite a bit more complex than it seems on the surface (and it reads light even though it is far from being slight!). Very few things about it match what they seem at first. It zigs when you think it would zag. It is a novel that has very little action and yet things keep happening; it is a romance between a man and a woman but the greatest tension is found between male characters; there's a lot of humour and it reads like a breeze, but it's also thoughtfully spinning a metaphor about how trauma of genocide and destruction of a culture and a religion can hold over hundreds of years. And how things and people survive despite many difficulties.
I loved the two previous novels in the World of the Five Gods, but this one really made me fall in love with the world Bujold built; I one-clicked the first Penric novella the moment I finished reading this (she exaggerated but only slightly).
glitterbomb47's review against another edition
4.0
4.5 stars. I hope that Bujold will write another Chalion book. Such a good series.
mantissabolt's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
kcirtap's review against another edition
emotional
mysterious
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
saoki's review against another edition
4.0
Beautiful, if not the best in the series. The thing is, even when not at her best, Lois McMaster Bujold is a fantastic writer and knows very well how to make me laugh and cry.
Thoroughly enjoyed.
Thoroughly enjoyed.
fleurhoplof's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
lighthearted
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
2.5