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xvicesx's review against another edition
5.0
It was good to finally have a new installment in this series. As we've already been accusomed to, there was great writing, some happy moments and some gut wrenching moments.
I liked that Celia was moving on with things, that she wasn't deterred by the things which have happened to her. I also liked that the characters mentioned throughout were vivid, nearly alive and given a good chance to play out as well as the appropriate honours when their song ended. It was very much what we should expect from Cat Adams, because she's amazing at it.
I didn't particularly like, as others have noted, some of the drawbacks that Celia has had in this book. I agree that there should be people fearful of Celia's power but in any world there should be balance and there seems to be too much hate of Celia and never any fanatics who think she's amazing. There's hardly anyone with respect for her which she hasn't had to earn and that, even then, is given begrudgingly. It gets a bit tiresome and, above all else, harder to defend. With that kind of anti-Celia sentiment, I would have expected her to be locked up already - people who hate and fear usually demand witch hunts..
I also felt that it was a great disappointment to have John Creede mentioned a fair few times in the book and for him to never actually show up. When Dottie said that there was an ally for every enemy, my mind conjured the mage as an obvious ally at her side. But seeing as he was only used to draw power here and there, it seemed as though there was no point in bothering to mention him at all. John Creede needs screen time and space relative to his importance throughout this series - if I had picked up this book randomly and read it without any context, I'd never have known the blood and sweat and tears that Creede has poured for Celia. So in this aspect, I feel very much affronted. I can only wonder if it wasn't Cat after all who had wanted Creede out of the picture.
Regards Bruno, I must say that even though he had his time to shine, it didn't seem like he did a great lot. And for someone of his power and importance, it again felt like an injustice. But that's done and dusted.
All in all, I'm looking forward to the next book because I'd really love to see where this is headed. I'm sad because it may be that not everybody comes back to this series after the prolonged hiatus and that would be a great injustice in light of the fact that we all know Cat Adams does amazing writing. We'll wait and see.
I liked that Celia was moving on with things, that she wasn't deterred by the things which have happened to her. I also liked that the characters mentioned throughout were vivid, nearly alive and given a good chance to play out as well as the appropriate honours when their song ended. It was very much what we should expect from Cat Adams, because she's amazing at it.
I didn't particularly like, as others have noted, some of the drawbacks that Celia has had in this book. I agree that there should be people fearful of Celia's power but in any world there should be balance and there seems to be too much hate of Celia and never any fanatics who think she's amazing. There's hardly anyone with respect for her which she hasn't had to earn and that, even then, is given begrudgingly. It gets a bit tiresome and, above all else, harder to defend. With that kind of anti-Celia sentiment, I would have expected her to be locked up already - people who hate and fear usually demand witch hunts..
I also felt that it was a great disappointment to have John Creede mentioned a fair few times in the book and for him to never actually show up. When Dottie said that there was an ally for every enemy, my mind conjured the mage as an obvious ally at her side. But seeing as he was only used to draw power here and there, it seemed as though there was no point in bothering to mention him at all. John Creede needs screen time and space relative to his importance throughout this series - if I had picked up this book randomly and read it without any context, I'd never have known the blood and sweat and tears that Creede has poured for Celia. So in this aspect, I feel very much affronted. I can only wonder if it wasn't Cat after all who had wanted Creede out of the picture.
Regards Bruno, I must say that even though he had his time to shine, it didn't seem like he did a great lot. And for someone of his power and importance, it again felt like an injustice. But that's done and dusted.
All in all, I'm looking forward to the next book because I'd really love to see where this is headed. I'm sad because it may be that not everybody comes back to this series after the prolonged hiatus and that would be a great injustice in light of the fact that we all know Cat Adams does amazing writing. We'll wait and see.
andimontgomery's review against another edition
3.0
3.5 stars. I was excited to finally be able to read Celia's next installment after a three-year wait. While I went into this knowing the writing duo who brought us the first six books had split, I was somewhat apprehensive at how C.T. Adams would manage this solo. And while the writing and plot kept me anxiously turning the pages, I felt like a teeny bit of the prior magic was missing in this one.
For one, Celia's friends are around, but Bruno is in NJ with his ailing mother, and they only communicate infrequently and telepathically. Creade is nowhere to be found. That made me kind of sad, since I really love Creade's character. Celia also seems to have constant run-ins with the law, which was somewhat draining to this reader.
But as I said before, the writing and plot kept this going. And I really love Celia. She's just a rock. In this one, Celia agrees to help a mage (Guardian) who needs to recapture a djinn who was released. And their effort isn't without peril. Everything moves very fast in this one.
The ending holds promise, and I'll most certainly be there to read the next one.
For one, Celia's friends are around, but Bruno is in NJ with his ailing mother, and they only communicate infrequently and telepathically. Creade is nowhere to be found. That made me kind of sad, since I really love Creade's character. Celia also seems to have constant run-ins with the law, which was somewhat draining to this reader.
But as I said before, the writing and plot kept this going. And I really love Celia. She's just a rock. In this one, Celia agrees to help a mage (Guardian) who needs to recapture a djinn who was released. And their effort isn't without peril. Everything moves very fast in this one.
Spoiler
There is a whammy of a death in All Your Wishes. Steel yourself, as it will hurt. But I was able to somewhat remove myself from it, because the death occurred outside of Celia's immediate activities. And honestly, I feel it WAS entirely necessary to continue her story in a different direction.The ending holds promise, and I'll most certainly be there to read the next one.