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kathydavie's review against another edition
4.0
Second in the Age of Legends fantasy series for young young adults and revolving around twin girls, the Keeper and the Seeker. The focus is on Moria, Tyrus, and Gavril.
My Take
Honor runs amuck in the Age of Legends. Some have too much, some are torn between competing honors, and others have none at all. It comes with a slight flavor of Oriental culture with its emperors and concubines and its concerns with the ancestors. It also merges with European culture with its using the ruler's children to cement alliances.
It's a complicated story of strategy, politics, relationships, and that difficult honor. Tyrus must step lightly to avoid drawing attention to his plans while Moria helps in the deception but refuses to allow him to participate — for her honor.
One of the best parts of the story is Tyrus. He's capable of being both amiable friend and strict instructor.
Guin evolves in this from the singleminded girl with the intention of marrying well to one who empathizes with her new friends. Too bad it doesn't last.
I can sort of understand those guards taking prisoner those who had intended to sign up with Kitsune, but why take the women? Ah, never mind…that makes sense. Disgusting, but effective.
The Story
No word is coming back from Fairview, nor any spies, and Emperor Tatsu sets Prince Tyrus the task of treating with the traitor, Alvar Kitsune. He will head a mission with Moria and Ashyn. A mission that is doomed.
And there is still worse to come as the rumors circulate. Of Moria betraying the prince with her lover. Of the prince running from the field of battle…
The Characters
Moria and Ashyn are twins and the Keeper and Seeker of Edgewood in the northern part of the empire. Daigo is Moria's bond-beast, a huge black Wildcat of the Immortals. Tova is Ashyn's bond-beast, a Hound of the Immortals.
Ronan is a casteless young man who had been imprisoned in the Forest of the Dead in Sea of Shadows, 1. Aidra and Jorn are his siblings.
The very diplomatic and clever Prince Tyrus is a bastard son of Emperor Jiro Tatsu and must be careful of his ambitions, as the legitimate sons "take care" of those who aspire. Gavril had been his friend. His religious mother, Maiko, is the emperor's first concubine and gave her son an amulet. The emperor has four legitimate sons, two legitimate daughters, and eight or so more who were born of his concubines. Then there are the palace courtesans who can be lent out to guests without wives.
The court Seeker is Ellyn while the Keeper is her twin, Thea. Neither wants the girls in the city, let alone at court. Lysias is a sorcerer and one of the emperor's private guard. Marshall Mujina leads the emperor's armies.
Fairview is…
…the town to which Prince Tyrus and his caravan travel. Simeon of Mistvale, Assistant to Katsumoto, a great scholar, is rather oblivious and vengeful. The guards include the recently married Kinuye and Reynard whose young son won his first tournament. Guin is a spirit, one of the vengeful dead, who has wandered long. And she has the most horrible story to tell.
Lord Goro Okami, a.k.a., the Gray Wolf, is a warlord with whom Prince Tyrus lived for some years. Dalain is his unthinking son. Lady Okami is court-born and not at all timid, well, she is cousin to the emperor. Sabre is the daughter of a local bandit leader, er, um, a nomadic tribal chieftain.
Penitents belong to various religions that require suffering. Ivo is of the Order of Kushin, which prefers to self-mummify.
Edgewood was…
…Moria and Ashyn's home where, as the Keeper and Seeker, they guarded the Forest of the Dead, which is filled with spirits into which the exiled and convicted are thrust. If they survive, they are freed.
The Sultan of Nemeth and the King of Etaria, minor principalities, have been close friends of Alvar's.
Alvar Kitsune had been a marshal of the empire before being branded a coward and exiled. Gavril Kitsune is his traitorous son. Rametta is Alvar's old nursemaid. Barthol commands Kitsune's army. Fyren is another of his men. Halmond is the nasty guard. Brom, another of the guards, is of the Inugami clan; Orbec was his uncle.
Warlord Jorojumo has a compound near Riverside. Lord Kuro Tanuki and his son are at the betrothal feast. Asano Bakenko is another warlord. Edwyn of Coldwall is Ashyn and Moria's grandfather.
Serving the ancestral spirits, a Seeker puts the spirits of the dead at rest through rituals and ceremonies while the Keeper protects the ancestors and the living from evil spirits. Shadow stalkers are the spirits of the dead, animating their own bodies and killing everyone and anyone they see.
The Cover and Title
The cover is DARK! It's a red-eyed black and smoky fiend dog racing through the misty forest deep in the night. The smoky darkness descends into total darkness at the bottom, a perfect foil for the pale gold embossed title. At the top is the author's name in white.
The title is our dip into Alvar Kitsune's world, his Empire of Night.
My Take
Honor runs amuck in the Age of Legends. Some have too much, some are torn between competing honors, and others have none at all. It comes with a slight flavor of Oriental culture with its emperors and concubines and its concerns with the ancestors. It also merges with European culture with its using the ruler's children to cement alliances.
It's a complicated story of strategy, politics, relationships, and that difficult honor. Tyrus must step lightly to avoid drawing attention to his plans while Moria helps in the deception but refuses to allow him to participate — for her honor.
"Just heed me a little, now and then. … If only to make me feel like an equal partner."The emperor certainly does have a lot of balls in the air. And true to form, our protagonists want it all done NOW. It doesn't help that the court wants the Keeper and Seeker to stay within the palace, and that the girls are not into the sorts of entertainment they're offered.
One of the best parts of the story is Tyrus. He's capable of being both amiable friend and strict instructor.
"Please tell me I didn't shriek. And if I did? Remember I am of Imperial lineage. Lie to me."Moria and Ashyn have learned some smarts, but they still keep making some truly stupid moves. Ashyn and her whining back and forth about Ronan's kiss, her wanting to leap out and tell the truth at the inn, to rescue Guin. Moria and her spacing out at the fiend dogs. Oy…
Guin evolves in this from the singleminded girl with the intention of marrying well to one who empathizes with her new friends. Too bad it doesn't last.
I can sort of understand those guards taking prisoner those who had intended to sign up with Kitsune, but why take the women? Ah, never mind…that makes sense. Disgusting, but effective.
The Story
No word is coming back from Fairview, nor any spies, and Emperor Tatsu sets Prince Tyrus the task of treating with the traitor, Alvar Kitsune. He will head a mission with Moria and Ashyn. A mission that is doomed.
And there is still worse to come as the rumors circulate. Of Moria betraying the prince with her lover. Of the prince running from the field of battle…
The Characters
Moria and Ashyn are twins and the Keeper and Seeker of Edgewood in the northern part of the empire. Daigo is Moria's bond-beast, a huge black Wildcat of the Immortals. Tova is Ashyn's bond-beast, a Hound of the Immortals.
Ronan is a casteless young man who had been imprisoned in the Forest of the Dead in Sea of Shadows, 1. Aidra and Jorn are his siblings.
The very diplomatic and clever Prince Tyrus is a bastard son of Emperor Jiro Tatsu and must be careful of his ambitions, as the legitimate sons "take care" of those who aspire. Gavril had been his friend. His religious mother, Maiko, is the emperor's first concubine and gave her son an amulet. The emperor has four legitimate sons, two legitimate daughters, and eight or so more who were born of his concubines. Then there are the palace courtesans who can be lent out to guests without wives.
The court Seeker is Ellyn while the Keeper is her twin, Thea. Neither wants the girls in the city, let alone at court. Lysias is a sorcerer and one of the emperor's private guard. Marshall Mujina leads the emperor's armies.
Fairview is…
…the town to which Prince Tyrus and his caravan travel. Simeon of Mistvale, Assistant to Katsumoto, a great scholar, is rather oblivious and vengeful. The guards include the recently married Kinuye and Reynard whose young son won his first tournament. Guin is a spirit, one of the vengeful dead, who has wandered long. And she has the most horrible story to tell.
Lord Goro Okami, a.k.a., the Gray Wolf, is a warlord with whom Prince Tyrus lived for some years. Dalain is his unthinking son. Lady Okami is court-born and not at all timid, well, she is cousin to the emperor. Sabre is the daughter of a local bandit leader, er, um, a nomadic tribal chieftain.
Penitents belong to various religions that require suffering. Ivo is of the Order of Kushin, which prefers to self-mummify.
Edgewood was…
…Moria and Ashyn's home where, as the Keeper and Seeker, they guarded the Forest of the Dead, which is filled with spirits into which the exiled and convicted are thrust. If they survive, they are freed.
The Sultan of Nemeth and the King of Etaria, minor principalities, have been close friends of Alvar's.
Alvar Kitsune had been a marshal of the empire before being branded a coward and exiled. Gavril Kitsune is his traitorous son. Rametta is Alvar's old nursemaid. Barthol commands Kitsune's army. Fyren is another of his men. Halmond is the nasty guard. Brom, another of the guards, is of the Inugami clan; Orbec was his uncle.
Warlord Jorojumo has a compound near Riverside. Lord Kuro Tanuki and his son are at the betrothal feast. Asano Bakenko is another warlord. Edwyn of Coldwall is Ashyn and Moria's grandfather.
Serving the ancestral spirits, a Seeker puts the spirits of the dead at rest through rituals and ceremonies while the Keeper protects the ancestors and the living from evil spirits. Shadow stalkers are the spirits of the dead, animating their own bodies and killing everyone and anyone they see.
The Cover and Title
The cover is DARK! It's a red-eyed black and smoky fiend dog racing through the misty forest deep in the night. The smoky darkness descends into total darkness at the bottom, a perfect foil for the pale gold embossed title. At the top is the author's name in white.
The title is our dip into Alvar Kitsune's world, his Empire of Night.
yodamom's review against another edition
4.0
Betrayals, beasties, ghosts, political plays, and a love triangle.
If you have not read book 1 you must before you you read this one you will be lost.
It was an intense edition to the series. Moria is really put through hard times and suffers awhile trying to find the children taken from her destroyed village. She is used as a pawn. Tyrus and her are labeled as traitors and Asyln and her must be separated.
First let's get to the triangle. I do enjoy a well played triangle with two good choices each having specials bits to offer. Who wouldn't want two gorgeous men to pick from ?Moria with Tyrus or Gavril ? The last book I was Rah Rah **Team Gavril** till that thing happened, I was left with my mouth hanging open and a serious case of the doubts. He was really the one for her, right ? I though so till the book where we get to know the fabulously-sexy and steamy kisser Prince Tyrus. I am so fickle, I know. Tyrus, is kind, he listens, he observes, he respects, and he likes Moria for who she is, and he's a prince. So now I'm Rah Rah **Team Tyrus** I want Tyrus to win the girl ! I think.
So what happened to the children from the girls village in book one ? We still don't know. There were traps set lies told and they are still gone. What was Gavril's reason for what he did ? We still don't know. This was the only part of the story that left me a bit pissy. He had chances to reveal his reasoning, but he was cut off or he skirted the truth till it was too late to tell it. REALLY ??!?!?! Lack of ability to share your information just makes me angry. At this point I just wanted Gavril to be bad and go away.
Ashlyn and Ronan are still held to gather by the feelings that either will discuss or even consider. Ronan, puts his life on the line for her and she is willing to risk her safety for his happiness. He reveals a secret about his families position that is heartbreaking. I hope he gets his wish I would love to see these two end up together.
The ending ?!?!?!?!??!?!??! Ms. Armstrong I have enough gray hairs already take it easy on the cliffhanger endings ! Holy tied knots what and ending.
Where is book 3 ? How long must I suffer ?
If you have not read book 1 you must before you you read this one you will be lost.
It was an intense edition to the series. Moria is really put through hard times and suffers awhile trying to find the children taken from her destroyed village. She is used as a pawn. Tyrus and her are labeled as traitors and Asyln and her must be separated.
First let's get to the triangle. I do enjoy a well played triangle with two good choices each having specials bits to offer. Who wouldn't want two gorgeous men to pick from ?Moria with Tyrus or Gavril ? The last book I was Rah Rah **Team Gavril** till that thing happened, I was left with my mouth hanging open and a serious case of the doubts. He was really the one for her, right ? I though so till the book where we get to know the fabulously-sexy and steamy kisser Prince Tyrus. I am so fickle, I know. Tyrus, is kind, he listens, he observes, he respects, and he likes Moria for who she is, and he's a prince. So now I'm Rah Rah **Team Tyrus** I want Tyrus to win the girl ! I think.
So what happened to the children from the girls village in book one ? We still don't know. There were traps set lies told and they are still gone. What was Gavril's reason for what he did ? We still don't know. This was the only part of the story that left me a bit pissy. He had chances to reveal his reasoning, but he was cut off or he skirted the truth till it was too late to tell it. REALLY ??!?!?! Lack of ability to share your information just makes me angry. At this point I just wanted Gavril to be bad and go away.
Ashlyn and Ronan are still held to gather by the feelings that either will discuss or even consider. Ronan, puts his life on the line for her and she is willing to risk her safety for his happiness. He reveals a secret about his families position that is heartbreaking. I hope he gets his wish I would love to see these two end up together.
The ending ?!?!?!?!??!?!??! Ms. Armstrong I have enough gray hairs already take it easy on the cliffhanger endings ! Holy tied knots what and ending.
Where is book 3 ? How long must I suffer ?
mysta's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
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? No
3.5
freadomlibrary's review against another edition
4.0
This review was originally posted at https://freadomlibrary.wordpress.com/
Check out my series review here: https://freadomlibrary.wordpress.com/2017/02/20/series-review-age-of-legends-by-kelley-armstrong/
Critically
Plot – 4 out of 5 stars
This book picked up the pace a bit more and it’s much more action packed as well. Thankfully, there’s much more information on the world and how the empire they live in actually works. It’s still a bit confusing though with this second book, I’m definitely getting the hang of things. There’s more romance in this one, lots of twists and turns and monsters. It was definitely a lot more exciting than the first book.
Writing Style – 4 out of 5 stars
The writing style is, luckily, really easy to read and has a steady pace to go along with the plot. It’s really descriptive and detailed though it can still get kind of confusing sometimes. It’s really verbose and old fashioned. The characters voices sound much older than they are because of the way their empire is. However, the world building has definitely improved in this one and things make much more sense.
Characters – 3.5 out of 5 stars
This is still the section in which I’m struggling with the most in this series which sucks because characters are my favorite parts of books. Though it’s definitely improved from the first book as well.
Moria is really freaking angry in this book. The ending of the last book kind of shook her and she’s now questioning the things she thought were right. She’s hurt and she feels betrayed. However, she’s still smart and confident in who she is and the plot of this book pushes her to become much more open and honest.
While I’m not the biggest fan of Ashyn, I really like the development she had in this book. She’s much more confident and much more outgoing but without losing her personality and the person that she is. She’s still smart and is becoming much more aware of her surroundings but still can’t really fight and is overprotected by some of the male characters.
There are more side characters added in this book, much more than I was expecting, but at the same time, they’re all fleshed out much more than in the first book. I enjoyed that there was much more development for all of the characters.
Emotionally
While the first book in the series was disappointing, this second book improved on a lot of things that I had problems with in that one.
The plot is full of action. We follow Moria and Ashyn who, after sharing their hardships in Edgewood with the emperor, are frustrated with the lack of progress being made to save the children from their home. When they’re sent on a rescue mission, the journey ends up being much harder than they think. I definitely enjoyed this book much more than the first one. The plot has a lot more action and it’s more engaging, I wanted to continue reading and to find out what was happening. There is more traveling in this book as well and we get to see more of the world and the empire that all these characters are living in. I was still confused by a few things, it’s such a complicated world with so many different inspirations for it, but I still think that if helped the plot move much more progressively. In this book, one of the characters becomes a prisoner of the antagonist and it was really interesting to be able to see behind enemy lines. It helped shape the plot much better in my opinion because I could see both perspectives of this potential war that started brewing in the first book. The twins are separated and because of that, we see so much more than in the first book. The empire is vast and the people are very unique to each kind of region and that was also something that helped me understand the world better, to see all these different cultural traditions. However, I’m just not that invested in what happens next. The ending added a new dimension to the plot and to everything that was happening that feels too big to really be resolved in one book. I don’t really know how everything will be wrapped up and I feel like I might not enjoy it.
Moria had more of a spotlight in this book. Her point of view is the more precarious one. I really enjoy her character development. She’s just as harsh and as confrontational as she was in the first book but the things that happened then has affected her personality. She’s so much more mature and is managing to think beyond her emotions and learning to think ahead and strategize. Ashyn has also grown a lot after the events of the first books. She’s much more mature but in a much different way than her sister. Because they are separated, she can’t rely on Moria to help her out of things and she can’t feel threatened or overshadowed by her either. It gives her room to spread her wings and to learn a bit about defending herself and to trust her own instincts because there’s no one there to save her. I really like how even though she’s becoming more vocal and firm, she’s still shy and quiet, she’s grown but she’s not a different person.
I’ll talk briefly about the side characters because this is getting super long. Tyrus is a new character that is introduced in this book and I love him! He’s absolutely amazing and actually really refreshing since his personality is the most positive and upbeat of them all. Ronan frustrated me beyond belief in this book. I wanted to shake him and finally get him to do something and stick to it gosh! Gavril is now annoying me. I don’t like how his characterization is turning out and I don’t want him to be a part of a romance. I hope what I’m imagining doesn’t really happen in the next book.
Overall, I ended up liking this series. It’s definitely not my favorite that the author has done and I had a lot of issues with the way she did her world building and the kind of world that it was. However, I really liked the character development throughout the whole series and I feel like enjoyed it that much more because of how well I think it was done. I like the way everything concluded and I’m looking forward to seeing what else I pick up from this author.
Check out my series review here: https://freadomlibrary.wordpress.com/2017/02/20/series-review-age-of-legends-by-kelley-armstrong/
Critically
Plot – 4 out of 5 stars
This book picked up the pace a bit more and it’s much more action packed as well. Thankfully, there’s much more information on the world and how the empire they live in actually works. It’s still a bit confusing though with this second book, I’m definitely getting the hang of things. There’s more romance in this one, lots of twists and turns and monsters. It was definitely a lot more exciting than the first book.
Writing Style – 4 out of 5 stars
The writing style is, luckily, really easy to read and has a steady pace to go along with the plot. It’s really descriptive and detailed though it can still get kind of confusing sometimes. It’s really verbose and old fashioned. The characters voices sound much older than they are because of the way their empire is. However, the world building has definitely improved in this one and things make much more sense.
Characters – 3.5 out of 5 stars
This is still the section in which I’m struggling with the most in this series which sucks because characters are my favorite parts of books. Though it’s definitely improved from the first book as well.
Moria is really freaking angry in this book. The ending of the last book kind of shook her and she’s now questioning the things she thought were right. She’s hurt and she feels betrayed. However, she’s still smart and confident in who she is and the plot of this book pushes her to become much more open and honest.
While I’m not the biggest fan of Ashyn, I really like the development she had in this book. She’s much more confident and much more outgoing but without losing her personality and the person that she is. She’s still smart and is becoming much more aware of her surroundings but still can’t really fight and is overprotected by some of the male characters.
There are more side characters added in this book, much more than I was expecting, but at the same time, they’re all fleshed out much more than in the first book. I enjoyed that there was much more development for all of the characters.
Emotionally
Spoiler
I’m a fan of Kelley Armstrong and I’ve really loved some of her other series but this one definitely isn’t the best and it definitely doesn’t come close to being a favorite.While the first book in the series was disappointing, this second book improved on a lot of things that I had problems with in that one.
The plot is full of action. We follow Moria and Ashyn who, after sharing their hardships in Edgewood with the emperor, are frustrated with the lack of progress being made to save the children from their home. When they’re sent on a rescue mission, the journey ends up being much harder than they think. I definitely enjoyed this book much more than the first one. The plot has a lot more action and it’s more engaging, I wanted to continue reading and to find out what was happening. There is more traveling in this book as well and we get to see more of the world and the empire that all these characters are living in. I was still confused by a few things, it’s such a complicated world with so many different inspirations for it, but I still think that if helped the plot move much more progressively. In this book, one of the characters becomes a prisoner of the antagonist and it was really interesting to be able to see behind enemy lines. It helped shape the plot much better in my opinion because I could see both perspectives of this potential war that started brewing in the first book. The twins are separated and because of that, we see so much more than in the first book. The empire is vast and the people are very unique to each kind of region and that was also something that helped me understand the world better, to see all these different cultural traditions. However, I’m just not that invested in what happens next. The ending added a new dimension to the plot and to everything that was happening that feels too big to really be resolved in one book. I don’t really know how everything will be wrapped up and I feel like I might not enjoy it.
Moria had more of a spotlight in this book. Her point of view is the more precarious one. I really enjoy her character development. She’s just as harsh and as confrontational as she was in the first book but the things that happened then has affected her personality. She’s so much more mature and is managing to think beyond her emotions and learning to think ahead and strategize. Ashyn has also grown a lot after the events of the first books. She’s much more mature but in a much different way than her sister. Because they are separated, she can’t rely on Moria to help her out of things and she can’t feel threatened or overshadowed by her either. It gives her room to spread her wings and to learn a bit about defending herself and to trust her own instincts because there’s no one there to save her. I really like how even though she’s becoming more vocal and firm, she’s still shy and quiet, she’s grown but she’s not a different person.
I’ll talk briefly about the side characters because this is getting super long. Tyrus is a new character that is introduced in this book and I love him! He’s absolutely amazing and actually really refreshing since his personality is the most positive and upbeat of them all. Ronan frustrated me beyond belief in this book. I wanted to shake him and finally get him to do something and stick to it gosh! Gavril is now annoying me. I don’t like how his characterization is turning out and I don’t want him to be a part of a romance. I hope what I’m imagining doesn’t really happen in the next book.
Overall, I ended up liking this series. It’s definitely not my favorite that the author has done and I had a lot of issues with the way she did her world building and the kind of world that it was. However, I really liked the character development throughout the whole series and I feel like enjoyed it that much more because of how well I think it was done. I like the way everything concluded and I’m looking forward to seeing what else I pick up from this author.
amybraunauthor's review against another edition
5.0
Definitely liked this book more than the sequel. A lot more action and a lot more danger. Still wish a couple characters would get their heads out of their asses (yes, I'm looking at you, Gavril and even Ronan), and the cliffhangers were insane, but I will definitely be picking up the third book.
vampoma's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
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
4.0
sailorkchick's review against another edition
4.0
This one has a better pace than the first book. I like it!
bobbykarmakar's review against another edition
5.0
“This is the sort of thing I grew up with, Ash. To trick people, you prey on their worst fears by weaving a scenario just realistic enough to convince them. No matter what the emperor says, those who wish to see him guilty of this will.”
Having read Sea of Shadows and knowing how that ended, I was very eager to read this sequel and am so glad to see the story progress. Since this is also a trilogy, I’m now anticipating for the third and final book. Especially with that ending, AHH!!
The main reason why I love this book so much is because I needed an escape from the real world; seriously perfect timing! When I first encountered with Kelley’s work, they were her adult novels. I read some and will always fan for her as one of my absolute favourite authors. As well, being a past student of hers in the UofT Summer Writing School: Dark Fantasy class that I took a couple years ago, she used the world in Sea of Shadows when discussing world building. That is what primarily influenced me to pick up Sea of Shadows as my first taste of her writing in the YA category. Simply put, this is the great escape people need when they read fantasy. As for Kelley’s YA writing in general, I'm thrilled to have started with Age of Legends.
Having read Sea of Shadows and knowing how that ended, I was very eager to read this sequel and am so glad to see the story progress. Since this is also a trilogy, I’m now anticipating for the third and final book. Especially with that ending, AHH!!
The main reason why I love this book so much is because I needed an escape from the real world; seriously perfect timing! When I first encountered with Kelley’s work, they were her adult novels. I read some and will always fan for her as one of my absolute favourite authors. As well, being a past student of hers in the UofT Summer Writing School: Dark Fantasy class that I took a couple years ago, she used the world in Sea of Shadows when discussing world building. That is what primarily influenced me to pick up Sea of Shadows as my first taste of her writing in the YA category. Simply put, this is the great escape people need when they read fantasy. As for Kelley’s YA writing in general, I'm thrilled to have started with Age of Legends.
kyillme's review against another edition
3.0
Corny as hell? Yes. Super fun? Also yes. If you’re into the enemies-to-lovers trope you’re going to be able to predict every plot twist 50 pages before it happens, but I’m honestly not even mad about it. It’s just fun to read. Some of the tropes it played into were so predictable they had me laughing out loud .
Also, I’m like 99% sure this author used to write ATLA fanfiction. Maybe that’s a hot take, but ALL of Moria and Gavril’s will-they-won’t-they thing is very Katara/Zuko to me. Don’t get me wrong! I’m loving the whole misunderstood hot guy with the absolutely insufferable hard headed woman who is incapable of understanding nuance thing. The book is just so full of familiar cliches that I find it hard to believe it’s NOT adapted from an early ‘10s fanfic.
We also, predictably, get our Moria love triangle introduced in this book, since Gavril is ~eViL~ now. Tyrus is like a fly buzzing around my face — harmless, but fucking annoying. He’s written like he’s a dog. I couldn’t tell you one single thing about Tyrus that I couldn’t also say about a golden retriever. He just feels so utterly inconsequential that I think there is almost no chance he gets to the end of the series alive, let alone winds up as endgame with Moria. And I get that these characters are supposed to be 16 (which is WILD), but how is it possible that Moria and Ashyn don’t have a single brain cell between them? OBVIOUSLY we’re going down a double-agent route with Gavril and have been since book 1. How have I known the plot since two days ago and these girls can’t figure it out as it is actively happening in front of them?
Overall, this book just kinda feels like a filler that’s relying on cliches to keep its audience entertained — but boy does it work! There’s very little actual substance to this book, but it’s a fun way to get a little relationship development and angst in before we go hard into the final book. Personally, I would have gone much much harder into the angst aspect than the fanservice aspect and really pulled on some emotional heartstrings. We’ve still got one more book to make me feel something, though, so onward we trudge.
Spoiler
(I mean, the Moria-Gavril jail and arranged marriage plot? Come ON, dude, that’s some 2010 fanfiction shit.)Also, I’m like 99% sure this author used to write ATLA fanfiction. Maybe that’s a hot take, but ALL of Moria and Gavril’s will-they-won’t-they thing is very Katara/Zuko to me. Don’t get me wrong! I’m loving the whole misunderstood hot guy with the absolutely insufferable hard headed woman who is incapable of understanding nuance thing. The book is just so full of familiar cliches that I find it hard to believe it’s NOT adapted from an early ‘10s fanfic.
We also, predictably, get our Moria love triangle introduced in this book, since Gavril is ~eViL~ now. Tyrus is like a fly buzzing around my face — harmless, but fucking annoying. He’s written like he’s a dog. I couldn’t tell you one single thing about Tyrus that I couldn’t also say about a golden retriever. He just feels so utterly inconsequential that I think there is almost no chance he gets to the end of the series alive, let alone winds up as endgame with Moria. And I get that these characters are supposed to be 16 (which is WILD), but how is it possible that Moria and Ashyn don’t have a single brain cell between them? OBVIOUSLY we’re going down a double-agent route with Gavril and have been since book 1. How have I known the plot since two days ago and these girls can’t figure it out as it is actively happening in front of them?
Overall, this book just kinda feels like a filler that’s relying on cliches to keep its audience entertained — but boy does it work! There’s very little actual substance to this book, but it’s a fun way to get a little relationship development and angst in before we go hard into the final book. Personally, I would have gone much much harder into the angst aspect than the fanservice aspect and really pulled on some emotional heartstrings. We’ve still got one more book to make me feel something, though, so onward we trudge.