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4.17 AVERAGE
4.17 AVERAGE
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
slow-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:
Complicated
this was amazing !!! the banter, the friendship, the adventure, no words.
also, I'm so happy evanlyn and alyss finally got their moment to show off. I think john did a great job of giving us powerful female characters, that were already powerful without their respective male partners, cuz that's important too.
also, I'm so happy evanlyn and alyss finally got their moment to show off. I think john did a great job of giving us powerful female characters, that were already powerful without their respective male partners, cuz that's important too.
adventurous
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
fast-paced
A nice end to the series. I liked the focus on Horace and the themes of friendship (Evenlyn & Alice, the Emperor and Horace). Fun to see Roman and Greek battle tactics pop up.
3.5 stars ⭐
- I mean, it was okay? The beginning really sucked me in right off the bat, just like the first few books in the series. Then it sort of fizzled off, and dragged.
- I mean, it was okay? The beginning really sucked me in right off the bat, just like the first few books in the series. Then it sort of fizzled off, and dragged.
I hate to give this book 2 stars, but I honestly didn't like it, and it didn't live up to the standards of the other books. I really wanted to stop reading about halfway though but forced myself to finish. The heroes we've gotten to know over the last 9 (NINE!!) books were acting totally out of character! I felt like I didn't know them anymore, Alyss in particular because of her petty thing with Evanlyn. I mean, the girls are in their early 20s, so talk it out! They act like teenagers, which annoyed me.
I liked the first plug for the Brotherband Chronicles, but not the other 12 that came after it. I liked the new location and new culture introduced in this installment of the series. I like the romances, but I miss my characters! They've spent the last 9 books growing up, but that didn't come through very strongly at the conclusion of the series. Plus we spend a lot of time hearing about what's happening, plot point by plot point, and don't really get any real interaction with the heroes!
Don't get me wrong, I still love this series and will recommend it to people, but this book is definitely not my favorite of the series.
Original review from 2012: 5 stars
I liked the first plug for the Brotherband Chronicles, but not the other 12 that came after it. I liked the new location and new culture introduced in this installment of the series. I like the romances, but I miss my characters! They've spent the last 9 books growing up, but that didn't come through very strongly at the conclusion of the series. Plus we spend a lot of time hearing about what's happening, plot point by plot point, and don't really get any real interaction with the heroes!
Don't get me wrong, I still love this series and will recommend it to people, but this book is definitely not my favorite of the series.
Original review from 2012: 5 stars
adventurous
lighthearted
fast-paced
adventurous
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
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
There are two female characters and for most of the book all they do is be annoyed with each other and it's all about boys. Exhausting. Closer to the end they do become friends and they both get married off (kind of). Because that is the one thing all women have to do. Marry a guy. And the colonialism/white saviour-ism??? What??? Some casual blackface thrown in for absolutely no reason. I know I make this a bigger deal than it probably is but I have just read 400+ pages of this stuff and I am soooo fed up. Also some plot holes regarding the need of translators which was annoying but not the end of the world.
I loved these books as a kid and rereading them I did enjoy the first few but at this point I am so fed up with the Anglo-whatever main characters interacting with some dumbed down version of real cultures - that have been oversimplified to the point of being offensive - and just swoop in and save the day for these poor, uncivilised peoples. A white middle-aged+ man wrote this series and the further you get into it the more you can tell. Which is really unfortunate but honestly not too surprising. I can not wait to be done with this series so I can get rid of at least the second half (maybe all) of it.
I loved these books as a kid and rereading them I did enjoy the first few but at this point I am so fed up with the Anglo-whatever main characters interacting with some dumbed down version of real cultures - that have been oversimplified to the point of being offensive - and just swoop in and save the day for these poor, uncivilised peoples. A white middle-aged+ man wrote this series and the further you get into it the more you can tell. Which is really unfortunate but honestly not too surprising. I can not wait to be done with this series so I can get rid of at least the second half (maybe all) of it.
Content Warnings
Minor: Racism, Sexism, Colonisation, War
You know who I'm not fond of? Evanlyn. It was good tho. I WANT MOAR.
Phew! Ten books later and I am finally done.
Although it started off strong, this series is very repetitive and would have probably lost my interest sooner had I not promised my little cousin I would read it.
Although it started off strong, this series is very repetitive and would have probably lost my interest sooner had I not promised my little cousin I would read it.