Reviews

Empire of Ivory by Naomi Novik

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jpluff2334's review against another edition

4.0

I have been enjoying seeing how different countries treat their dragons and this conversation gets taken a bit further in this book in that slavery is explored a bit more literally. In this historical timeline, Laurence is an abolitionist and has to navigate how this impacts his different roles and views in war and interactions with the people he meets in Africa. There is certainly a lot of character development in this book and I also see how much Temeraire impacts Laurence's thought processes. This installment was a lot more heavy than the others. We have a ton of dragons sick with a plague that we aren't sure if they will be saved from, there are depictions of slavery, imprisonment, and grappling with morality. The ending was so so good. All I have to say is, go Temeraire and Laurence!!

dariomzz's review against another edition

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3.0

Not the best of the series but I liked the tentative of finding new themes in order to avoid the repetitiveness that would strike inevitably in long series. The quality of writing remains the same and it's definitely an enjoyable book.

deltatime's review against another edition

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adventurous medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.75

hannog's review against another edition

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adventurous lighthearted 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? No

4.0

hunterkat's review against another edition

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adventurous tense medium-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? It's complicated

4.5

Empire of Ivory: 4.5/5 stars
This has been the best Temeraire book since the first one! I was on the edge of my seat for most of the book and the ending!!! AHHHH. It’s always hard to review books in the middle of a series, but this one is definitely a strong entry in the series itself.