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itsfreelancer's review against another edition
5.0
Holy hell. The desert has come alive. Book 5 better not take another 3 years.
skycrane's review against another edition
4.0
This book was very good. I was waiting for it to come out and read it in just a couple days. It feels even more fast-paced than the previous two. Things in the desert have devolved into complete chaos, with many different competing factions, and individuals scheming against each other within those factions. It feels very much like most of the characters are being dragged along by events, unable to exercise anything more than the barest amount of control over their direction.
Cheda, of course, is the exception. Hunted though she is, she is generally able to keep the initiative against her enemies. She's become more of a leader than before, and in some ways her stubborn willfulness is tempered (to some small extent) by her sense of responsibility for those who follow her. Also, now she has friends who are able to stand up to her and tell her when they think she's making a mistake; though she often overrules them, she does listen.
Here's one of my few complaints about the book: some of the character development is way too fast. For Cheda, it mostly makes sense: her mother prepared her when she was young, and she's been training for this her whole life. She's had experience in the slums, in the palaces, and in the deserts. She's studied history and religion. She's gone through a lot in the earlier books, and learned from other people as well as her own mistakes. Plus, she's got some kind of super power. It feels odd that she's the most powerful person in the universe, but I can buy it. Emre, on the other hand, has barely set foot out of the city before, and is now in charge of a diplomatic mission as well as a whole ship. Does he even know how a sandship works? What does he know about rigging, about the terrain, about navigation? Why would anyone listen to him give orders in ship-to-ship combat? What has prepared him to sit with kings and chiefs, follow diplomatic protocol, and discuss weighty issues? I can see him learning some of these things over the course of the books, but not all of them.
I think this only really bothered me with Emre. Otherwise, character development generally makes sense. People grow, and a major part of books like these is seeing the characters learn from their struggles. I feel like many of the relationships are taken more seriously than in the previous books, and the side characters feel more realized.
My other complaint is kind of petty. I feel like the author does waaay too much to try to explain things to people who might've forgotten or haven't been paying attention. The book starts with a brief summary of previous events, which is a nice refresher. Then throughout the book, when something from a previous entry is brought up for the first time, it's explained even when it doesn't make any sense for the narrating character to be reminding themselves of it. This is sort of awkward, but is often helpful. However, sometimes things that were explained just chapters or even mere pages before are reexplained again. This is annoying. I think there's one time where a whole sentence was repeated word-for-word from just a few paragraphs later, for no reason I can fathom. Maybe it slipped through proofreading, or the editing was kind of rushed? Maybe there was some rhetorical purpose that just went over my head.
And speaking of editing, there's something really interesting the way the chapters are put together that at first I wasn't sure how to feel about. Many of the chapters are out of order. You'll have a chapter from one character's point of view, then a chapter set a week earlier from another's point of view. In one chapter there'll be a confrontation in the desert that ends unresolved, and in the next some of the characters will already be back in the city. Then a few chapters later, it'll jump back to the desert right after the battle. I think this happened in the previous books, but it wasn't as noticeable. At first it was a little confusing, or sometimes anticlimactic. However, I think I get it now. The number of times characters split up and then meet up again, or major events affect several different plotlines simultaneously, is massive. Planning out this book must've been quite a feat, and as far as I can tell, it all fits together to the day. I think a decision must've been made to prioritize the flow of the narrative over strict adherence to chronology, and ultimately it works out really well. Throughout this series, I've been really impressed at the way different sections are woven together. There's always a very strong rhythm, with a good alternation between faster and slower sections, without ever sacrificing momentum in key scenes.
In any case, I thoroughly enjoyed this book and eagerly await the next one. If you've been enjoying the series so far, there's no reason to stop now.
Edit: I just re-read this in preparation for starting the recently released When Jackals Storm the Walls. My complaints above seem even more petty than they did when I wrote them. I did notice the issue I had had with the explanations in general (though this time through I was a little more grateful and less annoyed), but I didn't catch the specific part I had complained about, and now I don't remember what it was. As for the characters, I think I hadn't taken into account how much time had passed, and Emre's involvement in the actual management and direction of the ship mostly consisted of encouraging his underlings, who did most of the real work. He was chosen to lead the mission because of his personal qualities and Macide's trust in him, not because of his expertise.
On the other hand, the things I liked about the book stood out to me even more on a second reading. The story feels unpredictable. There are plots and betrayals, plans and reversals, enemies become allies become enemies again. It's all very exciting, and the paces matches the escalation in the story. A minor rebellion has given way to a full-blown war of four nations, and you really feel the chaos of the situation. No one person has a chance of plotting their way through the mess, and it seems like even the gods themselves are really only along for the ride at this point. The best anyone can hope is to react gracefully to the twists in fate, or at best to stay one step ahead.
Overall it's a very good book, and I enjoyed reading it again as much or more than I did the first time.
Cheda, of course, is the exception. Hunted though she is, she is generally able to keep the initiative against her enemies. She's become more of a leader than before, and in some ways her stubborn willfulness is tempered (to some small extent) by her sense of responsibility for those who follow her. Also, now she has friends who are able to stand up to her and tell her when they think she's making a mistake; though she often overrules them, she does listen.
Here's one of my few complaints about the book: some of the character development is way too fast. For Cheda, it mostly makes sense: her mother prepared her when she was young, and she's been training for this her whole life. She's had experience in the slums, in the palaces, and in the deserts. She's studied history and religion. She's gone through a lot in the earlier books, and learned from other people as well as her own mistakes. Plus, she's got some kind of super power. It feels odd that she's the most powerful person in the universe, but I can buy it. Emre, on the other hand, has barely set foot out of the city before, and is now in charge of a diplomatic mission as well as a whole ship. Does he even know how a sandship works? What does he know about rigging, about the terrain, about navigation? Why would anyone listen to him give orders in ship-to-ship combat? What has prepared him to sit with kings and chiefs, follow diplomatic protocol, and discuss weighty issues? I can see him learning some of these things over the course of the books, but not all of them.
I think this only really bothered me with Emre. Otherwise, character development generally makes sense. People grow, and a major part of books like these is seeing the characters learn from their struggles. I feel like many of the relationships are taken more seriously than in the previous books, and the side characters feel more realized.
My other complaint is kind of petty. I feel like the author does waaay too much to try to explain things to people who might've forgotten or haven't been paying attention. The book starts with a brief summary of previous events, which is a nice refresher. Then throughout the book, when something from a previous entry is brought up for the first time, it's explained even when it doesn't make any sense for the narrating character to be reminding themselves of it. This is sort of awkward, but is often helpful. However, sometimes things that were explained just chapters or even mere pages before are reexplained again. This is annoying. I think there's one time where a whole sentence was repeated word-for-word from just a few paragraphs later, for no reason I can fathom. Maybe it slipped through proofreading, or the editing was kind of rushed? Maybe there was some rhetorical purpose that just went over my head.
And speaking of editing, there's something really interesting the way the chapters are put together that at first I wasn't sure how to feel about. Many of the chapters are out of order. You'll have a chapter from one character's point of view, then a chapter set a week earlier from another's point of view. In one chapter there'll be a confrontation in the desert that ends unresolved, and in the next some of the characters will already be back in the city. Then a few chapters later, it'll jump back to the desert right after the battle. I think this happened in the previous books, but it wasn't as noticeable. At first it was a little confusing, or sometimes anticlimactic. However, I think I get it now. The number of times characters split up and then meet up again, or major events affect several different plotlines simultaneously, is massive. Planning out this book must've been quite a feat, and as far as I can tell, it all fits together to the day. I think a decision must've been made to prioritize the flow of the narrative over strict adherence to chronology, and ultimately it works out really well. Throughout this series, I've been really impressed at the way different sections are woven together. There's always a very strong rhythm, with a good alternation between faster and slower sections, without ever sacrificing momentum in key scenes.
In any case, I thoroughly enjoyed this book and eagerly await the next one. If you've been enjoying the series so far, there's no reason to stop now.
Edit: I just re-read this in preparation for starting the recently released When Jackals Storm the Walls. My complaints above seem even more petty than they did when I wrote them. I did notice the issue I had had with the explanations in general (though this time through I was a little more grateful and less annoyed), but I didn't catch the specific part I had complained about, and now I don't remember what it was. As for the characters, I think I hadn't taken into account how much time had passed, and Emre's involvement in the actual management and direction of the ship mostly consisted of encouraging his underlings, who did most of the real work. He was chosen to lead the mission because of his personal qualities and Macide's trust in him, not because of his expertise.
On the other hand, the things I liked about the book stood out to me even more on a second reading. The story feels unpredictable. There are plots and betrayals, plans and reversals, enemies become allies become enemies again. It's all very exciting, and the paces matches the escalation in the story. A minor rebellion has given way to a full-blown war of four nations, and you really feel the chaos of the situation. No one person has a chance of plotting their way through the mess, and it seems like even the gods themselves are really only along for the ride at this point. The best anyone can hope is to react gracefully to the twists in fate, or at best to stay one step ahead.
Overall it's a very good book, and I enjoyed reading it again as much or more than I did the first time.
soofsaphony's review against another edition
5.0
What I really like about this series is that the focus of the story shifts from book to book. It's not just, we need to defeat the oppressive regime or the big bad and that's it. Çeda really changes in the role she is playing in the grand scheme of it all, suddenly we're getting worried about what the Gods are actually up to AND the story never starts to feel too complicated to deal with! I love it.
coriandercake's review against another edition
3.0
This book finally broke the pattern of the last three. Unfortunately, this book was a lot more battle focused and I much prefer problem-solving/mystery focused plots. The characters also haven't gone through a lot of development and it's making me lose interest. Davud and Brama are the most interesting characters in this book precisely because they're facing internal dilemmas and changes whereas Ceda and Emre pretty much just have to defeat x bad guy. The thing that really brings this book down is the sex/romance/incest. Beaulieu doesn't write romantic tension well, there are pointless love triangles, and I absolutely hate incest as a trope. I wish fantasy authors would stop doing it.
ryan_reads_fantasy's review against another edition
4.0
This was definitely a slower book. Geared more towards setup as it puts the pieces in place for the next big act, that is the second half of this series. With that come the dangers of slower pacing of the territory while my attention did ebb and flow a little bit I still quite enjoyed the pieces he put on the board and the possible new layers to the ever growing list of perils our main characters face and Ned to overcome.
maddieraereads's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
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? Yes
4.75
aurora69006's review
adventurous
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.25
htb2050's review against another edition
1.0
DNF @ Chapter 15. I was looking forward to reading this book for a long time. Book 1 was okayish, Book 2 got really good and then book 3 was where all the story started making sense.
But this book is nothing like the previous 3.
Firstly forget continuity, a few chapters in you would be questioning if its the same story as the previous 3 books then you would see characters falling in love and romance and you would ask yourself where did this come from? Why wasn't it in the previous books.
The pacing was terribly slow and on top of that the writing style was a lot different so much so that if felt someone else wrote it.
All in all. Read a broucher or something else when you are at a barber's because you might find something more interesting in that then what you would in this book.
But this book is nothing like the previous 3.
Firstly forget continuity, a few chapters in you would be questioning if its the same story as the previous 3 books then you would see characters falling in love and romance and you would ask yourself where did this come from? Why wasn't it in the previous books.
The pacing was terribly slow and on top of that the writing style was a lot different so much so that if felt someone else wrote it.
All in all. Read a broucher or something else when you are at a barber's because you might find something more interesting in that then what you would in this book.
laurenslittlelibrary_'s review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
The most active book in the series so far. Lots of plot lines coming to a head and wrapping up. There were definitely a few points that I was getting tired of certain plots and I’m glad they closed (Anila in particular.) I’m definitely enjoying the series overall and I’m interested to see where the series ends up!
down_legends_and_lore's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
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
4.25