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asia_b's review against another edition
4.0
4.5 stars.
Beautiful last book for this series, even if I don't approve the death of Akkarin, the best character in my opinion and the only one who could have given a more structured and complex epilogue.
By for the rest I really enjoyed this trilogy.
Beautiful last book for this series, even if I don't approve the death of Akkarin, the best character in my opinion and the only one who could have given a more structured and complex epilogue.
By for the rest I really enjoyed this trilogy.
3dmelg's review
3.0
Meh. The story was interesting, relied heavily on clichés and standard plot twists, but I liked how she twisted them and made them her own. The characters remained 2-dimensional throughout the trilogy, and I never found myself relating to or caring for them. I think a large part of that is in the way she shifted perspective between the characters to tell the story: she never remained on one character long enough to get a real sense of emotion, only actions.
I don't regret reading this, and would like to hunt down the standalone prequel & sequel, but not something I would recommend first or highly.
I don't regret reading this, and would like to hunt down the standalone prequel & sequel, but not something I would recommend first or highly.
fantastiskfiktion's review against another edition
4.0
http://fantastiskfiktion.wordpress.com/2013/05/20/the-black-magician-trilogy/
leothil's review against another edition
4.0
First read in 2007.
Still worth the 4 star rating. Definitely the best book in the trilogy, although a lot of questions remained unanswered. I think I'll read the prequel next!
Still worth the 4 star rating. Definitely the best book in the trilogy, although a lot of questions remained unanswered. I think I'll read the prequel next!
oldenglishrose's review against another edition
3.0
I thought that The High Lord was a tremendously satisfying end to The Black Magician Trilogy: it ties up all of the loose ends from the previous two books while still leaving room for further development if the author decides to revisit the series. What I liked most about this book was that it actually managed to surprise me, unlike its predecessors. Trudi Canavan’s system of black magic is intriguing and different, not least because of the culture that she has created around it. I thought that the tension that builds up as Sonea and Akkarin try to counter the Ichani on their own is well sustained, helped by the continued futile or dangerous attempts of others to defeat them. The plot twists are excellent, making this definitely the best book in the trilogy and a fitting culmination.
My only issue with the book is that Trudi Canavan’s habit of picking up and dropping characters as it suits her rears its ugly head again. I was pleased to see that Cery makes a return after being mostly (and inexplicably) absent from the middle installment, but other characters suffer the same fate. The first half of the book is set in the Guild and yet Regin, the focus and driving force behind The Novice, is mentioned once in passing and never appears again. I can understand him not being physically present, but Sonea doesn’t even think about him, despite the important role he plays in her development. I like what Canavan did with Regin in the end, but his sudden disappearance prior to that irked me. The same is true of Dorrien, who was also fairly significant in The Novice but isn’t even thought of until the mid point of the book. The part he plays in this final book is also unrelated to his importance in the previous book, which seemed a little disjointed to me. On the whole though, while I would have preferred more consistency, I really liked this trilogy and will definitely be investigating Trudi Canavan’s other books.
My only issue with the book is that Trudi Canavan’s habit of picking up and dropping characters as it suits her rears its ugly head again. I was pleased to see that Cery makes a return after being mostly (and inexplicably) absent from the middle installment, but other characters suffer the same fate. The first half of the book is set in the Guild and yet Regin, the focus and driving force behind The Novice, is mentioned once in passing and never appears again. I can understand him not being physically present, but Sonea doesn’t even think about him, despite the important role he plays in her development. I like what Canavan did with Regin in the end, but his sudden disappearance prior to that irked me. The same is true of Dorrien, who was also fairly significant in The Novice but isn’t even thought of until the mid point of the book. The part he plays in this final book is also unrelated to his importance in the previous book, which seemed a little disjointed to me. On the whole though, while I would have preferred more consistency, I really liked this trilogy and will definitely be investigating Trudi Canavan’s other books.
hem_lianne's review against another edition
3.0
3.75/5⭐
BIG FUCKING SPOILERS
I didn't fucking expect that ending??? didn't expect happy endings But whAT THE FUCK?????
Yes make me fucking care about the person that was seen as a villain during the whole trilogy, make him the hero, make us think he will have a fucking happy ending AND KILL HIM ON THE LAST SECOND??????? I'm mad
BIG FUCKING SPOILERS
I didn't fucking expect that ending??? didn't expect happy endings But whAT THE FUCK?????
Yes make me fucking care about the person that was seen as a villain during the whole trilogy, make him the hero, make us think he will have a fucking happy ending AND KILL HIM ON THE LAST SECOND??????? I'm mad
mosia's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
emotional
inspiring
mysterious
relaxing
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.25
sertje's review against another edition
5.0
Still love this book as much as I did the first time reading it around 10 years ago ❤️ Looking forward to rereading this trilogy again in the future.
bodehoover's review against another edition
5.0
Best conclusion to a series ever! I love it when a character is revealed to have been holding a secret for a long time or is misunderstood by everyone until something happens. Similar to how Snape was revealed to be more complex and loving than anyone would have guessed. Akkarin carried such a burden for so many years and was completely misunderstood for this whole series until the end. I definitely never saw his past as a slave coming or his relationship with Sonea. This book was just full of surprises from beginning to end.
I really missed the Thieves since they were hardly in the second book and I enjoyed the critical role they played in the defeat of the Ichani. I wish there would have been more details about the relationship between Dannyl and Tayend but it was made up for with the shocking relationship between Akkarin and Sonea. Turns out being exiled for black magic together is a great bonding experience.
The second half of this book was totally different from the previous books. It was a lot darker and focused on the conflict between the Ichani and the Guild instead of internal struggles like the previous books. Overall, I really loved this series and grew attached to several of the characters. I will dearly miss Akkarin and Lorlen :(
I really missed the Thieves since they were hardly in the second book and I enjoyed the critical role they played in the defeat of the Ichani. I wish there would have been more details about the relationship between Dannyl and Tayend but it was made up for with the shocking relationship between Akkarin and Sonea. Turns out being exiled for black magic together is a great bonding experience.
The second half of this book was totally different from the previous books. It was a lot darker and focused on the conflict between the Ichani and the Guild instead of internal struggles like the previous books. Overall, I really loved this series and grew attached to several of the characters. I will dearly miss Akkarin and Lorlen :(
becks07's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
hopeful
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5