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A review by g8girl
Sanctuary by Rowena Cory Daniells
3.0
Sanctuary by Rowena Cory Daniells
***3.5***
***Minor spoilers for Besieged and Exile***
As a continuation of the Outcast story, the book was interesting enough. Imoshen and a large contingent of her people have made it to the docks and the boats heading to the Sagoras. They still have a few days before they are required to set sail and so they sit on the boats and wait to see if any more of their people will arrive, either on their own, or delivered for a reward by the Mieren (or True-Men).
The same themes that are present in the first two books are also present here, some growing in breadth and others waning. To be honest though, it was starting to get repetitive and boring. There are always those among the T'En who are not ready for change, both in the Sisterhoods and Brotherhoods. Thankfully, one of the more vicious T'En leaders is overthrown. However this is done through back channels and manipulations. Actions that go against the very fabric of the peoples. The T'En continue to challenge each other and to fight among themselves. While in a way this hold true to real life (it takes years for people to change their ways) I didn't pick up these books to read about real life and I wanted to see growth and change among the characters. Many of the characters were simply too stubborn and set in their ways to change and for the most part, those causing issue were simply killed.
Sorne is once again separataed from the T'En and thrust back into helping the Mieren hold their kingdom. This part of the story I was so disinterested in I actually skim read until those parts were over. Charald is barely even spoken of and rarely heard from. His departure from the story gets one paragraph of how Sorne is able to move on. Then, when this finally happens Sorne is once again taken prisoner and kept from the life he wants to live. This part too I found boring as it was just a repeat of the previous two books. Sorne is a good man, who is torn between wanting the love and acceptance of his father and hoping to find a place among his people, the T'En and Malajune. During the books he is repeatedly taken prisoner to be used in nefarious ways.
Imoshen makes little headway among the Sisterhood itself, and often makes big movements as the Causare without consulting anyone about it. She is almost single handedly changing the ways of the T'En. In itself this should be impressive, but her sole struggle actually becomes tiresome. You wonder how non of these people can see things from her point of view and she has so little faith in them that she doesn't even consult them before implementing her changes, and everyone just follows suit so they can save face. If she has so little faith in them, why is she bothering to try and change them? To be fair there are enough T'En who think similarly to her, if not exactly the same, but the constant struggle is repetitive and tiresome. The T'En constantly trying to out do each other and overthrow each other has been done to death in the previous two books and I was hoping to see something more develop.
As a conclusion to the story I was a bit let down. Very little is actually changed or achieved by the end of the book. In fact, the story is left so wide open that I am half expecting another book. The book basically ends with the phrase "It's a start." A start to a whole other book because the story isn't even close to finished maybe. So many characters die because the T'En are unwilling to work together and save their people as a whole in exile. They would rather achieve stature for their respective Brotherhoods and rise in the ranks of the T'En. I don't think they realize the T'En will cease to exist unless they get their heads out of their own asses and work together.
Perhaps that is the point of the entire story however. In which case I raise my hat to Daniells because she has captured the infuriating reality of people presented with choices they'd rather not make and the stubbornness of a peoples unwilling to change to save themselves.
For me this was a repetitive and lackluster ending to the series with very little (if any) closure.
***3.5***
***Minor spoilers for Besieged and Exile***
As a continuation of the Outcast story, the book was interesting enough. Imoshen and a large contingent of her people have made it to the docks and the boats heading to the Sagoras. They still have a few days before they are required to set sail and so they sit on the boats and wait to see if any more of their people will arrive, either on their own, or delivered for a reward by the Mieren (or True-Men).
The same themes that are present in the first two books are also present here, some growing in breadth and others waning. To be honest though, it was starting to get repetitive and boring. There are always those among the T'En who are not ready for change, both in the Sisterhoods and Brotherhoods. Thankfully, one of the more vicious T'En leaders is overthrown. However this is done through back channels and manipulations. Actions that go against the very fabric of the peoples. The T'En continue to challenge each other and to fight among themselves. While in a way this hold true to real life (it takes years for people to change their ways) I didn't pick up these books to read about real life and I wanted to see growth and change among the characters. Many of the characters were simply too stubborn and set in their ways to change and for the most part, those causing issue were simply killed.
Sorne is once again separataed from the T'En and thrust back into helping the Mieren hold their kingdom. This part of the story I was so disinterested in I actually skim read until those parts were over. Charald is barely even spoken of and rarely heard from. His departure from the story gets one paragraph of how Sorne is able to move on. Then, when this finally happens Sorne is once again taken prisoner and kept from the life he wants to live. This part too I found boring as it was just a repeat of the previous two books. Sorne is a good man, who is torn between wanting the love and acceptance of his father and hoping to find a place among his people, the T'En and Malajune. During the books he is repeatedly taken prisoner to be used in nefarious ways.
Imoshen makes little headway among the Sisterhood itself, and often makes big movements as the Causare without consulting anyone about it. She is almost single handedly changing the ways of the T'En. In itself this should be impressive, but her sole struggle actually becomes tiresome. You wonder how non of these people can see things from her point of view and she has so little faith in them that she doesn't even consult them before implementing her changes, and everyone just follows suit so they can save face. If she has so little faith in them, why is she bothering to try and change them? To be fair there are enough T'En who think similarly to her, if not exactly the same, but the constant struggle is repetitive and tiresome. The T'En constantly trying to out do each other and overthrow each other has been done to death in the previous two books and I was hoping to see something more develop.
As a conclusion to the story I was a bit let down. Very little is actually changed or achieved by the end of the book. In fact, the story is left so wide open that I am half expecting another book. The book basically ends with the phrase "It's a start." A start to a whole other book because the story isn't even close to finished maybe. So many characters die because the T'En are unwilling to work together and save their people as a whole in exile. They would rather achieve stature for their respective Brotherhoods and rise in the ranks of the T'En. I don't think they realize the T'En will cease to exist unless they get their heads out of their own asses and work together.
Perhaps that is the point of the entire story however. In which case I raise my hat to Daniells because she has captured the infuriating reality of people presented with choices they'd rather not make and the stubbornness of a peoples unwilling to change to save themselves.
For me this was a repetitive and lackluster ending to the series with very little (if any) closure.