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A review by bookishdamzel
Broken Web by Lori M. Lee
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A
3.5
The strongest element of the Shamanborn series is the relationship between Sircha and Saengo. I love their interactions and am I always excited to see them on the same page together. Unfortunately, Saengo wasn't in this one as much as I'd hope but I still loved when she was there. A lot Sircha's actions are for Saengo, it is one of the main reasons she puts herself against ancient magic that threatens her and everyone else, as well as having an ability that hasn't been seen in centuries. Saengo is also under threat because of her being tied to Sircha as a familiar.
The threat of a centuries old Shaman, who's untouchable and hasn't been seen in literal hundreds of years to the people in the series, is a great driving force for a lot of conflict. Where kingdoms are already against each other, with a tyrannical Queen in the empire hunting Shaman and the forest of souls bordering others - creating tension.
I felt like this book suffered from middle book syndrome, where the first book was great and this one seemed to drag on a little bit too much. I enjoyed the threat of the Soulless and learning how he has been connected to prominent families while also dealing with Prince Meilek's Queen sister at the same time. However, it moved too slowly for my liking - even though I enjoyed this lore building.
Overall, I still love the dark atmosphere, politics, and Sircha's and Saengo's relationship. I think it's still a great book, there was just something missing for me to fully love it.
The threat of a centuries old Shaman, who's untouchable and hasn't been seen in literal hundreds of years to the people in the series, is a great driving force for a lot of conflict. Where kingdoms are already against each other, with a tyrannical Queen in the empire hunting Shaman and the forest of souls bordering others - creating tension.
I felt like this book suffered from middle book syndrome, where the first book was great and this one seemed to drag on a little bit too much. I enjoyed the threat of the Soulless and learning how he has been connected to prominent families while also dealing with Prince Meilek's Queen sister at the same time. However, it moved too slowly for my liking - even though I enjoyed this lore building.
Overall, I still love the dark atmosphere, politics, and Sircha's and Saengo's relationship. I think it's still a great book, there was just something missing for me to fully love it.