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A review by adj1920
House Name by Michelle West
4.0
UPDATE: 5/18/2020
Bumped up my rating from 3 to 4 stars. I appreciate that Jewel's den gets some character development beyond being "the nurturing one", "the smart one", "the loyal one", etc etc. Arann, Finch, Teller and newcomer Angel all have their own lives outside of Jewel and a trajectory beyond the group, which has exciting possibilities for the story going forward. Jewel is still stubborn, but she's learning and it will be interesting to see what she grows into.
ORIGINAL REVIEW: 3/26/2015
House War, I can't quit you.
I read the first two books a few years ago, then got busy with life and never finished the series. Well, at this point I have mixed feelings about continuing the series.
The Hidden City really drew me in. I loved Rath, his complicated past, and his even more complicated present with Jewel. Then came City of Night, which focused on Jewel and her ever-growing den. And that's where the author started to lose me. Still, the overall plot was decent, and between Rath and Sigurne Mellifas there was enough adult interaction to keep me interested. House Name picks up the story as Jewel and her den become guests of House Terafin and are introduced to the world of wealth, power and political intrigue. I understand that these are supposed to be scrappy urchins with hearts of gold- but the den's exploits, Jewel's stubbornness start to wear thin after a while. The demon confrontation didn't disappoint, even if it did drag on a bit.
Good reading but beware that these books need some heavy editing- it often takes 20 pages to get through as many lines of dialogue, and we are privy to every character's every. single. inner. thought. It was a problem in the first two novels but it spiraled out of control in this one; I found myself skimming through entire chapters. I know how to speed read and it still wore me down.
Bumped up my rating from 3 to 4 stars. I appreciate that Jewel's den gets some character development beyond being "the nurturing one", "the smart one", "the loyal one", etc etc. Arann, Finch, Teller and newcomer Angel all have their own lives outside of Jewel and a trajectory beyond the group, which has exciting possibilities for the story going forward. Jewel is still stubborn, but she's learning and it will be interesting to see what she grows into.
ORIGINAL REVIEW: 3/26/2015
House War, I can't quit you.
I read the first two books a few years ago, then got busy with life and never finished the series. Well, at this point I have mixed feelings about continuing the series.
The Hidden City really drew me in. I loved Rath, his complicated past, and his even more complicated present with Jewel. Then came City of Night, which focused on Jewel and her ever-growing den. And that's where the author started to lose me. Still, the overall plot was decent, and between Rath and Sigurne Mellifas there was enough adult interaction to keep me interested. House Name picks up the story as Jewel and her den become guests of House Terafin and are introduced to the world of wealth, power and political intrigue. I understand that these are supposed to be scrappy urchins with hearts of gold- but the den's exploits, Jewel's stubbornness start to wear thin after a while. The demon confrontation didn't disappoint, even if it did drag on a bit.
Good reading but beware that these books need some heavy editing- it often takes 20 pages to get through as many lines of dialogue, and we are privy to every character's every. single. inner. thought. It was a problem in the first two novels but it spiraled out of control in this one; I found myself skimming through entire chapters. I know how to speed read and it still wore me down.