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A review by maddy707
The Republic of Thieves by Scott Lynch
3.0
Pros
For the most part, I liked the dialogue between the characters in this book, particularly Locke and Sabetha. I also think this book had the best insults and funny moments of the 3. The wet dream scene had me cackling.
This book wasted no time getting into the plot. It had the strongest start of the 3.
The resolution to Locke's poisoning was done well and not a cope out. I like that the effects of it are felt by Locke for the remainder of the book.
Mixed Thoughts
The absence of Jean's grief. Aside from a few mentions, it's as if Ezri doesn't exist. Part of me can justify this because as we saw in the 2nd book, Jean threw himself into working after the events of the 1st book. Maybe this is how he grieves? Perhaps, between dealing with Locke's poisoning and their new job, he hasn't had time to grieve. On the other hand, I really would have appreciated at least a few pages dedicated to Jean grieving Ezri. He doesn't have to turn to a bottle like Locke did, but he could at least cry a little. Talk to her? Instead of grieving Jean's personality in this book is liking coffee.
Cons
It took a really long time for me to believe in the romance between Locke and Sabetha, particularly when they were kids. For the most part, I found their chemistry unbelievable, and Locke's insta love contributes to that heavily. Additionally, it took me a long time to understand Sabetha's character, which took away from the romance aspect. By the end of the book, their romance did become believable for me. I really appreciated that their first time together was written realistically. However, I think I would've enjoyed the book more if they remained rivals as kids, lost touch and then reconnected in their adult years and the romance started them. The rivalry between them was the strongest aspect of their relationship in my opinion.
This book had so many characters I couldn't keep up. When the acting troupe was introduced I just got so lost and found it difficult to differentiate between characters.
Nikoro becoming a turncoat was obvious from the beginning.
I really didn't care for the acting plotline of this book. I found it incredibly dragging and boring. I'd rather all the interludes focus on Chains and the kids, especially since timeline-wise, we were close to his death.
I don't like the idea of Locke being a bondsmage. His backstory of being an orphan is fine. Him being the main character in a series with magic, but not using it is unique for fantasy.
Final Thoughts
I enjoyed the first half of this book, it had a really strong start. But the second half was such a drag and a struggle to get through. This book gets a low 3/5
For the most part, I liked the dialogue between the characters in this book, particularly Locke and Sabetha. I also think this book had the best insults and funny moments of the 3. The wet dream scene had me cackling.
This book wasted no time getting into the plot. It had the strongest start of the 3.
The resolution to Locke's poisoning was done well and not a cope out. I like that the effects of it are felt by Locke for the remainder of the book.
Mixed Thoughts
The absence of Jean's grief. Aside from a few mentions, it's as if Ezri doesn't exist. Part of me can justify this because as we saw in the 2nd book, Jean threw himself into working after the events of the 1st book. Maybe this is how he grieves? Perhaps, between dealing with Locke's poisoning and their new job, he hasn't had time to grieve. On the other hand, I really would have appreciated at least a few pages dedicated to Jean grieving Ezri. He doesn't have to turn to a bottle like Locke did, but he could at least cry a little. Talk to her? Instead of grieving Jean's personality in this book is liking coffee.
Cons
It took a really long time for me to believe in the romance between Locke and Sabetha, particularly when they were kids. For the most part, I found their chemistry unbelievable, and Locke's insta love contributes to that heavily. Additionally, it took me a long time to understand Sabetha's character, which took away from the romance aspect. By the end of the book, their romance did become believable for me. I really appreciated that their first time together was written realistically. However, I think I would've enjoyed the book more if they remained rivals as kids, lost touch and then reconnected in their adult years and the romance started them. The rivalry between them was the strongest aspect of their relationship in my opinion.
This book had so many characters I couldn't keep up. When the acting troupe was introduced I just got so lost and found it difficult to differentiate between characters.
Nikoro becoming a turncoat was obvious from the beginning.
I really didn't care for the acting plotline of this book. I found it incredibly dragging and boring. I'd rather all the interludes focus on Chains and the kids, especially since timeline-wise, we were close to his death.
I don't like the idea of Locke being a bondsmage. His backstory of being an orphan is fine. Him being the main character in a series with magic, but not using it is unique for fantasy.
Final Thoughts
I enjoyed the first half of this book, it had a really strong start. But the second half was such a drag and a struggle to get through. This book gets a low 3/5