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A review by grogu_djarin
A Snake Lies Waiting by Jin Yong
adventurous
emotional
funny
lighthearted
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Overall Thoughts:
This is easily the weakest of the first three books in my opinion. There are stretches where the story meanders about and where not a lot happens ranging from several chapters spent being lost at sea and several more resting in an abandoned inn. That said, a lot of the tension in this story is emotional more than action-based and the stakes are incredibly high for a lot of the characters. There are still some great action sequences though, but it's quite an emotional rollercoaster on who is loyal to who, what allegiances are made and broken, and who lives or dies. There is a lot of build-up in the last few chapters, no doubt setting the stage for the last book.
This is easily the weakest of the first three books in my opinion. There are stretches where the story meanders about and where not a lot happens ranging from several chapters spent being lost at sea and several more resting in an abandoned inn. That said, a lot of the tension in this story is emotional more than action-based and the stakes are incredibly high for a lot of the characters. There are still some great action sequences though, but it's quite an emotional rollercoaster on who is loyal to who, what allegiances are made and broken, and who lives or dies. There is a lot of build-up in the last few chapters, no doubt setting the stage for the last book.
Likes:
- I liked that Lotus gets a power-up this time and not just Guo Jing (who also gets one). It's also really shown how much they've grown in that they're now on more equal terms with the villains from the end of the first book.
- Zhou Botong is hilarious in his scenes. It's especially great when he shows up with a "friend".
- It's hard to tell if Viper Ouyang or Apothecary Huang are meant to be the villain of the story, but both are extremely terrifying for many reasons and you'd just hate to be on their bad side.
- I liked seeing more of the Quanzhen Sect and the Beggar Clan. The Quanzhen Sect in particular have a fascinating fight scene.
- This book took some of the themes of the earlier books (loyalty, duty, honor, love, etc) and started to add some obstacles or grey areas that made things a lot more morally ambiguous for the characters.
- There's a callback to the beginning of the first book that has some significance and I like how that came full circle in a way.
Dislikes:
- I started to get frustrated at how many times the protagonists get into bad situations because they extend trust or kindness to people who have already shown themselves to be untrustworthy.
- There are a lot of slow periods in the book where characters stay in one place and not a lot happens besides dialogue.
- Not a lot actually happens in the book outside of a few key moments and a lot of the focus is on secondary characters.
Other Notes:
- Like the last book, this one also starts immediately after the cliffhanger of the last book and ends on another cliffhanger. Because these are long books and four altogether, I'd say the best place for a break would be between volumes 2 and 3 because the end of this one feels like it's building up to the conclusion.
- Like the earlier books, the appendix is full of notes that give added meaning to various cultural and historical references. Again, they aren't necessary but I found them worthwhile reading.
Would Recommend To:
- Anyone who enjoyed the first two books, A Hero Born and A Bond Undone. This book starts after the cliffhanger from the second book but I feel if you need a break (because these are long books) the best place would be before this book since this one also ends on a cliffhanger leading into the last book.
Do Not Recommend To:
- Anyone who hasn't read the first two books, A Hero Born and A Bond Undone, because they are essentially volumes 1-2 of a four volume book and this is volume 3.