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smitch29 's review for:
The Marked and the Broken
by Ivy Asher
4.5
I really enjoyed this story. It was back to more action and excitement. It still was bogged down by issues with logic, but the characters are (usually) fun and help make up for some of the other issues.
Really, the issues I had this with book were a mirror of the issues from the last book, but this book it broadened the issue a bit. The last book involved some poor tactical and strategic decisions on Vinna's part. I get that she's headstrong and impetuous, and she cannot think very many steps in front of her. She probably would lose every chess game she plays. However, this book dragged all the surrounding characters into her habit of making really bad tactical errors. Therein lay the giant problem: all the surrounding characters are supposed to be either trained or in-training Paladins, aka magic policemen. Why do they all think that if Vinna turns herself over to Adriel, she'll be magically okay and/or a hostage couldn't be used against her? It was glaringly obvious to me that Adriel has a lot more experience being a bad guy and holding sentinels hostage, yet no one else could apparently consider that he might have the upper-hand. It is sometimes as though no one in this world considers the possibility of having contingency plans. They have so many options and skills at their disposal and they are so impulsive they tend to be reckless. Previous books have shown the others to be better at strategy, but this book dragged them right into Vinna's flaws. It felt a little like sloppy writing, as though the author needed to make it easier to present conflicts before revealing how awesome and smart Vinna can be at the last minute. And that's just the thing - she is incredibly good at figuring out a lot of mysteries that are presented to her, but she only does so after she's done something reckless. While that in itself is plausible, the way it occurs in the book feels like a writing strategy gone poorly. Adriel has managed to not be killed by, I imagine, many, many different supernaturals, so he ought to have been considered more complex and tougher of an enemy. I get that Vinna is arrogant, but her Chosen have been threatened enough because of her, I feel like she would've been more cautious, trying to think through strategy.
I really enjoyed this story. It was back to more action and excitement. It still was bogged down by issues with logic, but the characters are (usually) fun and help make up for some of the other issues.
Really, the issues I had this with book were a mirror of the issues from the last book, but this book it broadened the issue a bit. The last book involved some poor tactical and strategic decisions on Vinna's part. I get that she's headstrong and impetuous, and she cannot think very many steps in front of her. She probably would lose every chess game she plays. However, this book dragged all the surrounding characters into her habit of making really bad tactical errors. Therein lay the giant problem: all the surrounding characters are supposed to be either trained or in-training Paladins, aka magic policemen. Why do they all think that if Vinna turns herself over to Adriel, she'll be magically okay and/or a hostage couldn't be used against her? It was glaringly obvious to me that Adriel has a lot more experience being a bad guy and holding sentinels hostage, yet no one else could apparently consider that he might have the upper-hand. It is sometimes as though no one in this world considers the possibility of having contingency plans. They have so many options and skills at their disposal and they are so impulsive they tend to be reckless. Previous books have shown the others to be better at strategy, but this book dragged them right into Vinna's flaws. It felt a little like sloppy writing, as though the author needed to make it easier to present conflicts before revealing how awesome and smart Vinna can be at the last minute. And that's just the thing - she is incredibly good at figuring out a lot of mysteries that are presented to her, but she only does so after she's done something reckless. While that in itself is plausible, the way it occurs in the book feels like a writing strategy gone poorly. Adriel has managed to not be killed by, I imagine, many, many different supernaturals, so he ought to have been considered more complex and tougher of an enemy. I get that Vinna is arrogant, but her Chosen have been threatened enough because of her, I feel like she would've been more cautious, trying to think through strategy.