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A review by dinibharadwaj
Amid Wind & Stone by Nicole Luiken
5.0
Actual rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars
Characters:
Dorotea didn't initially impress me, making choices that seemed really stupid, but she grew on me, primarily because she accepted her mistakes. Audrey was more fun and my new favourite. The romance in this instalment felt better crafted and I loved how the Otherselves of Gideon also have different personalities, same as Leah. The supporting cast on the Air World were great, but those of the Stone World were a little underwhelming to me.
Plot and Setting:
The beginning again hooked me, just like the first book. I breezed through the book, hardly pausing because the plot was fast-paced and a delightful page-turner. The previous book stops at a very intriguing cliff-hanger, but this book does not develop on that at all, which was a bit of a let down for me, and hence the 4.5 rating. The world-building again floored me. The Air and Stone Worlds were two completely different places with their own social ranking, customs and just the overall feel of each place. After this book, I'm convinced that Nicole Luiken is a master world-builder and I enjoyed immersing myself in the worlds she built (especially Air World).
Writing Style:
I read this book when the memory of the previous one was still fresh in my mind, so I didn't need any time getting used to the writing, as I did with the first book. It was perhaps more enjoyable because of that and I was invested from beginning to end. The writing is easy to follow and gets descriptive only when it needs to, although there were a few places which felt like an info-dump session. They were necessary to the story, but that was the only time my mind pulled away from the book for a breather, so I hope there's less of that in the next book.
Conclusion:
The first two books of this series have entertained me and captured my imagination. If the third book is even half as good as these two, I'm sure the series will end up in my Top Five Favourite Fantasy Trilogies list. It features real female characters, has romance, action and adventure in equal measure and is a quick read - all the marks of great writing. I just hope the last book lives up to my expectations.
Characters:
Dorotea didn't initially impress me, making choices that seemed really stupid, but she grew on me, primarily because she accepted her mistakes. Audrey was more fun and my new favourite. The romance in this instalment felt better crafted and I loved how the Otherselves of Gideon also have different personalities, same as Leah. The supporting cast on the Air World were great, but those of the Stone World were a little underwhelming to me.
Plot and Setting:
The beginning again hooked me, just like the first book. I breezed through the book, hardly pausing because the plot was fast-paced and a delightful page-turner. The previous book stops at a very intriguing cliff-hanger, but this book does not develop on that at all, which was a bit of a let down for me, and hence the 4.5 rating. The world-building again floored me. The Air and Stone Worlds were two completely different places with their own social ranking, customs and just the overall feel of each place. After this book, I'm convinced that Nicole Luiken is a master world-builder and I enjoyed immersing myself in the worlds she built (especially Air World).
Writing Style:
I read this book when the memory of the previous one was still fresh in my mind, so I didn't need any time getting used to the writing, as I did with the first book. It was perhaps more enjoyable because of that and I was invested from beginning to end. The writing is easy to follow and gets descriptive only when it needs to, although there were a few places which felt like an info-dump session. They were necessary to the story, but that was the only time my mind pulled away from the book for a breather, so I hope there's less of that in the next book.
Conclusion:
The first two books of this series have entertained me and captured my imagination. If the third book is even half as good as these two, I'm sure the series will end up in my Top Five Favourite Fantasy Trilogies list. It features real female characters, has romance, action and adventure in equal measure and is a quick read - all the marks of great writing. I just hope the last book lives up to my expectations.