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A review by ninjamuse
Treason of Hawks by Lila Bowen
3.0
In brief: Rhett and his posse are finally between monster hunting jobs but the peace doesn’t feel right. Something bad is coming, something that has no problem dragging his past up to taunt him, and worst of all, he can’t see it coming. Fourth and last in a series.
Thoughts: This was a very satisfying conclusion to the series, though not quite as thrilling and punchy as I’ve become used to, though that makes sense. Rhett’s largely had his character growth, after all, and a lot of what I liked in the past books is how they came at issues of diversity and gender with a vengeance. There was also less of a momentum towards the monster/villain, by dint of nobody knowing who the big bad was, which meant a lot of reading about people waiting and planning—which Bowen still manages to do well. This is very much a book about friends and found family and what regular life would look like if the monsters didn’t need fighting.
I liked that this book came full circle, in a way, stirring up Rhett’s past right back to his origins as Nettie, and how that prompted him to reaffirm who he was and showed how far he’s come over the course of the series. It was also worrying, in that I had as little clue as Rhett who could be behind the game of psychological cat and mouse—and why they were even hoping to achieve.
Things I also liked: that Rhett’s posse changed and shifted again, with new character dynamics; that Rhett finally accepted that there were some people he couldn’t change and that traits he found annoying in people actually had value to him ; that the horrible thing I was worried about at the end of the last book didn’t happen; that Rhett’s given the chance to directly confront his past and takes the high road; and that there is very much a happy ending.
Things I didn’t like: a few of the deaths in this hurt, for reasons of liking the character or Rhett liking them; that several of the characters just disappear in fight scenes in a way that suggests Bowen forgot they were there; that the happy ending is quite as neat as it is for everyone involved; and that a few of the unanswered questions about people never got answered.
Small beans, though. Like I said, I was very satisfied with this book and the places it took me (and Rhett). It was comforting in a way to revisit the world and the characters and get taken through a last goodbye—which Bowen does well, by the way, I’d expect nothing less. I had to stretch for those complaints, honestly.
The series is definitely still high on my rec list—the world! the diversity! the messages! the magic and monsters! More people should read it, seriously. But, uh, start from the beginning, eh? Otherwise, there be spoilers.
7/10
To bear in mind: Protagonist is a trans man. Not everyone in this world believes trans men are men. Also, as this is the final showdown, there’s a reasonably high body count (but not a graphic one).
Thoughts: This was a very satisfying conclusion to the series, though not quite as thrilling and punchy as I’ve become used to, though that makes sense. Rhett’s largely had his character growth, after all, and a lot of what I liked in the past books is how they came at issues of diversity and gender with a vengeance. There was also less of a momentum towards the monster/villain, by dint of nobody knowing who the big bad was, which meant a lot of reading about people waiting and planning—which Bowen still manages to do well. This is very much a book about friends and found family and what regular life would look like if the monsters didn’t need fighting.
I liked that this book came full circle, in a way, stirring up Rhett’s past right back to his origins as Nettie, and how that prompted him to reaffirm who he was and showed how far he’s come over the course of the series. It was also worrying, in that I had as little clue as Rhett who could be behind the game of psychological cat and mouse—and why they were even hoping to achieve.
Things I also liked: that Rhett’s posse changed and shifted again, with new character dynamics; that Rhett finally accepted that there were some people he couldn’t change and that traits he found annoying in people actually had value to him ; that the horrible thing I was worried about at the end of the last book didn’t happen; that Rhett’s given the chance to directly confront his past and takes the high road; and that there is very much a happy ending.
Things I didn’t like: a few of the deaths in this hurt, for reasons of liking the character or Rhett liking them; that several of the characters just disappear in fight scenes in a way that suggests Bowen forgot they were there; that the happy ending is quite as neat as it is for everyone involved; and that a few of the unanswered questions about people never got answered.
Small beans, though. Like I said, I was very satisfied with this book and the places it took me (and Rhett). It was comforting in a way to revisit the world and the characters and get taken through a last goodbye—which Bowen does well, by the way, I’d expect nothing less. I had to stretch for those complaints, honestly.
The series is definitely still high on my rec list—the world! the diversity! the messages! the magic and monsters! More people should read it, seriously. But, uh, start from the beginning, eh? Otherwise, there be spoilers.
7/10
To bear in mind: Protagonist is a trans man. Not everyone in this world believes trans men are men. Also, as this is the final showdown, there’s a reasonably high body count (but not a graphic one).