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A review by andrew_f
The Price of Spring by Daniel Abraham
adventurous
emotional
sad
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
Maybe and unpopular opinion, but the first book in The Long Price Quarter remains my favorite, but the entire series is well worth the read.
The conclusion is about the aftermath due to the failed binding of the andat, leaving the women of the Khaiem and the men of Galt unable to bear children. Otah and Maati, once close friends, are now trying to resolve the crisis in their own way. Both sides distrust each other and deep resentments remain. Despite this, Otah wants to bring the two nations together by having women from Galt marry the men of Khaeim. Otah's daughter, Eiah, who was also sterlized at the end of the third book, believes her father's aims are misguided and feels that he is abandoning the women of Khaeim. She seeks out Maati who is trying to form a new grammar for women poets in order to bind a new Andat that will reverse the damage caused by the previous failed binding.
This book is again very character focused, with the main two characters, Otah and Maati, struggling with their decisions and regrets all throughout their life. Each can pinpoint how their actions from childhood led to the current disaster. Yet each also realizes they did the best they could at the time. I found Maati's character a bit frustrating in this book. By the end of the series, I no longer enjoyed reading about this character and I think that detracted a bit from my enjoyment of this book.
The plot, while good, wasn't nearly as engaging as books 1 and 3, but I liked it a bit more than book 2. The writing and character work remain excellent and are the main selling points of this series. I think book one is my favorite because it was unlike any other fantasy book I had read, and I found the character work to be incredibly subtle and realistic. While that doesn't change throughout the series, for some reason I felt most attached to them in the first book.
Overall, a satisfying if unsurprising conclusion to the series. It's not the best ending I've read, but it worked for the series and it was an overall very enjoyable experience.
The conclusion is about the aftermath due to the failed binding of the andat, leaving the women of the Khaiem and the men of Galt unable to bear children. Otah and Maati, once close friends, are now trying to resolve the crisis in their own way. Both sides distrust each other and deep resentments remain. Despite this, Otah wants to bring the two nations together by having women from Galt marry the men of Khaeim. Otah's daughter, Eiah, who was also sterlized at the end of the third book, believes her father's aims are misguided and feels that he is abandoning the women of Khaeim. She seeks out Maati who is trying to form a new grammar for women poets in order to bind a new Andat that will reverse the damage caused by the previous failed binding.
This book is again very character focused, with the main two characters, Otah and Maati, struggling with their decisions and regrets all throughout their life. Each can pinpoint how their actions from childhood led to the current disaster. Yet each also realizes they did the best they could at the time. I found Maati's character a bit frustrating in this book. By the end of the series, I no longer enjoyed reading about this character and I think that detracted a bit from my enjoyment of this book.
The plot, while good, wasn't nearly as engaging as books 1 and 3, but I liked it a bit more than book 2. The writing and character work remain excellent and are the main selling points of this series. I think book one is my favorite because it was unlike any other fantasy book I had read, and I found the character work to be incredibly subtle and realistic. While that doesn't change throughout the series, for some reason I felt most attached to them in the first book.
Overall, a satisfying if unsurprising conclusion to the series. It's not the best ending I've read, but it worked for the series and it was an overall very enjoyable experience.