A review by lisyda
Shorefall by Robert Jackson Bennett

adventurous dark 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? No

4.0

Humankind is most innovative at turning innovation to the cruelest ends.

The sequel to Foundryside kicks off 3 years after the events of the first book. And it kicks off FAST, diving quickly into action sequences. This pace actually continues throughout most of the book, with the characters barely getting downtime for slower moments, which I kind of missed at times.

There is a big bad villain that takes centre stage in this book, who is both interesting and overtly invested in Bad Guy Monologues, though those also provided some interesting tidbits about the world and its lore. Communication is actually a big feature in this book as a ton of exposition is done through the characters talking to each other about what they're going to do. This was completely fine at times, especially when it involves providing some context to how the magic system will work/be used, but at times, it also got a bit tedious and I just wanted to see them do this or that already.

I liked the heists or heist-like parts of this book, which was a strength in the first book as well. It's simply a lot of fun to see the magic system of this world at work, even if sometimes, the solutions the gang comes up with really push the boundaries of what seems doable. It's still entertaining!

“You all…You are thieves, yes?”
“No,” said Gregor.
“Yes,” said Sancia.
“Sometimes,” said Orso.

I still love the Foundrysiders! The dynamic established between them in the first book continues to shine in this book and the depth of their found family relationship is taken to a whole new level through the use of a very specific plot device. Oh and Orso's comments are still the best!

We also get some crucial reveals about certain characters, which I won't go into due to spoilers. They're hinted at heavily throughout as well, so they're not shocking reveals, but I loved waiting to see my theories confirmed.

One dream dies, but another’s born. Let’s make sure it survives.

Shorefall is clearly a middle book. There's a bunch of plot that happens, changing the status quo, taking the characters and the world to where they need to be, and revealing important pieces of information. For me, it was overall enjoyable, but missing some of the characteristics here and there that I liked better in the first book. I do still have a couple of theories in the back of my head about some things so I'm curious to see whether they get confirmed in the last book or not. So, on to the next one!