A review by dandelionfluff
Shadowland by Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni

2.0

Wasn't as fond of this one as the previous installments. The dystopian science fiction wasn't fleshed out enough to feel like a believable world, and yet the situation itself is common enough to delve into. The world has been ruined by greed and conflict, scientists are the respected elite, magicians are suspect, etc. I think that part irked me a bit-- that of course scientists are the ones to mistrust, as they've been manipulated and led astray by their own pursuits. There's a great deal of political and social commentary going on here, that's for sure, which I wouldn't have minded if it felt like it belonged in the series. The previous two books were so full of what felt like organic magic. This one more feels like it tried to be two things at once, not really achieving either.

The messages of preservation of the environment, maintaining love for friends, being merciful-- all are good ideas to hang on to. Maybe, if the series continues, we'll get back to the feel of the first two books.