A review by shandyt
The Heart Forger by Rin Chupeco

4.0

4.0 stars.

Definitely an improvement over the first instalment. The prose reads much smoother, and the plot is significantly tighter. I was worried that the romance subplot would get tiresome, but it was handled better than I'd expected.

There are many worldbuilding and logistical issues that get glossed over for the sake of moving the story along.
SpoilerHow does the Azi invariably appear 3 seconds after it's been summoned? Why do we never get to hear descriptions of what it's like to fly on a three-headed dragon? How big is the Azi? What does it look like? Does it have lizard-like scales, or bony plates? How can Inessa and Alyx just go gallivanting around, like in an anime, without a retinue/security staff losing their minds? Are we meant to take away that Alyx is a bad ruler, considering the squalor in which many of her people live?
I rarely feel cheated that I don't get any of these details while reading, but afterward it will catch up to me, and I'll think, 'Wait a second...'

SpoilerThe most dissatisfying part of the book for me was the villain reveal at the end of the Daenerys Daanoris plot. Ideally, a sharp-eyed reader should be able to, in theory, figure it out for themselves. Hardly anyone ever pays close enough attention to actually solve the mystery, but if it's played well, you should be able to go back and find all the places where the answer was foreshadowed. This reveal did not give me that facepalm-triggering feeling of, 'Oh, of course!' Instead, it was more, 'Hm, okay, if you say so.'


A nitpicky quibble: the series has an ongoing issue with misuse of the addresses Your Highness/Your Majesty. For ruling heads of state, it should be Your Majesty, or Your Imperial Majesty for the Empress Alyx or Emperor Shifang. Your Highness/Your Imperial Highness is reserved for princes and princesses like Kance and Inessa.