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morganziegler 's review for:
House of Chains
by Steven Erikson
This is the first book in the Malazan Book of the Fallen series that I have not given a 5-star rating. This one, like Memories of Ice, took me an exceptionally long time to read, but unlike with Memories of Ice, I don't feel like this one paid off as hard as that one did. I didn't dislike this by any means, but it wasn't as good for me as previous installments.
The Good:
-Karsa Orlong. WITNESS the glory of this badass dude as he starts off as an infuriating asshole that ticks just about every one of my boxes of hatred...and then turns it the fuck around with no cheesy ass redemption arc. Karsa don't need no stinking redemption arc to grow! His character arc was so well done and quite subtle and I enjoyed it a lot, especially because of how insufferable he was at first. Good on Erikson.
-Pov's I enjoyed (other that late game Karsa): Pearl and Lostara Yil, Fiddler, and Kalam. I was thrilled as always to see Quick Ben up in here too, as he is still my all time and absolute fave.
-The various reactions and fallouts from Memories of Ice to the remaining Bridgeburners. Fiddler made me tear up a bit, not gonna lie.
-The bromance of Trull and Onrack. Erikson is amazing at a bromance.
The Bad:
-The ending of certain subplots had me really let down. I was expecting a reveal that didn't happen, a meeting that didn't truly take place, a conversation not had, and a battle that ended before it had begun. Felt a bit built up for nada.
-Karsa in the beginning. I get why it happened, and we cool now, but UGGHHH insufferable. That's a long, uninterrupted time in page-count to spend with someone you can't stand.
-Pacing issues had this one taking me forever and dragging ass in some parts, especially when chess pieces were just moving multiple scenes in a row.
The Ugly:
-Quite a bit of ugly up in here. Trigger warnings for rape, non-consensual body modification, and genital mutilation. I am thrilled this person gets their comeuppance, and it is definitely not glorified, but holy shit. Definitely take caution before diving into this one.
As I said, this was by no means bad, I just feel a little underwhelmed coming off of three 5-star reads in this series in a row. No biggie though, I'm still having an amazing time with this series, and I'll, of course, be continuing on with Midnight Tides relatively soon. I will be taking a break just so I don't get burned out.
The Good:
-Karsa Orlong. WITNESS the glory of this badass dude as he starts off as an infuriating asshole that ticks just about every one of my boxes of hatred...and then turns it the fuck around with no cheesy ass redemption arc. Karsa don't need no stinking redemption arc to grow! His character arc was so well done and quite subtle and I enjoyed it a lot, especially because of how insufferable he was at first. Good on Erikson.
-Pov's I enjoyed (other that late game Karsa): Pearl and Lostara Yil, Fiddler, and Kalam. I was thrilled as always to see Quick Ben up in here too, as he is still my all time and absolute fave.
-The various reactions and fallouts from Memories of Ice to the remaining Bridgeburners. Fiddler made me tear up a bit, not gonna lie.
-The bromance of Trull and Onrack. Erikson is amazing at a bromance.
The Bad:
-The ending of certain subplots had me really let down. I was expecting a reveal that didn't happen, a meeting that didn't truly take place, a conversation not had, and a battle that ended before it had begun. Felt a bit built up for nada.
-Karsa in the beginning. I get why it happened, and we cool now, but UGGHHH insufferable. That's a long, uninterrupted time in page-count to spend with someone you can't stand.
-Pacing issues had this one taking me forever and dragging ass in some parts, especially when chess pieces were just moving multiple scenes in a row.
The Ugly:
-Quite a bit of ugly up in here. Trigger warnings for rape, non-consensual body modification, and genital mutilation. I am thrilled this person gets their comeuppance, and it is definitely not glorified, but holy shit. Definitely take caution before diving into this one.
As I said, this was by no means bad, I just feel a little underwhelmed coming off of three 5-star reads in this series in a row. No biggie though, I'm still having an amazing time with this series, and I'll, of course, be continuing on with Midnight Tides relatively soon. I will be taking a break just so I don't get burned out.