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brendalovesbooks's review against another edition
3.0
I really loved the first book in this series. Then with the second, when we had new main characters, it took me a little bit but I grew to love Thorn and Brand. With this third book, though, I just never got attached to the characters, and it really felt like it dragged.
dietzt23's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
lali0210's review against another edition
challenging
dark
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
itstoniy's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
katyanaish's review against another edition
4.0
The story was well-woven, as I've come to expect from Abercrombie. But I can't help but be disappointed.
I'm too emotional to judge whether I found it believable that Yarvi could really become so evil - he has not only become everything he hates, he's arguably become worse. Certainly, we haven't seen that Grandmother Wexen regularly staged attacks on her own people and got those closest to her killed, in order to further her plans. And the way he ordered Skara around, right before that final reveal ... it felt too far, to me. Too much. Too overtly villain. But as I said, maybe I'm too emotional to judge.
In the end, I'm left with general unhappiness, because either I didn't connect to the characters (the new main characters in this book), or they became people I didn't like.
Skara ... I found her impossible to warm up to. She was appallingly selfish, and pretty full of herself at the same time.
Koll ... So wishy-washy. He struggled with the same decision for the entirety of the book, and I didn't really feel like the choice was THAT hard.
Raith ... Of the three new main characters in this book, I liked him the best. But I feel like... for a great warrior, we didn't actually get to see him do much (anything really) in battle. And for a great warrior, he sure let himself be kicked around by everyone.
Yarvi ... *sigh*
Thorn ... I finally came to like her in the last book, and by the end I liked her quite a bit. But the person she became after losing Brand... she wasn't even human anymore.
So I don't know. I'm giving it 4 stars, because I love Abercrombie as a storyteller. But he might just be a writer who is not for me. I need characters that I am rooting for. I like shades of gray, complexities in people and situations. But I guess what makes a character someone I can love is... that they are trying to do their best. Choosing to go to war, people dying, I get that. But Yarvi seems to have fallen into a place of casual cruelty, as did Thorn. It makes for a story that is sad. There's no real other takeaway. Just sad.
I'm too emotional to judge whether I found it believable that Yarvi could really become so evil - he has not only become everything he hates, he's arguably become worse. Certainly, we haven't seen that Grandmother Wexen regularly staged attacks on her own people and got those closest to her killed, in order to further her plans. And the way he ordered Skara around, right before that final reveal ... it felt too far, to me. Too much. Too overtly villain. But as I said, maybe I'm too emotional to judge.
In the end, I'm left with general unhappiness, because either I didn't connect to the characters (the new main characters in this book), or they became people I didn't like.
Skara ... I found her impossible to warm up to. She was appallingly selfish, and pretty full of herself at the same time.
Koll ... So wishy-washy. He struggled with the same decision for the entirety of the book, and I didn't really feel like the choice was THAT hard.
Raith ... Of the three new main characters in this book, I liked him the best. But I feel like... for a great warrior, we didn't actually get to see him do much (anything really) in battle. And for a great warrior, he sure let himself be kicked around by everyone.
Yarvi ... *sigh*
Thorn ... I finally came to like her in the last book, and by the end I liked her quite a bit. But the person she became after losing Brand... she wasn't even human anymore.
So I don't know. I'm giving it 4 stars, because I love Abercrombie as a storyteller. But he might just be a writer who is not for me. I need characters that I am rooting for. I like shades of gray, complexities in people and situations. But I guess what makes a character someone I can love is... that they are trying to do their best. Choosing to go to war, people dying, I get that. But Yarvi seems to have fallen into a place of casual cruelty, as did Thorn. It makes for a story that is sad. There's no real other takeaway. Just sad.
callandor19's review against another edition
3.0
It’s still Abercrombie and has his voice and satisfyingly unsatisfying moral framework, but suffers a bit for being toned down for the YA audience and shorter length.
samolineux's review
adventurous
dark
tense
fast-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
4.25
jesshm13's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
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
4.75
No me demoré en terminarlo porque no me estuviera gustando, si no, porque estoy muy loca y me metí en muchas LC diferentes en su momento, lo que hizo que descuidara otras lecturas, además, sabía que me iba a dar duro este final, por que me veía venir muertes y tristeza, (que sí propias del grimdark, pero igual, soy llorona). Todo el entramado de la historia está perfecto, los giros, los enredos de los personajes, sus relaciones, la guerra, todo muy bien armado y muy bien finalizado. Hay de todo, algunos terminan mal, otros regular, otros bien y otros no terminan T.T , pero en sí, quedé contenta con como se desarrolla todo y además siempre quedan esas perlitas de sabiduría que ha tenido toda la saga que me han hecho amarla más.
n0madz's review
adventurous
dark
emotional
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
mattleestew's review against another edition
5.0
Another amazing book by Joe Abercrombie, not that's it's any surprise. Hope he keeps the books coming!