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amybraunauthor's review against another edition
5.0
Oooo This was a brutal one. Every character we've grown attached to return and new ones are introduced for the final battle that will change everything, for those who survive. Author Joe Abercrombie doesn't hold back from the roughness of war and the toll it takes. I was surprised with the routes some characters took, especially Father Yarvi, but all of it led to a satisfying ending. At first I was a little let down, but after some reflection, I realize this is the right ending for the trilogy and wouldn't want it any other way. New characters Skara, Raith, and familiar face Koll are very engaging. Skara is a strong and fantastic female hero. Raith started off as a jerk but his story quickly drew me in and I found myself liking him. Koll has a complex journey and I was glad to see his story end the way it did. I'd heard that these books were excellent, and I was so happy to believe those words. This is one of the best fantasies I've ever read and highly recommend it to anyone who loves light fantasy with intrigue, betrayal, romance, and wicked power struggles. Not to be missed!
sandygx260's review against another edition
3.0
Still not sure what to say about this because of the treachery. Still, the ending fitted the series. Loved the series, didn't appreciate aspects of the ending. There you have it.
mirieh's review
adventurous
dark
sad
tense
slow-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
2.5
jon288's review against another edition
4.0
Shattered Sea 3. Modern military weapons introduced into a viking style post-apocalypse world is great fun. Some interesting character directions, as to be expected from Abercrombie. Probably the most fun of the trilogy
tatitab's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
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? Yes
sonice's review against another edition
4.0
3.5 stars. A satisfying enough conclusion, but compared to the other two SS books it falls into the middle of the pack. Slightly better than HaK, but nowhere near as good as HtW.
While being a neat idea - albeit not one I haven't encountered before - the whole Elf relic thing was fairly predictable and sort of hampered the stakes towards the last half. It was fun to read as we went along, trying to figure out exactly what modern structure or technology is being described by someone to whom this is all completely alien and fantastical. It had some major 'Broken Empire' vibes, which is a series I love. Just like in that series, ancient (or modern, to us anyway) lost technology plays a major part of the protagonists' success - however here I felt that it came across as a little...cheap? Hard to say exactly why, but at no point during the final battle did I feel like it wasn't going to be a complete blow out - which of course, it was.
The twist with Yarvi being the traitor in the group? I'm not someone who actively tries to solve these kinds of riddles right away; I'm more of an 'along for the ride' kind of reader. This, however, was just so obvious. So much so that when Skara calls him on it, my only reaction was "OK finally someone says it out loud".
It really came down to the characters (like most of Abercrombie's stuff) as well. My favourites from the last two were put into more of a supporting role in this one, and the new additions didn't have quite the same appeal. I needed more THORN. Having someone to root for, who makes the hair on the back of your neck stand up, who makes you fist-pump the air as you're following along with them - THAT'S what I wanted more of.
On the whole, I would still recommend this series to people, but I can see why people are mostly lukewarm about it.
While being a neat idea - albeit not one I haven't encountered before - the whole Elf relic thing was fairly predictable and sort of hampered the stakes towards the last half. It was fun to read as we went along, trying to figure out exactly what modern structure or technology is being described by someone to whom this is all completely alien and fantastical. It had some major 'Broken Empire' vibes, which is a series I love. Just like in that series, ancient (or modern, to us anyway) lost technology plays a major part of the protagonists' success - however here I felt that it came across as a little...cheap? Hard to say exactly why, but at no point during the final battle did I feel like it wasn't going to be a complete blow out - which of course, it was.
The twist with Yarvi being the traitor in the group? I'm not someone who actively tries to solve these kinds of riddles right away; I'm more of an 'along for the ride' kind of reader. This, however, was just so obvious. So much so that when Skara calls him on it, my only reaction was "OK finally someone says it out loud".
It really came down to the characters (like most of Abercrombie's stuff) as well. My favourites from the last two were put into more of a supporting role in this one, and the new additions didn't have quite the same appeal. I needed more THORN. Having someone to root for, who makes the hair on the back of your neck stand up, who makes you fist-pump the air as you're following along with them - THAT'S what I wanted more of.
On the whole, I would still recommend this series to people, but I can see why people are mostly lukewarm about it.
thejdizzler's review
adventurous
challenging
dark
sad
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? Yes
4.5
No es tan bondadoso como las dos partes anteriores. Sin embargo, Media Guerra me daba un final satisfactorio de la historia de los personajes y los reinos del mar quebrado.
En este parte, tenemos tres nuevas perspectivas: la de una reina, la de Koll que es ahora un aprendiz de Padre Yarvi, y de Raith, un guerrero de la corte de Grum-gil-Gorm. Esta decision a cambiar la perspectiva entre cada libro es un truco interesante de Abercrombie para el desarrollo de sus personajes. Ya conocemos como sea ver por los ojos de Yarvi, Espinu y Brand. Por los ojos de otros, sus acciones y sus opiniones sobre si mismos toman un color muy diferente. Pero este truco es una espada con dos filos. Echaba de menos la voz de Yarvi, y de Brand sobre todo.
El final es como lo espere. Tan triste y tan dulce al mismo tiempo. Abercrombie es un pesimista sobre los cambios. Por las personajes si, pero por el mundo, no. Ellos que tienen el poder siempre actúan por las mismas canales.
En este parte, tenemos tres nuevas perspectivas: la de una reina, la de Koll que es ahora un aprendiz de Padre Yarvi, y de Raith, un guerrero de la corte de Grum-gil-Gorm. Esta decision a cambiar la perspectiva entre cada libro es un truco interesante de Abercrombie para el desarrollo de sus personajes. Ya conocemos como sea ver por los ojos de Yarvi, Espinu y Brand. Por los ojos de otros, sus acciones y sus opiniones sobre si mismos toman un color muy diferente. Pero este truco es una espada con dos filos. Echaba de menos la voz de Yarvi, y de Brand sobre todo.
El final es como lo espere. Tan triste y tan dulce al mismo tiempo. Abercrombie es un pesimista sobre los cambios. Por las personajes si, pero por el mundo, no. Ellos que tienen el poder siempre actúan por las mismas canales.
jtrebec's review
adventurous
dark
fast-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
3.75