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solaana's review
4.0
Man, the publisher gets an F in cover designs, because you cannot leave the house with something looking like this! That said, this one rocked - way more steampunk than the last three, for shiz, but I didn't mind that because Mildmay was finally done having his fucking period or whatever that was.
sklepia'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? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
jedbird's review against another edition
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
The brothers travel to a new city where Felix is meant to submit himself to the local magicians who I guess are supposed to make him behave/not kill anyone else. Mildmay is following Felix like a dog, which seems to be his lot at this point in the narrative. We get a new POV in Kay, a (former) margrave who lost his military leader/unrequited love in a failed magical engine ritual that left him blind.
A lot of things happen. Felix makes an unexpected, brief, and I felt unlikely return to prostitution which goes disastrously wrong, though it does point to the power of ritual. Felix becomes a popular university professor, because of course he does.
Mildmay limps, and that's about all he does.
After a lifetime of being a man of action, Kay has to get used to being blind. Kay's brother-in-law wants to marry him off to a widow, though Kay is gay. It wasn't clear to me who knew and who didn't, or whether the brother-in-law or future wife would care. The society seemed reasonably tolerant.
The botched magical military maneuver continues to affect the land, the grazing animals, and the population. Felix attempts to counteract the previous ritual andseriously, I have no idea what happened. It was brief, unexplained, and apparently successful .
The brothers, along with Kay, are moving to a new location with a lighthouse. Sure. Okay. I'd totally read another book in this series, but I wish Mildmay would get back some of his earlier spark. I wish Felix would have maybe a little less charisma and a little more common sense and consideration. I liked this book less because I knew it was the end of the series and none of that is going to happen in a future book.
A lot of things happen. Felix makes an unexpected, brief, and I felt unlikely return to prostitution which goes disastrously wrong, though it does point to the power of ritual. Felix becomes a popular university professor, because of course he does.
Mildmay limps, and that's about all he does.
After a lifetime of being a man of action, Kay has to get used to being blind. Kay's brother-in-law wants to marry him off to a widow, though Kay is gay. It wasn't clear to me who knew and who didn't, or whether the brother-in-law or future wife would care. The society seemed reasonably tolerant.
The botched magical military maneuver continues to affect the land, the grazing animals, and the population. Felix attempts to counteract the previous ritual and
The brothers, along with Kay, are moving to a new location with a lighthouse. Sure. Okay. I'd totally read another book in this series, but I wish Mildmay would get back some of his earlier spark. I wish Felix would have maybe a little less charisma and a little more common sense and consideration. I liked this book less because I knew it was the end of the series and none of that is going to happen in a future book.
jemcam's review against another edition
3.0
While I would recommend this book, I feel that the other ones in the series far outshine it. I wasn't nearly as caught up in the action, and I didn't feel the sense of urgency that the other titles gave me. As well, it didn't have enough Mildmay in it for my taste. That said, I enjoyed Felix more in this book than I have in any of the others, especially when he makes such a large sacrifice for Mildmay. It was a redeeming moment for the character.
ginnikin's review against another edition
3.0
I don't know if it's the two years since the Mirador or if it's Corambis itself, but it wasn't quite the same. Some things felt far too easy; some of the parallelism felt recycled. :/
Just as Mirador had not nearly enough Prick, this one had far too little Mildmay. The third POV didn't fit in as well as Tabby did in the Mirador. (It's unkind to compare books, but less unkind to compare the fourth book in a series to the third.)
Just as Mirador had not nearly enough Prick, this one had far too little Mildmay. The third POV didn't fit in as well as Tabby did in the Mirador. (It's unkind to compare books, but less unkind to compare the fourth book in a series to the third.)
elenajohansen's review against another edition
5.0
All the tension between Mildmay and Felix, every harsh word, argument, physical altercation... all of it was finally paid off in the last book in the series, when Felix is arguably at his lowest (knowing exile, compared to his earlier unknowing madness) and decides that it's time he tried harder to be a decent person.
His faults and his transgressions are not wiped away--quite the opposite, in fact. He's less able to forgive himself for what he's done than others are, especially Mildmay. It comes out, in a short but beautifully emotional conversation between the two of them, that basically Felix did so much to push his brother away because he couldn't believe anyone could ever accept him as he was, and the fact that Mildmay did felt undeserved, unwarranted.
I am wholeheartedly satisfied with this conclusion, and it was a real pleasure to watch the two of them interact like friends, even like family, rather than brothers-by-chance who were thrown together by circumstance.
On top of that, what made this final book a standout for me in the series was a twist on worldbuilding I'm not sure I've ever seen. The first three books seemed to have the same rough level of technology as say, Edwardian England--carts and horses and boats for travel, at best. Then, in exile, Felix and Mildmay go to a country totally unknown to them, and there are trains! Corambis has a higher level of technology, and while steampunk is nothing new (and technically they're steam- and magic-powered) I've never read anything involving higher technology without alien visitation being involved.
Also, Monette uses a very similar structure for the books throughout this series, many seemingly unrelated plot threads that gradually (or suddenly, in some cases) come together in a spectacular ending. While I criticized the previous book for doing this badly, here, it's handled much better. While I couldn't see all the specifics of how the ending would play out, I did at least get some sense of where things were going, instead of being bewildered about the importance of a character or an incident for most of the book.
I look forward to rereading the entire series in the future, hopefully picking up more of what confused me the first time, now that I know how it all works out.
His faults and his transgressions are not wiped away--quite the opposite, in fact. He's less able to forgive himself for what he's done than others are, especially Mildmay. It comes out, in a short but beautifully emotional conversation between the two of them, that basically Felix did so much to push his brother away because he couldn't believe anyone could ever accept him as he was, and the fact that Mildmay did felt undeserved, unwarranted.
I am wholeheartedly satisfied with this conclusion, and it was a real pleasure to watch the two of them interact like friends, even like family, rather than brothers-by-chance who were thrown together by circumstance.
On top of that, what made this final book a standout for me in the series was a twist on worldbuilding I'm not sure I've ever seen. The first three books seemed to have the same rough level of technology as say, Edwardian England--carts and horses and boats for travel, at best. Then, in exile, Felix and Mildmay go to a country totally unknown to them, and there are trains! Corambis has a higher level of technology, and while steampunk is nothing new (and technically they're steam- and magic-powered) I've never read anything involving higher technology without alien visitation being involved.
Also, Monette uses a very similar structure for the books throughout this series, many seemingly unrelated plot threads that gradually (or suddenly, in some cases) come together in a spectacular ending. While I criticized the previous book for doing this badly, here, it's handled much better. While I couldn't see all the specifics of how the ending would play out, I did at least get some sense of where things were going, instead of being bewildered about the importance of a character or an incident for most of the book.
I look forward to rereading the entire series in the future, hopefully picking up more of what confused me the first time, now that I know how it all works out.
misssusan's review
3.0
HMMMMMMM
mixed feelings about this one
i think it would have helped alot to have read this directly after the first three books. like i bought this 3-4 years ago when it came out and only just now got round to reading it. a friend asked me what it was about and i had to answer honestly i had no idea. they're headed to a city? because of reasons?
to be fair, he asked me when i was a hundred pages in, that got explained later
and i kind of wish monette hadn't gone there with the prostitution because i get the point she was making about felix's appetite for self-destruction but it was skin crawlingly awful to read, like i had to basically keep starting and stopping every few sentences until i finally made it through that scene
though i suppose it had it's place in resolving his character arc, i appreciated that the book ended with appropriate emotional closure for everyone
kay was alright though i would've traded him for corbie pov. i like monette's women and i think it's a shame they're rarely the focal characters
ummm what else. oh hey, the cover. let's take a minute to ponder what on earth the designer could have been thinking. guys, i have a great idea, let's use a picture of a confused looking blow up doll oiled and in chains! that's exactly what this story calls for!
3.5 stars
mixed feelings about this one
i think it would have helped alot to have read this directly after the first three books. like i bought this 3-4 years ago when it came out and only just now got round to reading it. a friend asked me what it was about and i had to answer honestly i had no idea. they're headed to a city? because of reasons?
to be fair, he asked me when i was a hundred pages in, that got explained later
and i kind of wish monette hadn't gone there with the prostitution because i get the point she was making about felix's appetite for self-destruction but it was skin crawlingly awful to read, like i had to basically keep starting and stopping every few sentences until i finally made it through that scene
though i suppose it had it's place in resolving his character arc, i appreciated that the book ended with appropriate emotional closure for everyone
kay was alright though i would've traded him for corbie pov. i like monette's women and i think it's a shame they're rarely the focal characters
ummm what else. oh hey, the cover. let's take a minute to ponder what on earth the designer could have been thinking. guys, i have a great idea, let's use a picture of a confused looking blow up doll oiled and in chains! that's exactly what this story calls for!
3.5 stars
stephs_bookshelf's review
4.0
Took me awhile to get through this one, I got distracted by other books and I wasn't as invested in the story as I was for the previous 3; it's been a few years since I finished The Mirador and some of the details from that book are a bit fuzzy.
However, I still enjoyed this book and I'm very glad I finally finished this series and got closure.
However, I still enjoyed this book and I'm very glad I finally finished this series and got closure.
lavendergraypup's review
adventurous
dark
emotional
hopeful
lighthearted
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
5.0
childofmongreldogs's review
4.0
Something about this seemed off to me as compared to the other books in this series. it certainly felt weaker altogether. However I think it's a fine conclusion.