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andyxmas's review
2.0
Not as good as the previous books... But still an enjoyable story if you persevere
readerworm28's review
adventurous
emotional
funny
hopeful
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
sassblaster's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
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
4.5
galax003's review against another edition
adventurous
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? Yes
4.0
kanissa's review against another edition
5.0
This is certainly my favorite of the two trilogies. Given the events covered in the story, there are surprisingly few action sequences. Instead, the plot is mostly driven along by the characters' thoughts and desires, and of course dialogue. Perhaps this is why I preferred this novel - there is more about character development and depth rather than trite plot lines.
Overall I felt this series was significantly better written than the Black Magician trilogy, although it certainly wasn't one of those stories you can't put down. In fact, it took me significantly longer to read than the Black Magician trilogy. The characters were more endearing, there seemed to be fewer cliches, and I felt emotionally engaged by the end. Generally, that is what attracts me to a story.
I won't comment much on the plot itself. Some of it (i.e., the Traitors) annoyed me, and many of the loose ends (i.e., roet) were tied up much too conveniently. These didn't greatly hamper my enjoyment of the story.
Overall I felt this series was significantly better written than the Black Magician trilogy, although it certainly wasn't one of those stories you can't put down. In fact, it took me significantly longer to read than the Black Magician trilogy. The characters were more endearing, there seemed to be fewer cliches, and I felt emotionally engaged by the end. Generally, that is what attracts me to a story.
I won't comment much on the plot itself. Some of it (i.e., the Traitors) annoyed me, and many of the loose ends (i.e., roet) were tied up much too conveniently. These didn't greatly hamper my enjoyment of the story.
linaru's review
5.0
Loved it,but I have to admit that I am missing a really good action. I MISS action with Sonea aa main character.I know this is not story about her,but I just miss her even though there is quite a lot of her POV...
janeymacd's review
3.0
The Traitor Queen was a good end to the Traitor Spy series, even if the 'action' was a little short lived. The second book in this series was somewhat of a let down for me, it seemed like filler material, but the installment has redeemed the series.
As always, Canavan tied up the loose ends of this series, but left the end open for further story lines. I see at least another series set in this world in the near future
As always, Canavan tied up the loose ends of this series, but left the end open for further story lines. I see at least another series set in this world in the near future
elanor90's review
3.0
Let me start by saying that Traitor Spy isn't anything like the The Black Magician and it never convinced me or intrigued me as much as those books did. The main problem in the Traitor Queen is the characters we get to follow. They are just not interesting enough and the characters we'd actually like to hear more about, don't get as much space in the book. Dannyl's storyline was interesting every now and then, but ended quite disappointingly. I expected him to do more when the war finally happened, even though he was the ambassador.
Lorkin was mostly boring, and he went on too much about Tyvara being so important to him. It was interesting to see what happened with the gemstones, but in the end even that seemed quite a disappointment and I was actually wondering what would happen to the wasteland.
The "final battle" ended way too easily for my liking. I kept thinking things were going too smoothly for the Traitors, expecting the Sachakan to turn things around but that never happened. The battle was over so soon. It was however fascinating to read how the slave system was overthrown, but Canavan could have done more with that. We never really saw much about the slave rebellions.
And, unfortunately, we don't get enough Sonea, and Sonea isn't anything like the important heroine she was in TBM. But one of the things I did love was the developing relationship between Sonea and Regin. Regin of all people! Canavan actually handled that really well. We knew him as the bully from TBM, but I would never have expected his character to develop the way he did. I was pleasantly surprised and he was one of the people I would really like to have seen more of. Unfortunately we didn't get that either.
Yes, it was a good book, I liked where it was going. But at the same time there were too many things going on, and none of these things were developed in a way that would make them very fascinating. A lot of likeable and interesting characters didn't get mentioned in the book as much as they should have been, and a lot of uninteresting persons were dwelled upon too much. One of the most disappointing things was that Cery didn't get the ending he deserved. I loved him in the TBM, but in Traitor Spy all he did was moan about how old he was now. He should have had a heroic ending at least.
If you have read TBM, I would still recommend you to read Traitor Spy but you should not expect it to be of the same level. I usually can't put a book down if it's good, but I could easily lay Traitor Queen aside in the evening. That's not a good thing. At the same time, I did want to finish it, I enjoyed a lot of the storylines, there were some very interesting things happening, the conversations were usually really good, and we got to follow some of our beloved characters from the previous books again. But Canavan could have done much much more with it.
Lorkin was mostly boring, and he went on too much about Tyvara being so important to him. It was interesting to see what happened with the gemstones, but in the end even that seemed quite a disappointment and I was actually wondering what would happen to the wasteland.
The "final battle" ended way too easily for my liking. I kept thinking things were going too smoothly for the Traitors, expecting the Sachakan to turn things around but that never happened. The battle was over so soon. It was however fascinating to read how the slave system was overthrown, but Canavan could have done more with that. We never really saw much about the slave rebellions.
And, unfortunately, we don't get enough Sonea, and Sonea isn't anything like the important heroine she was in TBM. But one of the things I did love was the developing relationship between Sonea and Regin. Regin of all people! Canavan actually handled that really well. We knew him as the bully from TBM, but I would never have expected his character to develop the way he did. I was pleasantly surprised and he was one of the people I would really like to have seen more of. Unfortunately we didn't get that either.
Yes, it was a good book, I liked where it was going. But at the same time there were too many things going on, and none of these things were developed in a way that would make them very fascinating. A lot of likeable and interesting characters didn't get mentioned in the book as much as they should have been, and a lot of uninteresting persons were dwelled upon too much. One of the most disappointing things was that Cery didn't get the ending he deserved. I loved him in the TBM, but in Traitor Spy all he did was moan about how old he was now. He should have had a heroic ending at least.
If you have read TBM, I would still recommend you to read Traitor Spy but you should not expect it to be of the same level. I usually can't put a book down if it's good, but I could easily lay Traitor Queen aside in the evening. That's not a good thing. At the same time, I did want to finish it, I enjoyed a lot of the storylines, there were some very interesting things happening, the conversations were usually really good, and we got to follow some of our beloved characters from the previous books again. But Canavan could have done much much more with it.
ktaylor1164's review
3.0
As I said in my review of the previous book, I read these because I was intrigued by the world and the basic plot; I wanted to be invested in the characters (and was, to the extent that I did care what happened to them), but none of these books really pulled me in. The writing is serviceable; the characterization is flat. Still, I read them all, so I can't say I wasn't pulled in.
readacorn's review against another edition
3.0
Sonea, die Schwarze Magierin von Kyralia, ist überglücklich, als ihr Sohn Lorkin von den Sachakanischen Rebellen freigelassen wird. Endlich wird er nach Hause zurückkehren. Aber zuvor verlangt der König von Sachaka, dass der junge Mann alle Informationen preisgibt, die er über die Verräterinnen hat. Doch Lorkin hat sich in eine der Rebellinnen verliebt und ist nicht bereit, sie auszuliefern. Der Sachakanische König droht, Lorkin sein Wissen mit Gewalt zu entreißen. Da verlässt Sonea Kyralia. Sie wird ihren Sohn nicht im Stich lassen – und hofft, dass sie ihn im Krieg beschützen kann …
Anfangs zog sich der Abschluß der Reihe etwas aber nach der zweiten Hälfte war der Knoten geplatzt und es wurden 350 Seiten an einem Abend und darauffolgenden Morgen verschlungen.
Dennoch ist diese Reihe nicht so stark wie sein Vorgänger. Ich bin gespannt auf 'Die Zeitalter der Fünf' und 'Magie der Tausend Welten' aber nun möchte ich zunächst eine Canavan-Pause einlegen und erst mal bereits angefangene Reihen beenden.
Anfangs zog sich der Abschluß der Reihe etwas aber nach der zweiten Hälfte war der Knoten geplatzt und es wurden 350 Seiten an einem Abend und darauffolgenden Morgen verschlungen.
Dennoch ist diese Reihe nicht so stark wie sein Vorgänger. Ich bin gespannt auf 'Die Zeitalter der Fünf' und 'Magie der Tausend Welten' aber nun möchte ich zunächst eine Canavan-Pause einlegen und erst mal bereits angefangene Reihen beenden.