Scan barcode
knittingwild's review
adventurous
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
seeinghowitgoes's review
3.0
The Jouster series was one that I used to really enjoy, but I've been spoiled by the Temeraire series in recent times. It's also been at least 1.5 years since I've read a jouster novel and it took me at least 25% of the novel to begin remembering events and people.
My biggest criticism about the novel is probably the way Lackey tends to handle antagonists. Confrontations seem to build during the storyline only to fizzle out towards the end after a long speech from the main character. That said, she is pro at creating the poor boy to King storyline!
My biggest criticism about the novel is probably the way Lackey tends to handle antagonists. Confrontations seem to build during the storyline only to fizzle out towards the end after a long speech from the main character. That said, she is pro at creating the poor boy to King storyline!
minniestronni's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
leann_bolesch's review
adventurous
hopeful
mysterious
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
2.0
My biggest question upon completing book 3 was "Why is there a fourth book?" I don't think this book answered that question. Before getting into my rant, I want to say I still whole-heartedly recommend the first three books to anyone who likes dragons. I just recommend pretend this series os a trilogy, which is probably what it was conceived as anyway.
I thought at first that maybe the author just wasn't able to let go of the characters and wanted to wrap up a few more minor plot threads that there weren't time for in the last book like Kiron's missing family or, apparently, how restoration of the lost cities was going. The more I think about it, the more I suspect this was a stealth pilot for a spin-off. Maybe with Peri, who came out of no where for this book, had a past that interwove her with Kiron in order to make her seem more significant, and yet could have been absent from the story without it impacting anything. She isn't even particularly relevant to the Queen's Wing plot thread except that the Queen's Wing served as an excuse to introduce her. (Which is a separate issue from the Queen's Wing plot thread being anti-climactic and mostly serving as an excuse for our leads to not yet resolve their romantic arc, and I guess a bone to throw to any female readers.) Even the last few pages of the book gave the impression that the author was leaving open the possibility of continued installments. For a series that still felt like it ought to have ended a book ago.
Book 3 wrapped up the conflict that had been buildings for the past two books with a thrilling climax that made sense with everything that had been established across the first three books. The war that was at the core of Kiron's past trauma was won, the forces behind it were defeated, and the two warring kingdoms not only found peace but united. Obviously there was going to be some growing pains getting the two halves of the new kingdom to embrace one another and the jousters duties would change post-war, but book 3 still resolved in a way that gave the impression that this was all going to go relatively smoothly. Heck, book 4 didn't even build much conflict around it except to go "Oh yeah, that would have been an issue, but we quickly came to a solution."
I suppose if I went back through the past three books, I might notice a couple mentions of this book's antagonists, but if the author ever hinted that they might have any involvement in the plot, it wasn't noteworthy enough for me to recall. It felt like a last minute addition to give some source of conflict with a rushed effort to tie them to the previous, better established villains so they would seem suitably threatening. The increased relevance of the gods felt out of left field. The enemy nation's god felt like it came from a different sport entirely. There was way too little build up involving how magic and gods in this story work for it to all get dropped the way it did leading up to the climax. I couldn't appreciate the scale of the conflict because I was too distracted wondering if I'd missed any hints that any of this was even remotely possible in the past three books.
Not to mention, because the villains really weren't established in the previous books, far too much time was spent building up to them. So much time, so slowly, on such a small scale relative to the previous threat of the original three books, that I thought I must have been mistaken about this series ending on book 4, and that there was going to be at least another book after this one. Then the conflict came and was over so quickly that it ultimately felt far less menacing than the villains of the past books. The scale of the conflict thus felt less like an actual escalation of stakes and more like a desperate attempt to try and convince the readers that this was more serious than last time.
Since I said this felt like the test run for a spin-off, I'll mention that I think I would have preferred this be book one of a sequel trilogy that could gradually focus more on a new jouster. (I guess a version of Peri whose arc involved more than learning that insta-love isn't real. Maybe all that stuff about her wanting to be protected and not realizing the pros and cons of freedom could be a recurring part of her character and growth rather than coming out of nowhere in the climax.) The disappearing village mystery and the traps set against anyone who investigated it were genuinely cool, and felt about as relevant to the short war between two large armies in the end of the book as this book felt to the other three books in the series. A spin-off that gradually built up that subtle, sneaking attack style levied against the boarder village would have been way more interesting than
The ending didn't even feel like the same satisfactory resolution as the last book. The final few pages were spent wrapping up a plot thread that the book practically treated like a background problem for Kiron and Peri. I think it would have been more satisfyingly dealt with before the climax than after, so the story could end on a higher note. That makes the character entirely too ridiculous to take seriously, which undermines the other characters finding the nerve to stand up to her.
Oh, also:
I thought at first that maybe the author just wasn't able to let go of the characters and wanted to wrap up a few more minor plot threads that there weren't time for in the last book like Kiron's missing family or, apparently, how restoration of the lost cities was going. The more I think about it, the more I suspect this was a stealth pilot for a spin-off. Maybe with Peri, who came out of no where for this book, had a past that interwove her with Kiron in order to make her seem more significant, and yet could have been absent from the story without it impacting anything. She isn't even particularly relevant to the Queen's Wing plot thread except that the Queen's Wing served as an excuse to introduce her. (Which is a separate issue from the Queen's Wing plot thread being anti-climactic and mostly serving as an excuse for our leads to not yet resolve their romantic arc, and I guess a bone to throw to any female readers.) Even the last few pages of the book gave the impression that the author was leaving open the possibility of continued installments. For a series that still felt like it ought to have ended a book ago.
Book 3 wrapped up the conflict that had been buildings for the past two books with a thrilling climax that made sense with everything that had been established across the first three books. The war that was at the core of Kiron's past trauma was won, the forces behind it were defeated, and the two warring kingdoms not only found peace but united. Obviously there was going to be some growing pains getting the two halves of the new kingdom to embrace one another and the jousters duties would change post-war, but book 3 still resolved in a way that gave the impression that this was all going to go relatively smoothly. Heck, book 4 didn't even build much conflict around it except to go "Oh yeah, that would have been an issue, but we quickly came to a solution."
I suppose if I went back through the past three books, I might notice a couple mentions of this book's antagonists, but if the author ever hinted that they might have any involvement in the plot, it wasn't noteworthy enough for me to recall. It felt like a last minute addition to give some source of conflict with a rushed effort to tie them to the previous, better established villains so they would seem suitably threatening. The increased relevance of the gods felt out of left field. The enemy nation's god felt like it came from a different sport entirely. There was way too little build up involving how magic and gods in this story work for it to all get dropped the way it did leading up to the climax. I couldn't appreciate the scale of the conflict because I was too distracted wondering if I'd missed any hints that any of this was even remotely possible in the past three books.
Not to mention, because the villains really weren't established in the previous books, far too much time was spent building up to them. So much time, so slowly, on such a small scale relative to the previous threat of the original three books, that I thought I must have been mistaken about this series ending on book 4, and that there was going to be at least another book after this one. Then the conflict came and was over so quickly that it ultimately felt far less menacing than the villains of the past books. The scale of the conflict thus felt less like an actual escalation of stakes and more like a desperate attempt to try and convince the readers that this was more serious than last time.
Since I said this felt like the test run for a spin-off, I'll mention that I think I would have preferred this be book one of a sequel trilogy that could gradually focus more on a new jouster. (I guess a version of Peri whose arc involved more than learning that insta-love isn't real. Maybe all that stuff about her wanting to be protected and not realizing the pros and cons of freedom could be a recurring part of her character and growth rather than coming out of nowhere in the climax.) The disappearing village mystery and the traps set against anyone who investigated it were genuinely cool, and felt about as relevant to the short war between two large armies in the end of the book as this book felt to the other three books in the series. A spin-off that gradually built up that subtle, sneaking attack style levied against the boarder village would have been way more interesting than
Spoiler
all the heroes getting possessed in the climax so a bunch of characters who had never showed up before could fight a kaiju whose existence I'm pretty sure was never mentioned before the last 60 or so pages.The ending didn't even feel like the same satisfactory resolution as the last book. The final few pages were spent wrapping up a plot thread that the book practically treated like a background problem for Kiron and Peri. I think it would have been more satisfyingly dealt with before the climax than after, so the story could end on a higher note. That
Spoiler
Letis still bothers to protest the way she does after a war with gods walking the earthOh, also:
Spoiler
Ari and Kashet sacrificing themselves in the climax would have been way more impactful than the old guy who wasn't introduced until midway through this book. I'm more mad at the fake out than I would have been sad with their deaths. And all the repeated red herrings about people thinking of how Seft wasn't trustworthy were about as obvious of red herrings as you can get. I would have been genuinely shocked if it turned out Seft was bad.gbaty's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
funny
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Loveable characters? Yes
3.75
cynpra1520's review against another edition
3.0
Not quite up to the earlier books but enjoyed it nevertheless. FOr some reason Anet-ten was whiny this book and that never got totally resolved to my satisfaction. Of course there are a lot more characters to follow.
mal_eficent's review
adventurous
emotional
funny
slow-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
4.0
As the final instalment in the series I'm a little torn.
On the one hand: dragons, there's still the characters that I love and enjoy reading about, and the setting is expanded on even more with more exposition on how the new settlements are being run and how their borders work. The writing kept me engaged even when I wasn't that interested in what was happening and I liked getting a 'beyond the war' look at things function rather than the sudden end of the third book. There's more exploration of how two cultures (one of whom has been enslaving the other for a while now) could get along, how they differ and move on, and how individuals have to deal with the trauma of such a long war.
On the other hand: there's more perspectives (which I'm not a fan of), the characters feel like they're not fitting within the world correctly much like at the beginning of the second book (Kirion is somehow both in charge of everyone and barely talking to them or planning things, for example), and the ending is incredibly rushed. The last quarter of the book feels like it contains all of the magi plots promised on the blurb, and the first quarter doesn't go all in on world building like I wanted. Single, lonely Kirion with nothing to do makes for a very boring narrator when I wanted to hear more about how the Jousters are fitting into this new society, or how his job works, or why Aket-ten can just side step him entirely.
If you're this far into the series and just looking to see if you can avoid reading this one, then I don't think you'll enjoy it enough to pick up. If you're looking to see if the whole series is worth getting – I do still wholeheartedly recommend it!
On the one hand: dragons, there's still the characters that I love and enjoy reading about, and the setting is expanded on even more with more exposition on how the new settlements are being run and how their borders work. The writing kept me engaged even when I wasn't that interested in what was happening and I liked getting a 'beyond the war' look at things function rather than the sudden end of the third book. There's more exploration of how two cultures (one of whom has been enslaving the other for a while now) could get along, how they differ and move on, and how individuals have to deal with the trauma of such a long war.
On the other hand: there's more perspectives (which I'm not a fan of), the characters feel like they're not fitting within the world correctly much like at the beginning of the second book (Kirion is somehow both in charge of everyone and barely talking to them or planning things, for example), and the ending is incredibly rushed. The last quarter of the book feels like it contains all of the magi plots promised on the blurb, and the first quarter doesn't go all in on world building like I wanted. Single, lonely Kirion with nothing to do makes for a very boring narrator when I wanted to hear more about how the Jousters are fitting into this new society, or how his job works, or why Aket-ten can just side step him entirely.
If you're this far into the series and just looking to see if you can avoid reading this one, then I don't think you'll enjoy it enough to pick up. If you're looking to see if the whole series is worth getting – I do still wholeheartedly recommend it!
mousie_books's review
3.0
The final installation of the Dragon Jousters series is similar to the one before it, Sanctuary, in that, it develops the civilization Kiron and company are building as a middle ground of sorts between Tia and Alta. Although a nice, quick read, it wasn't all that exciting, and the final, anticipated, epic battle at the end was a bit weird for me. Of the four books, I feel Joust was the best with Alta as a worthy successor.