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beaktastic's review against another edition
3.0
I wanted to really like this book, and this sequel trilogy to the Magician's Guild trilogy by Canavan, but I just couldn't. I mean, yes, it was interesting and all but it just couldn't live up to the first trilogy and looking at some of the other reviews for this book it seems like an opinion shared by many fans.
Warning, there may well be spoilers ahead, but some of this is stuff mentioned or referred to in previous books in this trilogy.
Firstly, the plot. It continues that set up in the first two books in the trilogy, with Sonea and Regin heading to Sachaka to meet with the Traitors, whilst Lorkin and Dannyl try to stop the Sachakan King from reading Lorkin's mind now that he's returned to Arvice from the Traitor's home. Meanwhile, Lilia deals with being a black magician and trying to capture the rogue Skellin.
The plot just moves at a really slow pace, and whilst it is nice to see some character development in these chapters, I do feel a lot of it in the first half could have been condensed. Then in the second half of the book the majority of the action takes place really quickly and it kinda feels a bit rushed. Also, there were some parts of the story that I just really didn't care about.
Plus, I did kind of like Lilia and Anyi, and I guess it was important and nice to see how things have changed and are different for the next generation. But the whole Skellin plot seemed really irrelevant in the end. I thought it might somehow tie back in to what was happening in Sachaka but it didn't and it was just there really to give Lilia and the magician's in Kyralia something to do. Also, it ended really quickly and was rather an anti-climax.
I felt like I was supposed to like Lorkin as a main character, but I just didn't. He was rather boring and flat. And I also felt like I was supposed to like the Traitors and want to root for them, but I didn't either. I mean, I liked that they wanted to abolish slavery and stuff, but other than that they just seemed ruthless and arrogant and no better than the Ashaki they were trying to overthrow really.
I wanted to see more of Sonea being a badass like she was in the first trilogy, but she wasn't. I kind of understood why, since she's spent the last 20 years feeling like an outcast and stuff and missing Akkarin, but I wanted to see her regain her former life and courage and she didn't. She didn't really do anything in the end....
What did interest me though was Canavan's hint in the epilogue of another nation in this world that is starting to develop new technologies such as a "ballshooter" which sounds remarkably like a gun to me, and made me think that the minefire mentioned earlier in the book could be gun powder which hadn't occurred to me at the time. This sounds like an interesting idea and I hope it's an avenue that Canavan explores further in another book(s). It would be interesting to see how the magician's dealt with such a technological revolution.
Warning, there may well be spoilers ahead, but some of this is stuff mentioned or referred to in previous books in this trilogy.
Firstly, the plot. It continues that set up in the first two books in the trilogy, with Sonea and Regin heading to Sachaka to meet with the Traitors, whilst Lorkin and Dannyl try to stop the Sachakan King from reading Lorkin's mind now that he's returned to Arvice from the Traitor's home. Meanwhile, Lilia deals with being a black magician and trying to capture the rogue Skellin.
The plot just moves at a really slow pace, and whilst it is nice to see some character development in these chapters, I do feel a lot of it in the first half could have been condensed. Then in the second half of the book the majority of the action takes place really quickly and it kinda feels a bit rushed. Also, there were some parts of the story that I just really didn't care about.
Plus, I did kind of like Lilia and Anyi, and I guess it was important and nice to see how things have changed and are different for the next generation. But the whole Skellin plot seemed really irrelevant in the end. I thought it might somehow tie back in to what was happening in Sachaka but it didn't and it was just there really to give Lilia and the magician's in Kyralia something to do. Also, it ended really quickly and was rather an anti-climax
Spoiler
apart from, you know, the face Cery died. Heart = broken. But I did kinda see it comingI felt like I was supposed to like Lorkin as a main character, but I just didn't. He was rather boring and flat. And I also felt like I was supposed to like the Traitors and want to root for them, but I didn't either. I mean, I liked that they wanted to abolish slavery and stuff, but other than that they just seemed ruthless and arrogant and no better than the Ashaki they were trying to overthrow really.
I wanted to see more of Sonea being a badass like she was in the first trilogy, but she wasn't. I kind of understood why, since she's spent the last 20 years feeling like an outcast and stuff and missing Akkarin, but I wanted to see her regain her former life and courage and she didn't. She didn't really do anything in the end...
Spoiler
and don't even get me started on the whole ReginxSonea thing - it was just stupid. Canavan obviously just wanted to give Sonea a new love interest but didn't want to or couldn't spend time developing a whole new character for herWhat did interest me though was Canavan's hint in the epilogue of another nation in this world that is starting to develop new technologies such as a "ballshooter" which sounds remarkably like a gun to me, and made me think that the minefire mentioned earlier in the book could be gun powder which hadn't occurred to me at the time. This sounds like an interesting idea and I hope it's an avenue that Canavan explores further in another book(s). It would be interesting to see how the magician's dealt with such a technological revolution.
jammoriar's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
sassblaster's review
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
jiblits's review against another edition
adventurous
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A
2.5
kanissa's review against another edition
4.0
Would give 4.5 stars if it were an option. Leaned slightly closer to 4 than 5 though.
It's always a bit risky to advance an existing set of characters by 20 years and introduce new ones, but I think on the whole this worked better than most. The "old" familiar characters (Sonea, Rothen, Dannyl, Cery, etc.) all play major roles in the story, which helps the feeling of continuity. Everyone seems to have aged in a believable manner - even Regin. And the new, younger characters (Lorkin, Anyi, etc.) are likable as well.
I'm not sure whether I simply enjoy the world more now that I have the original trilogy under my belt, or if I like the switch to a more political/intrigue-based plot, or if Canavan's writing has improved that much. Regardless, I found less to pick on with this novel than I did with the Black Magician trilogy.
It's always a bit risky to advance an existing set of characters by 20 years and introduce new ones, but I think on the whole this worked better than most. The "old" familiar characters (Sonea, Rothen, Dannyl, Cery, etc.) all play major roles in the story, which helps the feeling of continuity. Everyone seems to have aged in a believable manner - even Regin. And the new, younger characters (Lorkin, Anyi, etc.) are likable as well.
I'm not sure whether I simply enjoy the world more now that I have the original trilogy under my belt, or if I like the switch to a more political/intrigue-based plot, or if Canavan's writing has improved that much. Regardless, I found less to pick on with this novel than I did with the Black Magician trilogy.
crixyloo's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.75
samrushingbooks's review against another edition
4.0
My rating is actually a 4.5...only because it took me a little while to really get into all of the main story lines. I was really intrigued by the plots involving Sonea and her son Lorkin, especially after Lorkin became involved with Tyvara. But the plot with Dannyl the historian and the plot with Cery the thief took a good 70 pages or so to really start to get into. I mean, I liked Dannyl and enjoyed his enthusiasm for history, but once he was separated from Lorkin, I actually sort of lost interest in what was going on with him in his search to find Lorkin. Anyway, I discovered Trudi Canavan after watching an author guide episode of Sword & Laser on YouTube, and I'm glad I started reading. Yes, this is her second trilogy, but I honestly like that I could get into the character, understand the world, and the magic system without having read the first trilogy. That's really nice. However, having said that, I now know that I will be finishing up the Traitor Spy trilogy and then going back to read the original trilogy.
islandgypsygirl's review against another edition
adventurous
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
This fell a little bit flat for me. It is supposed to be all about magic, and yet I have no idea how the magic system works. The few instances where magic was uses were just statements like "She opened the door with magic." Or "He made a shield with magic."
Also, a lot of politics which I'm not fond of personally.
I wish the magic system was more thoroughly explained. I wish the story had a more at stake. I wish the characters had more life in them. I wish there was more tension and, I don't know, thrill?
Also, a lot of politics which I'm not fond of personally.
I wish the magic system was more thoroughly explained. I wish the story had a more at stake. I wish the characters had more life in them. I wish there was more tension and, I don't know, thrill?
pawlonardo's review against another edition
3.0
W sumie największą słabością Misji Ambasadora (co jest stylem autorki) jest to, że Canavan bardzo lubi mieć wiele bohaterów, przez których opowiada historię.
Początki wleką się niemiłosiernie, bo jednak jakoś trzeba przedstawić tych 4 bohaterów i jakoś ich scharakteryzować, co też wpływa na objętość tej książki.
Jak już się trochę rozkręci to nawet nie jest tak tragicznie nudne, ale miałem ochotę po prostu pominąć części opowiadane z punktu widzenia Cerrego, bo moim zdaniem po prostu były nieciekawe i nie wprowadzały praktycznie nic.
Jak ktoś lubi ten świat to w sumie spoko (sam tak przez to przebrnąłem bardziej z samozaparcia), ale tak żeby zacząć to czytać zamiast innej młodzieżówki to nie wiem, czy warto.
Początki wleką się niemiłosiernie, bo jednak jakoś trzeba przedstawić tych 4 bohaterów i jakoś ich scharakteryzować, co też wpływa na objętość tej książki.
Jak już się trochę rozkręci to nawet nie jest tak tragicznie nudne, ale miałem ochotę po prostu pominąć części opowiadane z punktu widzenia Cerrego, bo moim zdaniem po prostu były nieciekawe i nie wprowadzały praktycznie nic.
Jak ktoś lubi ten świat to w sumie spoko (sam tak przez to przebrnąłem bardziej z samozaparcia), ale tak żeby zacząć to czytać zamiast innej młodzieżówki to nie wiem, czy warto.