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jpv0's review against another edition
4.0
[b:Moon Shades|25464248|Moon Shades (The Greatest Sin #3)|Lee French|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1430510393s/25464248.jpg|45231673] is a bit of an odd book in that plotwise, it doesn't actually have much to do with either [b:The Fallen|20639269|The Fallen (The Greatest Sin #1)|Lee French|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1390778530s/20639269.jpg|39921898] or especially the big events of [b:Harbinger|23448889|Harbinger (The Greatest Sin #2)|Lee French|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1414289983s/23448889.jpg|43011603], at least not until the last few chapters of the book. After everything, I expected more.
But it's still an interesting enough book on it's own merits. Essentially, it's a fairly standard 'something took the children... and our neighbors are WEREWOLVES!' type story (which is amusingly specific enough to be a trope) with Chivali and the Fallen as an entrypoint into the world. We learn a very little bit about magic in this world, along with the aforementioned werewolves (pretty standard).
We do get to dig a bit more into the relationships between Chivali and the other Fallen--in particularly Colby, Eliot, and newcomer Sean while also dealing with Chivali's clan beliefs as she begins to induct new members. There's a lot more going on there than even what we get in this book, so I'm glad to see it hasn't been dropped.
Which brings to mind one of the things that continues to frustrate me about this series:
I have a few theories... but there is only so long you can keep something that big and important to the main characters of a series hidden. There are also other questions, such as digging more into the different theories on the 'Greatest Sin' between various sects and why/how the Creator's Towers function that I'd rather see explored, but I guess I can continue to be patient.
Overall, a good read and a good sequel. I'm looking forward to the next, although hoping for a bit ... more.
But it's still an interesting enough book on it's own merits. Essentially, it's a fairly standard 'something took the children... and our neighbors are WEREWOLVES!' type story (which is amusingly specific enough to be a trope) with Chivali and the Fallen as an entrypoint into the world. We learn a very little bit about magic in this world, along with the aforementioned werewolves (pretty standard).
We do get to dig a bit more into the relationships between Chivali and the other Fallen--in particularly Colby, Eliot, and newcomer Sean while also dealing with Chivali's clan beliefs as she begins to induct new members. There's a lot more going on there than even what we get in this book, so I'm glad to see it hasn't been dropped.
Which brings to mind one of the things that continues to frustrate me about this series:
Chavali hadn’t yet learned what price the Fallen paid to bring people back from death. She guessed it must be a significant, substantial sacrifice. Prior to being revived, she had no idea such a thing could even be done. The research that must have gone into discovering the process would be fascinating and probably also quite grim. At the least, she doubted that one life could be traded for another, as that made no sense.
I have a few theories... but there is only so long you can keep something that big and important to the main characters of a series hidden. There are also other questions, such as digging more into the different theories on the 'Greatest Sin' between various sects and why/how the Creator's Towers function that I'd rather see explored, but I guess I can continue to be patient.
Overall, a good read and a good sequel. I'm looking forward to the next, although hoping for a bit ... more.
errantdreams's review
5.0
The authors keep up their ability to create infuriating characters who yet have some depth to them. Sean is seriously nosy, and gossips like the stereotypical little old lady, but he also keeps trying to ship Chavali and Eliot, which is actually kind of adorable. Chavali’s tendency to be “difficult” is treated as something of an affectionate joke in here (the humor in these books is always affectionate toward the characters, which I love), but she also starts to realize that maybe the excuse is wearing thin a bit. The character growth is gentle yet sure. I like that while it aggravates people that Chavali is so close-mouthed regarding her clan, her nightmares, and so on, that reticence is also reflected in her ability to keep the secrets of the Fallen, both collectively and individually.
The authors are great at asking more questions than they answer, but always yielding enough information that I’m willing to wait to see what happens next. I feel confident that these aren’t just dropped plot threads, because Kort and French are so good at going back to explain things that don’t add up. I look forward to reading further books to find out what’s really going on in the larger machinations! That said, given that in the last book Chavali specifically noted that even her dreams lack colors, I wish she’d made more of the fact that she’s suddenly had a nightmare in vivid color. It felt slightly overlooked, at least for the moment.
I can’t wait to read more!
Original review posted on my blog: http://www.errantdreams.com/2019/01/review-moon-shades-erik-kort-lee-french/
The authors are great at asking more questions than they answer, but always yielding enough information that I’m willing to wait to see what happens next. I feel confident that these aren’t just dropped plot threads, because Kort and French are so good at going back to explain things that don’t add up. I look forward to reading further books to find out what’s really going on in the larger machinations! That said, given that in the last book Chavali specifically noted that even her dreams lack colors, I wish she’d made more of the fact that she’s suddenly had a nightmare in vivid color. It felt slightly overlooked, at least for the moment.
I can’t wait to read more!
Original review posted on my blog: http://www.errantdreams.com/2019/01/review-moon-shades-erik-kort-lee-french/
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