Reviews

The Curse of Chalion by Lois McMaster Bujold

kathleenel's review against another edition

adventurous tense medium-paced

• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No

4.5

cjvphd's review

3.0

Started a bit slow, and it takes a minute for the feudal system and titles to sink in, but overall great prose and a solid story. Solid characterization with high stakes, although the villain could have been more developed.

trin's review

2.0

I’m still trying to work out why this book never grabbed me. It’s well-written and well-plotted, as Bujold always is; her books are consistently smart. Unlike the Vorkosigan saga, however, I couldn’t get caught up in the world she had created here. This may partly be due to the fact that I tend to be more of a fan of space opera/science fiction than I am of high fantasy/faux-medieval stuff, but am I wrong in thinking the Vorkosigan saga more humorous, and its characters more vivid? Caz had a suitably angsty backstory and seemed like a plausible dude, but I was never moved by his plight, like I was for Miles’, and as for his love interest, Bertriz…who was she again? Even after things finally got rolling—it takes about 200 pages—I never felt swept up. Will try the next book, [book: Paladin of Souls], as I already have it and, well, even eh-Bujold is a great deal better than most everything else out there; but I’m not feeling particularly rushed to do so.

arqune's review

challenging lighthearted mysterious relaxing slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

1.5

ahalpine's review against another edition

adventurous emotional hopeful reflective 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

3.5

ravenslanding's review against another edition

5.0

I wrote a long review about how much I love this book, and how much I relate to 30 something year old Caz now that I am a thirty something, AND GOODREADS ATE IT.

I was profound and persuasive.

You will just have to believe me.

(Also, thanks to the many friends who told me to read this book).

ravenslanding's review

5.0

Yup, still amazing the third time through.

aruarian_melody's review against another edition

Picked this up because it came up when I looked for character driven stories similar to Robin Hobbs work. Unfortunately, this one didn't work for me. Loved the first few chapters and th general setup but when the story really started I felt very distanced from it and its characters. I also wasn't a fan of the 35 year old protagonist lusting after his 16 and 19 year old charges. In the end I decided to dnf around a third into the book because I just didn't feel like picking it up anymore.

thomas_hense's review

adventurous dark medium-paced

3.5

majabwds's review

3.0

2.5 stars, rounded up to 3. This story has an interesting start. We follow a returning soldier (who also happens to be a royal/aristocrat of some kind as he returns from war / slavery and becomes a personal secretary to the half sister of the current ruler. And then they are invited to court where they get into all kinds of trouble and there is death magic involved and an old family curse.
The story was easy to follow but it lost my interest in the last third because our main character (and there were many, many characters to keep track of) was under the weather most of the time but he kept trying to the most and barely surviving. It was also a bit to philosophical for me with all the gods and their intentions talk.
Also, I could hear the audiobook narrator "acting" and it kept me out of the story.
Over all, the book was fine. Will not be continuing on with the series because the story in this book ended well.