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arachnichemist's review
4.0
4.5 stars overall.
What I am enjoying about this series is it treads familiar troupes but does it with a lot of twists to keep it from being predictable. It has a bit of a nostalgia pull from my love of the pulpy but fun Forgotten Realms books. The Raveling feels like a much better quality version of that universe. Plus the world building continues to shine. It has quickly become a top 10 favorite setting for me. I really want to see one of these ancients wake up and go godzilla on the world but that probably isn't in the cards for this trilogy anyway. Regardless, my wife and I both are loving this trilogy and having fun doing it as a buddy read.
What I am enjoying about this series is it treads familiar troupes but does it with a lot of twists to keep it from being predictable. It has a bit of a nostalgia pull from my love of the pulpy but fun Forgotten Realms books. The Raveling feels like a much better quality version of that universe. Plus the world building continues to shine. It has quickly become a top 10 favorite setting for me. I really want to see one of these ancients wake up and go godzilla on the world but that probably isn't in the cards for this trilogy anyway. Regardless, my wife and I both are loving this trilogy and having fun doing it as a buddy read.
dpsmom's review
adventurous
medium-paced
- Strong character development? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
5.0
gbdub'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? Yes
3.5
wzwy's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
leksikality's review
adventurous
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
2.5
It's better than the first one but that still doesn't make it good.
gregg's review
3.0
There was something about this one that didn't quite make me like as much as The Crimson Queen. I still liked this one and the writing was at the same standard as well. Enjoyable to read for the most part but I don't like some of the directions this story went in I think. Not that this is a bad thing but I think I had my mind going in a whole other direction than the author's at some point. Was happy to see Sella come into the story as well as Cho Lin. This will be reread at some point too and then will see if have the same opinion or I see things in a different light.
cpark2005's review
4.0
If you are looking for classic epic fantasy in the vein of David Eddings, Robert Jordan, or James Islington, then you absolutely need to give Alec Hutson’s The Silver Sorceress a shot. This is the second in his The Raveling series, picking up right where The Crimson Queen left off. I’m a huge fan of epic fantasy and after thoroughly enjoying The Crimson Queen I was looking forward to getting my hands on the sequel. While, for me, it didn’t quite live up to the first novel, I still thoroughly enjoyed and can happily recommend it.
In typical fashion, this story is one part coming-of-age and one part save the world. One of the things that I really enjoy about Hutson’s writing, and this is certainly true here in The Silver Sorceress, is how he weaves both big and small stakes. In other words, the overarching plotline of saving the world intersects at various points with much more personal issues for all the viewpoint characters. This is one of the things that keeps the pages turning. While being epic in scope, there is also a personal dimension, and I think this is really essential. I also have to praise the world building in this novel. Hutson has done an incredible job of crafting a world that feels old and living. There are thousands of years of history, and I’d really love a peek at the wiki where he keeps all this stuff straight. I could probably spend hours there. I’m a fan of deep world building and you get that in spades with Hutson’s work. There are also plenty of plot twists and shifting allegiances in this book. It isn’t particularly political, in the sense of nations threatening one another or changing loyalties, but there are enough twists and turns at a more personal level to keep things interesting. I don’t want to spoil anything, so suffice it to say that a friend one moment may be an enemy the next, and yet again a friend before things are over. Hutson manages to write these shifts without feeling jarring and without making the characters seem insincere.
There were a couple things that didn’t work for me. The first of those is that this book suffered a bit from second book syndrome, in that it didn’t have as much of a climax and ending as the first one. It often feels to me like second books feel too much like the middle of a story without much in the way of beginning or ending. In fairness, it’s incredibly difficult to write a second book that still follows a self-contained story arc while being part of a larger story. I’m not faulting Hutson too much for this, but I would have liked to have seen more of a climax in this book. Another thing I would have liked to have seen was a little more explanation to how magic works. This is often a complaint I have in books where magic plays a pivotal role in scenes. This reveals a preference of mine for harder, more fleshed out magic systems.
All told, The Silver Sorceress is classic epic fantasy that will please fans of the genre. I thoroughly enjoyed this entry in the series and I’m looking forward to the next one as well.
4.25/5 stars.
5 – I loved this, couldn’t put it down, move it to the top of your TBR pile
4 – I really enjoyed this, add it to the TBR pile
3 – It was ok, depending on your preferences it may be worth your time
2 – I didn’t like this book, it has significant flaws and I can’t recommend it
1 – I loathe this book with a most loathsome loathing
In typical fashion, this story is one part coming-of-age and one part save the world. One of the things that I really enjoy about Hutson’s writing, and this is certainly true here in The Silver Sorceress, is how he weaves both big and small stakes. In other words, the overarching plotline of saving the world intersects at various points with much more personal issues for all the viewpoint characters. This is one of the things that keeps the pages turning. While being epic in scope, there is also a personal dimension, and I think this is really essential. I also have to praise the world building in this novel. Hutson has done an incredible job of crafting a world that feels old and living. There are thousands of years of history, and I’d really love a peek at the wiki where he keeps all this stuff straight. I could probably spend hours there. I’m a fan of deep world building and you get that in spades with Hutson’s work. There are also plenty of plot twists and shifting allegiances in this book. It isn’t particularly political, in the sense of nations threatening one another or changing loyalties, but there are enough twists and turns at a more personal level to keep things interesting. I don’t want to spoil anything, so suffice it to say that a friend one moment may be an enemy the next, and yet again a friend before things are over. Hutson manages to write these shifts without feeling jarring and without making the characters seem insincere.
There were a couple things that didn’t work for me. The first of those is that this book suffered a bit from second book syndrome, in that it didn’t have as much of a climax and ending as the first one. It often feels to me like second books feel too much like the middle of a story without much in the way of beginning or ending. In fairness, it’s incredibly difficult to write a second book that still follows a self-contained story arc while being part of a larger story. I’m not faulting Hutson too much for this, but I would have liked to have seen more of a climax in this book. Another thing I would have liked to have seen was a little more explanation to how magic works. This is often a complaint I have in books where magic plays a pivotal role in scenes. This reveals a preference of mine for harder, more fleshed out magic systems.
All told, The Silver Sorceress is classic epic fantasy that will please fans of the genre. I thoroughly enjoyed this entry in the series and I’m looking forward to the next one as well.
4.25/5 stars.
5 – I loved this, couldn’t put it down, move it to the top of your TBR pile
4 – I really enjoyed this, add it to the TBR pile
3 – It was ok, depending on your preferences it may be worth your time
2 – I didn’t like this book, it has significant flaws and I can’t recommend it
1 – I loathe this book with a most loathsome loathing
marktimmony's review
4.0
I enjoyed book one, but this book-book two- was fantastic!
In fact I am quite annoyed that this is only a trilogy because it means the next book is the end! I want to spend more time in this world and wallow in it's lore and societies and politics and people. It's so exciting, I can't wait to see what happens next!
If you enjoy Robert Jordan, Melissa McPhail and Raymond E. Feist, then you'll you enjoy this.
In fact I am quite annoyed that this is only a trilogy because it means the next book is the end! I want to spend more time in this world and wallow in it's lore and societies and politics and people. It's so exciting, I can't wait to see what happens next!
If you enjoy Robert Jordan, Melissa McPhail and Raymond E. Feist, then you'll you enjoy this.