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mrbear's review against another edition
4.0
I thought this was a fair bit better than the first book. It lost some steam at the end - and having now started book 3 I wonder if that could have been offset by starting the otherwise abrupt transition to a new perspective there more in this book - but I still thought structurally this book was solid, did a good job of developing and exploring some interesting topics, and kept the plot moving along well. Some of the same disappointments hold as before, I still wish I learned more about the history from these books, it almost feels like Whyte just needed a team of historians to read these books and suggest places to add more dashes of reality and context. But that’s a huge ask, they’re still good reads, even if I’m slightly apprehensive about the next book.
darthshep's review against another edition
3.0
the story is good and it is a transitional book where we are moving from the Roman world to the Arthrian world but the author does drag on in some scenes.
chromatick's review against another edition
5.0
4.5 stars
Continuing a re-read of one of my favorite historical fiction series of my youth, I was once again transported to England during the fall of the Roman Empire.
This series still holds up very well some twenty plus years later. The prose reads more like a journal than anything else, and while I can see it not being for everyone, I really enjoy the style. The battle scenes especially are very well done.
Getting to see the little pieces of the Arthurian Legend slowly being dropped into place is just as fun this second time around.
Plus, that ending. Hit just as hard this second time.
Continuing a re-read of one of my favorite historical fiction series of my youth, I was once again transported to England during the fall of the Roman Empire.
This series still holds up very well some twenty plus years later. The prose reads more like a journal than anything else, and while I can see it not being for everyone, I really enjoy the style. The battle scenes especially are very well done.
Getting to see the little pieces of the Arthurian Legend slowly being dropped into place is just as fun this second time around.
Plus, that ending. Hit just as hard this second time.
bluerosereads's review against another edition
slow-paced
- Diverse cast of characters? No
1.5
Content Warnings
Moderate: Homophobia, Violence, and Sexism
thomas_hense's review against another edition
5.0
There is no magic, no aspects of fantasy. I found this series while looking for another historical fantasy but instead found one of the best historical fiction books I have ever read.
intoxicatedcake's review against another edition
4.0
A new and interesting take on the Arthur story. Or,rather, new to me as more of an origins story than an "in progress" Camelot. Good read and am interested to see where he goes with the story.
kylieqrada's review against another edition
4.0
Continuing in the vein of the first book, I could not inhale this fast enough. It's so hard to rate and review these books because they are so jam-packed FULL of amazing writing, riveting plot, and lovable and hateable characters on one hand, while on the other hand, continuing to catch me off guard with problematic elements just when I think I've escaped them. With this book, we draw much closer to the central Arthurian legend, though, which was exciting, and made me even more invested in the story than I was previously. Although, as I got nearer to the end, and the main characters got older, I did start to sense the inevitability of a new cast in the continuations, which proved correct, unfortunately. I'm sure I'll come to love the next cast as much as I loved the first, as so often happens with epic fantasy series (Robin Hobb's Realm of the Elderlings being the prime example), but it's still so hard to let Publius, Caius, and Luceiia go. 4 stars that could easily be a 5 with some sensitivity editing.