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aethelberga's review
5.0
It has been a long time since I read a fantasy trilogy that kept me racing along to the end. Excellent world building and engaging, realistic characters.
gizmoto16's review
4.0
I may have enjoyed this one even more than the first in the series. It's really just a continuation of the story, but now all the main characters have been fully developed and flushed out so you can just enjoy their adventures.
colossal's review
4.0
The middle entry of the series, but still a satisfying one.
The first book left both Cazia and her companions and Tejohn in pretty nasty situations but resolves both handily and relatively believably. The menace of the Blessed grows apace, and it's hard to think that anyone is going to be able to do anything to stop them. The Blessed are such an insidious concept for a fantasy villain, and they're only the front end of the threat that the whole of the world is facing.
Tejohn is competent as always, but this one is Cazia's book. All three of the young girls, Ivy, Kinz and Cazia grow immensely throughout the book, but are still written true to their ages. There's lots of naivety on the part of Ivy who is only 12 and Kinz and Cazia bicker like the teenage girls they are even though all three develop deep relationships between them.
Like the last one, the main characters are in major new situations at the end of this one. Looking forward to seeing how it all wraps up.
The first book left both Cazia and her companions and Tejohn in pretty nasty situations but resolves both handily and relatively believably. The menace of the Blessed grows apace, and it's hard to think that anyone is going to be able to do anything to stop them. The Blessed are such an insidious concept for a fantasy villain, and they're only the front end of the threat that the whole of the world is facing.
Tejohn is competent as always, but this one is Cazia's book. All three of the young girls, Ivy, Kinz and Cazia grow immensely throughout the book, but are still written true to their ages. There's lots of naivety on the part of Ivy who is only 12 and Kinz and Cazia bicker like the teenage girls they are even though all three develop deep relationships between them.
Like the last one, the main characters are in major new situations at the end of this one. Looking forward to seeing how it all wraps up.
peregrineace's review
4.0
I terribly impressed that this book doesn't suffer from middle-book syndrome. While the plot is a bit "get from A to B", the pacing is good, the characters are consistent, the wider view of the world is interesting. Connolly's a relatively new author but he's got a good hold on how to tell a compelling, readable fantasy story. I'm still enjoying both protagonists as POV characters. Glad to have the third book already available as well.
Definitely recommended to fantasy readers who like completed trilogies, fast reads, and solid characters.
Definitely recommended to fantasy readers who like completed trilogies, fast reads, and solid characters.
hawkeyegonzalez's review
3.0
This book definitely feels like the second in a trilogy. It's not a bad book by any means, but it does spend most of its time just setting things up for the final book. There are parts that really drag on and on with very little happening.
Out of the two POV stories, I do find Cazia's more enjoyable than Tejohn's. It's interesting seeing her, Ivy, and Kinz interact with different species as well as each other.
Overall, this is a good book but one I probably won't remember long after I'm done with the series.
Out of the two POV stories, I do find Cazia's more enjoyable than Tejohn's. It's interesting seeing her, Ivy, and Kinz interact with different species as well as each other.
Overall, this is a good book but one I probably won't remember long after I'm done with the series.
bethmitcham's review
5.0
I'm not even sure why I like this so much, except that Connolly does character so well. Casia is proud, petty, and brave often because she can't bear to look dumb. Tejohn is competent, compassionate, and a sucker for any child he meets. And their worlds are complicated and devastated by the strange magical creatures rampaging about.
friendlymilk's review
5.0
Just as good as [b:The Way Into Chaos|18660656|The Way Into Chaos (The Great Way #1)|Harry Connolly|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1418742853s/18660656.jpg|26479680]. I really like both the continued worldbuilding and the way the characters are interacting.
Cazia is being forced to confront her own privilege. She doesn't think of herself as privileged (I mean, who does): she has lived almost her entire life within the castle, she's a hostage against her father's good behavior, she was treated with disgust by almost everyone around her. At the same time! She was still a noble. She got a noble's education, training in magic, and has led an extremely sheltered existence. It's great to see her being confronted with alternate worldviews.
Speaking of alternate worldviews--I love that they were able to speak with the Tikilit andmake a deal with the ruhgrit .
Cazia is being forced to confront her own privilege. She doesn't think of herself as privileged (I mean, who does): she has lived almost her entire life within the castle, she's a hostage against her father's good behavior, she was treated with disgust by almost everyone around her. At the same time! She was still a noble. She got a noble's education, training in magic, and has led an extremely sheltered existence. It's great to see her being confronted with alternate worldviews.
Speaking of alternate worldviews--I love that they were able to speak with the Tikilit and
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