Scan barcode
dantastic's review
4.0
Picking up where Trumps of Doom left off, Merle continues trying to figure out who's trying to kill him. Along the way, he discovers more about his friend Luke Raynard, saves the family from being killed at the funeral of one of their own, learns of previously unknown members of the royal family, and discovers he has an ally of sorts that can switch bodies. But can he figure out how these clues fit together before he is killed and Amber is destroyed...
Blood of Amber has more than its share of twists. I had an idea who Luke was but I was a little off. Dalt's identity was much more of a surprise. I'm still not sure who the body-swapper really is or what he/she has in store for Merle. I have a feeling Merle will meet up with Corwin before the series is over.
On to the next volume!
Blood of Amber has more than its share of twists. I had an idea who Luke was but I was a little off. Dalt's identity was much more of a surprise. I'm still not sure who the body-swapper really is or what he/she has in store for Merle. I have a feeling Merle will meet up with Corwin before the series is over.
On to the next volume!
neglet's review
Sad to say, this one holds up even less than other volumes in the series. Merlin starts out imprisoned, spends a lot of time traveling to learn a couple of pieces of partial information, and ends up imprisoned, but it a different way. So there’s very little in the way of plot development, and while we do get some interesting looks into Merlin’s childhood, I mainly spent the book waiting for something to happen, or for a major revelation. And while there’s a big secret revealed at the end, it doesn’t really change the stakes of what’s happening in Amber. I’ll keep reading because I’m a completist, but so far I’m disappointed.
peapod_boston's review
4.0
A stronger outing that the first Merlin book. The plot deepens and grows murkier, and yet the action moves faster. The sequence along the waterfront of Amber where Merlin goes in search of dinner rivals some of the better parts of the first Chronicles, in terms of writing, action, and intrigue. It would be worth reading just for that stretch.
titusfortner's review
3.0
The mystery is taking a while to unspool, which isn't bad it's just difficult to know at this point what the payout will be.
floar's review
2.0
Still not clicking and missing Corwin but quick enough reads to finish the series for a miracle ending
cheezvshcrvst's review
3.0
There's a lot of Amber-naysayers that methinks take these books far more seriously than they ought to. Insomuch as my humble opinion is seated (on a rock perhaps, pointed at a nice cloudless direction with lots of sunshine and mischievous mountains (this is all unnecessary)), this, the 2nd Merlin novel, is an excellent, if, as per usual with the series, brief adventure that does much by way of adding texture to the plot and pushing the story forward, even if it seems to neglect its characters a bit. Merlin, particularly, seems to carry himself with an almost unjustified sense of determination that we, the readers, seem to be not asked so much as told to just go with. This can easily be rectified if one takes into consideration the flashbacks that shine some light on Merlin's coming of age in the Courts of Chaos and (and to me this is the important thing) if one keeps in mind that Merlin is indeed the son of Corwin - meaning a high degree of self-confidence and willingness to plunge into the unknown, confident he is prepared enough to meet his end or else, preferably, overcome his obstacles. For me, this novel once made me immediately take more interest in Merlin's story and that was enough for me to enjoy the book (and, inevitably, the remainder of the Chronicles) and, upon this reread, has done so again.
dukegiesbrecht's review
adventurous
funny
lighthearted
medium-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? It's complicated
3.25
evanbernstein's review
2.0
I picked this up immediately after the other one because I was sick with a stomach bug and wanted something simple. I had to interrupt reading it with something else because it just kind of grated on me and bored me. I don't really like the writing style and am unsure if I'm going to finish the series. I don't like how the entire plot is wrapped up inside the one characters head as he hems and haws all the whirling schemes. So often he makes a choice that makes no sense to his character, simply because the author wanted the plot to move that way. But at which time someone is trusted or not trusted is completely inconsistent and so many times that answers and questions get left unasked because the author just just doesn't want to say yet. I felt that I was completely manipulated in the plotting and it is frustrating to the point of not caring.