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4.02 AVERAGE
4.02 AVERAGE
I would love to give this another 5 stars, because I really enjoyed reading each of the characters stories and their development. That said, my five stars to books like the Power of One and The Fountainhead, etc. gets devalued. I wish they allowed half stars. I really do.
More fun here, great stories with a great mid-series finish. Looking forward to the last book.
More fun here, great stories with a great mid-series finish. Looking forward to the last book.
great book but do yourself a favour, read it right after the first one. I think I would have like it even more.
Re-read. One star down.
I remember this one better than it is. We go from following Vaelin in book one to a multiple POV in this one. And this is not for the better. First off the rest of the people aren't as interesting as Vaelin, secondly, the story suffers from it. The world is expanded and so are the stakes, but somehow it feels smaller as we don't feel as much for the characters. Reva is a Mary Sue after meeting Vaelin, Frentis a light version of Vaelin (while the traveling around assassinating people is great for showing deep planning, it gets boring), and the Queen of Fire is plainly so deep a thinker, it's weird didn't stop the invasion when she was six.
Anthony Ryan has a gift for world building, both with people, history, magic, plot and depth, and he has shown an ability to write a great character in book 1, but somehow it's the characters that are lacking here.
I remember this one better than it is. We go from following Vaelin in book one to a multiple POV in this one. And this is not for the better. First off the rest of the people aren't as interesting as Vaelin, secondly, the story suffers from it. The world is expanded and so are the stakes, but somehow it feels smaller as we don't feel as much for the characters. Reva is a Mary Sue after meeting Vaelin, Frentis a light version of Vaelin (while the traveling around assassinating people is great for showing deep planning, it gets boring), and the Queen of Fire is plainly so deep a thinker, it's weird didn't stop the invasion when she was six.
Anthony Ryan has a gift for world building, both with people, history, magic, plot and depth, and he has shown an ability to write a great character in book 1, but somehow it's the characters that are lacking here.
adventurous
slow-paced
this book should be used as example as how to not write a second book of a series , in the first book they show us how gianos play with elegance the suble art of politics where every actions have consequence but in this book we have Reva kill a pope and her people keep follow her . This book resemble pretty much of a bad fantasy book for young adults
adventurous
dark
slow-paced
Generic, but an enjoyable light read. Probably not as good as the first one in this series.
adventurous
dark
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
Not as good as the first novel, but still worth a read. Starts to get heavy on the characters and geography.
Maybe my anticipation for this book set my expectations at an unrealistic level that no book could ever live up to.
Let me ponder that for a moment.
No. I don't think I was.
I was even more impatient for "Words of Radiance" and it definitely lived up to my expectations as a sequel.
But then again, it's not really the author's job is it? To meet my expectations?
So first off let's get something out of the way:
This is a good book. It's a very good dark, fantasy, action, adventure book.
But it is not in the same league as it predecessor. Thus only 3 stars out of 5.
I would say that the author is guilty of having excellent ability, talent, and craftsmanship, but has broken the unspoken agreement with his readers that was established with the first novel, Bloodsong.
Because of those contract breaches, it makes it rather difficult for him to buy my trust back. And unfortunately due to where the plot progression has gone, the switch to MULTIPLE POV's, and a grind of a slow start...
I argued with myself before putting the book down and a decision to abandon it and the series all together. It was only through the advise of a personal friend of mine, that convinced me to pick it back up and finish.
When I did finish it, I was satisfied that I had cleared what I hope is an awkward hurdle. But I wasn't really satisfied with the book itself. It had many issues.
I have faith in Anthony Ryan, and hope that the next book in the series will restore my love for this series.
My personal advice would be to read a plot synopsis for the first half of the book, and only read the last half. The first half is an unpleasant chore quest of spinning in the mud, introducing characters (most of whom don't really make an impact of any sort, emotionally or plot-wise) and exposition.
So get through it, and let's hope the next one is as good as the first.
Let me ponder that for a moment.
No. I don't think I was.
I was even more impatient for "Words of Radiance" and it definitely lived up to my expectations as a sequel.
But then again, it's not really the author's job is it? To meet my expectations?
So first off let's get something out of the way:
This is a good book. It's a very good dark, fantasy, action, adventure book.
But it is not in the same league as it predecessor. Thus only 3 stars out of 5.
I would say that the author is guilty of having excellent ability, talent, and craftsmanship, but has broken the unspoken agreement with his readers that was established with the first novel, Bloodsong.
Because of those contract breaches, it makes it rather difficult for him to buy my trust back. And unfortunately due to where the plot progression has gone, the switch to MULTIPLE POV's, and a grind of a slow start...
I argued with myself before putting the book down and a decision to abandon it and the series all together. It was only through the advise of a personal friend of mine, that convinced me to pick it back up and finish.
When I did finish it, I was satisfied that I had cleared what I hope is an awkward hurdle. But I wasn't really satisfied with the book itself. It had many issues.
I have faith in Anthony Ryan, and hope that the next book in the series will restore my love for this series.
My personal advice would be to read a plot synopsis for the first half of the book, and only read the last half. The first half is an unpleasant chore quest of spinning in the mud, introducing characters (most of whom don't really make an impact of any sort, emotionally or plot-wise) and exposition.
So get through it, and let's hope the next one is as good as the first.