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megankass's review
3.0
Ouch, each book has a more painful ending than the next. Be prepared to get your heart torn out.
It's hard to review this book without re-reviewing the previous book, because much of the previous book was out of sync with the first book. There wasn't enough information at the time to determine if this difference was caused by the fact that the book took place 400 years later, or if the author was inconsistent. Now with another book to factor in, some things are becoming a little clearer.
1. Seth's attitude: in book 1, Seth was a sullen angry kid, because he really didn't have any reason not to be. In book 2, Seth was so wrathful he was really almost a villain. In book 3, he's that guy who says I hate you while he hugs you tight. Now, to figure out if this is a natural evolution of his character, if it was bad writing, or if it was something else, you really have to take on faith for what the author mostly implies, but not very well. If the arch-villain Kate was really telepathically messing with Seth's head, Philip did not do a great job showing it in the story. It's a fascinating plot, but it needed much better writing.
2. Seth's relationship with Rory: in book 2, Seth and Rory are at each other's throats. Fine, set two cats on fire and put them in a barrel, there's going to be blood. But somehow right at the start of book 3, they're soulmates? Would have been nice to see even 5 minutes over the 14 years their relationship evolved so drastically, even if they only saw each other once a year or so.
Overall, it's a great series. Philip is clearly a good writer. Most of my critics make me think the book was either rushed to publication, or the editors in Scotland just aren't as critical as I am. Interesting to note, more and more Scots English is used with each book. The amount of googling I had to do was intense and often unsatisfying. I'm used to Irish Gaelic, which has way more dictionaries available online. I don't know if Scottish Gaelic has less of an online presence, or if Philip speaks a less popular dialect.
It's hard to review this book without re-reviewing the previous book, because much of the previous book was out of sync with the first book. There wasn't enough information at the time to determine if this difference was caused by the fact that the book took place 400 years later, or if the author was inconsistent. Now with another book to factor in, some things are becoming a little clearer.
1. Seth's attitude: in book 1, Seth was a sullen angry kid, because he really didn't have any reason not to be. In book 2, Seth was so wrathful he was really almost a villain. In book 3, he's that guy who says I hate you while he hugs you tight. Now, to figure out if this is a natural evolution of his character, if it was bad writing, or if it was something else, you really have to take on faith for what the author mostly implies, but not very well. If the arch-villain Kate was really telepathically messing with Seth's head, Philip did not do a great job showing it in the story. It's a fascinating plot, but it needed much better writing.
2. Seth's relationship with Rory: in book 2, Seth and Rory are at each other's throats. Fine, set two cats on fire and put them in a barrel, there's going to be blood. But somehow right at the start of book 3, they're soulmates? Would have been nice to see even 5 minutes over the 14 years their relationship evolved so drastically, even if they only saw each other once a year or so.
Overall, it's a great series. Philip is clearly a good writer. Most of my critics make me think the book was either rushed to publication, or the editors in Scotland just aren't as critical as I am. Interesting to note, more and more Scots English is used with each book. The amount of googling I had to do was intense and often unsatisfying. I'm used to Irish Gaelic, which has way more dictionaries available online. I don't know if Scottish Gaelic has less of an online presence, or if Philip speaks a less popular dialect.
silver_valkyrie_reads's review
4.0
It's difficult to review this book properly. It occasionally dragged, or was confusing as large amounts of back story were implied without (thankfully!) the usual shoehorned in explanation. Relationships ranged from uncomfortable to inappropriate. I disliked nearly every character at some point in the book.
And in spite of all that I LIKED the bloody thing and it even almost made me cry (at a point I wouldn't have thought I'd care about that much). *sigh*
And in spite of all that I LIKED the bloody thing and it even almost made me cry (at a point I wouldn't have thought I'd care about that much). *sigh*
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