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willowmariemanning's review
adventurous
funny
hopeful
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
bananatricky's review against another edition
4.0
Three and a half stars.
Cutter and Master Grindmor have gone missing, 500 dwarves are travelling to Korvann to settle as part of King Targyon's attempts to make the country less xenophobic now that the war with the elves has ended.
Jev and Zenia have to deal with office politics from the captain they effectively demoted, Jev also has to deal with gossip about his private life and fears that his father will arrange a marriage to a high born Zyndari woman.
I liked this but I didn't love it, maybe it's swords and sorcery fatigue from devouring three books in as many days, I felt we covered a lot of the same dithering about Jev and Zenia's romance as we did in the second book, just man up and marry her NOW. Also Zenia dragon's tear is so powerful and can do anything that it obviates the need for cunning or bravery, it's a get out of jail free card all by itself. Finally, after what felt like a very long time in the swamp the ending felt a bit rushed and I had lots of unfinished questions.
So, we still don't know what Zenia's dragon tear IS, we don't know who is writing Zenia the cryptic warnings (I suspect it's the dragon tear somehow), will Jev and Zenia ever get together, will Rhi find romance? I hope that some of these questions are answered in the next book.
Cutter and Master Grindmor have gone missing, 500 dwarves are travelling to Korvann to settle as part of King Targyon's attempts to make the country less xenophobic now that the war with the elves has ended.
Jev and Zenia have to deal with office politics from the captain they effectively demoted, Jev also has to deal with gossip about his private life and fears that his father will arrange a marriage to a high born Zyndari woman.
I liked this but I didn't love it, maybe it's swords and sorcery fatigue from devouring three books in as many days, I felt we covered a lot of the same dithering about Jev and Zenia's romance as we did in the second book, just man up and marry her NOW. Also Zenia dragon's tear is so powerful and can do anything that it obviates the need for cunning or bravery, it's a get out of jail free card all by itself. Finally, after what felt like a very long time in the swamp the ending felt a bit rushed and I had lots of unfinished questions.
So, we still don't know what Zenia's dragon tear IS, we don't know who is writing Zenia the cryptic warnings (I suspect it's the dragon tear somehow), will Jev and Zenia ever get together, will Rhi find romance? I hope that some of these questions are answered in the next book.
cmbohn's review against another edition
4.0
Good fun & lots of action. Fighting in a swamp this time an trying to stop a giant explosion at the docks.
slc333's review against another edition
3.0
3.5 stars. I liked how Zenia was able to figure out what was going on using her experience to form hypothesis and then investigate. Am extremely frustrated by the direction of the romance.
saveyourtears's review
adventurous
funny
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
navsy's review against another edition
3.0
The ending made up for the slow pacing of the rest of the book. I'm excited to read the next one!
_misty_'s review
adventurous
funny
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
I'm in love with this series. It's like watching a mystery tv show with the clues and interrogations and solving puzzles. The characters are so lovable and their banter is fun. There also is a thread that links all the plots of the books together and I love following it!
sarah42783's review
3.0
Actual rating: 3.2142356 stars
Let’s try to make thismoderately quick and painless for once, shall we?
Okay, so this installment clearly suffers from second book syndrome. Yes, I know it’s the third book in the series, but there’s no such thing as third book syndrome, and if there is, it probably isn’t the same thing as second book syndrome, and it’s second book syndrome that this third book in this series is suffering from, so there and stuff.
Indeed it is. Thank for your unfailing support, Spockie dearest.
Quite sorry to report I am that this installment not nearly as joyfully entertaining as the previous ones is. “Why the shrimp is that?” you most obligingly ask. Because this, I most agreeably reply:
First, the plot is thinner than an anorexic razor shell, and slower than an anaemic barnacle. Also, I finished the book only three days ago and had to look at the blurb to remember what it was about. Not an overwhelmingly positive sign, methinks.
Second, said fairly inexistent plot is so fairly inexistent that Buroker had to fill in the gaps with, you know, something and stuff. To try and give some much-needed substance to her story and stuff. Only that the something in question is lovey dovey crap
You know something is really wrong with your lovey dovey crap when Silly Snowie gets so freaked out she runs the fish out of the forest.
Third, Buroker’s trademark ha-ha-ha banter and dialogues are there but they a) much like the most frolicsome scalloped hammerhead, seem to be nearly extinct and b) are kinda forced as shrimp and sorta formulaic as krill. Which is quite a little disappointing, if you ask me.
Fourth, because the reasonably delicious secondary cast of characters is not nearly as present as in previous installments, ergo less opportunities for potentially ha-ha-ha-ing banter and dialogues there are (QED and stuff). Well at least Rhi, the bo-wielding ex-monk and Whacker-Thumper Extraordinaire (WTE™), is around to provide some much needed entertainment and prevent the reader from falling into a deeper slumber than SleepingBeauty Shrimpy. So I guess I can’t complain and stuff.
Okay, so this ↑↑ probably doesn’t sound Super Extra Titillating (SET™), but really, it’s not that bad.It’s just not very good, that is all. There’s the whole Dragon Tear Thingie (DTT™), which sounds promising enough. (Yes, I could tell you about it, but also yes, I feel uncharacteristically lazy as fish today, so I won’t. You are quite welcome.) And there are also lots of fluffy cuddly friendly pets like water golems and orcs and trolls and ogres and puny humans and well-endowed stags (don’t ask) and fairly voracious remote-controlled crocodiles (this is giving me ideas, just so you know). And then there’s talk of finger nails being ripped off, which is always a plus, if you ask me.
See, even Ernie agrees with me on this one.
➽ Nefarious Last Words (NLW™): Bridge installment begone! Let’s go back to the Slightly Very Good Stuff (SVGS™), if you please, Ms. Buroker. I might somewhat unleash the crustaceans on you if you don’t. But hey, no pressure and stuff.
Let’s try to make this
Okay, so this installment clearly suffers from second book syndrome. Yes, I know it’s the third book in the series, but there’s no such thing as third book syndrome, and if there is, it probably isn’t the same thing as second book syndrome, and it’s second book syndrome that this third book in this series is suffering from, so there and stuff.
Indeed it is. Thank for your unfailing support, Spockie dearest.
Quite sorry to report I am that this installment not nearly as joyfully entertaining as the previous ones is. “Why the shrimp is that?” you most obligingly ask. Because this, I most agreeably reply:
First, the plot is thinner than an anorexic razor shell, and slower than an anaemic barnacle. Also, I finished the book only three days ago and had to look at the blurb to remember what it was about. Not an overwhelmingly positive sign, methinks.
Second, said fairly inexistent plot is so fairly inexistent that Buroker had to fill in the gaps with, you know, something and stuff. To try and give some much-needed substance to her story and stuff. Only that the something in question is lovey dovey crap
You know something is really wrong with your lovey dovey crap when Silly Snowie gets so freaked out she runs the fish out of the forest.
Third, Buroker’s trademark ha-ha-ha banter and dialogues are there but they a) much like the most frolicsome scalloped hammerhead, seem to be nearly extinct and b) are kinda forced as shrimp and sorta formulaic as krill. Which is quite a little disappointing, if you ask me.
Fourth, because the reasonably delicious secondary cast of characters is not nearly as present as in previous installments, ergo less opportunities for potentially ha-ha-ha-ing banter and dialogues there are (QED and stuff). Well at least Rhi, the bo-wielding ex-monk and Whacker-Thumper Extraordinaire (WTE™), is around to provide some much needed entertainment and prevent the reader from falling into a deeper slumber than Sleeping
Okay, so this ↑↑ probably doesn’t sound Super Extra Titillating (SET™), but really, it’s not that bad.
See, even Ernie agrees with me on this one.
➽ Nefarious Last Words (NLW™): Bridge installment begone! Let’s go back to the Slightly Very Good Stuff (SVGS™), if you please, Ms. Buroker. I might somewhat unleash the crustaceans on you if you don’t. But hey, no pressure and stuff.
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