Reviews

Phase 2 has slowly been weaving together the history of the Nihil, the villains of Phase 1. And this book did such an incredible job of adding so much empathy and humanity to these characters, particularly the Ro cousins, even though we can see how their actions have a huge impact on the future. I’m excited to finally wrap up the rest of this Phase and see how more of this story will tie into Phase 3.

madelynskies's review

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adventurous dark tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.25

ldiff23's review

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adventurous emotional tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.75

tessasophiewillemsen's review

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adventurous dark emotional sad tense fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.25

chris_hope__'s review

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dark emotional funny sad tense fast-paced

5.0

nerdynatreads's review

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adventurous dark tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

Alrighty, so pretty early on I realized that events of this book take place at the end of The Battle of Jedha and actually at the same time as Cataclysm as well. It seems like we’re seeing the leadup to the finale showdown with the Path of the Open Hand on Dalna from the eyes of a Path member, which I did think was really clever! Marda was present in The Battle of Jedha, but we didn’t see much of her, and especially not during the climax of the battle itself, and I really enjoyed seeing some of the fall out through her eyes. An unexpected person to see in a fight but oh my, the significance, the repercussion of her actions, and the torment they have on her was all very well handled. At the same time, we also see her cousin Yana’s during the Battle and it was exciting but in such a different way. I’m really enjoying watching these two’s reactions to the events and the Path’s involvement. They already had opposing views in Path of Deceit, but things were amped up so much more, while also starting to shift in ways I wasn’t expecting.

Marda believes so deeply in the Path’s ideology that she’s blind to any issues within, which does make her chapters a bit frustrating to read, but also showcase just how well her perspective is written. I genuinely was having such a hard time with Marda’s chapters at certain points because she’s just so unaware of the issues staring her in the face, but again, that really did show how well Scott wrote a religious zealot. I will also say, there was a developing romance between Marda and a Path member who has only recently been elevated to similar status and I just don’t think it was necessary at all. It feels shoehorned in by comparison to the light romance in the previous book, plus Marda just reads more immature about it as well. I think the same things could have been accomplished if it was simply a friend she grew close to rather than romantic interest.

Yana had become so jaded and bitter toward the Path, but it’s too tied into her life for an easy and clean break away so she’s forced to continue her connection. My preference for the cousin’s perspectives actually switched with this book, Yana’s story interesting me far more. However, Yana, too, had some incredibly frustrating moments, but hers were born from a distrust of the Jedi and devotion to her girlfriend, Kore. Again, just because I didn’t like it, doesn’t mean I can’t acknowledge how well-written Yana was!

We’ve also seen through the eyes of a new padawan, Mattie. She’s adorable and has been a bit sheltered while working on Jedha, so she’s not the most experienced in missions but I loved her so quickly. She’s a bit of a chatter-box who is so determined to prove herself as a Jedi and also to help people that she won’t allow other, higher-ranked people to stand in her way. The accompanying master, Oliviah, comes across about cold, but her interactions with Mattie are so funny and sweet at times. These two are investigating the Path and become far more prevalent in the latter half of the book, but I do wish I could have seen more of them.

Since I did know some of what was going to take place in this battle, thanks to Cataclysm, I was worried there wouldn’t be enough suspense, but this was far from the case. I could NOT put this book down once the climax hit. Everyone is in danger and the reveal of how the Path of the Closed Fist answered some questions I had off the previous book’s battle scenes. The twists that were revealed were WILD and had me shouting in surprise.

I… liked the end of this book, but I actually sort of wanted something a bit closer to how things ended in Path of Deceit? It felt like the real severity of the battle wasn’t showcased here as much as I’d like. However, I just know there are certain things presented at the end which will definitely be showing up again in later books.

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