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emmascc's review
4.0
Actual rating: 4.5 stars
Really enjoyed the mystery in this one, couldn't figure out who has behind it until the end
Really enjoyed the mystery in this one, couldn't figure out who has behind it until the end
snazel's review
5.0
I want a million books in this world. Quasi-medieval matriarchal low countries murder-mysteries of my heart.
emilyredwood's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.75
kaa's review
4.0
This was a enjoyable series to read, and very much comfort reading for me. There is something about the books that reminds me of the kind of fantasy I first started reading as a teenager, with the added bonus of casual and pervasive queerness. I read all of the books that are currently available (eeee! I just found out there are more books coming soon and there is already a Patreon!) in a single week while I had the flu, and they were the perfect thing to keep me entertained while I was both too sick to concentrate on some of the more epic SFF I've been working on and too cranky to tolerate most of my usual fluff reading.
egelantier's review
4.0
finally gotten my hands on the third book! i love how quietly mundane astreiant novels are, in the way best procedurals are, all about frank russel's "legwork", slow patient work bringing the investigators to the slow careful results. and on top of it, astreiant itself, bustling matriarchal city with its astrologers and its rioting students and its dog races. and on top of it, rathe and eslingen and their quiet, respectful, loving relationship, and them being so achingly careful in exploring it, in feeling out each other's boundaries and trying not to overstep them. nothing groundbreaking, maybe, but so soothing; like fresh air.
bahnree's review
5.0
People get killed with silver coins and I have never been so invested in dog racing????
alisonalisonalison's review
4.0
Excellent. This is the third novel in a wonderful police procedural fantasy series. This one's all about dogs and bad magic and it's fascinating. The writing, characters, world-building, love story, and mystery plot are all really excellent. Like all the other books in the series, this is full of subtlety and depth and detail and really takes its time to tell the story fully, and it's a great reading experience and something to savour. I suppose this could stand alone as a mystery, but to get the full picture of Astreiant and its culture and to really appreciate the adorable subtleties of Nico and Philip's delightfully understated relationship, I definitely recommend starting at the beginning (the excellent [b:Point of Hopes|836592|Point of Hopes (Astreiant, #1)|Melissa Scott|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1336165029s/836592.jpg|2136966]) so you don't miss out. I do believe a new Astreiant book is in the works, so I'm looking forward to that immensely.