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A review by tiamatq
Amber and Blood by Margaret Weis
4.0
So after the cliff-hanger ending of the last book, I was really looking forward to learning Mina's history and what would happen with the pantheon of gods in Krynn. I've read several reviews that were disappointed with how this book was handled. We don't spend time with the Mina we've seen in the rest of the series, or even the Mina of the War of Souls. Instead, she reverts to a child. And the gods who had been so active in the other books take a step back here and pledge to leave Mina to make her own decision without influence. Of course, if you've read any of the other DL books, you know that it's pretty much impossible for them NOT to meddle. But still, the majority of this book is Mina's time with the wandering monk of Majere, Rhys, his dog Atta, and the nightstalker kender, Nightshade.
Yes, this book is a means to an end... it's the third book in a trilogy. I enjoyed reading it, but once I got to the end and thought back on what had happened, there wasn't a lot of action. The majority of it is travel from one city to the next, with Rhys and Nightshade trying to help Mina as she struggles with memories that she's blotted out. I would've liked to see more of Mina's different aspects as they tried to grapple with her past, but this book was about resolution, and that's what happens. I wasn't expecting the ending, but I found it all very fitting. Mina reminds me very much of Neil Gaiman's character Delirium... it's hard to not feel sad when you read about it, though I think that Mina exercises a greater sort of control over herself. I also liked learning more about Valthonis.
In the War of Souls trilogy, and again in this series, I liked the interaction between mortals and immortals. The gods are not as all-knowing as they'd like their followers to think. They're petty and emotional and go beyond their stereotypes. I never thought I'd like Zeboim, but if this series did anything, it made me love her... she's such a bitch! I also enjoyed seeing Gerard and Galdar (*sigh*) again, particularly with their continued disdain for all things holy. It's an interesting time on Krynn, and I'm looking forward to more.
Oh, my one gripe is the ridiculous amount of typos. It made me weep... there were spelling errors and missing words galore. To make matters worse, paragraphs were repeated, lines of action were missing (Valthonis goes from standing and staring at Mina to suddenly knocked unconcious without any mention of her hitting him?), and fights scenes with random weapon changes. I know it sounds nit-picky... but it's been a long time since I've read a book where the typos ruined the mood so much. Since this was coming from an author I enjoy and she's not new to writing/publishing, I was a bit surprised. Now here's hoping I don't have awful typos in my review. :)
Yes, this book is a means to an end... it's the third book in a trilogy. I enjoyed reading it, but once I got to the end and thought back on what had happened, there wasn't a lot of action. The majority of it is travel from one city to the next, with Rhys and Nightshade trying to help Mina as she struggles with memories that she's blotted out. I would've liked to see more of Mina's different aspects as they tried to grapple with her past, but this book was about resolution, and that's what happens. I wasn't expecting the ending, but I found it all very fitting. Mina reminds me very much of Neil Gaiman's character Delirium... it's hard to not feel sad when you read about it, though I think that Mina exercises a greater sort of control over herself. I also liked learning more about Valthonis.
In the War of Souls trilogy, and again in this series, I liked the interaction between mortals and immortals. The gods are not as all-knowing as they'd like their followers to think. They're petty and emotional and go beyond their stereotypes. I never thought I'd like Zeboim, but if this series did anything, it made me love her... she's such a bitch! I also enjoyed seeing Gerard and Galdar (*sigh*) again, particularly with their continued disdain for all things holy. It's an interesting time on Krynn, and I'm looking forward to more.
Oh, my one gripe is the ridiculous amount of typos. It made me weep... there were spelling errors and missing words galore. To make matters worse, paragraphs were repeated, lines of action were missing (Valthonis goes from standing and staring at Mina to suddenly knocked unconcious without any mention of her hitting him?), and fights scenes with random weapon changes. I know it sounds nit-picky... but it's been a long time since I've read a book where the typos ruined the mood so much. Since this was coming from an author I enjoy and she's not new to writing/publishing, I was a bit surprised. Now here's hoping I don't have awful typos in my review. :)