This was a very good ending to a solid series. The story moved along at a quick pace with very little filler. I enjoyed the character arcs, although IThis was a very good ending to a solid series. The story moved along at a quick pace with very little filler. I enjoyed the character arcs, although I do wish Wilf was more involved than he was. It seemed like there was far more to him than what was shown.
My biggest complaint is the use of Todd and Viola, specifically their names, not the characters themselves. They yell each other's names so often that it made me want to pull my hair out.
All in all, this was probably my favorite book of the series, which is impressive since a good ending is often hard to do....more
I'd give this book 3.5 stars, but not quite 4. It's better than the first book. Many of the central characters have been given more depth, which is soI'd give this book 3.5 stars, but not quite 4. It's better than the first book. Many of the central characters have been given more depth, which is something that was severely lacking. They are coming off more as real people now rather than just caricatures of good guys and bad guys.
Side note, I don't know if it's coincidental or if Ness is a friend of Suzanne Collins, but it was very weird reading about the male antagonist leader being defied by a female leader of the resistance who may or may not be just as bad, if not worse, than the male leader.
This book ends on a huge cliffhanger, and I'm definitely interested to read how it all plays out....more
This book was a mixed bag for me. There were some good parts and some bad parts. I liked the overall story that was being told. The idea that there isThis book was a mixed bag for me. There were some good parts and some bad parts. I liked the overall story that was being told. The idea that there is a virus that allows thoughts to be heard by everyone is both fascinating and terrifying. I also liked some of the characters, especially Manchee, Wilf, and even Todd to a certain extent. The story itself also has quite a bit of action to it, which is good.
The parts that I didn't like mainly deal with the bad guys, Aaron in particular. I swear Aaron is some kind of Terminator. It got to the point where when he showed up, I was so frustrated that I wanted to stop reading. It was almost as bad with Davy Prentiss Jr. Also, how is everyone able to move around New World so fast when all they were supposed to know is Prentisstown? Wouldn't anyone, at least the boys who just became men, be shocked or hesitant to learn that there's more out there than just their town? That's what bothered me the most, I think. Besides Todd and the people close to him, everyone in Prentisstown is so one-dimensional. They are evil and that's it.
Hopefully the villains are fleshed out more, because despite this, I'm still interested enough to continue the series....more
This book took me way longer than it should have to finish it, because it was very hard for me to get into it. Every time I put the book down, I just This book took me way longer than it should have to finish it, because it was very hard for me to get into it. Every time I put the book down, I just didn't have the desire to pick it back up again. There is an interesting story here, but I just can't connect with any of the characters. I have no feeling or sympathy for any of them with maybe a small exception for Ms. Kevarian, who is barely involved here.
I generally don't like taking breaks in the middle of a series, but in this case, I think I have to. Maybe I'll give it another shot somewhere down the line....more
I love this series, but this book was not one of my favorites. The entire story takes place in a single location, and it's a very slow and confusing bI love this series, but this book was not one of my favorites. The entire story takes place in a single location, and it's a very slow and confusing build to the finale. And once you get to the end, it feels like the overall series just didn't progress very much, if at all. It had some entertaining parts to it, but in the end, this was definitely filler material....more
Finally done with this series. Unfortunately, I finished it more out of obligation than anything else. While the premise was interesting, I just didn'Finally done with this series. Unfortunately, I finished it more out of obligation than anything else. While the premise was interesting, I just didn't connect or feel anything for any of the characters with the exception of Harm maybe. Even the Seven themselves were a disappointment.
Maybe one day I'll read it instead of listening to the audio book, and maybe I'll get more out of it that way, but for now, I'm glad to be moving on....more
I want to like this series a lot more, but I just can't. It feels like there is a story here that should be so much more than what I'm reading, which I want to like this series a lot more, but I just can't. It feels like there is a story here that should be so much more than what I'm reading, which is frustrating. Instead, we get a lot of what feels like filler until Vesper gets to the breach, which is over way too quick. Another reviewer put it best by saying "It's almost like things just happen in the book and you're like 'umm okay is that it?'"
I'll read the last book in the series just for completion-sake. I'm hoping it will be a great ending to it all, but I'm not very optimistic....more
I enjoyed the ending to this series. The action was good, and many of my favorite characters returned along with some fun new ones (Monkey King was a I enjoyed the ending to this series. The action was good, and many of my favorite characters returned along with some fun new ones (Monkey King was a standout in his brief appearance). However, Granuaile was kind of a let down from previous books. I didn't enjoy her character as much this time around.
I will say that this book could have been a lot more. There is way too much time spent on side characters and sub-plots while the actual battle goes by fast. I wish more time was spent on the fight itself. It definitely felt like the author was ready for this series to be done. ...more
I've been severely slacking on my reading lately, so it took me awhile to finish this book. However, that didn't stop me from enjoying it immensely. TI've been severely slacking on my reading lately, so it took me awhile to finish this book. However, that didn't stop me from enjoying it immensely. This was a fantastic ending to a fantastic series. It was good to see all of the important characters there at the end game and play their parts.
Snorri has definitely become one of my favorite characters in fantasy books, and easily my favorite in the Broken Empire. Admittedly, I was a little worried and confused throughout the first part of the book in regards to him, but the way his story ended up being told was pretty fantastic and ingenious.
All in all, I've really become a big fan of the world that Lawrence has built and with his style of writing. When the last book in the Book of the Ancestor series gets closer to its release date, I am definitely going to start reading that one....more
I really enjoyed this book. Both the world building and character development were very good. I enjoyed the flashback scenes that showed the Red QueenI really enjoyed this book. Both the world building and character development were very good. I enjoyed the flashback scenes that showed the Red Queen when she was younger, and I also enjoyed the growth of Jarlan and Snorri's friendship. I love how even though Jarlan is starting to do more heroic things, he still thinks like a coward and oftentimes doesn't want to do most of the things he's doing.
I'm really looking forward to the final book in the series. If the quality is as good as this one, this series may be better than the Broken Empire, for me at least....more
I enjoyed this book at lot. For the ending of a series, it was definitely one of the better offerings out there. The story is fantastic, and there areI enjoyed this book at lot. For the ending of a series, it was definitely one of the better offerings out there. The story is fantastic, and there are a lot of interesting characters here with many of them being very memorable. Although there isn't as much world-building in this book like the previous ones, it's still pretty great. There's so much to this world that I want to learn more about, like the Skullsworn, the Csestriim, the Atmani, and much more.
However, there were issues with it that I had. As much as I loved the characters, some of them were severely underutilized. Two of my favorites from previous books make short appearances here and then are never used again. I also don't like the way the villains were handled. Despite absolutely epic battles to meet these "final bosses", the encounters themselves were very short and unsatisfying. I wanted more from the people who have terrorized the protagonists for 3 books.
Despite this, I would still highly recommend this series. It is definitely one of the better ones out there, and I look forward to reading more from Mr. Staveley....more
The second book in this series, while not as good as the first in my opinion, is still really, really good. There are lots of surprises in it, some ofThe second book in this series, while not as good as the first in my opinion, is still really, really good. There are lots of surprises in it, some of them predictable and others not, but all of them are believable and don't just come out of nowhere.
There are a slew of new characters introduced, but my favorites are Nira and Kiev. These two have very different personalities, but both are fascinating characters, and I want to know more about them. However, I think Pyrre and the Flea are still my favorite characters.
On my review of the previous book, I said I wished there was more story focusing on Adare. We definitely got that in this book, but unfortunately, I ended up not liking her at all. She makes some maddening idiotic decisions even when she knows better. I know she's supposed to be a pretty sheltered and naive character, but it's still frustrating to read.
Overall, this has been one of the better series that I've read in quite awhile. I'm very much looking forward to the conclusion....more
I really loved almost everything about this book. The story starts with an assassination of the emperor, but what seems like a whodunit turns into a hI really loved almost everything about this book. The story starts with an assassination of the emperor, but what seems like a whodunit turns into a huge and complex conspiracy involving multiple people from all aspects of the empire and even a now mythical race of beings that predate humans. It's a very interesting, engrossing, and entertaining story.
Almost every character in this book is fascinating to me. From major characters like Adare, Kaden, and Valyn to minor ones like Tan, Pyrre, and Annick. Even the villains were interesting and despicable but not in an overly annoying way. I will say that I could have used more chapters from Adare's POV, but I understand that there isn't much to be told from her viewpoint at this time. I fully expect her to be more involved in later books.
Another thing I didn't like that much was how repetitive some things were. The biggest culprit is, of course, "kent-kissing". That saying got old really, really fast, and I hope the author uses less of it going forward. There were a few other things I read and I remember thinking, "why is this being explained again". Those are just small gripes, though.
Overall, this is probably my favorite new series book since I first picked up The Final Empire 5 years ago. I'm very much looking forward to reading the rest....more
This book was ok. Like others have said, not very much actually happens in it. The book is all story-driven with little to no action, which is fine. HThis book was ok. Like others have said, not very much actually happens in it. The book is all story-driven with little to no action, which is fine. However, the story that IS going on is just somewhat interesting. I listened to this on audiobook, and I found myself zoning out several times when it came to people I just didn't care about, which is most of them.
However, I will say that the writing itself is very good. I was also interested in the magic that was used in regards to Seedless and Heshai. I am intrigued enough with that relationship to continue with the series....more
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