- There are some definitely epic scenes here, especially towards the end. - The witches, who remain ruthless and badass without being compWhat I liked:
- There are some definitely epic scenes here, especially towards the end. - The witches, who remain ruthless and badass without being completely black either. At least, some of them. - Celaena/Aelin feels more like an actual assassin. More cunning and less Too Stupid To Live moments on her part (she takes risks but she also ensures her ass is covered, so to speak). - Lysandra and her role in the story. Badass jerk prostitute with a heart of gold and secrets of her own. And both she and Aelin manage to set their previous qualms apart to become friends.
What I disliked:
- Redundant scenes, whether they're full of angst or spent describing Rowan and Aelin. - I really don't ship Rowan and Aelin. At all. As friends and bonded comrades in arms, they were awesome; as lovers... nope, doesn't do it for me. - What the hell happened to Chaol?!...more
[I received a copy through NetGalley, in exchange for an honest review.]
Last year, I read the first installment of this series, The Shadow Master. I l[I received a copy through NetGalley, in exchange for an honest review.]
Last year, I read the first installment of this series, The Shadow Master. I liked it and found it really confusing at the same time. I'd say that things are a little similar here, but that knowing the works that the author plays with (Romeo & Juliet, The Merchant of Venice, Othello...) helps in guessing a few things... and being misled when it comes to others, in a good way. I could both anticipate and still be surprised in the end.
This novel is more intricate than the first one, since it weaves the stories of the three Montecchi sisters along with those of the Shadow Master and Vincenzo, a young scribe with a strange power of making events happen differently by (re)writing them, a really powerful ability in its own right. These retellings from Shakespeare's plays—and from the tales that inspired them—were fairly interesting: close enough, yet also subtly different, with a dash of humour as well. Mostly it worked for me, although there were a few instances in which the dialogues were, oddly enough, "too" Shakespearian, and clashed slightly with the way the characters spoke in general.
The city itself felt very present, much like in the first book. The atmosphere was more magical and poetic this time, through the depiction of a Venice-like city kept afloat by the powers of four couple of mages called the Seers, facing strange creatures in its waters, a plague, the looming threat of the Ottomans (Othmen), and a shady group of assassins taking down the Council members one by one. This is mostly where things felt confusing sometimes, because a lot was at stake, and the explanation at the end behind those events was too hasty, too convenient, perhaps. This is also where I would've liked the novel to be longer, to expand more on the Seers, on how their magic worked (pretty shady as well in its own way!), and on some of the "background characters", so to speak.
However, paradoxically, the events surrounding the Shadow Master and Vincenzo, as confusing as they may seem, started shedding some light on events and characters from the first novel—especially when a certain couple was concerned. Though I may be mistaken, I have a gut feeling that the author is building something here, something far bigger than I had suspected at first: a sort of network of plots meant to collide at the very end, with the Shadow Master acting both as a hero/assassin and a storyteller, gifted with abilities that go deeper than suspected at first. I cannot deny, too, that the Shadow Master sometimes had a Fool's flavour to him (as in a Shakespearian Fool), which I don't doubt was totally on purpose. If only for that, combined to how I enjoyed the story, I shall make it a 3.5 stars, bumped to 4. I definitely hope my hunches are correct.
Note: I found some typos here and there; however, the copy I got was an ARC, therefore not the final one, and I'll assume those few defects will have been ironed out by now....more
A little difficult to get into, but it grew on me after a while. It's definitely of the "show, don't tell" variety, which I tend to prefer in fantasy A little difficult to get into, but it grew on me after a while. It's definitely of the "show, don't tell" variety, which I tend to prefer in fantasy (no prologue barely hiding a history and geography lesson!), and while it may seem a harsh way of taking the reader and throwing her into it, I didn't find it that difficult to understand the concepts (the ones around magic, for instance). I also feel like we have barely touched upon the world-building, and that there's sturdy ground for a lot of developments.
On the downside, this first volume also felt a little rough around the edges, with events piling upon each other without a real sense of a clear plot. It sort of mirrors events/life in general, but in a novel, it's a bit weird (all the more because the characters converged towards each other as if manipulated, and this didn't sit too well with the "random" side of things).
Overall it's more a "I like it" book, and I'll probably give a shot at volume 2 at some point, to see if the world and looming plots keep being developed. I just hope this next book will be at least slightly more structured....more
I liked this book better than the first one in the series—probably because Celaena acted more like an assassin this time. Not in the first half of theI liked this book better than the first one in the series—probably because Celaena acted more like an assassin this time. Not in the first half of the novel, though (which I sighed about quite a few times, as she either avoids killing or kills by accident); but later, she acts more like the dangerous person we were told about. I liked the politics, too, the dangerous games at court; a lot of characters had their secrets, and those are definitely of the kind that could get them dispatched. When a villain's ruthless, s/he is; when the king wants someone dead, you can be sure the poor sod won't last very long.
Nehemia remains among my favourite characters: brave, ready to act for other people as well as her own, aware of the dangers, yet still ready to face them. (view spoiler)[Too bad for what happened to her, and that she had to basically let it happen, even though she could sense it coming, and could have avoided it... maybe. Her reasons were motivated by despair, and one can only hope that she didn't make that sacrifice in vain. (hide spoiler)]
On the downside, some things were really predictable. (view spoiler)[I could sense Celaena's real identity coming up from the beginning of book 1, really. (hide spoiler)] The love triangle/romance in general wasn't really thrilling; I'm not keen on characters brooding over the person they can't have, and while it's alright when the romance goes in an interesting way, well, it just didn't interest me that much here. Also, Dorian should've gotten more screen time, I mean time that wasn't just moping in the background. However, he still grew as a character; I just wonder if the next book will allow him enough room to keep growing the spine he needs, especially now that his own secret has been uncovered....more
An easy enough read—it didn't take me long to finish it—, and enjoyable for the most part, though nothing really mind-blowing.
World-building: Some inteAn easy enough read—it didn't take me long to finish it—, and enjoyable for the most part, though nothing really mind-blowing.
World-building: Some interesting ideas, only not fully exploited. I liked the concept of runes operating outside the more widely-known system of magic. However, the world was somewhat bland and generic (king attacking and enslaving other kingdoms around his, court politics not pushed far enough, etc.)
Characters: I actually preferred secondary characters to main ones. Nehemia especoally felt like a heroine, someone I could root for. Celaena, on the other hand, was seriously annoying. I was all for the concept of strong girl assassin, but what I got was a girl who spent more time reading, worrying about her dress and toying with the guys around her—and not a real assassin. While she thinks in ways that are reminiscent of an assassin's, she doesn't actually kill anyone, she doesn't appear too interested in training to win (even though it's obvious she needs to get her strength back after one year in the salt mines), and her priorities don't seem exactly straight. (I don't know, but checking out guys right after being out of the fantasy equivalent of a death camp doesn't strike me as a priority.)
Romance: Totally useless. Love triangle takes over plot, and feels kind of forced.
I might borrow the next volume from the library, or not. I haven't decided yet....more
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