**spoiler alert** Great stuff as usual, with real character progression despite the limited time the series has covered. The whole thing with Rachel a**spoiler alert** Great stuff as usual, with real character progression despite the limited time the series has covered. The whole thing with Rachel and Ivy falling back to their old abstinence vows doesn't feel like a cheat to drag out the subplot - it's not horribly disappointing because their relationship is developing on other levels (friendship, the aura thing, etc).
Now for some reason I have a feeling that Rachel not getting bound by Kisten's killer isn't just luck - that something in her biology makes her immune to being bound completely. That would be interesting, seeing as it would open up the blood sharing thing again without Rachel being afraid of accidentally getting bound. Just a guess on my part though.
My one fear is that Rachel will find some sort of cure for vampires losing their souls, because it's looking like it's going to involve that aura sharing stuff, which Rachel doesn't pull off with anybody but Ivy. And that means that Ivy may have to die to prove it and advance the subplot. I hope not, Ivy is my favorite character....more
This series is better than Anita Blake. It's more intense, more emotional, and the characters are more believable.This series is better than Anita Blake. It's more intense, more emotional, and the characters are more believable....more
Proof that short doesn't necessarily equal shallow. Surprisingly intense and emotional, the story takes a great stab at portraying what an utterly aliProof that short doesn't necessarily equal shallow. Surprisingly intense and emotional, the story takes a great stab at portraying what an utterly alien creature might go through if it suddenly found itself human. Yes, the personality progression happens more quickly than one might expect, but Caine seems to have the ability to be very vivid without many words.
It is a spinoff, so familiarity with the universe will help you get some of the references to the magic system. It isn't required though, as this one doesn't follow the main arc or characters of Weather Wardens.
If you liked reading about Joanne, you'll love following Cassiel....more
I had a lot less trouble with the flow of this one. Either she cleaned up her writing some or I've mentally adjusted to filter out the speed bumps.
TheI had a lot less trouble with the flow of this one. Either she cleaned up her writing some or I've mentally adjusted to filter out the speed bumps.
The story itself was a lot more exciting than the first book and frankly quite intense in places. I love the way the characters are developing, especially Ivy. There were some great emotional ups and downs. I'm definitely looking forward to getting my hands on additional volumes in this series.
I do have two nitpicks though. Harrison seems to have trouble wrapping things up. After the "big showdown" scene, she spends what I consider an inordinate amount of time on the aftermath section. This is really a very minor point though. The other problem is the sometimes ridiculous copy errors that appear. Some of them make me cringe; her editor needs to be a bit more careful....more
I can see what people mean when they talk about parts of the book being disconnected - the writing doesn't flow very well, and I found myself repeatinI can see what people mean when they talk about parts of the book being disconnected - the writing doesn't flow very well, and I found myself repeating paragraphs in places in order to figure out what just happened. This is Harrison's first book though, right? I don't have a problem with giving her slack about that particular problem, if she addresses it in her later novels.
I liked this book overall. It wasn't as good as the first Anita Blake book, I think largely because of the aforementioned choppy writing problem. But I liked Rachel Morgan's character, coming from Harry Dresden, Joanne Baldwin, and Anita Blake as I did. She isn't a total badass, and threats against her life and scary monsters don't give her an infusion of stubborn power. They scare her out of her mind. It makes her more believable, and fact that she overcomes her problems more satisfying.
I hope Harrison refined her writing for her later books, because I'd like to continue with Morgan's story and it'd be nice if I wasn't yanked out of the storyspace quite so much....more
It's like Hamlet... you may know the ending but you can still enjoy the story. I loved this book. It was very dark and emotional, and I don't mind sayIt's like Hamlet... you may know the ending but you can still enjoy the story. I loved this book. It was very dark and emotional, and I don't mind saying that I got a little misty over Elphaba's story at some points. Heart-wrenching and utterly worth reading....more
The name Zelazny is used in conjunction with words like "Classic" and "Quintessential" high fantasy. So I went into this dictionary-sized tome with hiThe name Zelazny is used in conjunction with words like "Classic" and "Quintessential" high fantasy. So I went into this dictionary-sized tome with high expectations of fantastic locations, rules, and characters. I got the first two.
The idea of Amber, being the only "real" world, with countless other "shadow" worlds branching off (think alternate universes, but not quite), is a great concept. Unfortunately, I'm a big fan of strong characters and their growth, and I just didn't find that here.
None of the characters seem to have any reason for their actions at any point. There is one big overriding motivation for most of the characters, yes, but all the specific actions they take and decisions they make don't make sense in context. And no, they don't have these grand plans where eventually all their little quirks and unexplained actions come together in a giant epiphany at the end; they just do things. It feels like certain things had to happen for the plot to move forward, so the characters make these things happen regardless of how much sense it makes from their point of view.
I was very disappointed by the book, honestly. I feel like an ambitious author could take the setting of Amber and make a spinoff novel or series with strong characters that would make a better story than the original....more
**spoiler alert** I'm very hopeful that Sanderson can salvage what remains of this series. Knowing the kind of stuff he is capable of writing, here's **spoiler alert** I'm very hopeful that Sanderson can salvage what remains of this series. Knowing the kind of stuff he is capable of writing, here's what I think might happen.
Rand gets Aviendha pregnant before the last battle.
Elayne, harpy that she is, continues to take stupid risks knowing that Min viewed that her children would be healthy and strong, so Elayne won't die before the children are born. Oops, something kills her right after the children are born, while they are being born, or just before they are ready to be born so they can be cut out of her corpse. Rand, bonded to her, throws himself into the last battle with reckless abandon, getting himself killed yet somehow saving the world.
Aviendha gives birth to twins and also adopts Elayne's twins, fulfilling Min's viewing ("four of them at once! but something strange..."). I'm really rooting for this to happen, it all fits and it means one of my least favorite women in the series dies.
Lan dies and leaves Nynave a wallowing mass of depression and regret for being so awful (okay this is more of a hope on my part, but maybe Sanderson hates her as much as I do).
World saved, light wins, women left alive are miserable but at least the dark one isn't free.
----------
Here's what I'm hoping will happen, but probably won't.
Cadsuane and Sorleia, having made the vow to teach rand to cry, contrive to manipulate the situation to cause one of his loved ones to die. It happens to be Elayne. He finds out it was Cadsuane's fault, and goes insane (saidin-related or not, doesn't matter) with grief and rage. He joins with Taim, obviously an agent of shadow at this point, and kills the dark one only to take over his rule, ushering in a new era of despair and hopelessness for humanity.
All because aes sedai treated the world like a chessboard, manipulating events because ONLY THEY had enough information, ONLY THEY knew what was right, and ONLY THEY were fit to shape the world. Through their hubris they cause evil to claim the world for untold generations.
Tell me that wouldn't be the perfect ending....more
Gets two stars by virtue of being better than Crossroads of Twilight. I think a napkin doodle could get two stars compared to that, though.
So the worlGets two stars by virtue of being better than Crossroads of Twilight. I think a napkin doodle could get two stars compared to that, though.
So the world's getting worse and things are starting to come to a head. I want to see how this series ends, if only so I can put it out of my mind....more
This is the fourth book in a row that I have given a one-star rating in this series,and you may be wondering why I kept reading them if they were so aThis is the fourth book in a row that I have given a one-star rating in this series,and you may be wondering why I kept reading them if they were so awful. Well, I liked the story in the abstract, it's just that most of the characters are so difficult to like that it ruins much of it. So I guess I was hoping that I could just continue with the story and find out what happens to the world.
Talk about losing a gamble. This one is over 800 pages but manages to cover a single day. I don't think I could write 800 pages about my entire week.
We're also seeing a lot of Egwyne acting entitled and superior for no logical reason at all. Did I mention all the women in this series are horrible yet?
**spoiler alert** I'm Rand Al'Thor and I'm in love with three different women. In a good story, I would have to make a hard choice, lose two women I l**spoiler alert** I'm Rand Al'Thor and I'm in love with three different women. In a good story, I would have to make a hard choice, lose two women I loved and possibly gain one devoted lover/wife/confidant. In a move straight out of Love Hina, I refuse to make a decision and am rewarded by not one, but all three beautiful yet exotically different women desperate to bear my children.
The only instance I can think of where more than one woman is nice for any length of time to a man in the entire WoT series occurs in this book.
A good plot thread would have been if Rand had made no decision and then been punished by all three women saying "the hell with this." Way more believable, and also more consistent considering that all the women in this series are horrible man-hating serpents....more
At this point I'm really starting to get tired of the 2 paragraph description of what it's like to sieze/embrace saidin/saidar, every. single. time. IAt this point I'm really starting to get tired of the 2 paragraph description of what it's like to sieze/embrace saidin/saidar, every. single. time. I'm also getting tired of the description of each particular section of floor any random character's boot happens to land on. Do you understand? Nobody needs this level of detail. The next 4 books accomplish very little in the way of actual plot advancement.
And hey, sea folk women, maybe they'll be dif.... nope that was way too much to hope for. They're all horrible....more
**spoiler alert** Okay, Elayne is all ready to tear Mat a new one when she thinks he forced himself on a queen. When she learns it's the other way aro**spoiler alert** Okay, Elayne is all ready to tear Mat a new one when she thinks he forced himself on a queen. When she learns it's the other way around, she not only laughs, but outright makes fun of him. She had her knife to his throat, Elayne, it's still rape if it happens to a man!
I don't care if she was sorry immediately after. Elayne is worse than Faile at this point, and that's really saying something. I hope she dies in Memory of Light. It would almost redeem the whole series....more
What I like to call Volume 1 in the "Women Hating Men" trilogy. At almost no point in these three books did women interacting with men consist of anytWhat I like to call Volume 1 in the "Women Hating Men" trilogy. At almost no point in these three books did women interacting with men consist of anything beyond: insulting men, assaulting men, sniffing at men, or thinking about how stupid men are compared to all the omniscient women. I almost didn't finish this book because of all the negative energy towards men.
Lessons I learned from this trilogy.
1) It is always a man's fault. Always. 2) Women are always smarter than men. 3) It is okay to break your promises as long as they were to a man. 4) Hitting a man is a perfectly acceptable response to anything he says. 5) If a man proves you wrong, it is okay to lie about it and also hit him. 6) A man raping a woman is a horrible crime. 7) A woman raping a man is funny. 8) A man of his word is easy to manipulate.
The best part of this whole trilogy was the end of book 6 (Lord of Chaos) because we finally saw some turnabout in the men vs. women thing.
Seriously, what kind of women did Robert Jordan have in his life? He was utterly incapable of creating a strong female character without also making her a hateful, spiteful harpy. They are either spineless doormats or unbearable battleaxes. The only reason this one has a second star in its rating is because he actually moves the plot along in interesting ways....more
A lot of Aiel in this book. While I find it silly how they assume everyone in the world is born knowing what Ji'e'Toh is, I tend to like the Aiel charA lot of Aiel in this book. While I find it silly how they assume everyone in the world is born knowing what Ji'e'Toh is, I tend to like the Aiel characters, I suppose because their ways are novel and thus amusing....more
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