laurla's review
"you are not, yourself, content to sit, to wait, to gather; do not expect - do not impost - that fate on your den."
"is it wrong to care about them?"
"no. but this is not care. it is fear. understand that there is a difference between what you do and what you are afraid to do."
"you're not telling me anything i don't know."
"no. sadly i am not. you will find that people frequently wish to ignore the things they know; they can be quite perceptive about the things they don't; it is exceedingly frustrating. ignoring what you know is unlikely to change the simple facts."
"finch is not the child you rescued in the streets of the holdings. nor is teller. but you guard and hide them as ferociously as if they still were. you let them be competent only in your absence."
"choice was never black and white. it was informed by context, by fear, by hope, or by desperation."
"avowal of innocence, of ignorance, of the harmlessness of intent - those were the tools of a coddled or desperate child, and they had no place in this room."
"we often desire to give to those who will ask for nothing, especially when they take all burdens upon their own shoulders."
"that is hardly likely to make me less of a target."
"nothing will make you less of a target."
"while they were absent, there was hope - but hope was a special kind of pain."
"do not put faith in the things you want to see. desire is the simplest way to manipulate another; it clouds vision, it impedes perception."
"he kept his complaints largely on the correct side of his mouth."
"love clouds vision. sometimes we turn away from the truths we dont want to face when the alternative is too harsh."
"is it wrong to care about them?"
"no. but this is not care. it is fear. understand that there is a difference between what you do and what you are afraid to do."
"you're not telling me anything i don't know."
"no. sadly i am not. you will find that people frequently wish to ignore the things they know; they can be quite perceptive about the things they don't; it is exceedingly frustrating. ignoring what you know is unlikely to change the simple facts."
"finch is not the child you rescued in the streets of the holdings. nor is teller. but you guard and hide them as ferociously as if they still were. you let them be competent only in your absence."
"choice was never black and white. it was informed by context, by fear, by hope, or by desperation."
"avowal of innocence, of ignorance, of the harmlessness of intent - those were the tools of a coddled or desperate child, and they had no place in this room."
"we often desire to give to those who will ask for nothing, especially when they take all burdens upon their own shoulders."
"that is hardly likely to make me less of a target."
"nothing will make you less of a target."
"while they were absent, there was hope - but hope was a special kind of pain."
"do not put faith in the things you want to see. desire is the simplest way to manipulate another; it clouds vision, it impedes perception."
"he kept his complaints largely on the correct side of his mouth."
"love clouds vision. sometimes we turn away from the truths we dont want to face when the alternative is too harsh."
tatere's review against another edition
4.0
Rereading it now, I'd forgotten how much of BATTLE is spent in contemptuous anger at the ignorant cowards who think of themselves as the rulers of that society. A thing happened that we don't understand! We don't know how! Obviously we should kill everyone involved! Just in case! We scared!
There's a bit too much assertion of the competence of characters like Duvari and Jarven and too little evidence of it. I tend to agree with the cats.
There's a bit too much assertion of the competence of characters like Duvari and Jarven and too little evidence of it. I tend to agree with the cats.
amcgeewrites's review
4.0
As usual the intrigue is well paced and the imagination of the author brave and broadly reaching. However, I do find it annoying when she ends right in the middle of everything. I hope the final book contains some resolution.
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