chenoadallen's review against another edition
3.0
Overall, I enjoy this series, but it needs some heavy editing - especially this book - for both length and awkward writing (for example: "At his feet, literally paralyzed by her own fear, was a woman who would perish when her heart stopped beating.") The other books (in all three interconnected series) have kept me hooked with character development - I'm ready to give up the series halfway through each one (when it's extra-slow going), and then some new character enters, or some major character development happens, and I give the next book a chance. That didn't happen in The Shining Court. I'm not sure now why I'm reading the next one, except that I hope things pick back up once I catch up to where House Wars picks pack up (w/r/t internal chronology), since those are most recent and best-written.
laurla's review
"we do not give our secrets away so lightly. knowledge is often a thing that slips between closed fingers. it is more like water than gold; it cannot be held."
"be like the lady's element. water can be struck, but the hand passes through it, and when the two are parted - water and attacker - it is the latter that bears the mark."
"the winds howled in peder's ears, and the howled with fredero's voice."
"he did not lie to himself; he had never lied to himself. it served no useful purpose. but there were some truths that were slow to surface, slow to demand the attention."
"she was driven by a pain that the damned know, and few others."
"you didnt love her in spite of the fact that she was a killer, you loved her because she was one. because she could do the things you were afraid to do without thinking twice. because she could do the things that had to be done without flinching."
"i have never lied; it is not my nature; a lie is beneath me; it is a tool of those whose truths are now powerful enough. i promise what i promise and i honor my oath."
"something in her tightened, some imperfection, some part of her that had been broken by the truth: that perfection, that obedience, never guarantees safety. that good and the reward of being good were for the discipline of children. she had done everything as it was to have been done; had been everything she had been taught to be; more. it had given her everything, only so that she might learn what loss was."
"people arent ugly; fear is. but some fears are very very ugly."
"be like the lady's element. water can be struck, but the hand passes through it, and when the two are parted - water and attacker - it is the latter that bears the mark."
"the winds howled in peder's ears, and the howled with fredero's voice."
"he did not lie to himself; he had never lied to himself. it served no useful purpose. but there were some truths that were slow to surface, slow to demand the attention."
"she was driven by a pain that the damned know, and few others."
"you didnt love her in spite of the fact that she was a killer, you loved her because she was one. because she could do the things you were afraid to do without thinking twice. because she could do the things that had to be done without flinching."
"i have never lied; it is not my nature; a lie is beneath me; it is a tool of those whose truths are now powerful enough. i promise what i promise and i honor my oath."
"something in her tightened, some imperfection, some part of her that had been broken by the truth: that perfection, that obedience, never guarantees safety. that good and the reward of being good were for the discipline of children. she had done everything as it was to have been done; had been everything she had been taught to be; more. it had given her everything, only so that she might learn what loss was."
"people arent ugly; fear is. but some fears are very very ugly."
coolcurrybooks's review
4.0
Michelle West’s Sun Sword series is a six book long epic fantasy series starting with The Broken Crown. The Shining Court is the third book in the series, and you most definitely need to have read the previous books.
The third book returns focus to the Dominion. The focus is on Jewel as she travels south, the Voyani, the Shining Court, the conspirators, and Diora. The cast list that appeared in the beginning of the previous two books has mostly been removed, aside from two pages listing out the Voyani (many of whom are new characters). Perhaps you’re expected to know who everyone is by now? Or perhaps the list of characters got two long for a list.
I found The Shining Court easier to get into than the previous two books, probably because this time I knew who most of these people were right off the bat. Unlike the previous two books, it didn’t start off with a lengthy section from some new and minor character. I missed some of the characters from the Empire, especially Kiriel, but I’m glad the story has returned to Diora.
The Shining Court takes place roughly six months after the end of the first book, when the Festival of the Lady is almost arrived. The demons of the Shining Court have some plan involving the festival masks and they demand that the conspirators name the Dark Lord as a “consort” to the Lady for the duration of the festival. Pretty much all of the human characters suspect that whatever is going on with the masks won’t end well, and the conspirators are realizing that allying themselves with the denizens of Hell may not have been the best PR move.
While the masks may be the overarching plot for this installment, there are plenty of smaller threads. Margret of the Voyani is stepping into the role of Matriarch after her mother’s death. Diora is a prisoner, awaiting an arranged marriage. Kallandras and Teresa are working with the Voyani, as well as to their own ends. Jewel’s travels have led her along a strange path not entirely of this world. I have warmed up to Jewel as a character, but I did find this plot thread of hers slow going. And if Avander ever becomes her love interest I will be mightily angry.
Three books into this massive series, I’m still invested. I particularly love the complicated family ties between Diora, Sendari, and Teresa, but more generally, I love how this is an epic fantasy series with such a wide variety of important female characters. That’s something I’ve talked about in my reviews of the previous books, so I’m not going to go into it any farther here. Besides, if you’re at this point in the series, you should already have noted the strength and quality of Michelle West’s female characters.
Originally posted on The Illustrated Page.
The third book returns focus to the Dominion. The focus is on Jewel as she travels south, the Voyani, the Shining Court, the conspirators, and Diora. The cast list that appeared in the beginning of the previous two books has mostly been removed, aside from two pages listing out the Voyani (many of whom are new characters). Perhaps you’re expected to know who everyone is by now? Or perhaps the list of characters got two long for a list.
I found The Shining Court easier to get into than the previous two books, probably because this time I knew who most of these people were right off the bat. Unlike the previous two books, it didn’t start off with a lengthy section from some new and minor character. I missed some of the characters from the Empire, especially Kiriel, but I’m glad the story has returned to Diora.
The Shining Court takes place roughly six months after the end of the first book, when the Festival of the Lady is almost arrived. The demons of the Shining Court have some plan involving the festival masks and they demand that the conspirators name the Dark Lord as a “consort” to the Lady for the duration of the festival. Pretty much all of the human characters suspect that whatever is going on with the masks won’t end well, and the conspirators are realizing that allying themselves with the denizens of Hell may not have been the best PR move.
While the masks may be the overarching plot for this installment, there are plenty of smaller threads. Margret of the Voyani is stepping into the role of Matriarch after her mother’s death. Diora is a prisoner, awaiting an arranged marriage. Kallandras and Teresa are working with the Voyani, as well as to their own ends. Jewel’s travels have led her along a strange path not entirely of this world. I have warmed up to Jewel as a character, but I did find this plot thread of hers slow going. And if Avander ever becomes her love interest I will be mightily angry.
Three books into this massive series, I’m still invested. I particularly love the complicated family ties between Diora, Sendari, and Teresa, but more generally, I love how this is an epic fantasy series with such a wide variety of important female characters. That’s something I’ve talked about in my reviews of the previous books, so I’m not going to go into it any farther here. Besides, if you’re at this point in the series, you should already have noted the strength and quality of Michelle West’s female characters.
Originally posted on The Illustrated Page.
evakristin's review
3.0
This series has been quite the roller-coaster. The first book I loved, the second I could hardly finish, but I decided to give the series one more chance.
The third book goes far to redeem the second, but still doesn't come close to the quality of the first.
My main annoyance is still Jewel. See my review for The Uncrowned King for my anti Jay rant. Let me just add that now she has also developed the habit of slapping people in the face, usually for nothing more than disagreeing with her. I suppose West hopes this will make Jewel come across as a feisty and plucky female, but actually, hitting people for no good reason makes you an abusive bully in my book, no matter your gender.
I've also mentioned earlier that West overuses the lifting of brows until it gets cartoonish. Her characters also have tendency to... hesitate in their dialogues, supposedly so that what they say will seem more... profound. Problem is, when everyone do this all the time, it comes off as... parodic.
And in spite of all this, I will read the next book in the series. But seldom have I come across a good story told so badly.
The third book goes far to redeem the second, but still doesn't come close to the quality of the first.
My main annoyance is still Jewel. See my review for The Uncrowned King for my anti Jay rant. Let me just add that now she has also developed the habit of slapping people in the face, usually for nothing more than disagreeing with her. I suppose West hopes this will make Jewel come across as a feisty and plucky female, but actually, hitting people for no good reason makes you an abusive bully in my book, no matter your gender.
I've also mentioned earlier that West overuses the lifting of brows until it gets cartoonish. Her characters also have tendency to... hesitate in their dialogues, supposedly so that what they say will seem more... profound. Problem is, when everyone do this all the time, it comes off as... parodic.
And in spite of all this, I will read the next book in the series. But seldom have I come across a good story told so badly.
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