laurla's review
he loved the plants, he had said, because they demanded nothing.
"they demand your care, your time, your attention; even though they are mute, they sepak to you."
"yes, but the answer i offer in return is of little consequence. they grow, with or without me."
she raised a brow, and he smiled.
"i did not say they grew well without me. but i am free to let them grow and wither in their season. they are my responsibility. but failure of that responsibility is one i can live with. i have no dreams of dying plants. i have no nightmares. they exist, they will continue to exist."
"but they will not love you, and they will not grieve. they do not care who tends them."
"i have no desire to cause grief. when i go, i would leave as much peace as the plants do."
"the dead are dead; they are no longer troubled by the means or the manner of their death. let them drive you, if you must. but let them drive you to a better place."
"he speaks only the truth."
"he meant to wound you."
"truth does. but it is a curious weapon; it cannot wound without my consent."
"i have offered advice, but advice is like rain; it falls, and what it causes to grow, i have no control over."
"they demand your care, your time, your attention; even though they are mute, they sepak to you."
"yes, but the answer i offer in return is of little consequence. they grow, with or without me."
she raised a brow, and he smiled.
"i did not say they grew well without me. but i am free to let them grow and wither in their season. they are my responsibility. but failure of that responsibility is one i can live with. i have no dreams of dying plants. i have no nightmares. they exist, they will continue to exist."
"but they will not love you, and they will not grieve. they do not care who tends them."
"i have no desire to cause grief. when i go, i would leave as much peace as the plants do."
"the dead are dead; they are no longer troubled by the means or the manner of their death. let them drive you, if you must. but let them drive you to a better place."
"he speaks only the truth."
"he meant to wound you."
"truth does. but it is a curious weapon; it cannot wound without my consent."
"i have offered advice, but advice is like rain; it falls, and what it causes to grow, i have no control over."
evakristin's review
adventurous
challenging
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
It's finished! It's done!
Never will I ever read another word by West/Sagara!
I'm still not sure how I managed to finish this series. It's without a doubt my greatest feat as a reader so far.
What I liked: West has created a truly magnificently complex and complete world for her stories, it almost rivals Erikson of the Malazan. I found the Dominion story line interesting and engaging, and several of her characters deeply fascinating: Diora, Kiriel, Valedan, Auralis, Kallandras, Ania.
What I didn't like: The Terafin story line was mostly unbearably boring an uninteresting, a waste of paper and ink and the readers time. I absolutely loathe Jewel, and I don't care at all about her den. I can not describe my joy and relief when I realized that after suffering through the first 80 pages, where West hastily ties off this story for later (go figure!), the rest of the book is about the goings on of the Dominion.
Wests writing style is at it's best beautifully poetic, at its worst endlessly long winded and imprecise to the degree its hard to figure out what's going on.
After reading the last page, there's still a lot of questions unanswered, I'm sure West tackles them in her later books. It's with infinite relief I can conclude I feel no need what so ever to read them.
Never will I ever read another word by West/Sagara!
I'm still not sure how I managed to finish this series. It's without a doubt my greatest feat as a reader so far.
What I liked: West has created a truly magnificently complex and complete world for her stories, it almost rivals Erikson of the Malazan. I found the Dominion story line interesting and engaging, and several of her characters deeply fascinating: Diora, Kiriel, Valedan, Auralis, Kallandras, Ania.
What I didn't like: The Terafin story line was mostly unbearably boring an uninteresting, a waste of paper and ink and the readers time. I absolutely loathe Jewel, and I don't care at all about her den. I can not describe my joy and relief when I realized that after suffering through the first 80 pages, where West hastily ties off this story for later (go figure!), the rest of the book is about the goings on of the Dominion.
Wests writing style is at it's best beautifully poetic, at its worst endlessly long winded and imprecise to the degree its hard to figure out what's going on.
After reading the last page, there's still a lot of questions unanswered, I'm sure West tackles them in her later books. It's with infinite relief I can conclude I feel no need what so ever to read them.
tatere's review against another edition
5.0
Notes on rereread: One thing that's different about reading ebooks is that you aren't always faced with a sense of how far along you are, the way you are when you're holding a physical book. I got to the end of Jewel's part here, and happened to check where I was. Shocked to see that I was barely maybe a fifth of the way through. What could possibly follow that? Oh, right, the whole war thing, the sword, the girl, the end of the world.
*spoilernotspoiler* Falloran! Good dog!
*spoilernotspoiler* Falloran! Good dog!
marktimmony's review against another edition
5.0
This last title in the Sun Sword series ends with a bang!
Luckily, it is only the end of the second arc in a larger story sequence.
If you like juicy sagas with intelligent writing, rich characterisation and a depth that surpasses the more traditional fantasy, then look no further. One of the things that captivates me about this author is her unique ability to string a sentence together, gradually unfolding a story and presenting distinct ideas, cultures and philosophies. Although her prose can seem dense in parts, it opens up vistas so real that you can’t help feeling you’re actually there. Intricate plotting allows her the space to explore relationships between families, friends and Kingdoms that deepen an already vibrant tale of magic, wonder and human triumph. You will remember this book long after you’ve put it down.
Luckily, it is only the end of the second arc in a larger story sequence.
If you like juicy sagas with intelligent writing, rich characterisation and a depth that surpasses the more traditional fantasy, then look no further. One of the things that captivates me about this author is her unique ability to string a sentence together, gradually unfolding a story and presenting distinct ideas, cultures and philosophies. Although her prose can seem dense in parts, it opens up vistas so real that you can’t help feeling you’re actually there. Intricate plotting allows her the space to explore relationships between families, friends and Kingdoms that deepen an already vibrant tale of magic, wonder and human triumph. You will remember this book long after you’ve put it down.
katepreach's review
adventurous
challenging
emotional
inspiring
slow-paced
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
kaylynn's review
5.0
A very satisfying conclusion to a very long series. I look forward to the next series!
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