siddharthageorge's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
inspiring
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
brinstarre's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
duffypratt's review against another edition
3.0
I'm having a love/hate relationship with this series.
In this book, the pacing is much better than in the last one, and she does a very good job with some formerly minor characters. We revisit places a generation later, and she handles that extremely well. But there are also some things that remain which drive me nuts, mostly in her writing style. She still has a penchant for misusing "if" at the beginning of sentences. She tends to use it in the sense of "even if," but the "even if" that she uses is still just a conjunction, and never something that might or might not be true. In the last book, it seemed like there was a construction like that at least once a page. Here, it's not so bad.
What I've noticed here are that there are words she simply misuses. At one point, she remarks that a character waited with "rife anticipation." Under no accepted meaning of the word "rife" does this make much sense, and she misused this word at least five times that I noticed. Another example is "rime." Rime is a coating of ice or frost (as in The Rime of the Ancient Mariner). But a couple of times she talks about the rime of someone's beard, and it's a black beard and not frozen. So I can only conclude that she thinks she likes the sound of the word, but she doesn't know what it means. This wouldn't be so bad, except that she goes to great lengths to "show off" in her writing, and if you are going to do that, you better be extremely good at it. Sometimes she is, but often she is not.
Spoilers ahead: My other main problem with this book is that I don't buy the set-up. The witches have cast a spell on a youth so that he will grow up to look exactly like Arithon. The idea is that the youth will be captured and sentenced to die, and Arithon will come to his rescue, thus allowing the witches to trap him. It will take 25 years for this to mature. But the central idea is that the witches know that Arithon will not stand for another person to die in his name. In the meantime, over those decades, Arithon's half brother is purging the land of magic, by putting to death any magic users because they would be in league with Arithon, the master of Shadow. Why does Arithon not come to the rescue of any of the magic users? They are being killed because of him just as much as the youth would be, but for some reason, the youth bearing Arithon's face is just too much, and Arithon is willing to risk himself and all that he stands for to save this innocent, but not any of the other innocents who might be of much more use to him? It just doesn't make sense to me.
Given that it doesn't make sense, I think Wurts (through the haze of her writing style) executes this story very well. There was a section in the middle of the book where the youth comes to the city to make his reputation. In this passage, Wurts is basically riffing on the beginning of the Three Musketeers, and it was a lot of fun. Actually, everything involving this character was good. I even enjoyed his pigheadedness in insisting Arithon, who has rescued him, must be evil because he has been accused for so long, even though his accusers are the same people who would have falsely condemned him to death.
At this point, I'm just less than halfway through the series. As with the last book, I'm not sure whether I'm going to continue or not. Nothing is driving me forward with excitement, but the series is good enough that I will probably pick up the next book in a couple of months.
In this book, the pacing is much better than in the last one, and she does a very good job with some formerly minor characters. We revisit places a generation later, and she handles that extremely well. But there are also some things that remain which drive me nuts, mostly in her writing style. She still has a penchant for misusing "if" at the beginning of sentences. She tends to use it in the sense of "even if," but the "even if" that she uses is still just a conjunction, and never something that might or might not be true. In the last book, it seemed like there was a construction like that at least once a page. Here, it's not so bad.
What I've noticed here are that there are words she simply misuses. At one point, she remarks that a character waited with "rife anticipation." Under no accepted meaning of the word "rife" does this make much sense, and she misused this word at least five times that I noticed. Another example is "rime." Rime is a coating of ice or frost (as in The Rime of the Ancient Mariner). But a couple of times she talks about the rime of someone's beard, and it's a black beard and not frozen. So I can only conclude that she thinks she likes the sound of the word, but she doesn't know what it means. This wouldn't be so bad, except that she goes to great lengths to "show off" in her writing, and if you are going to do that, you better be extremely good at it. Sometimes she is, but often she is not.
Spoilers ahead: My other main problem with this book is that I don't buy the set-up. The witches have cast a spell on a youth so that he will grow up to look exactly like Arithon. The idea is that the youth will be captured and sentenced to die, and Arithon will come to his rescue, thus allowing the witches to trap him. It will take 25 years for this to mature. But the central idea is that the witches know that Arithon will not stand for another person to die in his name. In the meantime, over those decades, Arithon's half brother is purging the land of magic, by putting to death any magic users because they would be in league with Arithon, the master of Shadow. Why does Arithon not come to the rescue of any of the magic users? They are being killed because of him just as much as the youth would be, but for some reason, the youth bearing Arithon's face is just too much, and Arithon is willing to risk himself and all that he stands for to save this innocent, but not any of the other innocents who might be of much more use to him? It just doesn't make sense to me.
Given that it doesn't make sense, I think Wurts (through the haze of her writing style) executes this story very well. There was a section in the middle of the book where the youth comes to the city to make his reputation. In this passage, Wurts is basically riffing on the beginning of the Three Musketeers, and it was a lot of fun. Actually, everything involving this character was good. I even enjoyed his pigheadedness in insisting Arithon, who has rescued him, must be evil because he has been accused for so long, even though his accusers are the same people who would have falsely condemned him to death.
At this point, I'm just less than halfway through the series. As with the last book, I'm not sure whether I'm going to continue or not. Nothing is driving me forward with excitement, but the series is good enough that I will probably pick up the next book in a couple of months.
mousie_books's review against another edition
3.0
One thing I love about this series is that it's like 'ask and you shall receive'. Questions that nag me infallibly get answered-- usually within a few hundred pages of when they start to bug me. This book got much deeper into the Fellowship-- their limitations and the implications/consequences of their compact with the Paravians. The plot mostly focuses on the Fellowship and the Koriani, and other supporting characters. Lysaer is moderately prominant, but sadly, Arithon doesn't feature much until the end. I've already started the next book although I feel like I need a break, just because it is so dense. (I keep saying that, but keep right on reading.)
majkia's review against another edition
5.0
The Mistwraith's curse continues to twist Paravia, in more ways than just one one half brother. Plots by Koriani witches to bring down the brotherhood, the Alliance of Light's growing strength to destroy the Master of Shadow and all who might support him, persecution and murder of any and all magic users who aren't allied, and even a plan to destroy the wards holding the planet safe.
Janny Wurts continues to amaze with her depth of character and language. Music, used as magic, and in language. Such a great series.
Janny Wurts continues to amaze with her depth of character and language. Music, used as magic, and in language. Such a great series.
vinjii's review against another edition
4.0
The more books I read in the Wars of Light & Shadow series, the less I can say in my reviews without spoiling, and the more I'm convinced I will immediately re-read all of these books as soon as I'm done.
This is a captivating series, built like an onion, with layers upon layers upon layers of material to discover between the lines. It's complex, beautiful, and I highly recommend it to any high fantasy fan.
This is a captivating series, built like an onion, with layers upon layers upon layers of material to discover between the lines. It's complex, beautiful, and I highly recommend it to any high fantasy fan.
hooptron's review against another edition
2.0
I don't usually quit books and this is the second one I've quit this year. I tried to keep going because so many other people seemed to like it but the bottom line is this, I don't care about this book.
Even after wading through the first one and making it several hundred pages into the second, I don't care about the story or the characters or any of it. To be fair, I think a huge part of the problem is the terrible, terrible font and text size used in the paperback version of this book. It is incredibly hard to read. I keep getting the lines jumbled and end up reading the same sentence several times. Perhaps at some point I'll track down a HC copy and see if it goes any better.
Even after wading through the first one and making it several hundred pages into the second, I don't care about the story or the characters or any of it. To be fair, I think a huge part of the problem is the terrible, terrible font and text size used in the paperback version of this book. It is incredibly hard to read. I keep getting the lines jumbled and end up reading the same sentence several times. Perhaps at some point I'll track down a HC copy and see if it goes any better.
katmarhan's review against another edition
5.0
Well-titled as one conspiracy after another is either set in motion, grows in complexity, or races to fulfillment. Fellow readers have called this book somewhat bleak, and there were many times I agreed. And yet, there are pinpricks of hope strewn throughout and I will cling to them as the series moves forward.
Lysaer and Talith were a tragic couple in some ways, but Arithon and Elaira have to be the one of the most heart-breaking couples in fiction. True soulmates, truly selfless in their love, so bittersweet...
The characters surrounding the two key players got more "page time" in this entry to the Alliance of Light/Wars of Light and Shadow series, and I certainly enjoyed getting to know them better. The circle of characters keeps expanding and, knowing that each has their part to play, I'm trying to keep them fixed in my mind.
Lysaer and Talith were a tragic couple in some ways, but Arithon and Elaira have to be the one of the most heart-breaking couples in fiction. True soulmates, truly selfless in their love, so bittersweet...
The characters surrounding the two key players got more "page time" in this entry to the Alliance of Light/Wars of Light and Shadow series, and I certainly enjoyed getting to know them better. The circle of characters keeps expanding and, knowing that each has their part to play, I'm trying to keep them fixed in my mind.
bookswithjk's review
challenging
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Admittedly, this one was harder to plow through than the other books, not only due to the dense writing but also on how slow the events proceeded. Our main characters Lysaer and Arithon rarely make an appearance, save for a few chapter sections in the middle and towards the end, and the book focuses more on our side characters - the Koriani, the Sorcerers, and poor Fion Areth. I do appreciate that the book's overall plot is not the same as the previous two books, with Lysaer chasing Arithon all around the continent. Ultimately, though, this book does give me "filler" vibes, presenting key plot points that will be important in the next coming books, so I am eager to get my hands on the sixth installment of this series.