bethrb's review against another edition
4.0
Jessamyn: *Constantly plays at court intrigue, lies to everyone, has her own agenda, won't explain anything, treats Mica like a servant, is generally awful to Mica- the only person loyal to her*
Jessamyn: GOD Micathea I'm so betrayed how could you not trust me?? I am your FRIEND
Honestly though I really loved An Imposter With a Crown and while I wish we'd seen more of QuinnMedicine Woman, it was great to see the characters thrust out into the world.
I'm particularly loving how the sequel is set up and I cannot wait to read the payoff!!
My original guess for the sequel title was something like A Traitor on the Throne but now I'm thinking
Jessamyn: GOD Micathea I'm so betrayed how could you not trust me?? I am your FRIEND
Honestly though I really loved An Imposter With a Crown and while I wish we'd seen more of Quinn
Spoiler
The neck snapping and Mimic stabbing was very satisfying. I love it when the Big Bad dies in such a mundane way and we're left to realise that hey maybe they really weren't so Big after all (think [b:Graceling|3236307|Graceling (Graceling Realm, #1)|Kristin Cashore|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1331548394s/3236307.jpg|3270810],[b:The Last Jedi|35724352|The Last Jedi (Star Wars Novelizations, #8)|Jason Fry|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1520227868s/35724352.jpg|57227780]).I'm particularly loving how the sequel is set up and I cannot wait to read the payoff!!
My original guess for the sequel title was something like A Traitor on the Throne but now I'm thinking
Spoiler
A Traitor to the Empire or A Traitor to the Throne might be more the thing. Idk. I'm really attached to the Traitor thing.feldspaar's review against another edition
5.0
Book Review of ‘Impostor’
I had raced through ‘Spy’ and waited for months for ‘Impostor...’ When I got my hands on the ARC, I finished it within hours - and found it a very satisfying sequel.
Rivet is faithful to the plot and characters she introduced in the first volume. Individuals are fleshed out and I felt both immersed in their realm and gripped by their conflicts. Rivet has expanded the story carefully and strategically, exploring the limits of the difficult situations and creating a cohesive narrative that has become much more self-referential. In particular, characters think in terms of the unique Talents among them and how the mad ‘genetic’ experiments will threaten their well-being and change their world irreversibly. The concept has matured and seamlessly pervades their thoughts and conversations.
Rivet’s pace is perfect, the drama exciting and the prose economical. I particularly appreciate her decision to take the path of least resistance and put her characters in dire surprising straits. There’s the princess and her relationship with her mimic, which had finally started to be a friendship. The princess is far more rounded and less predictable - but her choices certainly add to Mica’s dilemma of whether to stay on as her imperial mimic or forge her own path to help the other Talents. And then there’s a friend from Jessamyn’s childhood who turns out to be very different than imagined. And shocks involving the return of someone who had appeared to be an enemy. And even the seemingly solid father-daughter connection between the Emperor and Jessamyn moves unexpectedly.
I’m still waiting to find out why Obsidian is deemed so evil - this sequal shed some light - and hoping the third and final installment will tell all. Can’t wait for May 2018!
I had raced through ‘Spy’ and waited for months for ‘Impostor...’ When I got my hands on the ARC, I finished it within hours - and found it a very satisfying sequel.
Rivet is faithful to the plot and characters she introduced in the first volume. Individuals are fleshed out and I felt both immersed in their realm and gripped by their conflicts. Rivet has expanded the story carefully and strategically, exploring the limits of the difficult situations and creating a cohesive narrative that has become much more self-referential. In particular, characters think in terms of the unique Talents among them and how the mad ‘genetic’ experiments will threaten their well-being and change their world irreversibly. The concept has matured and seamlessly pervades their thoughts and conversations.
Rivet’s pace is perfect, the drama exciting and the prose economical. I particularly appreciate her decision to take the path of least resistance and put her characters in dire surprising straits. There’s the princess and her relationship with her mimic, which had finally started to be a friendship. The princess is far more rounded and less predictable - but her choices certainly add to Mica’s dilemma of whether to stay on as her imperial mimic or forge her own path to help the other Talents. And then there’s a friend from Jessamyn’s childhood who turns out to be very different than imagined. And shocks involving the return of someone who had appeared to be an enemy. And even the seemingly solid father-daughter connection between the Emperor and Jessamyn moves unexpectedly.
I’m still waiting to find out why Obsidian is deemed so evil - this sequal shed some light - and hoping the third and final installment will tell all. Can’t wait for May 2018!
simply_sam's review against another edition
4.0
A very worthy 2nd book. This time Mica is forced to take Jessa's place in court, and not only that, she has been tasked with declaring a consort for the future empress. But all the troubles that began in the first book are still very big issues, and it is soon apparent that now there is even more at stake than ever. Faced with dilemmas from within and outside the empire, Mica must navigate an increasingly treacherous situation. When your enemy can wear any face, who do you trust?
This book picks up a few months after book 1. Mica is faced with a huge task and really begins to prove her mettle. The relationship she has with all those she has encountered shifts due to circumstances beyond her control presented in the first book. Though she still has a tendency to let her emotion override her reason, she's definitely come a long way. Princess Jessamyn must also face a huge obstacle, but her decisions drove me nuts sometimes. She's hard to pin down, even now. It makes her not only interesting, but also kind of maddening. I understand from her perspective there is always a bigger picture, but at the same time, lives of the common people, the backbone of their society, should not balance on political games and noble frivolity. Sometimes personal pride must be set aside. Sometimes it's okay to admit you were wrong. And some of her decisions are just that: wrong. She never backs down though, no matter what. She is constantly planning her next move and hoping that it will be the right one for her empire. Even when things happen that break my heart for her, she maintains her control. You have to admire her for that.
The next book is the last in the series so I'm anxious to see how it turns out for all of them. Onward!
**Posted from my phone using the crappy app**
This book picks up a few months after book 1. Mica is faced with a huge task and really begins to prove her mettle. The relationship she has with all those she has encountered shifts due to circumstances beyond her control presented in the first book. Though she still has a tendency to let her emotion override her reason, she's definitely come a long way. Princess Jessamyn must also face a huge obstacle, but her decisions drove me nuts sometimes. She's hard to pin down, even now. It makes her not only interesting, but also kind of maddening. I understand from her perspective there is always a bigger picture, but at the same time, lives of the common people, the backbone of their society, should not balance on political games and noble frivolity. Sometimes personal pride must be set aside. Sometimes it's okay to admit you were wrong. And some of her decisions are just that: wrong. She never backs down though, no matter what. She is constantly planning her next move and hoping that it will be the right one for her empire. Even when things happen that break my heart for her, she maintains her control. You have to admire her for that.
The next book is the last in the series so I'm anxious to see how it turns out for all of them. Onward!
**Posted from my phone using the crappy app**
suddenbreakdown's review
adventurous
emotional
fast-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
3.0
amelia6685's review
adventurous
hopeful
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.25
parah07's review against another edition
3.0
This is... unputdownable... and you know what? I don't even know why. The best comparison would be fast food.
The book(s) are extremely yummy, as already said - unputdownable, but full of empty calories, nothing nourishing in the long run.
Easy read, damn captivating once you get over the first third of the book, leaves you wanting for more once you put it down, entertaining and good in small doses, but I'm not sure a diet of these every day will lead me somewhere good in a year. Not sure either if I will even remember how this particular "big-mac" tasted (read - was about) in a year (or whenever the third book comes out), if you get my drift.
Enjoy the hell out of your fast food, if you've already sunk your teeth in it and don't forget to live healthy otherwise.
The book(s) are extremely yummy, as already said - unputdownable, but full of empty calories, nothing nourishing in the long run.
Easy read, damn captivating once you get over the first third of the book, leaves you wanting for more once you put it down, entertaining and good in small doses, but I'm not sure a diet of these every day will lead me somewhere good in a year. Not sure either if I will even remember how this particular "big-mac" tasted (read - was about) in a year (or whenever the third book comes out), if you get my drift.
Enjoy the hell out of your fast food, if you've already sunk your teeth in it and don't forget to live healthy otherwise.
fictionadventurer's review against another edition
4.0
This book gave me the feeling of being a kid again, when you find a book that's just plain, solid fun--a gripping adventure story, well-defined characters, and a world that's colorful but not too complex. Not great literature, but so much fun that it makes you forget about those grown-up notions of analysis. Of course, just as I solidified this opinion, the plot took a hard turn away from the simple plot that so gripped me and added extra darkness and complexities, making it into something less purely enjoyable. Still a very fun book.
oliviamunrow's review against another edition
3.0
TLDR: A bit generic, but fun. Looking forward to the third.
I read the first and second book at the same time, so elements of this review may be duplicated with the review for book 1, The Spy in the Silver Palace.
The Empire of Talents series is set in a world where some unknown portion of the population has superpowers. There are four known superpowers: speed, strength, toughness, and shape-shifting. Their holders are known as Blurs, Muscles, Shields, and Mimics, respectively. Our heroine, Mica Graydier, is a talented Mimic just graduating from superhero school, and she's hoping to be assigned to be a glamorous foreign spy. Instead, she's assigned to work in the royal palace and specifically for the heir, Princess Jessamyn, and she hates going to tea parties and dances and junk. BUT THERE IS MORE AFOOT! Naturally. And there's a hot guy who's a lord, also naturally.
So we have all the ingredients for a solid YA fantasy with a bit of romance, and it's solidly executed, if not wildly unique. Mica is easy to relate to. I will note that it's a little odd that it takes her so long to catch on to Jessamyn's particular (if occasionally irritating) brand of statecraft with the rest of nobility, if Mica was supposedly a trained spy. On the other hand Jessamyn is so annoying at the beginning that it's easy to share Mica's frustration with her. It's nice that the Princess gets to be a real human (particularly throughout the second book), eventually, though it results in a sort of "always trust the government, they definitely have your best interests at heart" sort of throughline that's a little uncomfortable for me.
The relationship between Mica and her hot lord, Caleb, feels natural. They flow together easily and in a way that doesn't feel exceptionally forced, which is great to see. Mica and Jessamyn also fall into a relatively realistic place in the end, which is cool.
In this second book, Mica has taken over performing Princess Jessamyn full-time after the events of the first book, and that increases tension between the two of them nicely. Jessamyn is still kind of shitty and refuses to keep Mica 100% in the loop on her plots and plans (and past), resulting in Mica making a really bad decision at the very end of the book because she doesn't trust Jessamyn (not unfairly!)-- that's a little frustrating, but I think Jess is going to get a bit of a comeuppance on it next book. The relationship between Mica and Caleb continues at a reasonable clip and feels pretty realistic, if not exceptional in any way.
Overall, it's a solid mid-tier YA fantasy adventure with romantic elements (not a YA romance if that's what you're looking for). I am happily waiting for the third book.
I read the first and second book at the same time, so elements of this review may be duplicated with the review for book 1, The Spy in the Silver Palace.
The Empire of Talents series is set in a world where some unknown portion of the population has superpowers. There are four known superpowers: speed, strength, toughness, and shape-shifting. Their holders are known as Blurs, Muscles, Shields, and Mimics, respectively. Our heroine, Mica Graydier, is a talented Mimic just graduating from superhero school, and she's hoping to be assigned to be a glamorous foreign spy. Instead, she's assigned to work in the royal palace and specifically for the heir, Princess Jessamyn, and she hates going to tea parties and dances and junk. BUT THERE IS MORE AFOOT! Naturally. And there's a hot guy who's a lord, also naturally.
So we have all the ingredients for a solid YA fantasy with a bit of romance, and it's solidly executed, if not wildly unique. Mica is easy to relate to. I will note that it's a little odd that it takes her so long to catch on to Jessamyn's particular (if occasionally irritating) brand of statecraft with the rest of nobility, if Mica was supposedly a trained spy. On the other hand Jessamyn is so annoying at the beginning that it's easy to share Mica's frustration with her. It's nice that the Princess gets to be a real human (particularly throughout the second book), eventually, though it results in a sort of "always trust the government, they definitely have your best interests at heart" sort of throughline that's a little uncomfortable for me.
The relationship between Mica and her hot lord, Caleb, feels natural. They flow together easily and in a way that doesn't feel exceptionally forced, which is great to see. Mica and Jessamyn also fall into a relatively realistic place in the end, which is cool.
In this second book, Mica has taken over performing Princess Jessamyn full-time after the events of the first book, and that increases tension between the two of them nicely. Jessamyn is still kind of shitty and refuses to keep Mica 100% in the loop on her plots and plans (and past), resulting in Mica making a really bad decision at the very end of the book because she doesn't trust Jessamyn (not unfairly!)-- that's a little frustrating, but I think Jess is going to get a bit of a comeuppance on it next book. The relationship between Mica and Caleb continues at a reasonable clip and feels pretty realistic, if not exceptional in any way.
Overall, it's a solid mid-tier YA fantasy adventure with romantic elements (not a YA romance if that's what you're looking for). I am happily waiting for the third book.
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