nermutbundaloy's review
adventurous
emotional
funny
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
4.5
ekortunov's review
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.0
This is an entertaining book with some nice ideas, but thr amount of plot holes did kill the imersion several times, could not suspend my disbeliev.
alicehhhd's review
adventurous
challenging
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
mireiaaaaaa3's review against another edition
3.0
Òbviament el que més m’ha agradat ha estat com veu la Cordelia les diferències entre el seu món i el món on viu, és interessant. És una novel·la que es llegeix bé tot i que en alguns moments és massa precipitada o massa lenta, això sí, és meravellós com l’autora crea les relacions entre els diferents personatges.
ellianderjoy's review
adventurous
challenging
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Ableism, Murder, Pregnancy, Medical trauma, Mental illness, Violence, Miscarriage, Misogyny, Death, Gaslighting, Gun violence, and Medical content
Moderate: Gaslighting, Hate crime, Injury/Injury detail, Rape, Torture, and Toxic friendship
chantaal's review against another edition
5.0
Giving this a full 5 stars despite some pacing issues in the middle because Bujold is a master at characterization. Literally tried not to cry through the last few chapters because I've become so attached to all these characters and seeing them get their happy endings was cathartic.
Trying to figure out how to approach the rest of the series now!
Trying to figure out how to approach the rest of the series now!
blacksphinx's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
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
3.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence, Injury/Injury detail, Death of parent, Gun violence, Death, Ableism, and Pregnancy
Moderate: Biphobia, Medical content, Blood, War, Fire/Fire injury, Medical trauma, and Mental illness
Minor: Kidnapping, Rape, Xenophobia, and Confinement
I truly cannot emphasize enough how much ableism is directed to people with physical disabilities by antagonists in this book. Additionally, this book contains a slur against intersex people (repeated twice).par3's review against another edition
5.0
4.75 Stars! I’m loving this series so far! Definitely start with Cordelia’s Honor (Shards of Honour and Barrayar) if you’re new to it. And don’t look ahead either lol. The writing and characters are some of the best out there. Can’t wait to continue with The Warrior’s Apprentice!
Quotes:
“These are your rules, not mine. You people play by them. I just try to figure them out.” (p311)
“When the killer could be anyone, the impulse to suspect everyone became overwhelming. Paranoia was a contagious disease here… She packed all her fears down hard into a little tiny compartment in the pit of her stomach, and locked them there. Next to her child.” (p318)
“The people in this room danced only for each other, all their glittering show tossed blithely away in time, which carried it off forever; the event would exist tomorrow only in their memories.” (p327)
“The doctors called it suppression-therapy. We just called it hell. Every day we went to hell, till we didn’t want to go there anymore.” (p350)
“When you love someone, it’s like your skin covers theirs. Every hurt is doubled. And I do love you so…” (p369)
“Somebody has been making these kinds of decisions right along, while we went along blissfully unconscious, taking the world as given. And they were only human, too. No better, no worse than you.” (p374)
“Welcome, my son, to Barrayar, the abode of cannibals; this place didn’t even wait the usual eighteen or twenty years to eat you. Ravenous planet.” (p386)
“I must remember this is Barrayar, where they are so in love with death they bury men who are still twitching.” (p389)
“He is my past. You are my future. The rest of my life belongs to the future. I swear by my word as Vorkosigan.” (p404-405)
“I was an astrocartographer. Then a Survey captain. Then a soldier, then a POW, then a refugee. And then I was a wife, and then I was a mother. I don’t know what I’m going to be next. Pray not widow.” (p442)
“Following you has brought me here. Not to the Barrayar of my hopes, but to the Barrayar of my fears.” (p468)
“You should have fallen in love with a happy man, if you wanted happiness. But no, you had to fall for the breathtaking beauty of pain…” (p474)
“Fifty percent of something’s better than a hundred percent of nothing, I suppose.” (p511)
“It was as if war and the winter had inhaled autumn’s last breath, and blew back out a deathly silence.” (p514)
“Hot anger to warm cold fear. It wasn’t enough warmth, a candle against a blizzard.” (p519)
“Confidence should lead to relaxation, should lead to something.” (p520)
“Any community’s arm of force—military, police, security—needs people in it who can do the necessary evil, and yet not be made evil by it. To do only the necessary, and no more. To constantly question the assumptions, to stop the slide into atrocity.” (p533)
“Pain… seems to me an insufficient reason not to embrace life. Being dead is quite painless. Pain, like time, is going to come on regardless. Question is, what glorious moments can you win from life in addition to the pain?” (p534)
“You have a little time yet. You can say a lot in a little time, if you stick to words of one syllable.” (p536)
“Suicidal glory is the luxury of the irresponsible. We’re not giving up. We’re waiting for a better opportunity to win.” (p547)
“I don’t want power. I just object to idiots having power over me.” (p549)
“Good Lord, the man was back in uniform, shaved and sharp. Only the grey rings under his eyes were non-regulation.” (p560)
“I was so afraid for you, I forgot to be afraid for your enemies. I should have remembered. Dear Captain.” (p564)
“She saw Elena safely through Vordarian’s war, I suspect she’ll handle crawling with equal ease.” (p575)
“Children might or might not be a blessing, but to create them and then fail them was surely damnation.” (p583)
“…Endure pain, find joy, and make your own meaning, because the universe certainly isn’t going to supply it.” (p583)
Afterword:
“Though I hoped to develop a series, I didn’t dare count on it; series books might float together, but they also can sink together, and I wanted to make sure each novel had its own lifeboat.” (p594)
Quotes:
“These are your rules, not mine. You people play by them. I just try to figure them out.” (p311)
“When the killer could be anyone, the impulse to suspect everyone became overwhelming. Paranoia was a contagious disease here… She packed all her fears down hard into a little tiny compartment in the pit of her stomach, and locked them there. Next to her child.” (p318)
“The people in this room danced only for each other, all their glittering show tossed blithely away in time, which carried it off forever; the event would exist tomorrow only in their memories.” (p327)
“The doctors called it suppression-therapy. We just called it hell. Every day we went to hell, till we didn’t want to go there anymore.” (p350)
“When you love someone, it’s like your skin covers theirs. Every hurt is doubled. And I do love you so…” (p369)
“Somebody has been making these kinds of decisions right along, while we went along blissfully unconscious, taking the world as given. And they were only human, too. No better, no worse than you.” (p374)
“Welcome, my son, to Barrayar, the abode of cannibals; this place didn’t even wait the usual eighteen or twenty years to eat you. Ravenous planet.” (p386)
“I must remember this is Barrayar, where they are so in love with death they bury men who are still twitching.” (p389)
“He is my past. You are my future. The rest of my life belongs to the future. I swear by my word as Vorkosigan.” (p404-405)
“I was an astrocartographer. Then a Survey captain. Then a soldier, then a POW, then a refugee. And then I was a wife, and then I was a mother. I don’t know what I’m going to be next. Pray not widow.” (p442)
“Following you has brought me here. Not to the Barrayar of my hopes, but to the Barrayar of my fears.” (p468)
“You should have fallen in love with a happy man, if you wanted happiness. But no, you had to fall for the breathtaking beauty of pain…” (p474)
“Fifty percent of something’s better than a hundred percent of nothing, I suppose.” (p511)
“It was as if war and the winter had inhaled autumn’s last breath, and blew back out a deathly silence.” (p514)
“Hot anger to warm cold fear. It wasn’t enough warmth, a candle against a blizzard.” (p519)
“Confidence should lead to relaxation, should lead to something.” (p520)
“Any community’s arm of force—military, police, security—needs people in it who can do the necessary evil, and yet not be made evil by it. To do only the necessary, and no more. To constantly question the assumptions, to stop the slide into atrocity.” (p533)
“Pain… seems to me an insufficient reason not to embrace life. Being dead is quite painless. Pain, like time, is going to come on regardless. Question is, what glorious moments can you win from life in addition to the pain?” (p534)
“You have a little time yet. You can say a lot in a little time, if you stick to words of one syllable.” (p536)
“Suicidal glory is the luxury of the irresponsible. We’re not giving up. We’re waiting for a better opportunity to win.” (p547)
“I don’t want power. I just object to idiots having power over me.” (p549)
“Good Lord, the man was back in uniform, shaved and sharp. Only the grey rings under his eyes were non-regulation.” (p560)
“I was so afraid for you, I forgot to be afraid for your enemies. I should have remembered. Dear Captain.” (p564)
“She saw Elena safely through Vordarian’s war, I suspect she’ll handle crawling with equal ease.” (p575)
“Children might or might not be a blessing, but to create them and then fail them was surely damnation.” (p583)
“…Endure pain, find joy, and make your own meaning, because the universe certainly isn’t going to supply it.” (p583)
Afterword:
“Though I hoped to develop a series, I didn’t dare count on it; series books might float together, but they also can sink together, and I wanted to make sure each novel had its own lifeboat.” (p594)
tehani's review against another edition
5.0
It seems I'm rereading the Vorkosigan Saga again… Still so much love.