afterwhy's review against another edition
adventurous
lighthearted
relaxing
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.5
aliceexmachina's review against another edition
3.0
Done! I don't think I will ever reread these books, but this third and final part of the story came to a somewhat satisfying conclusion and I don't feel like I've wasted my time anymore :)
lyndiane's review against another edition
5.0
10 stars
The conclusion to this vastly entertaining series. The first half of the novel reads like the best dungeon crawler, with a multilayered underground labyrinth filled to the brim with mazes, puzzles, secret doorways and horrors to satisfy even the most finicky RPG addict.
I could have done without the battle, as it felt over-long; that being said, the description of the battle is incredibly detailed and authentic, and gives the reader a greater understanding of the horrors of ancient battles.
There are a number of unexpected twists that really took me by surprise, and the series finished on a high, with me definitely wanting to hear more about this amazingly diverse group of characters.
The conclusion to this vastly entertaining series. The first half of the novel reads like the best dungeon crawler, with a multilayered underground labyrinth filled to the brim with mazes, puzzles, secret doorways and horrors to satisfy even the most finicky RPG addict.
I could have done without the battle, as it felt over-long; that being said, the description of the battle is incredibly detailed and authentic, and gives the reader a greater understanding of the horrors of ancient battles.
There are a number of unexpected twists that really took me by surprise, and the series finished on a high, with me definitely wanting to hear more about this amazingly diverse group of characters.
octavia_cade's review against another edition
3.0
Of the three books in the Chronicles of Siala series, this is my favourite. As a series, it got better as it went on, I think. And this book in particular has a really very well done section when Harold is in Hrad Spein searching for the Rainbow Horn - it was eerie and creepy and really fascinating to read.
That being said, most of the characters continue as cardboard cut-outs, and the appearance of the Dryads is something of a deus ex machina, where they conveniently pop out of nowhere to save the heroes. (Have they even been mentioned in the many hundreds of pages of the series, up until that point? I don't remember, but they came across as awfully convenient...) And I grant that the Horn is powerful, but it does seem to wrap stuff up awful quick. Three books about finding the thing and getting it back to Avendoom, then what... 30, 40 pages or so and everything's all over - including the twist?
I read this series because my Dad recommended it - he thought it was just great. It doesn't do as much for me as it did for him - I found it relatively generic as epic fantasies go, with the high point of Hrad Spein not compensating enough for the rest of the series. Still, it's competently executed epic fantasy, if not exactly ground-breaking.
That being said, most of the characters continue as cardboard cut-outs, and the appearance of the Dryads is something of a deus ex machina, where they conveniently pop out of nowhere to save the heroes. (Have they even been mentioned in the many hundreds of pages of the series, up until that point? I don't remember, but they came across as awfully convenient...) And I grant that the Horn is powerful, but it does seem to wrap stuff up awful quick. Three books about finding the thing and getting it back to Avendoom, then what... 30, 40 pages or so and everything's all over - including the twist?
I read this series because my Dad recommended it - he thought it was just great. It doesn't do as much for me as it did for him - I found it relatively generic as epic fantasies go, with the high point of Hrad Spein not compensating enough for the rest of the series. Still, it's competently executed epic fantasy, if not exactly ground-breaking.
booksandbotanics's review against another edition
3.0
Hoewel ik erg genoten heb van de vorige twee delen en ook dit boek erg vlot las, was ik best teleurgesteld in het verhaal. Twee boeken lang was Harold met zijn gezelschap op weg naar het befaamde Hrad Spein. Twee boeken lang werd zowel Harold als de lezer bang gemaakt voor de verschrikkingen in deze Bottenpaleizen. Uiteindelijk loopt Harold nog geen half boek rond in dit beroemde, angstaanjagende labyrint. Bovendien waren de beloofde gruwelen helemaal niet zo schrikbarend als voorspeld.
Ik was erg teleurgesteld in het feit dat de zijlijnen van het verhaal uiteindelijk bijna meer uitgewerkt werden dan de hoofdlijn. Als deze verhaallijnen dan toch zo belangrijk waren, hadden ze ze in de eerste twee boeken wel meer aan bod mogen laten komen.
Al bij al was het zeker geen slecht boek. Het las erg vlot en het was op bepaalde momenten zeker spannend. Ook waren er wel wat plottwists die ik niet had zien aankomen.
Omdat ik toch wel genoten heb van het boek, en vooral de twee eerste delen van de trilogie, geef ik 3 sterren.
Ik was erg teleurgesteld in het feit dat de zijlijnen van het verhaal uiteindelijk bijna meer uitgewerkt werden dan de hoofdlijn. Als deze verhaallijnen dan toch zo belangrijk waren, hadden ze ze in de eerste twee boeken wel meer aan bod mogen laten komen.
Al bij al was het zeker geen slecht boek. Het las erg vlot en het was op bepaalde momenten zeker spannend. Ook waren er wel wat plottwists die ik niet had zien aankomen.
Omdat ik toch wel genoten heb van het boek, en vooral de twee eerste delen van de trilogie, geef ik 3 sterren.
sarah42783's review against another edition
4.0
đ Carrot-Eating Goblins For The Win Buddy Read (CEGFTWBRâ˘) with Evgeny and Eilonwy đ
Why you should read this trilogy in general and this instalment in particular:
â If you donât, the Evil Russians⢠will come and get you.
Need I say more? Didnât think so.
⥠The author was born in March.
What Impeccable Birth Month Taste (IBMTâ˘) indeed. And Iâm not saying that just because Pehov and I share the Mostest Awesomest Zodiac Sign Ever (MAZSEâ˘). Of course not, donât be silly now. Iâm way above pathetic considerations such as this one.
⢠Itâs contemporary Russian Fantasy.
Which is Slightly Very Cool in and of itself. And delightfully refreshing, too. And also refreshingly delightful, come to think of it.
⣠The story arc might not be groundbreakingly original, but itâs entertaining as fish.
Yes, itâs true, the series arc kinda sorta smells liketeen spirit The Lord of the Shrimps Rings, BUT: Itâs pretty well-written. Itâs fast-paced. Itâs packed with Fun Adventure Stuff (FASâ˘). There are fights and battles and duels. There is slaughter and blood, and severed limbs abound. Thereâs hahahahaha stuff aplenty. And also Splendiferously Creepy Stuff (SCSâ˘). There are great, engaging characters. And there are evil, backstabbing bastards, too *swoons* Also, there are bloody-fishing-hell-of-the-stinking-barnacle-I-didnât-see-that-one-coming twists and surprises. Which never hurts, if you ask me. All in all, I think one might perhaps say that this series could possibly be a moderately pleasurable read. Maybe.
Donât ask.
⤠Welcome to the zoothree quarters half of it instead.
There are goblins, there are dwarves, there are gnomes, and there are elves. There are ogres, there are giants, there are trolls and there are orcs. There are centaurs, there are demons, there are dragons and there are phantoms. There are gargoyles, there are midget zombies, there are shaggy-haired rats with humongous teeth and claws (best pet ever, methinks) and there are dragoatflies (itâs a grasshopper! Itâs a dragonfly! Itâs a goat! Itâs a bloody shrimping dragoatfly!). There are men-eating monsters with frog-like skulls, there are half-bird, half-bear creatures, there are beasts that are all jaws and row upon row upon row of blinding-white, dagger-sharp teeth, there are crosses between monkeys and wolves, and there are soap bubble/spider hybrids. There are also slightly brain-dead, stubborn, vindictive, ever-bleatingDoralissians goatmen. And last, but obviously not least, there are homicidally-inclined, evil, aristocratic crayfish. Ergo, pure bliss is me and stuff.
Looks like pure bliss is not everyone, though.
⼠Hrad Spein.
Such a wonderfully welcoming place this is. The perfect holiday spot, really. You do not want to go there. Oh no, you donât. You better trust me on this one. I mean, I know a thing or two about slightly petrifying locations (comes with the job description and all that) but even Iâthesupposedly fearless nefarious tyrantâwas most creeped out by Hrad Spein, which is saying something and stuff. Anyway, you do not want to go there, but you definitely want to read about it. (Bold + underline enough, or should I also capitalize this to get my point across?) Actually, the Hrad Spein chapters in Shadow Blizzard alone make reading this trilogy worthwile. So QED and stuff. Sorry what? You want to know more about Hrad Spein? Hahahahaha. Too bad.
⌠Alexy Pehov is a ruthless killer.
You better not get attached to any of the characters in this trilogy, because they have the very unfortunate tendency to drop like anemic flies well past their expiration date. Which is somewhat very awesome, if you ask me. You have to admire an author who has absolutely no mercy on his fictional children and gleefully butchers them one after the other, no matter how likeable and/or central to the plot they are. Some people might think of it as cruel, and also a little heartbreaking, but I happen to be quite merciless, and my black, withered heart is black and withered, so none of this affected me at all. Especially not Spoiler Spoiler Spoilerâs death (not the characterâs real name, in case you were wondering). And neither did Spoiler Spoiler Spoilerâs death (not the characterâs real name either, in case you were wondering again). Of course not. Donât be silly now. I am no weak, puny human and therefore absolutely not distressed when SOME OF MY FAVORITE CHARACTERS in a book are viciously killed deadly dead. No no no, nuh-uh, not me.
⧠Kli-Kli for President.
Because there is much much MUCH more to this little greenbedbug goblin than meets the compound eye. Because Kli-Kli is quite probably the mostest awesomest character in the trilogy. Because Kli-Kli is most assuredly one of the bestest sidekicks ever. Because Kli-Kli is Super Extra Resourceful (SERâ˘). Because Kli-Kli is hilariously annoying and annoyingly hilarious. Because Kli-Kli is really quite touching â I never wrote this revoltingly heartfelt sentence, ergo you never read it. Just so you know. Because Kli-Kli is a super cool dance teacher. Sometimes. Because Kli-Kli is the best friend one could ever ask for. (Not me, obviously, because I hate friends in general, and best friends in particular.) And because Kli-Kli is full of I-am-slightly-gobsmacked-surprises which I could tell you about but wonât tell you about because spoiler spoiler spoiler and stuff you are quite welcome.
So. Time for some Doralissian-Approved Shrimp Maths (DASMâ˘):
â + ⥠+ ⢠+ ⣠+ ⤠+ ⼠+ ⌠+ ⧠=
You could say that, yes.
Now. Time for the awfully disgusting truth: slightly awesome as this trilogy is, the translation is pretty clunky and the editing a little problematic. The good news is, the translation improves a lot after book 1. The bad news is, the editing gets much, much worse. I mean, I seriously wonder if anyone even bothered to reread book 3 before it was released. Or maybe itâs just that my editing standards are unreasonably high. Who cares about extra spaces between words, anyway? Iâm probably the only one who finds readingwords things like âea gle,â âplea sure,â âgrin ning,â âtreacher ous,â and (my personal favorite) âphi los o phersâ ever-so-slightly exasperating. Same thing about missing spaces (âoffitsâ instead of âoff itsâ). And extra, free of charge hyphens (âduke-dom,â âtwi-light,â âtravel-erâs,â etc). As for quirky little creations like âwordofonner,â Iâm sure no one but me finds them a teensy little but, um, puzzling and stuff. Yep, pretty sure indeed.
â˝ And the moral of this I Intended to Cut the Crap Drastically in this Review but Guess What I Didnât Ha Crappy Non Review (IItCtCDitRbGWIDHCNRâ˘) is: I rated all three instalments in this trilogy 4 stars. Despite the not-so-convincing translation and slightly disastrous editing. Get it? Good.
⢠Book 1: Shadow Prowler â â â â
⢠Book 2: Shadow Chaser â â â â
[Pre-review nonsense]
Mr Pehov. Alexey Dear. Far be it from me to threaten you or anything so vulgar, but if you don't write a Kli-Kli spinoff, I'm unleashing the murderous crustaceans on you. No need to fret, though. I mean, coming up with new adventures for Kli-Kli shouldn't be too hard for you. The Tiny Carrot Addict is, after all, Prime Goblin Material (PGMâ˘) and stuff.
Yep, that's my Kli-Kli right there, the Mostest Awesomest Goblin That Ever Was And Ever Will Be (MAGTEWAEWBâ˘)! So much scrumptiousness shouldn't be left languishing in a completed trilogy, if you ask me. Ergo, Alexey Dear, you owe it to the little green bed bug to dedicate a book to him. A trilogy would work, too. And so would a 10+ book series.
Oh, and by the way, it's not like I shamelessly threatened you withbodily crustacean-inflicted harm or anything, so no pressure and stuff.
â˝ Full Super Extra Crappy Non Review (SECNRâ˘) to come.
Why you should read this trilogy in general and this instalment in particular:
â If you donât, the Evil Russians⢠will come and get you.
Need I say more? Didnât think so.
⥠The author was born in March.
What Impeccable Birth Month Taste (IBMTâ˘) indeed. And Iâm not saying that just because Pehov and I share the Mostest Awesomest Zodiac Sign Ever (MAZSEâ˘). Of course not, donât be silly now. Iâm way above pathetic considerations such as this one.
⢠Itâs contemporary Russian Fantasy.
Which is Slightly Very Cool in and of itself. And delightfully refreshing, too. And also refreshingly delightful, come to think of it.
⣠The story arc might not be groundbreakingly original, but itâs entertaining as fish.
Yes, itâs true, the series arc kinda sorta smells like
Donât ask.
⤠Welcome to the zoo
Spoiler
I nearly almost copied the following paragraph from my [b:Shadow Prowler|7022317|Shadow Prowler (Chronicles of Siala #1)|Alexey Pehov|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1327364808s/7022317.jpg|7268992] review, but I didnât, because Iâm not like that. Iâll just copyThere are goblins, there are dwarves, there are gnomes, and there are elves. There are ogres, there are giants, there are trolls and there are orcs. There are centaurs, there are demons, there are dragons and there are phantoms. There are gargoyles, there are midget zombies, there are shaggy-haired rats with humongous teeth and claws (best pet ever, methinks) and there are dragoatflies (itâs a grasshopper! Itâs a dragonfly! Itâs a goat! Itâs a bloody shrimping dragoatfly!). There are men-eating monsters with frog-like skulls, there are half-bird, half-bear creatures, there are beasts that are all jaws and row upon row upon row of blinding-white, dagger-sharp teeth, there are crosses between monkeys and wolves, and there are soap bubble/spider hybrids. There are also slightly brain-dead, stubborn, vindictive, ever-bleating
Looks like pure bliss is not everyone, though.
⼠Hrad Spein.
Such a wonderfully welcoming place this is. The perfect holiday spot, really. You do not want to go there. Oh no, you donât. You better trust me on this one. I mean, I know a thing or two about slightly petrifying locations (comes with the job description and all that) but even Iâthe
⌠Alexy Pehov is a ruthless killer.
You better not get attached to any of the characters in this trilogy, because they have the very unfortunate tendency to drop like anemic flies well past their expiration date. Which is somewhat very awesome, if you ask me. You have to admire an author who has absolutely no mercy on his fictional children and gleefully butchers them one after the other, no matter how likeable and/or central to the plot they are. Some people might think of it as cruel, and also a little heartbreaking, but I happen to be quite merciless, and my black, withered heart is black and withered, so none of this affected me at all. Especially not Spoiler Spoiler Spoilerâs death (not the characterâs real name, in case you were wondering). And neither did Spoiler Spoiler Spoilerâs death (not the characterâs real name either, in case you were wondering again). Of course not. Donât be silly now. I am no weak, puny human and therefore absolutely not distressed when SOME OF MY FAVORITE CHARACTERS in a book are viciously killed deadly dead. No no no, nuh-uh, not me.
Spoiler
⧠Kli-Kli for President.
Because there is much much MUCH more to this little green
So. Time for some Doralissian-Approved Shrimp Maths (DASMâ˘):
â + ⥠+ ⢠+ ⣠+ ⤠+ ⼠+ ⌠+ ⧠=
You could say that, yes.
Now. Time for the awfully disgusting truth: slightly awesome as this trilogy is, the translation is pretty clunky and the editing a little problematic. The good news is, the translation improves a lot after book 1. The bad news is, the editing gets much, much worse. I mean, I seriously wonder if anyone even bothered to reread book 3 before it was released. Or maybe itâs just that my editing standards are unreasonably high. Who cares about extra spaces between words, anyway? Iâm probably the only one who finds reading
â˝ And the moral of this I Intended to Cut the Crap Drastically in this Review but Guess What I Didnât Ha Crappy Non Review (IItCtCDitRbGWIDHCNRâ˘) is: I rated all three instalments in this trilogy 4 stars. Despite the not-so-convincing translation and slightly disastrous editing. Get it? Good.
⢠Book 1: Shadow Prowler â â â â
⢠Book 2: Shadow Chaser â â â â
[Pre-review nonsense]
Mr Pehov. Alexey Dear. Far be it from me to threaten you or anything so vulgar, but if you don't write a Kli-Kli spinoff, I'm unleashing the murderous crustaceans on you. No need to fret, though. I mean, coming up with new adventures for Kli-Kli shouldn't be too hard for you. The Tiny Carrot Addict is, after all, Prime Goblin Material (PGMâ˘) and stuff.
Yep, that's my Kli-Kli right there, the Mostest Awesomest Goblin That Ever Was And Ever Will Be (MAGTEWAEWBâ˘)! So much scrumptiousness shouldn't be left languishing in a completed trilogy, if you ask me. Ergo, Alexey Dear, you owe it to the little green bed bug to dedicate a book to him. A trilogy would work, too. And so would a 10+ book series.
Oh, and by the way, it's not like I shamelessly threatened you with
â˝ Full Super Extra Crappy Non Review (SECNRâ˘) to come.
elysianfield's review against another edition
4.0
4.5 stars
Large part of the book is about Harold and his quest through Hrad Spein. Itâs also called as Palaces of Bones and itâs very describing name... Creepy place!
I like Harold as the hero because heâs not your typical hero. Thieves are rarely called heroes but Harold is very likeable. And then thereâs Kli-Kli, who wouldnât like the jester? And speaking of jester, I totally didnât see that coming! Even though I liked Harold my fav people were the elves. I wish there would have been more of them and I would have liked to learn more about their world and history.
As it is in war, we lose more characters and I understand that it belongs to war but how could you do that! And it was evil to do it so soon in the book! But we meet few people who I had totally forgotten about which was nice. I should have reread the first 2 books before this...
My only complaint is that the part in Hrad Spein could have been tiny bit shorter and the battle scenes in the end less jumpy. There were too many perspectives to the battle and from people we hadnât meet before.
I enjoyed these books so much and Iâm gonna miss this world. I hope more of his books gets translated because Iâm reading those for sure!
Large part of the book is about Harold and his quest through Hrad Spein. Itâs also called as Palaces of Bones and itâs very describing name... Creepy place!
I like Harold as the hero because heâs not your typical hero. Thieves are rarely called heroes but Harold is very likeable. And then thereâs Kli-Kli, who wouldnât like the jester? And speaking of jester, I totally didnât see that coming! Even though I liked Harold my fav people were the elves. I wish there would have been more of them and I would have liked to learn more about their world and history.
As it is in war, we lose more characters and I understand that it belongs to war but how could you do that! And it was evil to do it so soon in the book! But we meet few people who I had totally forgotten about which was nice. I should have reread the first 2 books before this...
My only complaint is that the part in Hrad Spein could have been tiny bit shorter and the battle scenes in the end less jumpy. There were too many perspectives to the battle and from people we hadnât meet before.
I enjoyed these books so much and Iâm gonna miss this world. I hope more of his books gets translated because Iâm reading those for sure!
blodeuedd's review against another edition
3.0
Where to begin? The journey started in previous books has come to an end, well ok not really. It's just getting started.
Harold (I do love thieves) and his gang are approaching Hrad Spein. Kli-Kli, it's always good with a comic relief, the dark elves, and human warriors are with him. And they have lost a lot of friends already. Pehov does have a way of killing off people. But then not all should make it, people must fall during the way cos it's a dangerous road so I liked that he is not afraid to do just that.
Much of the book takes places in the darkness that is Hrad Spein. Fights, horrors, revelations, all to save a kingdom and the world. So much more than others think are actually going on. The Dancers, the creators of world, the Houses, and the person that created Siala. Not to mention that Harold is supposed to be a dancer too, which means that he could create a world. He is such an unlikely hero and that makes him better.
The second part took place outside of Hrad. The quest is not yet done and more battles are to come. It's fighting and quest fantasy.
I did feel that there is so many more stories still to tell and I would like to stay in this world, but sadly this was the end of this trilogy. But Pehov has created a very interesting world, and a world I would he happy to visit again. And it feels like home too, it's a world I know, yet it's so very new.
Some of the fight scenes at the end did feel a bit jumpy, but eh, that's life and war. And something did happen that made me sad, but again that's life and sadness is needed in books too.
Harold (I do love thieves) and his gang are approaching Hrad Spein. Kli-Kli, it's always good with a comic relief, the dark elves, and human warriors are with him. And they have lost a lot of friends already. Pehov does have a way of killing off people. But then not all should make it, people must fall during the way cos it's a dangerous road so I liked that he is not afraid to do just that.
Much of the book takes places in the darkness that is Hrad Spein. Fights, horrors, revelations, all to save a kingdom and the world. So much more than others think are actually going on. The Dancers, the creators of world, the Houses, and the person that created Siala. Not to mention that Harold is supposed to be a dancer too, which means that he could create a world. He is such an unlikely hero and that makes him better.
The second part took place outside of Hrad. The quest is not yet done and more battles are to come. It's fighting and quest fantasy.
I did feel that there is so many more stories still to tell and I would like to stay in this world, but sadly this was the end of this trilogy. But Pehov has created a very interesting world, and a world I would he happy to visit again. And it feels like home too, it's a world I know, yet it's so very new.
Some of the fight scenes at the end did feel a bit jumpy, but eh, that's life and war. And something did happen that made me sad, but again that's life and sadness is needed in books too.
wyvernfriend's review against another edition
3.0
reads like a DND adventure and honestly by the end I didn't quite care.
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