eric_conrad's review against another edition
4.0
A worthy successor to the first book in the trilogy as Isobel and Gabriel continue their journey through the Territory.
midrel's review against another edition
3.0
Though it is generally something I am well aware of, some books keenly remind me that there is no such thing as objective reviews. We all can only judge mostly from where we stand, from the vantage point of what we like. Fiction is not poetry (unless it is) where you can grab ahold of things like meter and the like to help yourself as you feel along the perceived boons and faults of a piece.
This is one such book for me. The slow travail of Isobel through the Road, the detailed description of fields and valleys, of sunsets and sundows and campfire cooking-I could well see there are some people who would be utterly enthralled, willing to soak in and simmer in it all, delighting, like Gabriel, in every moment without demanding the next.
Thats me, too. But only to a point. There were many instances in which this, like its predecesor, felt too meandering, too happy to simply loll about. What other people would have enjoyed, I found an active deterrent to my own enjoyment. And yet I could not put the book away, because to some degree the Territory had entrapped me too. As mentioned in the last entry, I still find the Worldbuilding fascinating, the idea of a magic's up Wild West, and I want to know how will Isobel come out looking at the end of it all.
Inevitably, I will look up the third installment at some point, fully knowing that it, like this entry, will hold a delight for many but that for me it will be half-treat and half-struggle.
And yet somehow still very much worth every moment of it.
This is one such book for me. The slow travail of Isobel through the Road, the detailed description of fields and valleys, of sunsets and sundows and campfire cooking-I could well see there are some people who would be utterly enthralled, willing to soak in and simmer in it all, delighting, like Gabriel, in every moment without demanding the next.
Thats me, too. But only to a point. There were many instances in which this, like its predecesor, felt too meandering, too happy to simply loll about. What other people would have enjoyed, I found an active deterrent to my own enjoyment. And yet I could not put the book away, because to some degree the Territory had entrapped me too. As mentioned in the last entry, I still find the Worldbuilding fascinating, the idea of a magic's up Wild West, and I want to know how will Isobel come out looking at the end of it all.
Inevitably, I will look up the third installment at some point, fully knowing that it, like this entry, will hold a delight for many but that for me it will be half-treat and half-struggle.
And yet somehow still very much worth every moment of it.
hoperu's review against another edition
4.0
3.5 stars. This one is very much a middle book - not a lot of character development compared to the first book, the plot is a bridge to something coming. Not bad, just a little less captivating than the first one.
mandygris's review against another edition
3.0
2.5 stars. I will read the third novel because I am very curious to see what happens and the author has left us with a fair share of questions which MUST be answered!
Book 2 did have its share of problems - mostly with pacing and repetition. I wonder if some of the lengthy periods of "nothing happening" on the road was for realistic effect; I don't really mind the quiet moments because Gilman's descriptions are evocative and immersive. Though I'm bored of our lovely protagonist sticking her hand to the ground in problem situations and then spiralling into the earth. It reminded me of using the same move every time in a turn-based RPG - busy work.
Maybe I'm just a in a book-funk lately. I've been a bit of a grump. What do you think? Is it just the grump, or am I on to something here?
Book 2 did have its share of problems - mostly with pacing and repetition. I wonder if some of the lengthy periods of "nothing happening" on the road was for realistic effect; I don't really mind the quiet moments because Gilman's descriptions are evocative and immersive. Though I'm bored of our lovely protagonist sticking her hand to the ground in problem situations and then spiralling into the earth. It reminded me of using the same move every time in a turn-based RPG - busy work.
Maybe I'm just a in a book-funk lately. I've been a bit of a grump. What do you think? Is it just the grump, or am I on to something here?
rhodesee's review against another edition
5.0
An excellent follow-up to Silver on the Road. Every new detail is a welcome addition to the unique tapestry that Gilman is creating with this world.
rachelini's review against another edition
3.0
I love the world - the author keeps building on it in interesting ways. But I felt like the story really didn't get going until the last third, when it got a lot of momentum.
srlemons42's review against another edition
5.0
I absolutely love these books. I'll have a longer review later when I've had time to sit a think about the story a bit more, but this books is as good as the first. I'm eagerly looking forward to more books in this series...
broomgrass's review against another edition
3.0
Shoot, another much-belated review (which I thought I wrote? ah well.)
This book did not capture me as much as the first one - I remember the pacing being a bit slow, and it kind of gave more of the same (but of lesser excitement) as the first book. I can't remember how I felt about the representation of Indigenous people in this story, either, but I suspect that I either wanted more or was troubled by it in some way, which is probably to be expected with a western that deals with magic in the land.
This book did not capture me as much as the first one - I remember the pacing being a bit slow, and it kind of gave more of the same (but of lesser excitement) as the first book. I can't remember how I felt about the representation of Indigenous people in this story, either, but I suspect that I either wanted more or was troubled by it in some way, which is probably to be expected with a western that deals with magic in the land.