Reviews

Mines of the Minotaur by Julia Golding

adeanthefiend's review against another edition

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adventurous emotional hopeful inspiring mysterious sad tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

One of my favorite book series. This is probably the hardest to read simply because of the emotional turmoil that Connie goes through. 

I cried in many places during this story.  

iffer's review against another edition

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4.0

I'm starting to like this series more as it progresses. The characters and their relationships become more complex as the series progresses, and the themes become darker. This is particularly true of this volume, in which the protagonist must come to terms with the fact that everyone, including she, holds darkness within the "labyrinth" of her mind, and that she must not only lean on others to navigate this darkness, but allow them in (quite literally in this book's plot) so that they can fend off evil.

acrdoodles's review against another edition

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3.0

2022:
Okay so I don't know what I was going on about 6 years ago but re-reading Mines of the Minotaur, this, to me, is the weakest of all four books.

I still like the points I wrote about in 2016, but I felt like the pacing was really off in this one - everything was either going way too slow or way too quick and the fact that this book is 100 pages shorter than the first one is felt deeply and I really feel like it could have benefited from them.
Also, despite the fact that I adore some of the characters introduced in this book and like some of the character development and the focus on the emotional growth and journey, it feels to me as though the cast has become too big for the story.
While some characters get some great insight and time in the spotlight, others are sort of pushed to the side - which is a shame as the characters and the wide variety in the cast is one of my favourite things about the Companions Quartet.

All in all I wished there had been more time to dwell on an properly dive into the themes, plot points and cast in this book. It had so much potential that, compared to the first 2 books, I don't think it quite lives up to.

2016:
Mines of the Minotaur was always my least favourite of all the four books. But now that I've read it again, I feel like I appreciate this one more that I did before.
Yes, this is definitely the most angsty of all four books, but I really like how it brings forward all the different qualities of the characters.

The plot evolved differently in this book than the others, the conflict is more emotional and doesn't really require quite as much fighting and diplomacy as the others.
One of the things I really like about this book, is how we see a totally different side of the Society. We see much more how scared they are of the Universal and how much they depend on good leaders. Suddenly, the Society isn't just 'the good guys', they are actual human beings and creatures that act out on their feelings, and it's a really big part of this book.

It's about inner struggles, that everyone can be scared act out on it and seeing that not everything is as black and white as you believe.

It's an amazing book, and I cannot believe how I thought it to be the weakest of all four.

eli_drottningu's review against another edition

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adventurous emotional reflective tense fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? No

5.0

floneill's review

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adventurous lighthearted mysterious fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Plot
  • Strong character development? No
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

elevetha's review

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2.0

2 1\2 stars. Eco friendly fantasy.

acrdoodles's review

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4.0

Mines of the Minotaur was always my least favourite of all the four books. But now that I've read it again, I feel like I appreciate this one more that I did before.
Yes, this is definitely the most angsty of all four books, but I really like how it brings forward all the different qualities of the characters.

The plot evolved differently in this book than the others, the conflict is more emotional and doesn't really require quite as much fighting and diplomacy as the others.
One of the things I really like about this book, is how we see a totally different side of the Society. We see much more how scared they are of the Universal and how much they depend on good leaders. Suddenly, the Society isn't just 'the good guys', they are actual human beings and creatures that act out on their feelings, and it's a really big part of this book.

It's about inner struggles, that everyone can be scared act out on it and seeing that not everything is as black and white as you believe.

It's an amazing book, and I cannot believe how I thought it to be the weakest of all four.

ingi's review

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adventurous emotional fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Plot
  • Strong character development? No
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.25

rosalemons's review

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adventurous lighthearted mysterious fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Plot
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

tabbysreadingcorner's review against another edition

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2.0

In this third book of the companions quartet, Connie finds that she can't control her powers and that she is causing raging storms that almost causes her friends to die. But from there it only gets worse she faces the problem when a new trustee is voted in a trustee who is intent on getting rid of because she is supposedly "dangerous". In this book, Connie finds herself in a battle of wills to prove that she can still be a part of the Society.