sephranix's review against another edition
2.0
*sigh* I was so disappointed by this book. It was so hard to plough through it. (I mean, there's a reason it took me 84 days to finish it when I'm usually around 7-10 days for a book of this size.) There was so much left unexplained or unclear, and some of my favorite ships from the first two books crashed and burned for no good reason. Spoiler tagged for the rest because I have THOUGHTS about some of the big plot stuff.
Other things that really bothered me:
- Frentis somehow falling in love with the Empress Elverah. Are you shitting me? She basically tortured him and used him as a tool for torture for SO LONG, and I'm supposed to believe that he feels some affection for her and wanted to save her? No no no. Stockholm Syndrome is one thing but he HATED her all through his captivity or did you forget that you wrote that into the second book? By far, one of the worst things about the end of this book.
- Vaelin's sad ending. Okay, so, let me go back to [b:Blood Song|13569581|Blood Song (Raven's Shadow, #1)|Anthony Ryan|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1421573407s/13569581.jpg|19148922] and the stone mason that Vaelin met who took Sherin away to safety. I don't know about anyone else who read BS, but I was left with the very clear understanding that he was planning to eventually go find her again. The stone mason even said something to the effect of "my song tells me this is not the last time we will meet." So what? You couldn't even bother to give us one nugget of hope for Vaelin's happiness. He should have taken Alornis (who got shafted by Lyrna, by the way - another case of her using a 'friend' for her vengeance and leaving them emotionally broken) and fucked right off to find Sherin. What was left for him in the Realm? Nothing. He should have taken Nortah and his family, too, because he definitely needed a vacation far away from wherever Lyrna is.
-Dahrena. Okay, this relationship was whatever. I didn't hate it; I didn't love it. And I kind of figured she was going to die. I mean, if this series has taught me anything, it's that Vaelin doesn't get to be happy.
At least Reva was still a badass.
I could keep going on, but honestly, I'm just making myself more upset.
Spoiler
Let's start with Lyna. I didn't care for Lyrna in [b:Blood Song|13569581|Blood Song (Raven's Shadow, #1)|Anthony Ryan|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1421573407s/13569581.jpg|19148922], semi-liked her in [b:Tower Lord|18138189|Tower Lord (Raven's Shadow, #2)|Anthony Ryan|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1382486392s/18138189.jpg|25481154] and thought she had some really good potential to turn her realm around, and then she was just turned into a vengeful, petty bitch in [b:Queen of Fire|18405221|Queen of Fire (Raven's Shadow, #3)|Anthony Ryan|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1417350958s/18405221.jpg|26039753]. She was so petty when it came to Vaelin just because he didn't want her - her thoughts whenever another female is around Vaelin are petty and the way she always has those other females sent far, far away from him is the definition of petty. She was also a terrible person who just had really competent people around her who did all of the actual work. Then, she used and used and used those people as they all died around her. Frankly, I wish she had died, but I could not get so lucky.Other things that really bothered me:
- Frentis somehow falling in love with the Empress Elverah. Are you shitting me? She basically tortured him and used him as a tool for torture for SO LONG, and I'm supposed to believe that he feels some affection for her and wanted to save her? No no no. Stockholm Syndrome is one thing but he HATED her all through his captivity or did you forget that you wrote that into the second book? By far, one of the worst things about the end of this book.
- Vaelin's sad ending. Okay, so, let me go back to [b:Blood Song|13569581|Blood Song (Raven's Shadow, #1)|Anthony Ryan|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1421573407s/13569581.jpg|19148922] and the stone mason that Vaelin met who took Sherin away to safety. I don't know about anyone else who read BS, but I was left with the very clear understanding that he was planning to eventually go find her again. The stone mason even said something to the effect of "my song tells me this is not the last time we will meet." So what? You couldn't even bother to give us one nugget of hope for Vaelin's happiness. He should have taken Alornis (who got shafted by Lyrna, by the way - another case of her using a 'friend' for her vengeance and leaving them emotionally broken) and fucked right off to find Sherin. What was left for him in the Realm? Nothing. He should have taken Nortah and his family, too, because he definitely needed a vacation far away from wherever Lyrna is.
-Dahrena. Okay, this relationship was whatever. I didn't hate it; I didn't love it. And I kind of figured she was going to die. I mean, if this series has taught me anything, it's that Vaelin doesn't get to be happy.
At least Reva was still a badass.
I could keep going on, but honestly, I'm just making myself more upset.
patremagne's review against another edition
4.0
Significantly better than I expected, though I am apparently in the minority in that I enjoyed Tower Lord. Characters I had issues with in the middle book were more likable and fleshed out. A satisfying conclusion to a great epic fantasy series, narrated masterfully by Steven Brand.
pemdas97's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
amrenina's review against another edition
2.0
What's with the dancers obsession?
Also came to a point where I skipped some names, not being able to remember who was who, and who did what.
Also came to a point where I skipped some names, not being able to remember who was who, and who did what.
raven_acres's review against another edition
4.0
Wrapped up very well, and I again, enjoyed the multiple points of view.
elisaharderwijk's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
1.0
soursock's review against another edition
2.0
Pretty damn disappointed how much worse it kept getting after book one. Still a good ending and I'm glad I finished the series. But disappointed