maridkbro's review against another edition
4.0
This book was full of surprises, and good ones I might add. Gonna be honest this one wasn't as good as 2, but I still really enjoyed it. Unlike the last two books this one was almost entirely in Freestone, which I was interesting. Instead of it being a big adventure, it was all about the characters. I really loved both Brock and Zed in this book, and the other characters grew on me even more. I will say Micah and Zed kinda came out of no where, but I loved it when it was here so who cares. I liked getting to learn about Makiva and Foster and all the history, and the plot in the middle was fantastic. My only problem was that the climax felt a little rushed, and almost easy, but other than that I loved the build up. The way it ended with all of them at a guildculling was great, I'm a sucker for full circle moments. I'm gonna miss them more than I expected.
dandelionsteph's review against another edition
4.0
I'm not sure how to feel about a major character being revealed to have a crush on the protagonist. I'm not sure how to parse it being This is a difficult book to classify, because I don't recall there being any hint , which was true for a long time in various real-life societies. That it would be rare and secret would explain why its existence (from the perspective of ) would have only been brought up here, when it's important to the plot.
If you don't like romance, and have built up a tolerance for passing mentions of hetero romantic relationships as a necessity simply because it's nigh-inescapable (at least in U.S. culture), then you may be happy to know is incorporated into the plot in a subtle and entertaining way. Most of the
On the whole: there's no way one would have guessed a romantic relationship would have eventually become important to the plot from previous books, and the way it's done here is certainly unexpected. Still, it's simply a minor, odd note to the flavor of the book, which is practically unaffected by it, and remains very enjoyable.
Having read Wings of Fire: The Flames of Hope (by Tui Sutherland) earlier in the same month, I wasn't as impressed with the plot twist in this book. I have half a mind to prefer the villain to just be a super-powerful witch. It's odd that both Mother Brenner and , who were villains/built up to be villains, were ultimately just women manipulated by dark forces. , too, was manipulated. (There was a female villain in the second book, I think? I tried refreshing my memory by reading reviews, but I couldn't find it in a quick look)
Spoiler
Micah, who bullied Zed for his elven heritage earlier on.Spoiler
gay relationships could exist in this setting before; admittedly, it does seem to be rare, frowned-upon and secretly-conductedSpoiler
straight/presumably-straight point-of-view charactersIf you don't like romance, and have built up a tolerance for passing mentions of hetero romantic relationships as a necessity simply because it's nigh-inescapable (at least in U.S. culture), then you may be happy to know
Spoiler
the gay/queer relationship between Micah and ZedSpoiler
crush's influence on the book doesn't feel too romantic or "mushy": specifically, Micah's crush on Zed is heavily implied to be the reason Zed can enter his mind to talk to him so easily, and why Micah is so eager to help Zed. There's no True Love's Kiss or anything: in fact, most of it can be read as akin to the platonic life partners trope/some kind of fantasy life-debt bond. There's about two and a half pages of explicitly romantic stuff near the end, where Micah gives Zed some flowers (an obviously romantic gesture) as Zed blushes, but it's a momentary blip to read through if the reader doesn't like romance, and since it's in the epilogue in the end to the series, the reader can skip it if they have a really low tolerance for romance.On the whole: there's no way one would have guessed a romantic relationship would have eventually become important to the plot from previous books, and the way it's done here is certainly unexpected. Still, it's simply a minor, odd note to the flavor of the book, which is practically unaffected by it, and remains very enjoyable.
Having read Wings of Fire: The Flames of Hope (by Tui Sutherland) earlier in the same month, I wasn't as impressed with the
Spoiler
"man behind the man"Spoiler
MakivaSpoiler
Lottesreddous's review against another edition
5.0
Suspenseful and tense. an engaging story that doesn't feel its length -- this entire series is a great adventure for middle-grade readers especially, but there's plenty of character growth and valuable lessons for adults too!
kiwishroom's review
adventurous
mysterious
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
ddkeac's review
adventurous
funny
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
mysterious
fast-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
5.0
aubster249's review
adventurous
emotional
lighthearted
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
5.0
samwise's review
adventurous
emotional
funny
lighthearted
tense
medium-paced
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.75
A lovely finish for a lovely series!
Had some problems here and there but nothing that would prevent me from enjoying the ending of this story. I was at the edge of my seat for the most part of the last half of the book and I’m really happy with the way everything was resolved.
There’s also some nice representation which I truly appreciate!
More...