marklpotter's review against another edition
4.0
I really like the way Harmony Black is developing and in this book Schaefer stayed away from writing about harming children. Unlike the Daniel Faust series, which I rated as three stars from the second book on due it becoming formulaic, Schaefer has upped his game here. The writing is always done well but the plot in Red Knight Falling was interesting enough that even without Schaefer's writing it would have been a great read.
The team dynamic that is being developed adds a layer to the world that isn't all that present in the Faust series. While the Faust series does have a lot of interpersonal relations, Faust himself is a loner and as such the interactions have a different slant to them. A first person loner character, when written well, doesn't have the properties to allow for the team dynamics that are being developed in the Harmony Black series.
I think that doing as spin off is always a risky move but it has really paid off in this instance. The world building continues and is as well done as in the Faust series and I think that something would be lost if both series aren't being read. For me that's not a downside at all, in fact I think it shows how well Schaefer has crafted his world.
The team dynamic that is being developed adds a layer to the world that isn't all that present in the Faust series. While the Faust series does have a lot of interpersonal relations, Faust himself is a loner and as such the interactions have a different slant to them. A first person loner character, when written well, doesn't have the properties to allow for the team dynamics that are being developed in the Harmony Black series.
I think that doing as spin off is always a risky move but it has really paid off in this instance. The world building continues and is as well done as in the Faust series and I think that something would be lost if both series aren't being read. For me that's not a downside at all, in fact I think it shows how well Schaefer has crafted his world.
mojoshivers's review against another edition
4.0
This is a perfect sequel to Harmony Black. Not only is the story tighter, the stakes higher, and the baddies more powerful, but I actually think this is a better introduction to the world of Vigilant Lock than the first installment. This was a page-turner from page one.
liz7kathleen's review against another edition
2.0
Spoliers
I really struggle to like Harmony. I read Faust and love love love him. She was so uppity and in my eyes hypocritical as hell. Always telling Faust that criminals need due process then she sends her takes to some illegal offshore prison and kills people right and left but when Daniel does it its vigilantyism. Vigilant lock acts like vigilantys themselves. They barely have government sanction but have not only a license but an order to kill or take offshore any hostiles. Just such hypocrisy. I also hate reading about zealots and Harmony is a zealot with a mission to save the world all the time. The lives of the many outweigh the few and I'm so not cool with that. I'd rather read about Daniel all day. I want to read these books because they tie in with the greater Faust world but I've read the first two now and I just don't think I can deal. I hate Harmony. I hate the way she treated Daniel as if he were her greatest adversary when there was real world ending danger on the board. I dont think I can read her as a protagonist she's just too unlikable for me. The plot of the first two books were fun I liked it but I don't give a damn about any of the characters. Needs some serious character development. I feel like they are all type caste. Also Harmony doesn't deserve Cody. Run dude. Run.
I really struggle to like Harmony. I read Faust and love love love him. She was so uppity and in my eyes hypocritical as hell. Always telling Faust that criminals need due process then she sends her takes to some illegal offshore prison and kills people right and left but when Daniel does it its vigilantyism. Vigilant lock acts like vigilantys themselves. They barely have government sanction but have not only a license but an order to kill or take offshore any hostiles. Just such hypocrisy. I also hate reading about zealots and Harmony is a zealot with a mission to save the world all the time. The lives of the many outweigh the few and I'm so not cool with that. I'd rather read about Daniel all day. I want to read these books because they tie in with the greater Faust world but I've read the first two now and I just don't think I can deal. I hate Harmony. I hate the way she treated Daniel as if he were her greatest adversary when there was real world ending danger on the board. I dont think I can read her as a protagonist she's just too unlikable for me. The plot of the first two books were fun I liked it but I don't give a damn about any of the characters. Needs some serious character development. I feel like they are all type caste. Also Harmony doesn't deserve Cody. Run dude. Run.
wildflowerz76's review against another edition
4.0
I enjoy this author. I feel like this one was a bit sillier than the last one. Mikki seemed over the top. But overall I enjoyed reading this one.
rusereviews's review against another edition
4.0
I didn't like this one as much as I liked the first one, but it was still pretty good!
zefrien's review against another edition
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.25
apatter7's review against another edition
4.0
I'm really loving this series. Each new book a continuation with a different twist keeps the series interesting. Already on the next book.
lumbermouth's review against another edition
2.0
I'd read the first in this series because it was a free Kindle First book, and it was sorta fun and interesting, so I tracked this one down and got it through ILL. And I think that's all the effort I'm going to expend on this series. I guess I must not be the target audience for the genre because the constant, increasingly ramping up action was tiresome---the book equivalent of the Calvin and Hobbes strip where he's devising a simultaneous gas leak, train derailment, plane crash, etc. And I know that it's possible to write a lesbian without having her say things like "the next time you slap me it better be because we're having rough sex" to a straight woman. Lesbians! So without boundaries! Anyway they saved the world, but WHAT NEXT??? I don't know. I'm sure they'll be fine.
tksimmons02's review against another edition
3.0
Over the top
Red Knight is predictable in its over the top action. I despise overt foreshadowing, "it was the last happy moment before their whole mission fell apart." GAG! The action is all systems go or non existent, and it was very easy to tell where the author was headed. Disappointing.
Red Knight is predictable in its over the top action. I despise overt foreshadowing, "it was the last happy moment before their whole mission fell apart." GAG! The action is all systems go or non existent, and it was very easy to tell where the author was headed. Disappointing.
wirewrappedlily's review
adventurous
funny
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.75