biblionerdrflxn'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
4.75
little_red_dragon's review against another edition
4.0
You can't win a game if you don't know the stakes your opponent is playing for.
Oh, wow. What a way to continue a this series. The Defiant Heir is much broader and richer than The Tethered Mage. We get much deeper into the world of the Witch Lords and gain a cast of new powerful, mysterious characters. It's significantly more political than the first book as well, with a little less action, not that I minded.
Several of the characters have significant character growth, including Amalia. And Rathe, our resident moody, morally grey Witch Lord is a delight.
Basically, if you enjoyed the first one, you will definitely like this book. I can't wait to finish the trilogy!
Oh, wow. What a way to continue a this series. The Defiant Heir is much broader and richer than The Tethered Mage. We get much deeper into the world of the Witch Lords and gain a cast of new powerful, mysterious characters. It's significantly more political than the first book as well, with a little less action, not that I minded.
Several of the characters have significant character growth, including Amalia. And Rathe, our resident moody, morally grey Witch Lord is a delight.
Basically, if you enjoyed the first one, you will definitely like this book. I can't wait to finish the trilogy!
storytimed's review against another edition
4.0
I'm still conflicted about this franchise, because:
1) I love politics
2) I love conflict-driven attraction/romance where neither party is 100% sure whether to trust the other
3) I love people interacting with civilization and cultures different from our own
4) I love STRONG BADASS VAGUELY SCARY OLDER WOMEN and that's the protag's mom
But I'm still really sad that we never actually get a compelling dynamic between Amalia and Zaira. They're sold to us as partners/possible besties, but they actually kind of feel more like distant coworkers. I think that Caruso maybe ran into a barrier with the systematic enslavement of mages like Zaira by Amalia and the state and wasn't able to grapple with the complicated power imbalance enough that they could still believably be close. That, or she's actually more interested in writing Amalia's romances and hero scenes than actually developing the female friendship the synopsis is all about.
I did like the romance, even though I was primed to resent its conclusion. I think what makes Kathe work when I hate most YA bad boy romances is that Amalia actually treats him as the dangerous, untrustworthy individual he is. He's half-love interest, half-antagonist, and her wariness and strength mean that she can believably face him on equal footing.
1) I love politics
2) I love conflict-driven attraction/romance where neither party is 100% sure whether to trust the other
3) I love people interacting with civilization and cultures different from our own
4) I love STRONG BADASS VAGUELY SCARY OLDER WOMEN and that's the protag's mom
But I'm still really sad that we never actually get a compelling dynamic between Amalia and Zaira. They're sold to us as partners/possible besties, but they actually kind of feel more like distant coworkers. I think that Caruso maybe ran into a barrier with the systematic enslavement of mages like Zaira by Amalia and the state and wasn't able to grapple with the complicated power imbalance enough that they could still believably be close. That, or she's actually more interested in writing Amalia's romances and hero scenes than actually developing the female friendship the synopsis is all about.
I did like the romance, even though I was primed to resent its conclusion. I think what makes Kathe work when I hate most YA bad boy romances is that Amalia actually treats him as the dangerous, untrustworthy individual he is. He's half-love interest, half-antagonist, and her wariness and strength mean that she can believably face him on equal footing.
meganmreads's review against another edition
4.0
I liked The Tethered Mage, but I loved The Defiant Heir! I enjoyed the magic system, but in book two, we got to actually visit Vaskandar, where mages weren’t tethered to Falconers, but were instead honored and the most powerful ruled each territory as Witch Lords. Ruven was a pretty creepy character in book one, but I was still intrigued by Vaskandar in general and I’m glad we got to see different and less evil Witch Lords.
I looooved Kathe! I’m certainly hoping to see more of him, especially considering I wasn’t a Marcello fan in the first place. Some people might call this an unnecessary love triangle, but I like the idea of Amalia struggling between duty and emotions and figuring out she can feel certain ways for people aside from Marcello.
The stakes were high in The Defiant Heir and Amalia was in some pretty unfriendly territory, but I absolutely loved it
I looooved Kathe! I’m certainly hoping to see more of him, especially considering I wasn’t a Marcello fan in the first place. Some people might call this an unnecessary love triangle, but I like the idea of Amalia struggling between duty and emotions and figuring out she can feel certain ways for people aside from Marcello.
The stakes were high in The Defiant Heir and Amalia was in some pretty unfriendly territory, but I absolutely loved it
ladyofbooks's review against another edition
5.0
Damn, as I suspected a cliffhanger.
Ah, well.
Beautifully written, characters survived though some perished. Traitors revealed, death doom and destruction alongside a heavy dose of angst.
Amalia is still my favorite, I loved that there were lgbt characters, and the only gripe I have is the many unresolved issues leading onto yet another book in the series.
Still, five stars for gorgeous prose, twisted plots, and really amazing characters!
Ah, well.
Beautifully written, characters survived though some perished. Traitors revealed, death doom and destruction alongside a heavy dose of angst.
Amalia is still my favorite, I loved that there were lgbt characters, and the only gripe I have is the many unresolved issues leading onto yet another book in the series.
Still, five stars for gorgeous prose, twisted plots, and really amazing characters!
harbinger1230's review against another edition
5.0
A strong continuation of the series. The introduction of a love triangle with political implications kept the tension up throughout the story. I found the frenemies relationship of the main characters enjoyable and the new depths to the worldbuilding intriguing. It had me craving answers and chasing its mysteries vigorously from page to page.
lazuli012's review
adventurous
dark
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5