megabyte117's review against another edition
5.0
A thrilling follow-up to A Little Hatred, despite less action, it felt like a blistering pace to the bottom. All but one character POV were perfect, the outlier maybe requiring more characterization for me to buy-in.
uzoma's review against another edition
3.5
Joe’s done it again! Written a book I can only call…fine.
JK, I enjoyed this, sure, but he and I both know what this reader-writer relationship is.
As I always say, Joe’s always good for a perfectly okay read <3
JK, I enjoyed this, sure, but he and I both know what this reader-writer relationship is.
As I always say, Joe’s always good for a perfectly okay read <3
krakenite's review against another edition
5.0
I didn't think I could love a character more than Caul Shivers. But now I'm desperately in love with Kings Orso and Jappo.
naomielaine's review against another edition
4.0
A lot slower than the other two books in the trilogy due to the increased focus on political intrigue and machinations. Still a very enjoyable read and a strong 4 stars.
tacanderson's review
adventurous
dark
inspiring
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
4.0
No one can chart a course of volatile ups and downs like Abercrombie. Many fantasy writers sacrifice either plot or character development for the story, but Abercrombie packs more of both into each of his books. This is no different.
sinnylong's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
tense
medium-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? Yes
4.0
zeekbooks's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
inspiring
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
itkovian_books's review
5.0
As much as I loved the first installment in this trilogy, this book was so much better. The plot felt tighter and more focused, the growing rivalry between Leo & Orso felt realistic, and all of the side characters had moments that felt important (whereas I didn't care too much about 3/7 in the first book). Vick is still my least favorite POV character, but after the cliffhanger ending, I foresee that her chapters in the final book will be very interesting. Speaking of the ending, this is the first book I've read in quite some time that left me incredibly impatient for the next installment. So many twists thrown in, all of which I didn't expect, but all of which made sense based on the motivations of each character.
My only real criticism is that, in order to maintain some of these twists, Abercrombie deliberately avoided telling the reader about what certain characters were planning, even when we viewed the story from their perspective. Or he avoided giving them many chapters in the final third of the book, and therefore they felt a bit absent. However, it would have been much less entertaining to see all of the setup for the twists, so while the characters probably SHOULD have been thinking about certain upcoming betrayals, I'm glad Abercrombie didn't let us know about them ahead of time.
Rating: 10/10
My only real criticism is that, in order to maintain some of these twists, Abercrombie deliberately avoided telling the reader about what certain characters were planning, even when we viewed the story from their perspective. Or he avoided giving them many chapters in the final third of the book, and therefore they felt a bit absent. However, it would have been much less entertaining to see all of the setup for the twists, so while the characters probably SHOULD have been thinking about certain upcoming betrayals, I'm glad Abercrombie didn't let us know about them ahead of time.
Rating: 10/10