lowercasenospaces's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
lighthearted
tense
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? It's complicated
3.75
erichart's review against another edition
5.0
While earlier entries in this series could be read as standalones, this is more of a conclusion of the previous chapter, Penric's Mission. And it's easily the best and thematically most complex of the series.
rosiecockshutt's review
adventurous
emotional
funny
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? No
5.0
samwescott's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
funny
lighthearted
medium-paced
5.0
This one seemed a little more silly and I was absolutely shrieking at parts of it (in a delighted and scandalized kinda way), but I had so much fun. The ending was bittersweet, but I enjoyed the emotional maturity of it and have some suspicions that my wishes will come true eventually.
tjwallace04's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
hopeful
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
I think "Mira's Last Dance" may be my favorite entry in the "Penric and Desdemona" series yet.
This novella picks up right where "Penric's Mission" left off, with Penric, hunted General Arisaydia, and the general's sister, young widow Nykis, trying to escape Cedonia. Penric is injured, and they're running out of money. Desperate times call for desperate measures, and Penric allows one particular personality of his multi-faceted chaos demon, Desdemona, to take over while they are hiding in a brothel...and awkward and hilarious hijinks ensue. But Penric's commitment to save his friends may unfortunately mean he also loses them...
While there is much less action in this book than in the previous entries in the series, I loved how "Mira's Last Dance" explored some of the internal conflicts that would naturally arise from having a demon living in your body...particularly some of the gender issues of a female demon personality inhabiting a man. The tension between Penric's romantic hopes and his commitment to Desdemona and allowing her some freedom to maneuver is very thoughtfully developed. To me, Penric is such an admirable character - he is always puting what he believes to be the right thing to do above his own comfort and even safety. And Nykis' exhausted, conflicted reaction to Penric's overtures was really perfection. I can't wait to see where happens to these characters next. I have really grown to love them
This novella picks up right where "Penric's Mission" left off, with Penric, hunted General Arisaydia, and the general's sister, young widow Nykis, trying to escape Cedonia. Penric is injured, and they're running out of money. Desperate times call for desperate measures, and Penric allows one particular personality of his multi-faceted chaos demon, Desdemona, to take over while they are hiding in a brothel...and awkward and hilarious hijinks ensue. But Penric's commitment to save his friends may unfortunately mean he also loses them...
While there is much less action in this book than in the previous entries in the series, I loved how "Mira's Last Dance" explored some of the internal conflicts that would naturally arise from having a demon living in your body...particularly some of the gender issues of a female demon personality inhabiting a man. The tension between Penric's romantic hopes and his commitment to Desdemona and allowing her some freedom to maneuver is very thoughtfully developed. To me, Penric is such an admirable character - he is always puting what he believes to be the right thing to do above his own comfort and even safety. And Nykis' exhausted, conflicted reaction to Penric's overtures was really perfection. I can't wait to see where happens to these characters next. I have really grown to love them
ndxmedina's review
adventurous
emotional
funny
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
lagobond's review against another edition
5.0
Oh my! This did not go where I thought it would go. And it did so in the most delightful fashion. Solidly drawn characters, sparkling dialogue, delicious twists, what a treat. I loved every word. Special kudos to Mrs. Bujold for the ending.
kimu's review against another edition
5.0
2021 reread: this gives a glimpse to a character who we haven’t heard a lot from in the earlier stories - and it’s an interesting glimpse. I wish there was a bit more of her in the story though.