Reviews

Red Seas Under Red Skies by Scott Lynch

annmeyer's review against another edition

adventurous funny slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes

5.0

phenomenal fantasy; probably one of the best books i've read in 2024

had me gasping in disbelief and laughing out loud

it took me a while to finish, but i was hooked from the start. i consider it to be better than the first one (i'm a true sucker for any sort of pirate story) and am greatly looking forward to the next one

tyeberius's review

3.0

Fun follow up to Lies of Locke Lamora. Left me wanting more, but not as good as the first book. I appreciate that it's his nautical adventure, but that part wore on me as the book went on.

melissa_marie's review

4.0

Very enjoyable sequel to The Lies of Locke Lamora

markelo's review against another edition

adventurous medium-paced

4.5

beckether's review

adventurous dark emotional funny 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

bookmax00's review

adventurous challenging dark emotional funny informative lighthearted tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

tsunni's review against another edition

adventurous tense slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.5

What I liked about Lies of Locke Lamora made it good in spite of what I didn't like; strong characters and clever thiefy cons, held back by a tendency for the story to drag, incredibly long winded dialogue, and constant flashbacks. Red Seas Under Red Skies feels like Lynch committed fully to everything I didn't like, and also plopped a novella of a different genre in the middle of the book right when the first main con felt like it was really picking up speed. I still got some of what I enjoyed, when the characters moments were going strong and when clever cons were being executed (although some brief ones like when we finally got the truth of the opening scene felt like cheap hooks), but I struggled immensely with the pacing and the pages and pages of talk. I still think it's all very well and consistently written, it's just not my cup of tea at all. If you loved all the things I didn't, this book will probably float your boat (heh). I own book 3 and I'm dreading picking it up; we'll see. 

cecaacec's review against another edition

adventurous dark funny mysterious tense fast-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

4.0

owl_eerie's review against another edition

slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.0

I loved Lies, but this one nearly put me into a reading slump. The abrupt 180 in the plot did not do it for me and while I enjoyed the ocean parts, the conclusion just fell flat.

I once again would commit atrocities for Jean and

killing off Ezri did not sit well with me.

cellardoor10's review against another edition

4.5

Really enjoyed the mini sailing tutorial in the middle, reminded me of my sailing days and I loved it.

As for the rest, it's still a little more gross and graphic than I would prefer.  Insulting someone by randomly calling them a "pig rapist" is just really not my favorite.  But the characters are great, and Locke and Jean are a fantastic duo.  

I wish that Lynch thought of his really fun and interesting side characters as less expendable than he clearly does.  If you've read the first book, you'll have a good idea what's to come for the significant secondary characters in this one.

I had a little trouble figuring out who these prolific double agents were actually trying to con, because they have so many deals and identities and made so many promises.  It was genuinely hard to know who they were actually aligned with at any given moment.  Enjoyed Lynch's take on pirates, though, and I liked the sailing superstitions - cats and women officers were both required.  A nice way to create rules to circumvent what could have been just an all dude all the time novel.

If you liked the first one, this is probably up your alley.