abigcoffeedragon's review
3.0
This was a disappointing end to the series - The usage of Mr Lincoln and President Grant was over used and unnecessary in my opinion, and the main characters had a subdued use except for Belle from Clementine and Troost from Ganymede - but even so, the Fiddlehead had little to no actual need in this book, as it was broken from the beginning - not a fan of the ending of this at all - so, I kind of wish that this series would have finished at Ganymede.
markarubin's review
3.0
Definitely the weakest entry in the series, which is a shame if this is in fact the last story of the Clockwork Century. It's possible that I may have enjoyed this more had I read Clementine first, but I haven't. There are too many characters doing not enough interesting things. Why does Belle need a marshall companion if she's so capable? Why doesn't anyone actually do anything besides her? And there wasn't nearly enough of her or her touted detective skills on display. This isn't a bad book and it doesn't diminish the rest of Priest's works, but I've come to expect more from this series.
jacieandbooks's review
5.0
Excellent conclusion! I loved the new characters and the nods to the older characters. All around great wrap up of all the lose ends, while leaving a vague ending.
tacanderson's review
5.0
I bought this book when it first came out almost a year ago and I put off reading it because I didn't want the series to end. I loved these books and this last book was an excellent finish. Highly recommended to anyone who loves steampunk, alt-fiction or even just really good sci-fi.
mzdeb's review
4.0
First of all, I did not realize this was the end of the series; second of all, I did NOT see what the culmination of six books’ worth of zombie hordes would lead up to—I’m almost afraid what to say about how that build-up has culminated here. Granted, you find out all of 40 pages in, but still I was OH HELL NO.
So, the story ends up divided between two areas opposite the Mason-Dixon line: Washington D.C. and Chattanooga down into Atlanta. If you were to film some of the action sequences, they would no doubt be exhilarating; here, the non-stop back and forth dragged it out, IMO. Again, Cherie’s characters are strong (if not annoying; I’m looking at you, angry Gideon Bardsley), although, for the end of a series, you kinda wish you got a finish for each of them (a sort of “where are they now?”). This is true steampunk—not gears and gadgets for gears and gadgets’ sake—and it’s one of my favorite series ever.
So, the story ends up divided between two areas opposite the Mason-Dixon line: Washington D.C. and Chattanooga down into Atlanta. If you were to film some of the action sequences, they would no doubt be exhilarating; here, the non-stop back and forth dragged it out, IMO. Again, Cherie’s characters are strong (if not annoying; I’m looking at you, angry Gideon Bardsley), although, for the end of a series, you kinda wish you got a finish for each of them (a sort of “where are they now?”). This is true steampunk—not gears and gadgets for gears and gadgets’ sake—and it’s one of my favorite series ever.
morepagesplease's review against another edition
Great Conclusion to a good series
I really enjoyed this conclusion to the clockwork century series. I felt that this was a very satisfying read and tied together the series as a while. If you like zombies and steampunk but can't stand gore, this is the series for you.
I really enjoyed this conclusion to the clockwork century series. I felt that this was a very satisfying read and tied together the series as a while. If you like zombies and steampunk but can't stand gore, this is the series for you.
madeyesjojo'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
3.25
squishies's review
4.0
4.5 stars
I am in love with the world Priest has built; it gets more fascinating with each book.
It most certainly helps that her characters seem larger than life, flaws and all, and how the each book, separate as they seem, has somehow culminated seemingly seamlessly to this finale - giving so much depth to the series. Oh! And of course, I can't forget to mention Priest's elegant writing style, where the words flow right off the page.
I didn't realise that this would be the last book in the series and to think I won't be reading any more stories in this world makes me quite a sad panda.
Like the previous books in this series, it is a wonderful mix of suspense, humour, and a cracking pace. I can't say how much I appreciate the lack of sappy romance and abundance of interesting, strong women in this series (that aren't bitches either). It's too easy to write of a female protagonist that swoons at some love interest, distracting from her task, or what have you.
There's a time and place for trashy romance and smut... Sometimes a book is just way better without them!
I am in love with the world Priest has built; it gets more fascinating with each book.
It most certainly helps that her characters seem larger than life, flaws and all, and how the each book, separate as they seem, has somehow culminated seemingly seamlessly to this finale - giving so much depth to the series. Oh! And of course, I can't forget to mention Priest's elegant writing style, where the words flow right off the page.
I didn't realise that this would be the last book in the series and to think I won't be reading any more stories in this world makes me quite a sad panda.
Like the previous books in this series, it is a wonderful mix of suspense, humour, and a cracking pace. I can't say how much I appreciate the lack of sappy romance and abundance of interesting, strong women in this series (that aren't bitches either). It's too easy to write of a female protagonist that swoons at some love interest, distracting from her task, or what have you.
Spoiler
Yes, I know Briar ended up with Hainey, but that was over at least two books and not the central part of the story.There's a time and place for trashy romance and smut... Sometimes a book is just way better without them!
wyrmbergmalcolm's review against another edition
3.0
A very different story from the rest of the series which was at the same time refreshing and detracting.
The multiple POVs were a little unbalanced with Maria's sections the more interesting of the three. I'd also say that the book title is a little misleading in that the Fiddlehead itself merely started the proceedings and barely featured otherwise.
The siege also felt like it went on a bit too long. Maria did something interesting, back to the siege, back to Maria doing more interesting stuff, back to the siege, etc. However, but the end I did find myself really routing for the President.
The conclusion was fine, but it did feel like a bit of a missed opportunity. The zombies (or any otherworldly thing) are always going to be one of the intriguing aspects of a story and the resolution is only hinted at.
This is also the least chronologically dependent book in the series. Yes, it does reference the events and characters in the other books, but only in passing. Knowledge of those books wouldn't change to relevance of the references.
The stand out character was the mysterious Kirby Troost who could very well feature in his own spin-off series.
The multiple POVs were a little unbalanced with Maria's sections the more interesting of the three. I'd also say that the book title is a little misleading in that the Fiddlehead itself merely started the proceedings and barely featured otherwise.
The siege also felt like it went on a bit too long. Maria did something interesting, back to the siege, back to Maria doing more interesting stuff, back to the siege, etc. However, but the end I did find myself really routing for the President.
The conclusion was fine, but it did feel like a bit of a missed opportunity. The zombies (or any otherworldly thing) are always going to be one of the intriguing aspects of a story and the resolution is only hinted at.
This is also the least chronologically dependent book in the series. Yes, it does reference the events and characters in the other books, but only in passing. Knowledge of those books wouldn't change to relevance of the references.
The stand out character was the mysterious Kirby Troost who could very well feature in his own spin-off series.