vaderbird's review
2.0
5 star - Perfect
4 star - i would recommend
3 star - good
2 star - struggled to complete
1 star - could not finish
4 star - i would recommend
3 star - good
2 star - struggled to complete
1 star - could not finish
dankeohane's review
4.0
I've been really enjoying this series, though not reading one after the other, and with such a large cast of characters, I have to hand it to Moore for subtly reminding readers who each of the dozens of main characters are as each book starts. #3 picks up immediately after the apocalyptic events of the previous installment, with the empire frantically fortifying and preparing to defend Canhoon, the City of Wonders, from imminent invasion by what is turning into a massive onslaught of invaders. The Sa'ba Taalor are brutal warriors with no sense of mercy - only the desire to serve their "gods". The mystery of these gods of the Forges only deepens as this novel moves on, as does the revelations of other forces at work, sometimes against them.
The Sa'ba Taalor have been, until the end of the second novel, almost "good guys." Moore has spent much time covering their mysterious past, their beliefs, and in this third installment, you try not to like the characters as much because they spend the entire book slaughtering everyone, children included, but its hard to not at least relate to them as we've spent many pages in their heads. The author's approach to them does not change, treating their wants and needs (as simple as they are most of the time) as fairly as the protagonists in this story.
Regardless, minions of Mordor have nothing on these folks.
City of Wonders spends most of its time building up the dire threat the Taalor pose to, well, everyone. There are minor victories against them, but most are short-lived. In some ways, #3 is the Seven Forges version of The Empire Strikes Back. The bad guys keep winning. With an optimistic ending which hints at least that the Fellien empire might at least have a shot at defending themselves, and a few surprise twists, I'm looking forward to what I assume is the awesome conclusion to this series.
The Sa'ba Taalor have been, until the end of the second novel, almost "good guys." Moore has spent much time covering their mysterious past, their beliefs, and in this third installment, you try not to like the characters as much because they spend the entire book slaughtering everyone, children included, but its hard to not at least relate to them as we've spent many pages in their heads. The author's approach to them does not change, treating their wants and needs (as simple as they are most of the time) as fairly as the protagonists in this story.
Regardless, minions of Mordor have nothing on these folks.
City of Wonders spends most of its time building up the dire threat the Taalor pose to, well, everyone. There are minor victories against them, but most are short-lived. In some ways, #3 is the Seven Forges version of The Empire Strikes Back. The bad guys keep winning. With an optimistic ending which hints at least that the Fellien empire might at least have a shot at defending themselves, and a few surprise twists, I'm looking forward to what I assume is the awesome conclusion to this series.
sarah42783's review
4.0
Actual rating: 3.5 stars.
Bloody hell. Now that's what I call war and violence and gore and death and destruction and stuff! So delicious. Surprisingly enough, this scrumptiously grisly environment didn't sit so well with my little crustaceans. Believe it or not, my poor babies got slightly terrified as we were reading the book. Our Shrimpy Lord knows how much they usually love their bloody bed time stories, but this one got them all scared and panicky and stuff. So much so that Fleet Admiral DaShrimp actually had to administer a mild sedative to calm them down. It's kind of disappointing, really. You'd expect such a ruthless bunch of ferocious arthropods to have a much higher tolerance to bloodbaths and mass slaughters. I am afraid there has been a severe relapse in their training these past few weeks. I think it's high time to reinstate the good old "growa backbone an exoskeleton or else you'll become paella material" threat. Always works like a charm. But I digress. Just a teensy little bit.
Soooo. City of Wonders. The first two books in this series were a complete joke compared to this one. Because, seriously, the level of devastation and carnage and annihilation and butchering is quite unprecedented here. Not to mention the very contagious Oh Hey Let's Slightly Massacre Everything/Everyone/Whatever that Stands in our Way Virus (OHLSMEEWtSioV™) that seems to be going around. No one/nothing/no nothing is spared here: men, women (bonus points for pregnant ones), kids, trees, plants, cities, villages, slugs, fluffy bunnies…Anything goes! It's Equal Opportunity Extermination Time (EOET™), yay! Courtesy of whom? Of my used-to-be-yummy Sa'ba Taalor, of course! I have to admit that myutter lust moderate affection for them kinda sorta started going downhill when I read book 2 and found out what was behind their freaking veils EW EW EW YUCK YUCK YUCK . And now I am most definitely done done done with them. To think I once considered them to be the hottest savages around. Alas, it turns out they are naught but a bunch of bloodthirsty zealots who can't won't think for themselves and do naught but blindly follow their freaking gods' obliterating commands. They are vicious and brutal and sadistic and evil and barbaric and cruel. Damn, they are so diabolically vile that even their kids are malevolent, murderous beasts.
This is more or less what the Sa'Ba Taalor kids look like when dear mommy prepares their beloved peanut butter jelly sandwiches. Imagine what delightful little urchins they turn into when faced with the enemy.
Okay, I bet you're wondering why I gave this book a 3.5-star rating. You're not? Well that's just too bad, since I'm about to tell you the reason behind that very acute rating anywayyou're welcome : as much as I love blood, gore, violence yay! and homicidal maniacs, the whole Kill Kill Kill Die Die Die Business (KKKDDDB™) kind of gets old after a while. Especially when it's always the same team that's in charge of it. Plus, the Andover sub-plot was repetitively meh. Plus plus, something that I didn't want to happen happened so when it happened I wasn't really happy that it had happened. Because it was too predictable and convenient and stuff. And to be honest, I was going to go for a 3-star rating because of it. BUT. The Uber Cool Silent Army of Total Gloriousness (UCSAoTG™) made an appearance at the end of the book and almost all was almost well in the world again. More or less.
And now that the UCSAoTG™ is rockin' and rollin', it is high time for my Dream Team of Utter Awesomeness (DToUA™)aka MY Merros + Hugh Hefner Desh and his wondrous bunnies sorceresses + kick-ass empress Nachia to wake up, smell the whisky coffee, take charge, and beat the bloody shrimping crap out of the Freakingly Slaughterish Religious Fanatics of Doom (FSRFoD™).
That's the spirit! We are SO going to win this war, people of Fellein!
· Book 1: Seven Forges ★★★★
· Book 2: The Blasted Lands ★★★★
· Book 4: The Silent Army ★★
Bloody hell. Now that's what I call war and violence and gore and death and destruction and stuff! So delicious. Surprisingly enough, this scrumptiously grisly environment didn't sit so well with my little crustaceans. Believe it or not, my poor babies got slightly terrified as we were reading the book. Our Shrimpy Lord knows how much they usually love their bloody bed time stories, but this one got them all scared and panicky and stuff. So much so that Fleet Admiral DaShrimp actually had to administer a mild sedative to calm them down. It's kind of disappointing, really. You'd expect such a ruthless bunch of ferocious arthropods to have a much higher tolerance to bloodbaths and mass slaughters. I am afraid there has been a severe relapse in their training these past few weeks. I think it's high time to reinstate the good old "grow
Soooo. City of Wonders. The first two books in this series were a complete joke compared to this one. Because, seriously, the level of devastation and carnage and annihilation and butchering is quite unprecedented here. Not to mention the very contagious Oh Hey Let's Slightly Massacre Everything/Everyone/Whatever that Stands in our Way Virus (OHLSMEEWtSioV™) that seems to be going around. No one/nothing/no nothing is spared here: men, women (bonus points for pregnant ones), kids, trees, plants, cities, villages, slugs, fluffy bunnies…Anything goes! It's Equal Opportunity Extermination Time (EOET™), yay! Courtesy of whom? Of my used-to-be-yummy Sa'ba Taalor, of course! I have to admit that my
This is more or less what the Sa'Ba Taalor kids look like when dear mommy prepares their beloved peanut butter jelly sandwiches. Imagine what delightful little urchins they turn into when faced with the enemy.
Okay, I bet you're wondering why I gave this book a 3.5-star rating. You're not? Well that's just too bad, since I'm about to tell you the reason behind that very acute rating anyway
And now that the UCSAoTG™ is rockin' and rollin', it is high time for my Dream Team of Utter Awesomeness (DToUA™)
That's the spirit! We are SO going to win this war, people of Fellein!
· Book 1: Seven Forges ★★★★
· Book 2: The Blasted Lands ★★★★
· Book 4: The Silent Army ★★
ajspedding's review
5.0
City of Wonders is the third book in the Seven Forges series by James A Moore, and it carries on beautifully and brutally from the first two books. And brutal it is. The kingdom of Fellein is at war with the Sa’ba Taalor – grey-skins born for battle. There’s no pussy-footing around when it comes to war, and Moore doesn’t shy from the savagery of it.
Now we’re really getting into the meat of battle (can I get a ‘hell yeah!’). The Sa’ba Taalor are ferocious opponents, not given over to fear or mercy. The Fellein are woefully outmatched. Too long they’ve sat comfortable, idle, and they’re paying a damn high price for it.
See full review here: https://amandajspedding.com/2016/05/20/review-city-of-wonders-by-james-a-moore/
Now we’re really getting into the meat of battle (can I get a ‘hell yeah!’). The Sa’ba Taalor are ferocious opponents, not given over to fear or mercy. The Fellein are woefully outmatched. Too long they’ve sat comfortable, idle, and they’re paying a damn high price for it.
See full review here: https://amandajspedding.com/2016/05/20/review-city-of-wonders-by-james-a-moore/
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