rosekk's review against another edition
5.0
I think this second story is better than the first book (Dreams & Shadows) - it feels more cohesive from start to finish. It still carries that same eerie fairy-magic atmosphere, which I love. Colby continues to be a fascinating character who is easy to cheer for.
tytue's review against another edition
2.0
Honestly in comparison to the first book, this one hit the low marks for me. I just couldn't get past the 6th chapter, and I tried as hard as I could. Which is surprising for me because I normally give a book up to chapter 3 before I put it down completely. I guess I wanted to give this one a try because the first one was so good and I was hoping it would get better as I went along.
The characters were ok, but I felt no real attachment to them. The conversations felt forced, and like the author tried to hard to make them sound witty, which sometimes worked but other times left me rolling my eyes and sighing. The plot was to scrambled at times, and other times just completely nonexistent. The author could have just left the first book where it was all, the fate of the characters and all, and the story would have been just as well.
Yet another disappointing sequel I'm just going to pretend never happened.
The characters were ok, but I felt no real attachment to them. The conversations felt forced, and like the author tried to hard to make them sound witty, which sometimes worked but other times left me rolling my eyes and sighing. The plot was to scrambled at times, and other times just completely nonexistent. The author could have just left the first book where it was all, the fate of the characters and all, and the story would have been just as well.
Yet another disappointing sequel I'm just going to pretend never happened.
memybooksandi's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
wolfsong12's review against another edition
3.0
It could have been a 4, it could also have been a 2. 3 is my compromise and here's why.
It is exquistly written in places, particularly the parts set in the Australian outback. It has a clever engrossing story and a stunning depth of landscape. So, what is the problem?
The female characters. It could well just be me but I found them two dimensional, no depth, very little heart and virtually no personality. Every one of them is decribed solely by their looks - in relation to how attractive they are, and whether or not they are worthy of fucking. There is nothing to them, they are quite literally the series of the holes that several of the male characters describe them to be.
I'm so sick and tired of reading these stereotypical tropes. It's 2019 and I know I bought the book a few year ago now, but come on already. If it hadn't been such a constant theme I would have seen it as characterisation, but there are tones of it throughout the book.
In the acknowledgements the author talks about his wife in a way that makes me think much, much better of him than I did as I was reading the book.
Dear Mr Cargill, you thank your all-male reading team in your acknowledgements, please please include some women next time to offer a different perspective.
It is exquistly written in places, particularly the parts set in the Australian outback. It has a clever engrossing story and a stunning depth of landscape. So, what is the problem?
The female characters. It could well just be me but I found them two dimensional, no depth, very little heart and virtually no personality. Every one of them is decribed solely by their looks - in relation to how attractive they are, and whether or not they are worthy of fucking. There is nothing to them, they are quite literally the series of the holes that several of the male characters describe them to be.
I'm so sick and tired of reading these stereotypical tropes. It's 2019 and I know I bought the book a few year ago now, but come on already. If it hadn't been such a constant theme I would have seen it as characterisation, but there are tones of it throughout the book.
In the acknowledgements the author talks about his wife in a way that makes me think much, much better of him than I did as I was reading the book.
Dear Mr Cargill, you thank your all-male reading team in your acknowledgements, please please include some women next time to offer a different perspective.
kyshakitty's review against another edition
5.0
I received this book through the Harper Voyager super reader program.
So this book is way darker than Dreams and Shadows in many ways. The new characters are darker but so is Colby. The situations he finds himself in are also much darker and more dire.
It starts with a story from a distant land in a time long past that really seems to have nothing to do with our journey but we are wrong. Then we pick up Colby's story several months after Dreams and Shadows ended. He is mourning all he lost and not coping all that well. Everything reminds him of the friends he lost and he is somewhat self destructive. That self destruction is what leads him to his latest "adventure". During this "adventure", he/we meet many new, mostly frightening, characters. They include his old friend, Kaycee, and his new friend, Austin. There are several times that Colby questions who the Queen is and we question right along with him. I actually was not surprised when it was revealed, but I has thought it was someone else from the first book. We are taken back to some of Colby's time between part one and two of Dreams and Shadows. The Clever Man who cared for Colby during Yashar's absence is both frustrating and helpful to Colby and us. Once again Colby's arrogance and ignorance lead him into trouble and he has to eliminate many creatures. We find out how the new characters relate to the story in the beginning along the way. In the end he sets many creatures free and both he and Kaycee find their true destinies.
I liked this book better than the first one once we get past the whining and self-pitying Colby. Kaycee is a welcome addition to the story line. She is the other half of Colby to me. She possesses characteristics that he is lacking and he has come she is lacking. She is more adventurous and less fearful, but she acknowledges that she has limits. Colby feels he is all powerful, but he uses his heart more than she does. Gossomer is a great friend but I feel sad for him because his dog traits make him too eager to please. A golden retriever as a familiar is a terrible idea because they are obedient to a fault. I assume that is why witches use cats, they are obedient to no one. Once again I didn't care for Yashar, but I hated Mandu. I guess being a Clever Man means playing both sides but screwing with kids heads is just wrong.
Austin is pretty much what I would expect the spirit of the city to be. I imagined a female Willie Nelson and that is basically what Cargill gave us. She is country with some hippie and yuppie thrown in. I am sure if you stroll down 6th street any saturday evening you will find at least 10 people that fit her description (yes I said people, "keep Austin weird" is not just a slogan it is a way of life).
This book takes place in Austin and central Texas again but also includes Australia and other more exotic foreign locations. I assume that Cargill did a lot of research on each place to create the settings. I could picture each one easily. I want to comment Cargill on his knowledge of multi-cultural folklore. I am sure some things were made up but I have heard or read about many the creatures, symbols, and rituals he discusses. I am a fan of folklore and legends so I was fairly impressed. The passages by Dr. Thaddeus Ray, PhD add that air of authenticity once again and show how much research Cargill must have done.
There isn't much I disliked about the book. I feel Colby is too whiny and pitiful in the beginning and very self doubting. Yashar is very doubting and just a grouch for a lot of the book. I would have liked more information about Colby's time in Australia and about the kutji, since I have never heard that word before.
I hope that if Cargill feels the need to make this a trilogy that the 3rd book is about Kaycee.
So this book is way darker than Dreams and Shadows in many ways. The new characters are darker but so is Colby. The situations he finds himself in are also much darker and more dire.
It starts with a story from a distant land in a time long past that really seems to have nothing to do with our journey but we are wrong. Then we pick up Colby's story several months after Dreams and Shadows ended. He is mourning all he lost and not coping all that well. Everything reminds him of the friends he lost and he is somewhat self destructive. That self destruction is what leads him to his latest "adventure". During this "adventure", he/we meet many new, mostly frightening, characters. They include his old friend, Kaycee, and his new friend, Austin. There are several times that Colby questions who the Queen is and we question right along with him. I actually was not surprised when it was revealed, but I has thought it was someone else from the first book. We are taken back to some of Colby's time between part one and two of Dreams and Shadows. The Clever Man who cared for Colby during Yashar's absence is both frustrating and helpful to Colby and us. Once again Colby's arrogance and ignorance lead him into trouble and he has to eliminate many creatures. We find out how the new characters relate to the story in the beginning along the way. In the end he sets many creatures free and both he and Kaycee find their true destinies.
I liked this book better than the first one once we get past the whining and self-pitying Colby. Kaycee is a welcome addition to the story line. She is the other half of Colby to me. She possesses characteristics that he is lacking and he has come she is lacking. She is more adventurous and less fearful, but she acknowledges that she has limits. Colby feels he is all powerful, but he uses his heart more than she does. Gossomer is a great friend but I feel sad for him because his dog traits make him too eager to please. A golden retriever as a familiar is a terrible idea because they are obedient to a fault. I assume that is why witches use cats, they are obedient to no one. Once again I didn't care for Yashar, but I hated Mandu. I guess being a Clever Man means playing both sides but screwing with kids heads is just wrong.
Austin is pretty much what I would expect the spirit of the city to be. I imagined a female Willie Nelson and that is basically what Cargill gave us. She is country with some hippie and yuppie thrown in. I am sure if you stroll down 6th street any saturday evening you will find at least 10 people that fit her description (yes I said people, "keep Austin weird" is not just a slogan it is a way of life).
This book takes place in Austin and central Texas again but also includes Australia and other more exotic foreign locations. I assume that Cargill did a lot of research on each place to create the settings. I could picture each one easily. I want to comment Cargill on his knowledge of multi-cultural folklore. I am sure some things were made up but I have heard or read about many the creatures, symbols, and rituals he discusses. I am a fan of folklore and legends so I was fairly impressed. The passages by Dr. Thaddeus Ray, PhD add that air of authenticity once again and show how much research Cargill must have done.
There isn't much I disliked about the book. I feel Colby is too whiny and pitiful in the beginning and very self doubting. Yashar is very doubting and just a grouch for a lot of the book. I would have liked more information about Colby's time in Australia and about the kutji, since I have never heard that word before.
I hope that if Cargill feels the need to make this a trilogy that the 3rd book is about Kaycee.
gabyk_lib's review against another edition
4.0
Complex and compelling. But I can't help wondering is Cargill aboriginal? And if he isn't what do aboriginal people make of his book?
angryglitterwitch's review against another edition
4.0
I'm sad this isn't a trilogy. Also loved the inclusion of a disabled main character who has their own power but it's not "in spite of" or "because of" their disability, it's just part of them. Great magic realism/modern myth type thing.
- "A curse is just a bargain struck without benefits."
- "A curse is just a bargain struck without benefits."
snowbenton's review against another edition
5.0
Having just finished the first season of Westworld, I caught on pretty quickly that Kaycee was in Colby's past, and I got quite a thrill when I was right. Colby's decisions and friendships are fascinating, and I loved Yashar more every chapter. I loved that this book focused on the demons and aboriginal mythology because I'm not very familiar with either and it was fascinating. Cargill's decision to blend the normal fantasy tropes with religion is brave and works so well because he just went for it. I want to be Austin when I grow up. Highly recommend.
readalatina's review against another edition
1.0
Sadly, I couldn't get through this book. I loved book1, but found Colby completely unlikable this time
saholland's review against another edition
5.0
More realistically somewhere between a 4 and a 5. It's obvious that Cargill is a screenwriter by trade, rather than a novelist, as both this and the first book in the series suffered from some structural and pacing issues. Nonetheless, the narrative and the characters were enough for me to rate it highly.