monofred's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Injury/Injury detail, Death, Fire/Fire injury, Confinement, Domestic abuse, Murder, and Blood
Moderate: Child abuse, Violence, Toxic relationship, Pregnancy, Body horror, Chronic illness, Sexism, and Religious bigotry
brenn's review
5.0
This is one of my favorite books of all time. I have a degree in History and the way the three authors build and play with the history of the duchy just tickles me to the bone. I also dabbled in art history so there's a double layer of deliciousness, as well as the excellent storyline and rich characters. And that they wrapped it up in one book when it could have so easily stretched into a trilogy is a great place to wrap this review up.
ETA: Little trivia note here. Kate Eliot mentioned on twitter that the cover artist, Michael Whelon, used himself as a model for Sario on the cover.
ETA: Little trivia note here. Kate Eliot mentioned on twitter that the cover artist, Michael Whelon, used himself as a model for Sario on the cover.
eirenophile's review
1.0
So I read this a number of years ago and liked it enough that I remembered it and wanted to read it again. Older and wiser now, it doesn't impress me as once it might have.
I like how it's all vying for political power in a fantastical historical Portugal type of place. But I don't love any of the characters and I'm not totally savoring the world. The main character really gets into his magical painting stuff, and learns and develops and becomes more ruthless, but it doesn't feel like a training sequence that I can really get into. Especially with a rather flat teacher.
What really got to me was that after hundreds of pages, I still have seen no real development or change in either character, and all of the plot movement seems forced. Halfway through and I'm returning it to the library unfinished.
I like how it's all vying for political power in a fantastical historical Portugal type of place. But I don't love any of the characters and I'm not totally savoring the world. The main character really gets into his magical painting stuff, and learns and develops and becomes more ruthless, but it doesn't feel like a training sequence that I can really get into. Especially with a rather flat teacher.
What really got to me was that after hundreds of pages, I still have seen no real development or change in either character, and all of the plot movement seems forced. Halfway through and I'm returning it to the library unfinished.
katmarhan's review
4.0
I finished [b:The Golden Key|257333|The Golden Key|Melanie Rawn|http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51EKW8AXVML._SL75_.jpg|16050], after more than a month. It's the not fault of the book that it took me so long (although it is almost 900 pages and spans 400 years). Because there were days-long periods of time between readings, I don't know if my perceptions are that accurate. But I thought I could "feel" the differences in the sections that were written by each of the authors ([a:Melanie Rawn|8661|Melanie Rawn|http://photo.goodreads.com/authors/1223871368p2/8661.jpg], [a:Jennifer Roberson|8659|Jennifer Roberson|http://photo.goodreads.com/authors/1223871478p2/8659.jpg], and [a:Kate Elliott|8660|Kate Elliott|http://photo.goodreads.com/authors/1234969697p2/8660.jpg]). The middle section of the book was my favorite, and, to me, it seemed to flow the best, but again, that could be because I read most of that without long breaks in-between.
I have read other books by each of these authors and liked them a lot, so it's not surprising that I gave this book 9/10 on m personal rating scale.
What I liked: I found the system of magic to be original and unusual. Most of the characters were people I ended up caring about. Although there was an inevitability about the conclusion, it was satisfying and there were enoguth twists and turns along the way to keep it from being too predictable.
What I didn't like: I still am confused about the power of the Grijalva Gift vs. the power of the magic. I would like to know more about how the Tza'ab used the magic vs. how the Grijalvas used it. And the similarity of names used through the years, while very appropriate to the setting, made following the story challenging at times.
Let me finish by saying that I know this book was meant to be followed up by 3 volumes, each written by one of the authors of this book. That plan apparently was scrapped years ago, but perhaps some of my questions would have been answered if those books had been written.
I have read other books by each of these authors and liked them a lot, so it's not surprising that I gave this book 9/10 on m personal rating scale.
What I liked: I found the system of magic to be original and unusual. Most of the characters were people I ended up caring about. Although there was an inevitability about the conclusion, it was satisfying and there were enoguth twists and turns along the way to keep it from being too predictable.
What I didn't like: I still am confused about the power of the Grijalva Gift vs. the power of the magic. I would like to know more about how the Tza'ab used the magic vs. how the Grijalvas used it. And the similarity of names used through the years, while very appropriate to the setting, made following the story challenging at times.
Let me finish by saying that I know this book was meant to be followed up by 3 volumes, each written by one of the authors of this book. That plan apparently was scrapped years ago, but perhaps some of my questions would have been answered if those books had been written.
tikimoof's review
You know what? I give up.
The first section is terrible. It's boring and it is so goddamned repetitive. 300 pages could be condensed to half that.
I got a bit into the second section. Much better written (in that I don't get the same three plot points every twenty pages), but I was still bored.
And I have many other books I could read and hate and be done with in the same amount of time.
To the DNF pile!
The first section is terrible. It's boring and it is so goddamned repetitive. 300 pages could be condensed to half that.
I got a bit into the second section. Much better written (in that I don't get the same three plot points every twenty pages), but I was still bored.
And I have many other books I could read and hate and be done with in the same amount of time.
To the DNF pile!
damarisr's review against another edition
dark
informative
mysterious
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
xeni's review against another edition
5.0
This is a wonderfully long and intense novel which follows one country through centuries in the perspective of a painter. I loved how Melanie Rawn used a "flawed", i.e. corrupted, main character to tell her story from. It definitely was a wonderful change from most stories (where the main character needs to defeat that bad guy). It does, though, lead the reader to sympathize with the main character a bit more than you would usually with the villain.
I still love reading this novel, even after many many reads. The story never grows old, the characters are all full and the plot is wonderfully thought out.
You can definitely tell that Rawn spent many years putting together this literary masterpiece.
I still love reading this novel, even after many many reads. The story never grows old, the characters are all full and the plot is wonderfully thought out.
You can definitely tell that Rawn spent many years putting together this literary masterpiece.
lanikei's review against another edition
5.0
Such an interesting combination of styles and cultures... Lush settings, tons of intrigue, enthralling characters, etc etc. This book brings together some of the greatest trashy fantasy authors ever.
caravaggiooo's review
4.25
Vast yet intimate in scope with an absorbing, intricate plot and a solid cast of characters, the cherry on top being an incredibly appealing and creative premise (especially for this art history nerd; mileage may vary depending on readers' interest, or lack thereof in fine art). The extra touches such as the transitional Galleria interludes and the fictional painting guides are fantastic. The first "volume" of The Golden Key, Chieva do'Sangua, merely hints at the epic journey through the generations the story unfolds into, leading to a uniquely satisfying and subtly moving conclusion. I also have to note that characters such as Saavedra and Eleyna hold a special appeal for me, as a female reader in the creative field. The Golden Key, though I wouldn't go so far as to call it a masterpiece, is a memorable fantasy creation that will probably stay with me a long while.