Reviews

I don't know why, but this one took me ages to get through. Perhaps it was an overload of reading the same author, but I also wasn't much engaged in the plot line -- not the way I was in the previous three books. I did not despise this book, in fact I really did enjoy it -- the ending made me want to read the next one, of course, but it wasn't easy going.

intostarlight's review against another edition

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adventurous funny mysterious relaxing medium-paced

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

4.0

A fun read, as expected considering the previous books of the series. The world is complicated and well structured, the dialogue amusing and the characters likable. The focus on the romance has died down as the series has gone on, leaving us with more action and adventure. Ivy is fantastic, Genevieve is a hoot. I want to throttle Felicity again. And Biffy. Poor Biffy. One complaint I do have in terms of character is that Lord Maccon is becoming almost a secondary character in the novels. Conall had very little page time in Heartless and he and Alexia even less time together. While he can be a bit dense and angry, to the point of aggravation, I do miss him and Alexia together. They had wonderful banter and show a relationship based on love, understanding, and bickering rooted in mutual respect. I can only hope that we see them a lot more in the final novel in the series.
But overall, I don't know how Ms. Carriger does it, but each book is just plain fun. Well done.

stacy_reads's review against another edition

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adventurous emotional lighthearted mysterious medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.25

decafplease's review against another edition

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4.0

This really was the best of the series by far, just because I got to see Biffy and Lord Akeldama all the time.

whisperfox's review against another edition

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3.0

[6/10]

This book is the one I remembered the least about from my previous read, so in that regard this book was really fun. I didn't know what to expect!

That said, the plot of this one does feel a bit scattered to me. I suppose you could look at it as a result of Alexia's state of mind, but when everything comes to a head at the end, it seems a little out of nowhere in some ways.

I did spend the entirety of this book extremely concerned about my Favorite Character. The events of the story are not particularly kind to him in the first four out of five installments in this series. Perhaps as a result of that concern, I kept looking for emotional relief in other areas of the story, but I just ended up vaguely stressed out the whole time.

I will say there are a couple of strings of story here that I don't really feel ever get tied up, even in the last book. Not to my satisfaction at least. I usually don't mind if a series leaves some loose ends, as it makes me feel like the world is bigger than just the story being told inside it. But in this case, it directly affected the protagonist enough that I wanted more resolution for it than I ever got.

Despite my criticisms, this book was still very entertaining and funny, just like the rest of the series. It definitely feels like a penultimate book. It brings much of what we've been dealing with for the entire middle of the story to a rather finite close, while still leaving enough open-ended that the final book is an enticing prospect.

ramakn22's review against another edition

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adventurous emotional funny mysterious sad medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

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