bookstoashes's review against another edition
3.0
3 Stars
It's sad to say, but this book got me into a reading slump. It took me over half a month to read, not because it was badly written but because it was soooo long winded and plot heavy that I found myself bored a lot of the time. The only thing I was interested in was Lyss' romance, other than that I literally found myself struggling to keep reading.
There isn't much action (almost none actually) and the new characters weren't that interesting to me. I find myself a lot more attached to the Seven Realms characters than the new ones brought up in these books.
Even with those complaints, I did enjoy it to an extent. Cinda Williams Chima has amazing writing and beautiful world building. I'm hoping that the books get better, and there is a lot of potential for that to happen considering how this book ended.
Here's to hoping the next book impresses me more! Fingers crossed.
It's sad to say, but this book got me into a reading slump. It took me over half a month to read, not because it was badly written but because it was soooo long winded and plot heavy that I found myself bored a lot of the time. The only thing I was interested in was Lyss' romance, other than that I literally found myself struggling to keep reading.
There isn't much action (almost none actually) and the new characters weren't that interesting to me. I find myself a lot more attached to the Seven Realms characters than the new ones brought up in these books.
Even with those complaints, I did enjoy it to an extent. Cinda Williams Chima has amazing writing and beautiful world building. I'm hoping that the books get better, and there is a lot of potential for that to happen considering how this book ended.
Here's to hoping the next book impresses me more! Fingers crossed.
aelynreads's review against another edition
4.0
This book offers an alternative perspective from the first book, which focused on the Kingdom of Arden and Adrian. Shadowcaster, instead, focuses on the rival nation the Fells and Adrian's sister, Lyss. Although it took me a while to warm up to this book and the new characters, I ended up really enjoying the story and I love how the series is developing with story lines beginning to intertwine.
The first 40% was s l o w w w w w
I was honestly bored for the first 40% of the book. We were introduced to a lot of new characters, but there wasn't much action. I found myself skipping huge chunks of text just waiting for something to actually happen. However, at 40%, the book really picked up and got very exciting and engaging towards the end.
ALL the characters
I love that this series focuses on so many characters and we're introduced to even more in this book. It gives a very Game of Thrones vibe in that we follow different characters on different sides of the war whose lives intersect and crossover at various points in the story. It's refreshing to switch POV every now and then, and I enjoyed the variety of perspectives and personalities.
This book starts BEFORE the previous book ends
I think it's really important for readers to know that this book is actually an alternate POV at the SAME TIME as the events of the first book in the series. I wasn't clear on this and I got very confused when other events were mentioned. So just be aware, if you're coming into this straight from the first book, you'll be going back in time a little bit to understand what's happening in the Fells during the first book.
The first 40% was s l o w w w w w
I was honestly bored for the first 40% of the book. We were introduced to a lot of new characters, but there wasn't much action. I found myself skipping huge chunks of text just waiting for something to actually happen. However, at 40%, the book really picked up and got very exciting and engaging towards the end.
ALL the characters
I love that this series focuses on so many characters and we're introduced to even more in this book. It gives a very Game of Thrones vibe in that we follow different characters on different sides of the war whose lives intersect and crossover at various points in the story. It's refreshing to switch POV every now and then, and I enjoyed the variety of perspectives and personalities.
This book starts BEFORE the previous book ends
I think it's really important for readers to know that this book is actually an alternate POV at the SAME TIME as the events of the first book in the series. I wasn't clear on this and I got very confused when other events were mentioned. So just be aware, if you're coming into this straight from the first book, you'll be going back in time a little bit to understand what's happening in the Fells during the first book.
lycheecha's review against another edition
3.0
This falls on the lower end of 3 stars for me. It takes place concurrently with Flamecaster, so we don't hear from Jenna or Adrian/Ash/Adam for a good portion of this. We follow Adrian's sister Lyss, short for Alyssa, and Hal, a noble general from Gerard Montaigne's side. The same issue in Flamecaster shows up here again; several more characters are introduced and thrown into the fray and we have to keep track of them and what significance they might have in the future (if they ever come into play again, that is). We do get to see the namesake for these last two titles, Flamecaster is Jenna's sick new pet dragon, and Breon names himself Shadowcaster so he can sound cool during his own euology. It ends with us learning why Celeste is here just attacking everyone we're introduced to; she's this series' very own Gregory Leicester- if she collects as many of these magemarked kiddies as possible, she can take over the world.
hdwoodyard's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
tiana_king's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.5
Last book there was this instant love with Jenna and Adrian that was odd considering the slow burn of last series. Must’ve been trauma bonding. But Lyssa and Hal was much more of a build up. Things are both interesting and making a good set up for the next book. Can’t wait to read it!
kerrisbooks13's review against another edition
4.0
Ahhhhhhh. I just love CWC’s fantasy realms and can’t wait to dive into the next installment of the series. At first I was disappointed that it switched perspectives from the first novel, but I quickly fell in love with Lyss and her crew.
leann_ange's review against another edition
3.0
I really want to give this book a better review. I do. I just couldn't connect with Lyss at all. I liked all the other POV characters and plot threads. Even interactions between her and another character, I loved the parts that other character contributed. But Lyss herself I never got into and it's hard to really enjoy a book when you can't appreciate the main viewpoint character who basically the rest of the cast's stories revolve around. I don't usually mind if there's multiple POVs and one feels lackluster, but if I spend more than half the story just hoping that the next chapter will be more interesting, then I can't give it that high a rating.
The plot was good. The setting was good. The writing was good. All but one of the POV characters and a good bit of the supporting cast, I liked. There was only one issue I had with this book and unfortunately it was a big one.
The plot was good. The setting was good. The writing was good. All but one of the POV characters and a good bit of the supporting cast, I liked. There was only one issue I had with this book and unfortunately it was a big one.
idowwa's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.75