paradoxically's review against another edition
2.0
I think I finally get it. Really. Because I keep reading these books and shaking my head, but I continue reading anyway. It's the story. The story compels me to read, but the execution is lacking. The prose isn't very well written--a lot of tell and not show, an overuse of exclamation points (you really, REALLY, do not need that many exclamations points...), so on and so forth. It could be tighter, it could be cleaner, it could be prettier. BUT the story the author is trying to tell is solid. It meanders a bit, yes. It focuses on unimportant things at times. However, the ideas introduced and what the author tries to implement is decent.
There are still downsides. So many downsides. I nearly put down the book after slogging through the beginning. Aeson seemed a different person, what with having emotions and all. You get an answer for the surprise you receive in the last book and it's... not a very good answer because you would think Aeson would manage to get some sort of information across to Gwen. That is not something you spring on someone without talking, good reason or not. I was actually happy with the relationship and how it was finally progressing, but after a while what I was reading was stagnant. Once the Atlantis Grail started and Gwen had a goal things started picking up again.
The Grail games are fun, if ridiculous. Again, the attention paid to different stages of the games is very uneven, with the most centered on the first stage. After that the next few roll around relatively quickly and with strangely not as much conflict as the first stage. There's a lot of sitting around and waiting. Gwen survives by severally really lucky factors (in fact, too lucky, but handwave) and a bunch of people who gather under her because... well, for some reason. The end of the book was really abrupt. It was a cliffhanger, yes, but it was more like the author stopped the book because they couldn't find a decent place to end it and it was getting too long.
They're entertaining books, even if they're not well written. Lots of problems, but interesting ideas to help make up for it. 2 stars.
There are still downsides. So many downsides. I nearly put down the book after slogging through the beginning. Aeson seemed a different person, what with having emotions and all. You get an answer for the surprise you receive in the last book and it's... not a very good answer because you would think Aeson would manage to get some sort of information across to Gwen. That is not something you spring on someone without talking, good reason or not. I was actually happy with the relationship and how it was finally progressing, but after a while what I was reading was stagnant. Once the Atlantis Grail started and Gwen had a goal things started picking up again.
The Grail games are fun, if ridiculous. Again, the attention paid to different stages of the games is very uneven, with the most centered on the first stage. After that the next few roll around relatively quickly and with strangely not as much conflict as the first stage. There's a lot of sitting around and waiting. Gwen survives by severally really lucky factors (in fact, too lucky, but handwave) and a bunch of people who gather under her because... well, for some reason. The end of the book was really abrupt. It was a cliffhanger, yes, but it was more like the author stopped the book because they couldn't find a decent place to end it and it was getting too long.
They're entertaining books, even if they're not well written. Lots of problems, but interesting ideas to help make up for it. 2 stars.
kkulig's review against another edition
adventurous
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.5
dwolfs's review
adventurous
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
5.0
djali84's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.25
pennireadstoomuch's review against another edition
5.0
Amazing as always! I cannot wait until the next book!
sputerman's review against another edition
adventurous
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
gracieellen's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
bookishbecca's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
gwenhwyfar82's review against another edition
adventurous
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.75
tundaria's review against another edition
3.0
Similar to the previous books in its pros and cons. Still readable and interesting with some neat ideas, but also everything turns out exceptionally well for Gwen and most people she knows. The book still really needs more editing, mostly for tone and story/content. Not so much for consistency as just… quality? A lot of stuff comes up and is made out to be important, only to not really matter at all, or just comes entirely out of left field .
Also, Gwen's family and friends essentially vanish after she gets into the Games. The focus is entirely on Aeson. Which, okay, I get that there's the ~romance~ aspect of this book, but it goes way too far in that. Also, princey himself is really controlling and disturbingly dependent and this just. isn't addressed?? at all??? Plus (and this may just be a personal thing) the romance seems a little forced and awkward sometimes, never mind the gooeyness… idk I'm not super into romance to start.
The pacing was off (at some points more than others—why do the first two Stages get 20 chapters each but the last two get that many combined?), but part of that is just the obnoxious start/end points. The "cliffhanger ending" of the last book was more of an "ending at a dramatic place without resolution," so this book then had to deal with the immediate aftermath before accomplishing anything else. I would have ended [b: Compete|26100693|Compete (The Atlantis Grail, #2)|Vera Nazarian|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1439583062s/26100693.jpg|46043859] probably after in this book. We can find out she's going into the Games (and therefore gets to, you know… compete, since that's the only book which doesn't really deliver on its titular goal) and then cut away for the next book. Drama preserved, but at a more natural endpoint. It's still not perfect, maybe, but I'm not a professional writer ;)
Miscellaneous things that bothered me:
* The Kassiopei sex thing is really out of place, tonally? Like. That chapter took A Turn. The alien stuff I can get behind, but that was just bizarre.
* Gwen—and everyone else competing, really—is bizarrely chill about the whole Games experience? Like, they're obviously not happy about it, but no one is really traumatized either? All these terrible things are happening and there are no real consequences for it.
*"Pegasei are impossible to train in three days!! the professionals take weeks!!" -> literally everyone who doesn't accidentally free the creature manages it
* Deneb ~conveniently~ just randomly dies with no effort on Gwen's part. At least Thalassa's demise had some kind of connection to previous events.
* Don't leave us hanging with Lolu and Chihar?? Add to the drama by making them do their tiebreaker first.
* There is no possible way for Aeson to have learned all that shit about his father at the very end, not when he's been immersing himself in the Games the whole damn time. How the hell would he even find that out, especially all of a sudden? Take some time to address the Grail revelation, and then have him find out more later. And then end the book. Don't just stop after a dramatic proclamation for no good reason.
Overall, it's about on par with [b: Qualify|21845122|Qualify (The Atlantis Grail, #1)|Vera Nazarian|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1399528788s/21845122.jpg|41115914] for me: solid and enjoyable… just don't think too hard about it.
Spoiler
(Kassiopei sex ritual, Games assassins, the Blue Grail puzzle, pegasus everything)Also, Gwen's family and friends essentially vanish after she gets into the Games. The focus is entirely on Aeson. Which, okay, I get that there's the ~romance~ aspect of this book, but it goes way too far in that. Also, princey himself is really controlling and disturbingly dependent and this just. isn't addressed?? at all??? Plus (and this may just be a personal thing) the romance seems a little forced and awkward sometimes, never mind the gooeyness… idk I'm not super into romance to start.
The pacing was off (at some points more than others—why do the first two Stages get 20 chapters each but the last two get that many combined?), but part of that is just the obnoxious start/end points. The "cliffhanger ending" of the last book was more of an "ending at a dramatic place without resolution," so this book then had to deal with the immediate aftermath before accomplishing anything else. I would have ended [b: Compete|26100693|Compete (The Atlantis Grail, #2)|Vera Nazarian|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1439583062s/26100693.jpg|46043859] probably after
Spoiler
the Assembly in Gwen's honorMiscellaneous things that bothered me:
Spoiler
* Practically nothing culturally/lessonwise in the previous book was relevant to this one (as far as I remember, at least)?? Just the actual events, like the relationship stuff with Logan and Aeson, and everything with Brie (who is a sarcastic QUEEN in this book).* The Kassiopei sex thing is really out of place, tonally? Like. That chapter took A Turn. The alien stuff I can get behind, but that was just bizarre.
* Gwen—and everyone else competing, really—is bizarrely chill about the whole Games experience? Like, they're obviously not happy about it, but no one is really traumatized either? All these terrible things are happening and there are no real consequences for it.
*"Pegasei are impossible to train in three days!! the professionals take weeks!!" -> literally everyone who doesn't accidentally free the creature manages it
* Deneb ~conveniently~ just randomly dies with no effort on Gwen's part. At least Thalassa's demise had some kind of connection to previous events.
* Don't leave us hanging with Lolu and Chihar?? Add to the drama by making them do their tiebreaker first.
* There is no possible way for Aeson to have learned all that shit about his father at the very end, not when he's been immersing himself in the Games the whole damn time. How the hell would he even find that out, especially all of a sudden? Take some time to address the Grail revelation, and then have him find out more later. And then end the book. Don't just stop after a dramatic proclamation for no good reason.
Overall, it's about on par with [b: Qualify|21845122|Qualify (The Atlantis Grail, #1)|Vera Nazarian|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1399528788s/21845122.jpg|41115914] for me: solid and enjoyable… just don't think too hard about it.