thing_with_feathers's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
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? Yes
5.0
This series is just amazing - and this book certainly gives so muchore insight into the characters past and helps them to understand and accept who they are. Loved it!
yak_attak's review
3.0
The third saga of Flewelling's compelling gentlemen spies sees things slow down drastically as our heroes travel away from their homes on an ambassadorial mission. This comes with plusses and minuses - in many ways this is the messiest book so far, introducing a host of new characters, ideas, themes, and such to the point where it's genuinely hard to keep track of what the hell is going on. And not for the reader only, Flewelling has a hard time juggling the complex plot that she's trying to spin. Characterization is excellent as usual, but becomes uneven - Seregil gets the lion's share of the development and focus, leaving Alec quite a bit behind. In all, this has some of the best spy work in the series to date, but its reliance on a complex plot that ends up being a little unfulfilling leaves it a bit of a let down after the very strong second entry.
snazel's review against another edition
4.0
Oh my favourite 90s subversive fantasy, you are so delicious. I laughed, I "Augh"ed, I experienced the range of human emotion. Thero's dragon bite made me chortle in particular.
kiiouex's review against another edition
3.0
Book #3, now they're super in love all the time and I am HERE FOR IT
this series is still high-fantasy intruige and not actually very thief-y at all, which is still a bit of a letdown (I think the strongest part of the series was the prison break in the first chapter of the first book, and everything else has been just a bit less exciting since) but hey, Alec and Seregil are in love, constantly boning (tastefully offscreen) and if you like high fantasy politics then I have good news for you
the downside is that this book is Very Big and quite slow, I'm sure we could have dropped some of the dream imagery and self-actualization and had things move along a bit quicker. I read the whole thing and was Interested the whole time, but it's not... fun? I cannot remember many details, and I finished it this morning. I don't think it was as strong as the first two, for pacing or content or stakes. The Alec-and-Seregil bits are what I hold out for, and their relationship is so rock-solid and trust-built, but there's not quite enough to carry this 540 page behemoth on it's own.
Anyway I will buy one more instead of committing to getting the rest all at once and see how that goes
this series is still high-fantasy intruige and not actually very thief-y at all, which is still a bit of a letdown (I think the strongest part of the series was the prison break in the first chapter of the first book, and everything else has been just a bit less exciting since) but hey, Alec and Seregil are in love, constantly boning (tastefully offscreen) and if you like high fantasy politics then I have good news for you
the downside is that this book is Very Big and quite slow, I'm sure we could have dropped some of the dream imagery and self-actualization and had things move along a bit quicker. I read the whole thing and was Interested the whole time, but it's not... fun? I cannot remember many details, and I finished it this morning. I don't think it was as strong as the first two, for pacing or content or stakes. The Alec-and-Seregil bits are what I hold out for, and their relationship is so rock-solid and trust-built, but there's not quite enough to carry this 540 page behemoth on it's own.
Anyway I will buy one more instead of committing to getting the rest all at once and see how that goes
clumsypenguin's review against another edition
4.0
I came off this one directly after finishing and loving the last book, and I wasn't disappointed. I did get some whiplash after jumping off the action-packed "Stalking Darkness" only to jump into the more politic-based "Traitor's Moon". The book also serves as a kind of recovery tale for Seregil who's still traumatized by the events of the last book. While I didn't find it as engaging as the last book, I still enjoyed it a ton.
aeslis's review against another edition
4.0
This is easily my favorite of the Nightrunner series I've read so far. It's a different feel than the two that come before, though; both Luck in the Shadows and Stalking Darkness had an element of the grotesque that wasn't present in this book, which I found a relief. The pace is slower here, as Seregil and Alec accompany Princess Klia on an ambassadorial journey to Aurenfaie in an attempt to gain favor and allies for the war that Skala is losing.
Seregil and Alec do very little nightrunning until tragedy strikes, and Klia is poisoned. From there, intrigue deepens and develops, and Alec and Seregil, along with Thero, must work quickly to unravel the plot and determine the truth.
I did not find this book slow at all, despite the relative lack of adventure and daring do when compared to the first two. I enjoyed the land of Aurenfaie and found it magical and engaging to read about. It was a lot of character development for Seregil, who, until now, has hidden so much about his past that all comes to light now. Alec was a strong and subtle character, and I enjoyed seeing him in a different situation, as well.
Though I must say I was disappointed to have skipped a whole year of their relationship--for them to go from freshly confessed and straight into completely established misses out on my favorite stage of a relationship to read about. Plus, I must admit that this bond of talimenios confuses me. It's purported at first to be a bond deeper than that of normal lovers, and here and there Alec and Seregil seem to 'sense' each other's emotions through the bond, but such sensing cropped up so infrequently that it seemed to be an afterthought in the writing, an unformed facet of their relationship instead of a deepened connection.
Seregil and Alec do very little nightrunning until tragedy strikes, and Klia is poisoned. From there, intrigue deepens and develops, and Alec and Seregil, along with Thero, must work quickly to unravel the plot and determine the truth.
I did not find this book slow at all, despite the relative lack of adventure and daring do when compared to the first two. I enjoyed the land of Aurenfaie and found it magical and engaging to read about. It was a lot of character development for Seregil, who, until now, has hidden so much about his past that all comes to light now. Alec was a strong and subtle character, and I enjoyed seeing him in a different situation, as well.
Though I must say I was disappointed to have skipped a whole year of their relationship--for them to go from freshly confessed and straight into completely established misses out on my favorite stage of a relationship to read about. Plus, I must admit that this bond of talimenios confuses me. It's purported at first to be a bond deeper than that of normal lovers, and here and there Alec and Seregil seem to 'sense' each other's emotions through the bond, but such sensing cropped up so infrequently that it seemed to be an afterthought in the writing, an unformed facet of their relationship instead of a deepened connection.
vae's review against another edition
4.0
Loved the politics in this, loved the expansion of the worldbuilding, really does hold up well to re-reading. I'm loving Beka even more this time around!